Flashback Fridays: Sunset at the Shopping Village

Sunset, statues, and no crowds. The Village in the '70s is a place I would time travel to if I could.

On Canvas: A Walk on the West Side

A Walk on the West Side

Flashback Fridays: The Village Restaurant

The Village Restaurant opened in 1975 at the Lake Buena Vista Shopping. Offering a menu of beef chicken and specialty seafood the Restaurant also had a large range of soups. It offered menus for "bruncheon" and dinner and even had valet parking available. The Village Restaurant closed in July of 1990 to make room for Chef Mickeys which would later move to the Contemporary in 1995 making way for the Rainforest Cafe on the same site but the original building was destroyed.

Flashback Fridays: The Virgin Megastore

Back when Disney Springs was Downtown Disney. And it had stuff to do beside shop at the same stores your local mall has. There was a place, a special place where you could by music, movies, and books. A place where you could spend hours seeing everything or just kill time till your movie started. That place was the Virgin Megastore. I have so many good memories in that building. Buying Cd's of bands I just saw play at the House of Blues across the way. Finding albums of obscure Scandinavian bands that you couldn't get anywhere else in the states. I even bought my first Xbox in these hollowed walls. A great place and a big lose for Downtown Disney at the time. It was mostly underused after it closed. At one point it was home to a Princess Diana exhibit and another time a remote control car store. But it would end up a Splitsville. Kind of ironic that one dying piece of Americana the music store became another a bowling ally

Disney Dining At Home - Bread and Butter Pudding from Raglan Road

Today we stroll down to Raglan Road at Disney Springs to learn how to make Bread and Butter Pudding. This one has a lot of steps but they are pretty easy to follow. Also a good chunk of the ingredients you may already have in your pantry.

Ingredients:
1 loaf Pullman or Texas toast
1 pound Kerry gold butter softened
1 pound Sugar
1 quart Crème anglaise (see below)
1 cup Raisins soaked in Irish mist or water

Method of Preparation:
1. Combine the sugar and butter, spread evenly on the bread slices to make sandwiches, stack together and cut of the crust.
2. Cut the "sandwiches" in ½ on an angle (from corner to corner)
3. Butter the inside of 8 oven proof cups or preferred baking dish. One by one dip the "sandwiches" in the anglaise and place in the baking dish, layer the bread and a sprinkling of soaked raisins as you go until done.
4. Bake covered in a Bain Marie at 375 degrees for 35 minutes until it rises a bit. Remove the cover and bake an extra 10 minutes until slightly brown.
5. Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly serve warm or at room temperature with anglaise and caramel sauce.

SAUCE ANGLAISE
Ingredients:
6 each Egg yolks
2 cups Sugar
1 each vanilla bean split or a teaspoon vanilla extract
1 quart Heavy cream

Method of Preparation:
1. Heat up the cream and the vanilla bean on the stove until it almost starts to boil. Meanwhile combine the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk well.
2. When the creams reaches the almost boiling point, turn off and remove the pot from the flame. 
3. Temper the yolks, by ladling a small amount of cream to the bowl and mixing well. 
4. Then add the yolk sugar mixure to the cream, whisk well so that it does not curdle. 
5. Place over a low flame for 2 minutes whisking until it starts to thicken. 
6. Strain and allow to cool at room temperature.

CARAMEL SAUCE
Ingredients:
½ pound Butter, chilled
½ pound Brown sugar
1 cup Heavy cream

Method of Preparation:
1. Combine the sugar and butter in pot
2. Cook over a medium high flame. 
3. Whisk well to combine, when sugar is melted and it starts to boil turn off the stove, remove from the flame and whisk in the cream to combine. 
4. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Disney Day in History: The Empress Lilly is christened

Today in 1972 the Empress Lilly is opens at the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village. She is christened by none other then Lillian Disney Walt's wife whom the boat was named after. When she opened she had three restaurants. Fisherman's Deck served breakfast and was one of the first character dinning options on property. Steerman's Quarters was only open for dinner as was the Empress Room. the Empress Room was one of the most elegant places to dine at Walt Disney World holding on to that title till the 90's when Victoria and Albert's would open at the Grand Floridian.

Disney Day in History: Characters in Flight Takes Off

Today in 2009 "Characters in Flight" the Tethered Balloon ride at Disney Springs Opens. The morning grand opening was hindered by strong winds but later in the day she was flying high.