A Guide to (some) Food in California Adventure

I'm not claiming to be an expert about the California Adventure food......because I'm certainly not

Mostly because I just haven't been there nearly as many times as I have been to Disneyland

And partly because EVERY time I go.....it's all different!

Back in 2009 we had these awesome ice cream cones from a little shop in a big train car

Went back a year later....gone! (But I'm wondering now if the Paradise Pier ice cream is the same? I'll just have to find out!)

The park is changing CONSTANTLY.....and deifnitely for the better.....it's really starting to grow into something awesome

The first time I went we were done doing absolutely everything we wanted to do (even multiple times on rides) in only 4 hours

This last trip we stayed the entire day.....thanks to Cars Land!

But because of all this we haven't been able to have an standard favorite snacks that we always eat on every trip....but that comes with time and hopefully we're finding some now

When Cars Land opened this past summer The Boy and I were constantly reading reviews and articles, watching Youtube videos.....gathering info all around. We're nerds like that

I knew I was SUPER excited to eat over in the little Cozy Cone Motel food court

The first thing we got was the pretzel bites.....I had a hankering for cheese sauce that day

And they were pretty much what you would expect....pretzely....salty....and cheesy.  You got a decent amount for $4.99

I was sad to reach the bottom

 

:(

They had a Chili Cone...but we opted to get the Chicken Verde Cone for $6.99...and it was really good!

Perfect amount of green chile spice and the bread that the cone is made of is delicious!  It's like cresecent dough because of its flakiness but it tastes even better

And last but not least over in the Cozy Cone area......was the Cone Drink cup!

Let me tell you....I was SOOOOO excited get one of these cones ever since I laid eyes on them through Youtube videos

We got the biggest one they had...a 32oz full of soda for $11.99.  

It may seem a little steep for soda, but I had been dreaming of walking around the park sipping on a my traffic cone for 5 months and damn it I just had to have it!

And after we finished the soda we would fill it up with water at drinking fountains....so it served us well the whole day

Here is a slightly embarassing picture of me back in our hotel room....but it shows how pumped I was about this freakin cone

The Boy made me a vodka cranberry and I propped myself up in bed, watched SNL and sipped on my cone until I fell asleep

I know........ I look like a hot mess.....and trashy as shit......but 5 months of my life was leading up to this moment and I wasn't about to let my day end without another round of cone action

Next stop on our food crawl.....Flo's V8 Cafe

When we were reading the menu we got really excited about this Veggie Tater Bake

It was described as:  Roasted vegetables, cauliflower, Bulgur wheat, soy crumbles, and smashed red skin potatoes, topped with cheddar cheese. Served with a choice of one side and a garlic chive roll

Obviously this was more aimed toward vegetarians, but The Boy and I love roasted vegetables so  much and it was different from anything else we had ever seen in the parks so we decided to give it a go

We chose the pasta salad as our side but you could also have roasted corn medley, vegetarian baked beans, peas and carrots, cole slaw, or mashed potatoes. 

Now here's the deal....I REALLY REALLY wanted to love it.....I really did.  But I came away just sorta liking it

I love the idea of the dish but it just didn't quite live up to what I had hoped for.  The vegetables were a little more of a mush than I wanted....I was hoping the roasted vegetables would have more texture  And while it tasted good and certainly not bad....it was just ok.

The pasta salad and roll were good sides.....but I also think my main issue with it was the portion size for $10.49

The entree itself seemed small for that price, especially in comparison the other peoples dishes I saw that got meats

Maybe we would have been better off trying the citrus turkey breast plate, the NY strip, or the pork loin with Coca Cola BBQ sauce.

Now we know.

Our saving grace in Flo's besides the awesome decor and atmosphere was the milkshake

We got a classic Vanilla.  All the shakes are topped with "gravel"  AKA crunchy candy yummies

I really liked the added crunch.  It was a good shake and only $3.99 without the souvenir glass



At the end of the night we decided to get something for dinner while we staked out spots for World of Color.

We both made eyes at each other and we both knew what that meant......corn dogs! No words necessary

We already had them at Disneyland the day before which you can read all about  HERE but they're just so good we had to get them again

They're the exact same thing but in CA the stand is called Corn Dog Castle

Nom nom nom nom nom!!!

They actually have more options at Castle Dogs than the corn dog cart in Disneyland.  In addtion to just the plain corn dog you can get a cheddar dog or a hot link corn dog.

Those are most definitely on my list of things to try on my next trip...mmmmmmmmm.....hot link.... 

The only other words of advice I can give you is to not ever bother eating at Award Wieners over in the Hollywood backlot area, across from Live On Stage. Well....of course you can certainly do whatever the hell you want.  Who the hell am I to stop you?

But we only ate there once on our very first trip and it wasn't very memorable.  The prices were about the same as the corn dog prices (also includes chips or apples) but it just didn't seem like as good of a value.  

