Gibson Girl Holiday Ice Cream Cone

Since I love ice cream, I couldn't pass up the seasonal holiday waffle cone at Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street in Disneyland. If you love peppermint candy canes, you'll want to try this waffle cone.

While walking down Main Street, it's hard for me to pass up ice cream. On this day, I gave in because I had to try the Crushed Candy Cane waffle cone. 

With this cone, a single scoop of ice cream is $4.99 and a double scoop is $5.49. The obvious choice is a double scoop. As you can see, I had mint and chip (my favorite) and chocolate. It is a bit messy when the candy cane pieces start to fall off, but well worth the mess. Another delicious holiday treat that should not be missed.

Candy Canes from Disneyland

Merry Christmas! Candy canes are a Christmas tradition and Disneyland makes some that are wonderful.

This picture shows the candy makers from the Candy Palace on Main St. in Disneyland, but they also make candy canes in Trolley Treats in California Adventure. On select days, you can line up in front of the store at or before park opening to get a wristband that allows you to purchase a candy cane that is made fresh that day. You can watch the candy makers create those huge peppermint candy canes in different batches during the day.

Here were the dates and locations for this year's candy canes. I've heard stories of people lining up early to get a wristband. The candy canes are coveted because it is rare to be able to buy one you can watch being made right in front of you and eat it on the same day. I think that's pretty awesome. 

Once you've received a wristband, the cast member lets you know what time your candy cane will be available for purchase. When you go to pick it up, they have it ready and wrapped in bubble wrap to make sure it makes it home in one piece. They cost $12.99. I know that's a little steep for a candy cane, but it is huge. It's about 13 inches long and more than enough to share. 

You can't get one like it anywhere else. The peppermint flavor is great. I would recommend trying it if you get the chance. Next year, I plan on going to watch the candy making process. I wasn't able to watch much of it this time, so I've got something to look forward to. 

Gingerbread Beignets and Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate

I've been enjoying the holidays in Disneyland and California Adventure. The decorations throughout both parks are pretty remarkable. 

There are also plenty of seasonal treats. I snapped these pictures above while on my way to try some of them in New Orleans Square.

Of course, I had to back to the Mint Julep Bar to try the gingerbread beignets. This is the 3-pack for $4.19. You can look back at my original and pumpkin beignets posts if you missed them.

It's almost too cute to eat...,but that didn't stop me. I really liked this flavor as well. If you like gingerbread, then you will like these.

Here's a shot of the inside of a beignet. You just have to go and try them yourself. Don't forget that you can also order them at Cafe Orleans.

The beignets are even better with some hot chocolate (or coffee if you prefer). I decided to get the pumpkin pie hot chocolate again since I heard how much someone else enjoyed it. The one that I got from my previous post did not come with whipped cream. For this reason, I decided that I needed a do-over.

This already looked much better to me. Whipped cream and a  little bit of shaved chocolate were placed on top. It really made all the difference. I enjoyed this one a lot more than the first time. The subtle pumpkin flavor mixed with chocolate is delicious. It tasted really good along with the gingerbread beignets. This was a perfect chilly afternoon treat.

Thanksgiving Treats for Limited Time Magic

This past week, Disneyland chose food as the focus for Limited Time Magic. Of course, that meant that I had to go and check it out. 

This was also my first time seeing the parks decorated for Christmas this year. I love this time of year.

Even the Dapper Dans get into the spirit.

My first food stop was at the Jolly Holiday Bakery. 

I love the Mary Poppins theme. I watched that movie a lot as a kid.

I got a caramel apple muffin for $3.19. I love caramel apples (especially Disney's) so I knew I would like it. Underneath the crumb topping, there were a couple of pieces of thinly sliced apple. The caramel made the muffin a little gooey, but still delicious. I hope  they still have this the next time I'm there. The cast member that helped me said that she waits all year for this to come back in season. Now, I will too.

Then, I headed into California Adventure to Cars Land. It is one of the few areas that transforms for Christmas.

Flo's V8 Cafe had another Limited Time Magic item. 

I love all of the details that they have in here. 

It really feels like you could be thrown back to the 1950's. 

This Christmas tree matches the decor perfectly. 

While I was in Flo's, I ordered the pumpkin pie hot chocolate. This appealed to me because I love hot chocolate and I have been enjoying all the pumpkin treats this season. The subtle pumpkin flavor was nice, but after a while it just tasted like the regular Disneyland hot chocolate to me. This tasty drink costs $3.19.

Later on, I made my way back over to Disneyland. I had to go to Tomorrowland to try the sweet potato turnovers ($5.19) from the Tomorrowland Terrace. 

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes and sweet potato pie is my favorite kind of pie. These turnovers were like eating sweet potatoes in a crispy, fried pie crust that was sprinkled with powdered sugar. They were great!

On that quick trip, that's all my stomach had room for. I can't wait to go back and try some other new things and have some old favorites.

Pumpkin Beignets

The last time I was at Disneyland, I had to get some pumpkin beignets from the Mint Julep Bar. Getting some seasonal treats at Disneyland has become one of my favorite things to do.

We took a seat at the French Market right next to the Mint Julep Bar after picking up our order.

I ordered a 6-pack of the pumpkin beignets to share with my brother again and a large ice water (I love the holiday cup). The 6-pack is $7.19 and the 3-pack is $4.19 before tax.

