Arepas con Queso (Encanto)

Hello, 2023!

This year is off to a magical start as my family counts down to another Disney trip! I’m determined to share more of our Disney day magic with you all. Thank you so much for sticking around as I take my breaks. This blog is such an outlet, but staying consistent isn’t always easy!

Let’s get to it.

Since Encanto came out over a year ago, we have enjoyed many an arepa. I have to admit we hadn’t had them before, but now they are requested for just about any occasion- and they are so easy to make! Am I promising magical healing? No. But you’ll make some hungry littles very happy!

Arepas con Queso

Ingredients:

– 2 Cups P. A.N. or pre-cooked cornmeal

– 1.5 C warm water

– 1/2 C milk

– 1tsp+ of sea salt

– 1 C mozzarella or a soft cheese, shredded

Directions:

– In a large bowl or standing mixer, slowly stir together the P.A.N., warm water, and milk. Slowly add the liquids to help evenly mix the ingredients.

It might seem slightly goopy. Don’t be alarmed. Just make sure it mixes well. If it’s too sticky (doesn’t hold its shape) add P.A.N. in TBSP increments.

– Measure our around 2TBSP of dough. Roll it into a ball, and then use your palms to flatten it to be about .25” thick.

There is always background noise in my house. And this video is being used for a reel, so you need that snap 😂.

– Sprinkle cheese on the formed circle, and then top it with another 2TBSP circle of dough. Pinch the sides.

– Using a pre-heated cast-iron skillet or regular skillet lined with butter or oil, place the patties in the skillet and pan-fry each side around 2-3 minutes.

– The cheese should be melted in the center. I sprinkled some extra salt on top and we ate these with some beans and guacamole!

Zero to Hero Chicken Kabobs

It has been a long time, but here we are again! We are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Disney’s Hercules with an inspired Disney Day.

As I posted a sneak-peak reel on Instagram, I thought we’d start with this amazing recipe. It’s also positively perfect for the summer. So let’s get to it.

Zero to Hero Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 lb of chicken breasts, cut into pieces
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice (I use fresh if I have it on hand)
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2.5 tsp dried oregano
  • 1.5 tsp basil
  • 1/2 tsp fresh thyme (or ground)
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 large bell peppers (we used green and yellow, but we have used red and orange before, too), cut into pieces for kabobs
  • 1 large red onion, cut into pieces for kabobs
  • 3 zucchini, cut into pieces for kabobs

Directions:

  • In a bowl, mix together your olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, coriander, and season with salt/pepper to taste. Whisk it all together to create your marinade. Place chicken into marinade in a sealed ziplock bag or sealed bowl. Let sit for 45 minutes to two hours. If you’re using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for 30 minutes.
  • Toss veggies in extra olive oil to prep them for grilling. Once your chicken has marinaded, put everything on your skewers. Use a basting brush to brush the veggies with leftover marinade from your bowl or bag.
  • Preheat your grill over medium-high heat. Once it’s ready, brush grill with olive oil and place skewers on grill. Grill until chicken registers 165 with meat thermometer. This will be about 10-12 minutes. Rotate your kabobs halfway through cooking.

Easy and delicious! Serve these with some yummy tzatziki sauce and homemade pita!

Stay tuned for more fun from our Hercules day!

Brave Disney Day

Brave is one of those movies that we used to not watch in our Disney line-up. When my oldest was little, he was terrified of the mean bear. Then my second dragon was, too. And so forth. It’s only now that we have started watching it more, because my Princess just roars and crawls around when the bears are on the screen.

This Disney day was so refreshing after we hadn’t done one in a while!

We decided to make some craft arrows to recognize Merida’s love of archery. Following our Robin Hood Disney Day, it was fun to bring two crafts together. Maybe we’ll have to do another movie with an archer to figure out a bow craft…

They all really enjoyed putting the arrows together for this one.

After crafting and watching the movie, we made Bridies. I should say I made it, except for some small assistance on cooking the ground lamb from my oldest dragon.

This is definitely a dish that warms the soul on a cold day. Since Phil the groundhog has said six more weeks of winter, we will definitely be making this one again.

“Legends are lessons. They ring with truths.”

I hope you have a Brave Disney day and enjoy it!

Coming to the blog: “We don’t talk about Bruno, BUT…”