Macaroni & Cheese
Looks pretty good, doesn’t it?
This yummy looking dish was prepared by my seven-year old son, Gavin. Seriously, aside from me straining the water from the pasta, he did it all by himself and it was delicious! Gavin received the “Delicious Disney Just for Kids” cookbook from his grandmother a few weeks ago for his birthday. After watching Ratatouille this past Saturday night, he turned into my “Little Chef” and the two of us were inspired to crack the cookbook open to see what recipes we’d find.
The cookbook, written by The Disney Chefs and Pam Brandon, is made up of 20 recipes supplied by different chefs at Disney’s parks, resorts and even the Disney Cruise Line. The recipe Gavin followed for the Macaroni & Cheese came straight from the chef at Jiko- The Cooking Place restaurant, located within Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World.
The recipe was so simple and quick to make that immediately after making dinner he wanted to make dessert too! You can see in the background that our dinner was on the table cooling while he whipped up dessert.
Gavin chose to make “No-Bake Granola Treats” as our after-dinner treat. The recipe was courtesy of the Chef at Disney’s Contemporary Resort Bakery. Since this recipe came from the Disney resort that we call home, the treats were a bit extra special for the kids. We enjoyed talking about staying there as we made them and of course ate them. It added a nice sprinkle of pixie dust to our evening!
I have to tell you- the granola bars were the absolute best granola bars I have EVER tasted! They had just the right amount of peanut butter, chocolate and granola! YUM!
Gavin did such a great job and really enjoyed cooking. It was wonderful to see how impressed he was with himself. While devouring every single noodle, he proclaimed that his mac & cheese was delicious! The next morning, he proudly packed a granola bar for his snack at school and that evening he told me that he told his classmates about his night of cooking. Talk about a nice thing for me to hear!
Do you like to cook dinner with your kids?
Honestly, I often find that it seems to take double the amount of time than if I just did it myself and usually the kids end up frustrated or bored. This time was different. Both recipes moved along quickly and easily. We enjoyed our evening of cooking so much that I’d like to giveaway a copy of the cookbook to a Mouse Ears Mom fan. I’ll pick the winner on Mothers Day!
The opinions in this review and giveaway are purely those of Mouse Ears Mom. The giveaway is not sponsored by The Walt Disney Company. It’s simply my hope that you’ll enjoy the book, as my family has enjoyed our copy.
Giveaway Details:
- The giveaway will run from Wednesday, May 7, 2014 until May 11, 2014 at 12:00 am EST.
- The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter after verification of entries and notified by email.
- To officially accept the prize the winner must reply by email within 24 hours. Make sure that you provide an email address that you check regularly.
- The giveaway is open to United States residents only, ages 18 yrs old and up.
- The lucky winner will be announced on the Mouse Ears Mom blog and the Mouse Ears Mom Facebook page, after the winner has accepted their prize.
The Granola Treat sounds delicious! What a great giveaway!
Thanks for entering the Giveaway Deb! They really are SOOOO GOOD! I appreciate you visiting the blog this morning 🙂 Hope you have a magical day!
I would love to make Mickey waffles! I know I don’t have a Mickey head waffle maker, but there’s something about their waffles that is just so yummy. I wish I could make them that way!
OHHHH those waffles are yummy 🙂 They are not in the book; however, the recipe for Disneyland’s famous Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast is in the book! We haven’t tried it yet, but it looks really good. The recipe is from the Chef at Disney’s PCH Grill at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel.
Are the candy apples in there? I love those!
Mandi, unfortunately they are not, but The Disney Cruise Line’s recipe for their Moist Apple Cake is in the book. What’s great about this book is that every recipe is really simple, so that the a child could complete it with minimal help. Good luck with the Giveaway and thank you for stopping by the blog this morning!
Wow! There are so many great Disney recipes I want to try. This granola looks amazing… and I’d love to know how to make some of the cupcakes on property! My kids would love the tie dye cheesecake recipe from pop!
Hi Beth! Thanks for stopping by the blog! Unfortunately, there aren’t any cupcakes recipes in the book. However, there is a cookie recipe from the Germany pavilion that we can’t wait to try!
What a fun giveaway! I would love to try the granola bars with sunbutter for the summer!
Tara, WARNING- make sure you have friends to share the pan of granola bars with or you’ll be eating more than one 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and good luck!
I would LOVE this Mac and cheese recipe. My daughter LOVES Disney and helping me cook so this would be awesome!
Julie, sounds like this cookbook would be a perfect fit for you! Good luck and thanks for stopping by the blog 🙂
I hope there will be a lot of themed recipes in the cookbook. But everything Disney does is good so I know it will be awesome!
Thanks for stopping by the blog Heidi! The cookbook doesn’t have any character themed food. Each recipe comes directly from a menu item that could be found at the Disney theme parks or the cruise line. Good luck with the giveaway!
I would like the cookbook to have things in it that my 12 year old son could make on his own.
Hi James! My seven year old need supervision with straining the pasta for this recipe and I stayed close by since he was using the stove. He’s also just learning how to use measuring tools. Otherwise he could have done it on his own. All of the recipes are perfect for kids to make, some with the stove and some without. If you’re comfortable with him using the stove without you, I’m certain he can make all of these recipes without anyone’s help. Good luck with the Giveaway and thanks for visiting the blog!
I’ve wanted to buy this cookbook for a long time so I hope I win! I’m hoping to find some recipes from the places we’ve eaten at like ‘Ohana. I’m hoping this is the one with the Pineapple Bread.
I always love reading new mac and cheese recipes!
Christina ~ This one was yummy enough that we wanted left overs the next evening! Thanks for stopping by the blog Christina!
One of the deserts from the wave at the contemporary
Unfortunately Ron, there aren’t any dessert recipes from the Wave in this book. However there is a great dessert recipe from Boma, a restaurant located at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. It’s called African Fruit Fool. Pineapple, apple, mango, papaya, grapes, bananas and coconut are all part of this yummy dessert. Thanks for stopping by the blog tonight!
I see the mickey waffles aren’t in their but your reply with the French Toast sounds delicious! Especially to a preggo woman! 🙂
LOL ~ I agree that they sound delicious and I’m not pregnant 🙂 Thanks for stopping by the blog and good luck with the giveaway Karlene!
I know my kids would love to see the Butterfinger cupcake recipe in the book! Puffed french toast or breakfast lasagna from Crystal Palace would be great! Or the flatbreads from CA Grill! You can’t go wrong with Disney food though!
Hi Gretchen! Thanks for stopping by the blog tonight! In the Just for Kids cookbook there is a recipe for a Kids’ Flatbread. It’s from Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas. If you love Crystal Palace their recipe for Ratatouille is on page 32!