I remember the hot dogs seeming kind of small and finishing it in about 2 minutes tops and still feeling hungry.  They didn't taste all that good either.  Nothing to write home about.  Not at all like how the corn dog fills you up and not to mention are un-effin-believable

So save yourself the disappointment and walk your happy ass across the park to Castle Dogs...you won't regret it!

DIY Adult Jessie and Woody Costumes

Welcome to my 100th post!

I feel like we should have a celebration like they do for the 100th day of Kindergarten.  We can let go of 100 balloons and I'll make anybody who reads bring a ziplock bag full of 100 items

Do they still do that in schools?

I'm pretty sure I brought popcorn kernels.  At least it was better than the 14 kids who brought pennies..........just sayin

Today is all about our Jessie and Woody outfits that we wore in California Adventure.  Like I said, we wanted to kinda sorta dress up this trip, but on a technicality Disney parks have a rule that no one over the age of 10 is to wear costumes to the park, with the exception of the Halloween Party

But me and The Boy didn't want to be FULL ON costumed out anyway.  More like regular clothes that elude to the characters

For MONTHS and MONTHS and MONTHS I was on the look out for a flannel shirt that would somewhat resemble Woody's....it didn't have to be perfect.....just close.  And since flannel is so in these days I really didn't think it would be a problem

I was wrong.

So I bought a plain yellow dress shirt at Goodwill for $2 as a back up....but kept looking

When we were hitting 3 days before and I still couldn't find a damn thing I knew it was time to give up the hunt

It came down to this

Lay the shirt down flat with a piece of cardboard in between the layers to prevent bleeding

Use a yardstick and pencil to create your grid pattern across the whole shirt

Then I went back over the lines with a red sharpie.  A fabric marker would be ideal but this was last minute, we already had the sharpie, and I knew he would never wear it again so I wasn't to worried about it lasting

 It's really pretty simple but it took FOREVER.   And then a little longer.....

But he wears an XL shirt....he's my gentle giant.  If your guys is say...a medium.....you probably won't contemplate shooting yourself the way I did

Now for Jessie!

I knew I didn't want to sew anything or make the shirt....so I wore a white button up shirt with a yellow tank top underneath

I still really wanted to represent the red ropey, scrolly, loopy deals she has on her shirt so I had an idea.....I would make it into a necklace!!

I formed some floral wire into the shape

And wrapped it tightly with red yarn and tied to stay in place

Attached it to some chain and that was it!

Now for the hats....we didn't want to wear a big ole hat all day, we knew it would be irritating.  But they're kinda necessary....what's a cowboy and cowgirl without their hats

So another stroke of genius...Toot too!  (<---that's me tooting my own horn)

I would make our hats our backpacks!  Ya know how cowboys do that thing where their hats are on their backs?

I got a red hat from Dollar Tree and I found this little drawstring bag on clearance for only .25 at Walmart......can't beat that!

I thought the yellow with red strings was perfect for the Jessie feel too

 

I didn't take pics of this part but I used a regular old hole puncher to punch holes all the way around the brim and strung white yarn through it, tied it off, then hot glued it in place

You could stop right here and have yourself an awesome dress up hat

I stuffed the hat with newspaper so it wouldn't get mashed down too easily

I hot glued a cardboard circle fit to the head to hold in the newspaper and give the hat structure

And glued the entire thing down onto the backpacks

I didn't take pictures when I was making the Woody bag (I should have!) but I did the same process but added cow print fabric to the drawstrings

Just like the red swirls, I wanted to represent Woody's cowprint vest without subjecting the boy to wearingone

I happened to have some cow print fabric that I cut into strips, folded over the strings, and sewed then closed around the strings

I left a little room so that it would still be able to slide up and down strings and therefore be adjustable

 We completed the Woody look with a sheriffs badge and a bandana

And to finish off Jessie I stuffed pieces of cow print felt into m front pockets as "chaps" and also folded a piece over my boots.....oh and a yellow ribbon in my hair of course!

 

It was cool because one of the photographers flagged us down because of our outfits and asked if we had met Jessie yet.  When she found out we hadn't she gave us the heads iup that she would be out in a few minutes and if we hung around we could be first in line.  So we did.  was standing face to face with The Boy when I felt a tap on my shoulder.....it was Jessie!

We (me and Jessie) jumped up and down like little girls....I was pretty excited

Making the heart was Woodys idea

That about sums it up!

