Saturday Dishes - Brunch

Baby #3 is due today!!!

We're anxiously awaiting her arrival!

For the next few weeks of Saturday Dishes,

you may want to stop by Pebbles and Piggytails to link up...

I may or may not get my posts scheduled (;

This week's theme is:
Brunch

You know...
It's that meal that you eat when you wake up too late for breakfast
but too close to lunch time
so you end up combining the two meals
& usually end up eating breakfast foods anyway.
It can also be a breakfast that takes so long to make that you end up eating it close to lunch time.
Whatever your definition of brunch is,
we'd love for you to share some recipes with us!

If you're new to the party

welcome to Saturday Dishes
where every week is a new theme...

Your job is to post your recipes that coincide with that theme!

Easy peasy, right?

Don't have a recipe that goes with the theme?
No worries!
Just sit back, relax, enjoy the other posts,
& be sure to check out the index & upcoming themes
to see what you can post in future weeks!

Saturday Dishes is hosted by:

- Marissa @ Life is Fantasmic -
Facebook ♥ Twitter ♥ Google+ ♥ Pinterest ♥ Bloglovin' ♥ SoundCloud

- Lisa @ Pebbles and Piggytails -
Facebook ♥ Twitter ♥ Google+ ♥ Pinterest ♥ Bloglovin' ♥ Instagram

Check out our blogs & show us some love!
We love seeing new faces & new followers on our social media,
& comments make us smile (:

Last week's theme was Cakes!
Here were a few of my faves...

Tres Leches Cake from Yesterfood

Tres Leches Cake is super tasty & reminds me of Gram.

She asked for it on her birthday one year & we searched EVERYWHERE for one!

Now I can try this one sometime (:

Triple Lemon Poundcake from Diary of a Recipe Collector
Mmmm... I can already taste all the LEMONY goodness!

Lemon Blackberry Pound Cake from Pure Grace Farms
Lemon AND blackberries?! This sounds wonderful!

Lisa's faves might be different than mine,
so don't forget to swing by her blog too! (;
Oh yeah...
& if you were featured
feel free to grab a button!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://lifeisfantasmic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Life Is Fantasmic" src="http://imageshack.com/a/img834/3923/21jg0.jpg" />

Next week's theme is:
Crockpot / Slow Cooker
so come back next week to share your best brunch recipes!

Now on to the linky...
Link up your bodacious Brunch recipes,
visit other posts,
& make new friends!

Keep spreading the word so we can see new faces at the party!

If you'd like to be a guest host send us an email so that we can get you on the calendar,

& let us know what themes you would like to see in the future.
We'd love to use your ideas!

By linking up at Saturday Dishes, you are giving permission for Life is Fantasmic & Pebbles and Piggytails to feature your posts with one image on social media with links back to you.

An InLinkz Link-up

xoxo

Saturday Dishes - Cakes

For the next few weeks of Saturday Dishes,

you may want to stop by Pebbles and Piggytails to link up...

Baby #3 is due August 16th & could be here any day!

I may or may not get my posts scheduled (;

This week's theme is:
Cakes

It's my birthday week...
One year older & wiser too!
Huzzah!
Now if you would each send me a small smackerel of your cakes to try (;
Okay, okay.
A recipe will do just fine!

If you're new to the party

welcome to Saturday Dishes
where every week is a new theme...

Your job is to post your recipes that coincide with that theme!

Easy peasy, right?

Don't have a recipe that goes with the theme?
No worries!
Just sit back, relax, enjoy the other posts,
& be sure to check out the index & upcoming themes
to see what you can post in future weeks!

Saturday Dishes is hosted by:

- Marissa @ Life is Fantasmic -
Facebook ♥ Twitter ♥ Google+ ♥ Pinterest ♥ Bloglovin' ♥ SoundCloud

- Lisa @ Pebbles and Piggytails -
Facebook ♥ Twitter ♥ Google+ ♥ Pinterest ♥ Bloglovin' ♥ Instagram

Check out our blogs & show us some love!
We love seeing new faces & new followers on our social media,
& comments make us smile (:

Last week's theme was Freezer Meals
Here were a couple of my faves...

