Happy Saturday!
One of the hardest things for me during this pandemic is that I can't plan my next Disney vacation. It is one of my favorite stress relievers and gives me something to look forward to when things are tough. 2021 isn't even looking promising, so who knows when I'll get back to the magic. In the meantime, I started saving recipes from various Disney restaurants to make at home and hopefully bring some of that magic to Ohio.
I decided to make the first test group from the restaurants at the Polynesian Resort. This is one of my favorite resorts because it is right on the beach, has a view of Magic Kingdom from across the lake, and everything is Moana/Lilo and Stitch/Hawaii themed. It is also home to my favorite coffee on all of Disney World property.
Kona Cafe is our breakfast spot. Their Kona coffee is my absolute favorite. A few weeks before I decided to do this home-cooking adventure, I heard Joffrey's was selling the coffee that they created specifically for the Disney Parks & Resorts that you can make at home. I HAD to order it. Got the coffee, now we need the food. The well-known breakfast/brunch dish from Kona Cafe is the Tonga Toast. It is a giant tower of french toast that is stuffed with bananas, coated in cinnamon sugar, and served with a strawberry compote. It is absolutely delicious, but will send you into a sugar shock if that's the only thing you order. I found a couple recipes, but decided on this one because I wanted the strawberry compote. It was surprisingly very simple and easy to make. The compote I could've just taken the pot and eaten it with a spoon. The toast came out crunchy and not too sugary, but it didn't taste close enough to the real thing. Final Verdict: I will be trying a different recipe for the toast, but keeping the compote. Kona coffee-100% tasted like home.
Next, we go to Ohana for dinner. This is a family-style restaurant literally right next to Kona Cafe. Ohana is known for their Ohana noodles and bread pudding. I could not find an authentic recipe for their bread pudding, but if anyone has it, send it my way! The Ohana noodles are typically the "carb" portion of your meal, along with picking a protein and veggies. This is the recipe for the Ohana noodles, and my brother was in charge of making chicken on the grill. We also made an asian inspired salad. The noodles weren't overly complicated, but they did take some time to make. I believe it was about 30-45 minutes with prep time, but they were WORTH IT. It was everyone's favorite part of the meal. Slightly sweet but savory, the perfect al dente lo mein noodles. Verdict: I'll tell you a secret. I have not had the real Ohana noodles from Disney, so I can't say for certain. If they are anything like these noodles, I am running there for dinner next time. SO addicting.
Since we had no dessert, we indulged in some alcohol. I found a recipe for Kungaloosh from the old Adventurers Club in what used to be known as Downtown Disney. Someone had commented that this drink was known to make you tipsy after only two. After making two of these, I agree. I had the giggles and was overly sociable. Some of my family members could only take one. It was fun to make, but made the glasses and counter sticky. Verdict: We thought it was too sweet and sticky. If you want to be tipsy in a short amount of time, definitely works. (Photobomb by Koda.)
I highly enjoy themed parties and get togethers, so this was fun for me. I loved getting to bring some of the Polynesian to our backyard in this difficult time. The Ohana noodles were the real winner in this group. I'm looking forward to trying some other Disney recipes that I saved. If you have any that you think I should make, feel free to send them!
One of the hardest things for me during this pandemic is that I can't plan my next Disney vacation. It is one of my favorite stress relievers and gives me something to look forward to when things are tough. 2021 isn't even looking promising, so who knows when I'll get back to the magic. In the meantime, I started saving recipes from various Disney restaurants to make at home and hopefully bring some of that magic to Ohio.
I decided to make the first test group from the restaurants at the Polynesian Resort. This is one of my favorite resorts because it is right on the beach, has a view of Magic Kingdom from across the lake, and everything is Moana/Lilo and Stitch/Hawaii themed. It is also home to my favorite coffee on all of Disney World property.
Kona Cafe is our breakfast spot. Their Kona coffee is my absolute favorite. A few weeks before I decided to do this home-cooking adventure, I heard Joffrey's was selling the coffee that they created specifically for the Disney Parks & Resorts that you can make at home. I HAD to order it. Got the coffee, now we need the food. The well-known breakfast/brunch dish from Kona Cafe is the Tonga Toast. It is a giant tower of french toast that is stuffed with bananas, coated in cinnamon sugar, and served with a strawberry compote. It is absolutely delicious, but will send you into a sugar shock if that's the only thing you order. I found a couple recipes, but decided on this one because I wanted the strawberry compote. It was surprisingly very simple and easy to make. The compote I could've just taken the pot and eaten it with a spoon. The toast came out crunchy and not too sugary, but it didn't taste close enough to the real thing. Final Verdict: I will be trying a different recipe for the toast, but keeping the compote. Kona coffee-100% tasted like home.
Next, we go to Ohana for dinner. This is a family-style restaurant literally right next to Kona Cafe. Ohana is known for their Ohana noodles and bread pudding. I could not find an authentic recipe for their bread pudding, but if anyone has it, send it my way! The Ohana noodles are typically the "carb" portion of your meal, along with picking a protein and veggies. This is the recipe for the Ohana noodles, and my brother was in charge of making chicken on the grill. We also made an asian inspired salad. The noodles weren't overly complicated, but they did take some time to make. I believe it was about 30-45 minutes with prep time, but they were WORTH IT. It was everyone's favorite part of the meal. Slightly sweet but savory, the perfect al dente lo mein noodles. Verdict: I'll tell you a secret. I have not had the real Ohana noodles from Disney, so I can't say for certain. If they are anything like these noodles, I am running there for dinner next time. SO addicting.
Since we had no dessert, we indulged in some alcohol. I found a recipe for Kungaloosh from the old Adventurers Club in what used to be known as Downtown Disney. Someone had commented that this drink was known to make you tipsy after only two. After making two of these, I agree. I had the giggles and was overly sociable. Some of my family members could only take one. It was fun to make, but made the glasses and counter sticky. Verdict: We thought it was too sweet and sticky. If you want to be tipsy in a short amount of time, definitely works. (Photobomb by Koda.)
I highly enjoy themed parties and get togethers, so this was fun for me. I loved getting to bring some of the Polynesian to our backyard in this difficult time. The Ohana noodles were the real winner in this group. I'm looking forward to trying some other Disney recipes that I saved. If you have any that you think I should make, feel free to send them!
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