A Guide to Food in Disneyland

Part of the fun of the Disneyland experience is gorging yourself on all the food.  It's basically a day long food crawl

Me and The Boy have our day down to a science.  What we ride first, when we get fast passes, and when we stop for certain snacks....it's an art form really

We like to sort of graze all day long instead of stopping for long sit down meals.  We have on occasion, but when we're in full ride mode we like to eat while we walk or stand in line to maximize our time

Here are some of our favorite foods along with a few things we tried for the very first time

All prices are according to when we were there 11/2-11/3/2012

We always start our day out in Adventureland and move our way into New Orleans Square.  After we've ridden all those rides we've usually been there about an hour and a half to 2 hours and we're ready for our first pit stop

The eating frenzy always begins at the Royal St. Veranda in New Orleans Square for a bread bowl full of clam chowder

For $9.29 you get this delciousness

Usually we get our own, but we'd had a pretty big breakfast at our hotel so we shared this time and it was a good amount for two people as a snack

Mmmmm....creamy, clammy, goodness.  And dippage is a must

I have never veered away from the chowder, but my sister and her husband stopped here for soup too.  She got the chowder and he got the gumbo.  While I guess the gumbo wasn't terrible, she said he kept stealing bites of her chowder, which I think says it all....so I'll just stick with what I know.

It's a pretty good value for what you get and how filling it is

And for proof of how we ALWAYS get it....Circa Honeymoon

I guess this window always fritters too....I had never noticed until this last trip..(probably because I was too focused on chowder) and they switch up the flavors periodically with seasons.  Since it was fall they were pumpkin flavored so we decided to get all wild and shit and give them a go

They were sooo sooooo good!  Kind of like eating a pumpkin churro.  They were really fluffy inside with big chunks of pumpkin and rolled in cinnamon sugar

You get 4 big fritters for only $3.69, which I thought was a very good price.  We will definitely be getting them again!

 Next stop....Chimichungas!

This seems to be one of the lesser known Disneyland treats....from at least what I've noticed anyway.  Whenever I bring it up most people don't even know about them.  I think it might be because it's only sold at one little window stand Edelweiss Snacks located behind the Matterhorn

It also sells corn and turkey legs, which seems to be what most people go for....but if you've never had the chimichunga before you're missing out!

This is me ridiculously excited...but I was waiting to eat it until we got on the train...so I was just smelling it to tide me over

I'm a weirdo....yes.  And he  likes to takes pictures of me being weird to prove it

A very flattering picture of me wolfing it down......I'm such a delicate flower -__-

Num nums....

Okie doke......moving right along

I have a confession. I'm almost embarassed to admit that up until this last trip I had never had a Dole Whip.

I know, I know!  Blasphemy!  It's such a Disneyland favorite of so many I'm a little ashamed.  But funny enough The Boy had never had one either.  So we broke our Dole Whip cherries.  Or I guess it would be more fitting to say we crushed our pineapples? bahahahaha

I have an extremely corny sense of humor if you haven't picked that up yet.  But that's what happens when you're 23 going on 60

There are 2 different option, the classic Dole Whip is like a pineapple soft serve, and then there is a Dole Whip float.  We decided since it was our first time we would take it easy and go classic....you gotta take it slow the first time. ;)

You get a cute swirly tower of Whip for $3.69.....and it was the perfect amount to share, that is if you're willing to

The boy dived right in

We both give it a big thumbs up.  Where has this been my whole life?  I can't believe I wasted 22 years of my life before having one...especially considering my love of pineapple

Next time I'll have to get the float

And I have a "thing" for floats of all kinds....so when we're in line I'm sure I'll look like this

I may need to medicate beforehand

Oh yea, and these are over by the Tiki Room right at the entrance to Adventureland

Now for Churros!

Who doesn't love a churro? It's crunchy yet chewy fried dough in cinnamon sugar....alllll good!

You can get those all over the park at the little carts for $3.50

And last but certainly not least....we ended our night with corn dogs

You get these at Little Red Wagon Corn Dogs at the end of main street.  The line can be epically long but it does move fast so don't be scared

Unless of course you get stuck behind the family of 6 who have been in line for 12 minutes and wait until they get to the window to start deciding what everybody wants.  

Oh. Em. Geeeee.

I want to give parents like that a swift punch to the larynx

Chips or apples?......  Honey?  Chips or apples?  What do you want? Apples?.......  Or chips?

For god sake just give the damn kid some effin apples and call it a day!! 

End rant.

I LOVE corn dogs....and let me tell you these are some of the best you'll ever have!

Perfectly crispy but still soft and fluffy and they are GINORMOUS!

Like stuff you to the brim huge!  And (if you hadn't already figured it out) they come with your choice of apple slices or chips

I'm not in Disneyland to eat apples...it's my break from being healthy.  So I get chips

You get all this for only $6.19!!  This is why I dub this the greatest value in all of Disneyland!  And a very kid friendly meal too so you could feed the whole family at a pretty decent price

We gnawed on these while we watched the parade.... utter dericousness!

And just as an added bonus...here are some of the foods we ate on some past trips.  

I don't have any prices on these though..sorry!

This is the fried chicken dinner which I've had twice at The Plaza Inn 

And Beignets in New Orleans Square

Another fun thing we like to do is go buy a bunch of cand yor snacks from the shops on Mainstreet and have a little spread during the parade

Here we have hot chocolate, a cupcake, toffee....and a Diet Coke to wash it down haha

Well there ya have it my Disney lovin friends!  Hope this was somewhat helpful to you

Come back later this week for a Food Crawl through California Adventure