8 Easy Crock Pot Freezer Meals from Mommy's Fabulous Finds

This was the last post up, but so worth checking out!

She also shared 10 Easy Crock Pot Freezer Meals

Smokey Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup from Strength and Sunshine
Sounds yummy for the cold months ahead!

Lisa's faves might be different than mine,
so don't forget to swing by her blog too! (;
Oh yeah...
& if you were featured
feel free to grab a button!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://lifeisfantasmic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Life Is Fantasmic" src="http://imageshack.com/a/img834/3923/21jg0.jpg" />

Next week's theme is:
Brunch
so come back next week to share your best brunch recipes...

Now on to the linky...
Link up your Cakes,
send me a slice,
visit other posts,
& make new friends!

Keep spreading the word so we can see new faces at the party!

If you'd like to be a guest host send us an email so that we can get you on the calendar,

& let us know what themes you would like to see in the future.
We'd love to use your ideas!

By linking up at Saturday Dishes, you are giving permission for Life is Fantasmic & Pebbles and Piggytails to feature your posts with one image on social media with links back to you.

An InLinkz Link-up

xoxo

The Blue Bayou's Magical Monte Cristo

Last year I wrote this Disney guest post for Cathy at A Peek Into My Paradise.
I wanted to share it with you on my blog this year since it's my birthday
& for the second year in a row I will not be enjoying a Monte Cristo at the Blue Bayou...
You can find the original post here.

You see, I'm having major Disneyland withdrawals...

We recently moved from the SoCal desert to Northern Indiana.
This is the first year in what seems like a looong time that I won't be going to Disneyland for my birthday
& eating at the Blue Bayou.
It is going to be a very hard day.

We were a little spoiled living so close to Disneyland.
and by close I mean an hour-and-a-half away...
We would go every other week before we had kids,
and we tried to go at least once a month after they were born.
We had Premium Annual Passes up until a couple months before our move.
But with ticket prices going up so much,
we weren't sure if we would be able to renew the passes even if we stayed in SoCal.
So we moved away...
Taking away the temptation of spending more money to renew,
but also taking away the ease of visiting the parks.

We bought a house in Indiana,
but had to wait to close on it for almost a month due to delays in closing our CA house.
We were fortunate enough to stay at a friend's cozy little lake house while waiting to close on our new home.

While we were staying at said lake house,

we enjoyed many beautiful sunsets

and were able to enjoy not only the glisten of the calm moonlit lake,

but also the twinkling of fireflies at twilight.
It was magical.

Now I don't know about you,

but when I see fireflies near water,
and get this magical feeling,

I can't help but think of my favorite restaurant at Disneyland...

The Blue Bayou.

Yes, the same Blue Bayou that I will not get to eat at on my birthday this year.
Yep, you know the one...
It's that nice restaurant with the nighttime outdoorsy feel that you pass while you're on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

If you've never eaten at the Blue Bayou
I encourage you to call ahead to make a reservation the next time you're at Disneyland.
Ask for waterside seating while you get checked in...
You may have to wait a little longer if you want to sit waterside,
but to me - it's definitely worth it.

Fireflies are flickering above the water.
Frogs & crickets are singing their nighttime serenade.
You can even hear someone playing the banjo from the little house across the water while you eat.
It's kind of enchanting in a way.
Sitting waterside is definitely the way to go.
Especially if you have kids...
Waving to everyone riding the boats can be a great distraction while waiting for the food to arrive.

We always go during the lunch hours for two reasons...
1) It's slightly cheaper than the dinner hours
2) The menu is different for lunch than it is for dinner

We order Le Special de Monte Cristo Sandwich
every. single. time.
and it is only served during the lunch hours.
It's my favorite.
It never disappoints.

photo credit: Adrea in Wonderland

Imagine this...
A battered & deep fried sandwich
filled with Turkey, Ham, & Swiss Cheese
sprinkled with powdered sugar
and served with a side of blackberry preserves to dip it in.
It's amazing.

