Walt Disney's The Little Mermaid [Themed Dinner]

"The human world, it's a mess. Life under the sea is better than anything they've got up there." - Sebastian

I have a confession to make - I don't like The Little Mermaid. Oh the movie is okay, and I LOVE the music and supporting characters (and as animated Princes go, Prince Eric is a very attractive guy). I just don't like Ariel. And mermaids have never really done anything for me. I was not THAT girl my age when the movie came out wanting to be like her. I don't like going under water. I don't like the idea of being half fish.

So it may be a little surprising that I chose this movie to make a menu. However, my mother LOVES LOVES LOVES the music... and it really does lend itself well to creating a fun menu. So I decided to give it a shot. Why not, right?

Like the film, though, the menu I came up with - I wasn't willing to eat. Go figure. That's what happens when the chef is picky but wants to impress her family with her culinary skill. Or, well, hopefully skill. I can never be sure if people actually like my food, or if they're just glad someone else is cooking.

So, what does one plan for a night watching The Little Mermaid? Crab cakes, of course. What? You say that's just wrong considering Sebastian is one of the best, most loved, characters from that film? But wait, that's what they served Ariel's first night in the Sea Side Castle. So that was the inspiration. No, I did not sing the song or chase a crab around the kitchen with a clever (though that might've been fun).

For the side we did a fresh greens salad with everyone's choice of dressing. Honest I don't remember what I had that night (this was done a few years ago and I'm just getting to the blogging). I do know that gluten free cakes are more difficult to do because they don't stick together as well - but my mom really enjoyed hers. And I'm pretty sure dad ate more than his fair share of them. The recipe is not gluten free - but we used the gluten free "panko" my mom makes. It seemed to work.

The sauce was a little bit spicy, which my dad of course loved. It gives a really nice color to the plate and also gave a pit of a kick in the flavor. It complimented the dish very very well.

For dessert I went with the cute little sand dollar almond cookies. Sand was cinnamon and sugar, with almond slivers making the pattern most associate sand dollars having. It's an almond flavored snickerdoodle in a lot of respects. I'm not a fan of almond flavoring, so I sampled one and left the rest for dad and his co workers at work (they always like it when I make more than enough left overs).

Here's the menu with links to the recipes:
Mini Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Sauce
Fresh Greens Garden Salad (no link, self explanitory)
Sand Dollar Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Disney's The Rescuers [Themed Dinner]

I originally posted this on my personal blog (Reitter's Block) on February 24, 2013 as part of my "Tasteful Countdown" project counting down to the family trip to Walt Disney World in October of 2013. This is the project that gave me the idea to create this blog. And then life got in the way... so I am starting it up again in the New Year.

So Dad had to go up to Anchorage for training the week after Toy Story so we rescheduled the movie for the next week. This would not have been a big deal had it not been for the fact that my dad loves the rescuers movies (though I found out he likes the rescuers down under way more) and because the first movie happens in the Bayou and the menu I chose he was very excited for.

Thankfully the wait did not disappoint. My dad had several helpings of what I had to offer. Mom did too. It was very good, though for me I didn't like the proteins it called for. Oh well, this isn't *just* about me, right?! So I made two types of the sauce.

The menu was a pasta dish and garlic bread. I was too pooped to do a dessert and as rich as dinner was it wasn't missed. I made a cajun style alfredo with Shrimp and Andoulle sausage over fettuccine. I did not make the pasta, but everything else was from scratch and fresh. I made a smaller batch without the shrimp, just the sausage, for myself, and served it with garlic bread.

It was delish. Dad couldn't stop talking about it! He ate his fair share and then some, and then he let it be known he was getting any leftovers for lunch. Except he didn't get my leftovers. I took those to Kassy's. She told me she thought it was better than any pasta dish at Paradisos (Kenai's Greek-Italian-Mexican restaurant that I love). So I have to say this has to be one of the most successful dishes I've made to date!

Without the seafood. So good! A little spicy but not bad.

*Note: I have made this more times now than just for the Rescuers. I've substituted chicken for the shrimp, as well as left out the sausage (only dad likes it anyway). It works with just about any combination. I'd also use a little less onion.
**Note: To make this gluten free we use gluten free pasta, as well as substitute the flour with cornstarch. Works pretty much the same.


Find the recipe here: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cajun-shrimp-andouille-alfredo-sauce-over-pasta-10000001033054/