Here's a look inside the bag after receiving the order. They look and smell really good. I could smell the warm pumpkin spice wafting out of the bag. Before digging in, I had to make sure that they were evenly coated with the powdered sugar. In my original Mickey Beignets post, you can read my instructions on how to do this. :)

The pumpkin beignets did not disappoint. In fact, I think I like them even more than the originals. I really enjoyed the flavor of the pumpkin spices. They are worth the sugary mess.
And now for the Christmas season, they are also offering gingerbread beignets. I'm really looking forward to trying these too. Don't worry, I'll be sure to post about those soon.

Disneyland Pumpkin Fritters

Well, it is fall and Halloween Time at Disneyland. This means that there are some great foods to celebrate this time of year. I have only been able to try one of them so far. I picked up some pumpkin fritters from the Royal Street Veranda. It is a little quick-service window located in New Orleans Square next to Pirates of the Caribbean. As you can see in the picture above, it is the place that sells gumbo (at least that how I remember it).

Here's a look at the menu. It's small, but that doesn't stop this window from being quite busy throughout the day. I hear that the gumbo is pretty good, so it's on my list to try another time. Anyway, since the fritters are seasonal, they are only listed on a small sign at the window. They cost $3.99 and you can get an Annual Passholder discount.

Once I got my order, I went to find a place to sit and enjoy it. It was a busy Sunday and the seating is limited at Royal Street Veranda. I decided to walk over to Critter Country and find a table at Hungry Bear Restaurant. They have lots of tables and it's very peaceful.

I picked a table on the top level towards the back. There is a great view of the boats cruising down the Rivers of America from the whole dining area. I took this picture of the Sailing Ship Columbia from my table. 

Time to dig in! The pumpkin fritters are covered in cinnamon and sugar and served with an apple cider caramel custard dipping sauce. They are delicious with or without the dipping sauce, but I loved them with it. 

Here is a close-up of the cinnamon and sugary goodness on the outside.

And a close-up of the inside. There are real chunks of pumpkin in there. I was pleasantly surprised at how good they are. The pumpkin fritters were well worth the $3 and change that I spent. Now, I want to go back for more. There are only 2 more weeks before they go away.

I'll leave you with a picture of the Mark Twain Riverboat making it way past the Hungry Bear Restaurant. Such a relaxing sight. 

Mac and cheese pizza?

Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta is a quick-service restaurant in Disney's California Adventure (DCA). I decided to eat here for the first time at the beginning of this month because they were bringing back a Limited Time Magic food offering. Macaroni and Cheese Pizza! I know it sounds a little weird, but I heard good things about it the first time, so I thought I would give it a try. 

When you walk in to Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, there are 3 sections: pasta, flatbread pizza, and salad. You grab a tray, head to a section, and pick up the food items you want. At the pizza station, this is the flatbread pizza menu that you can always find. They sometimes have a seasonal menu item.

I spotted this sign of the seasonal menu item and picked up the pizza. The mac and cheese pizza was first put on the menu for the Monstrous Summer All-Nighter 24-hour event that was held at the beginning of summer. (That was fun event. There were so many unique experiences for just that one day. And, yes, I was there for 24 hours.) I didn't get this pizza at the event because there was so much going on and so many other special menu items I had to try (for example, Plaza Inn Fried Chicken and Mickey Waffles). So, when they brought it back for the week of National Cheese Pizza day, I made sure to go get it.

The mac and cheese pizza is as delicious as the sign makes it sound. I loved the crispiness of the flatbread, the bacon, and all the cheese. The mac and cheese was a lot like having extra cheese on top of a cheese pizza with bacon. It was great. And to think that I ever doubted it.

I also enjoyed the seating area in front of the restaurant. It's a large area with lots of tables and seats. This picture was just one small part of it. It was very relaxing and peaceful. I liked the lights in the trees and taking in all of the sights and sounds around me. The castmembers were keeping it very clean, as always. As I went to throw out my garbage, one castmemeber took my tray and wished me a goodnight. Great service! Now, I'm just hoping that the macaroni and cheese pizza will make its way back on the menu sometime soon.

Boysen Apple Freeze at Disneyland

The weather is finally starting to cool off a bit, but I recently went to Disneyland while it was 100+ degrees out. It can feel even hotter sometimes because of the hot pavement and all the walking you might be doing.

I decided that I needed a cold drink to help make it a little more tolerable to walk around. I remembered a drink called Boysen Apple Freeze that is fairly new at Disneyland. It can only be found at Maurice's Treats in Fantasy Faire of Fantasy Land next to the castle. 

Maurice's Treats is a little snack stand that serves strawberry, chocolate, and cheddar garlic pastry twists along with the Boysen Apple Freeze drink or bottled water. The Boysen Apple Freeze can be purchased in a souvenir cup for $9.99. (I didn't get a picture of them, but the Disney Parks Blog has a good picture.)

Since I already have the princess cup, I opted for the disposable cup for $4.69. The Boysen Apple Freeze is frozen apple juice with wild berry and topped with passion fruit foam. This drink is really good and probably my favorite drink in the parks (so far). It was really refreshing on such a hot day too. Another park guest saw me with it just after taking this picture. She asked me what it was and where I got it from. I pointed her to the stand which was maybe 10 feet away. She had her husband buy a couple for them and their two little princesses to share. They all loved it too. She told me she was so glad that she ran into me. I'm happy to share these hidden gems.

It's definitely worth checking out this unique treat while exploring Fantasy Faire.