The Blue Bayou has such generous portions of everything that we always split the order.
They do have a split plate charge,
but you can avoid the extra cost by splitting the salad as well.
They just bring out an extra plate & let you divide it yourself.
It ends up being the perfect amount of food for each of us!
Besides, walking around Disneyland when you're stuffed is no fun.

photo credit: Chip & Co

The ambiance is relaxing,
the food is delicious,
the service is impeccable,
& it doesn't feel busy like so many other restaurants at Disneyland.
It is a truly wonderful place.

I would also recommend trying their Mint Julep at least once.
It's non-alcoholic & is one of those love-it-or-hate-it kind of drinks.
You'll never know if you like it or not until you try it.
I happen to find it refreshing.

Because I knew I would be missing out on my birthday Monte Cristo this year,
we decided to make our own,
but with a twist...
Monte Cristo French Toast

It's not deep-fried like the one at the Blue Bayou,
but more like a mix between French Toast,
a grilled cheese sandwich,
and of course,
the Disneyland Monte Cristo.
Not the same, but not too shabby!

I love comments & would love to know if you've ever been to the Blue Bayou or had a Monte Cristo!

Hopefully you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it!
If you're new around here...
check out my About Me section,
see what we have in common,
& enjoy surfing my blog!

xoxo

Saturday Dishes - Freezer Meals

Welcome to Saturday Dishes
Where every week is a new theme...

Your job is to post your recipes that coincide with that theme!

Easy peasy, right?

Don't have a recipe that goes with the theme?
No worries!
Just sit back, relax, enjoy the other posts,
& be sure to check out the index & upcoming themes
to see what you can post in future weeks!

This week's theme is:
Freezer Meals

Only two more weeks until Baby #3 is due!!!
I can't wait to give some of your freezer meals a try!
I'm sure Hubby will be extremely thankful too (;

Saturday Dishes is hosted by:

- Marissa @ Life is Fantasmic -
Facebook ♥ Twitter ♥ Google+ ♥ Pinterest ♥ Bloglovin' ♥ SoundCloud

- Lisa @ Pebbles and Piggytails -
Facebook ♥ Twitter ♥ Google+ ♥ Pinterest ♥ Bloglovin' ♥ Instagram

Check out our blogs & show us some love!
We love seeing new faces & new followers on our social media,
& comments make us smile (:

Last week's theme was Dips & Finger Foods
Here were some of my faves...

Baked Sweet Potato Fries from Strength and Sunshine

My Hubby loves sweet potato fries so we'll have to give these a try!

Spicy Cheddar Crackers from Yesterfood

Sharp cheddar cheese crackers with a zing? Yes please!

Filling up Teenagers from Recipes for our Daily Bread

My kids aren't teenagers yet, but this idea is definitely worth saving!

She has links to some of her favorite cold sandwich recipes in this post as well, so be sure to check it out.

Lisa's faves might be different than mine,
so don't forget to swing by her blog too! (;
Oh yeah...
& if you were featured
feel free to grab a button!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://lifeisfantasmic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Life Is Fantasmic" src="http://imageshack.com/a/img834/3923/21jg0.jpg" />

Next week's theme is:
Cakes
Stop by next week to link up any cake recipes you have...
My birthday is this week so I figured it would be a great theme (:

Now on to the linky...
Link up your Freezer Meals,
visit other posts,
& make new friends!

Keep spreading the word so we can see new faces at the party!

If you'd like to be a guest host send us an email so that we can get you on the calendar,

& let us know what themes you would like to see in the future.
We'd love to use your ideas!

By linking up at Saturday Dishes, you are giving permission for Life is Fantasmic & Pebbles and Piggytails to feature your posts with one image on social media with links back to you.

An InLinkz Link-up

xoxo