Guest Post: Disneyland Treats from Jessica at The Happiest Blog on Earth!

Happy Monday readers!  So excited to get to kick off the week with a guest post from a friend of mine from high school, Jessica.  She is going to fill you in on all the yummy treats available at Disneyland, and how you can replicate them at home!  Take it away, Jess!

Hello Bees Times Three readers! My name is Jessica, and I'm here visiting from The Happiest Blog on Earth! I am a long time friend of Falon's and love that we share a love for so many of the same things from theater and drama to all things glitter- and of course, Disneyland. And what could be happier than sharing a blog post about Disneyland? A blog post about treats at Disneyland. Hang on because you're about to get hungry.

The scent of cinnamon sugar, the aroma of freshly popped popcorn and people walking by with chocolate covered bananas will get you every time! We're talking about Disneyland treats worth biting into. 

Apparently the only way my husband can function at Disneyland is by consuming huge amounts of yummy snacks and treats. I learned that when we went to Disneyland and California Adventure on our honeymoon. I wanted to go on ride after ride all day and he wanted to consume sugar all day.

Since I am all about compromise, and I've learned a thing or two about my husband over the years, this trip I supplied him with a Disney gift card to use however he wished. Here's a break down of his sweet treat choices:

Churros

Shoshanah / Foter / CC BY

Deep fried pastry strips coated in cinnamon sugar. Delicious to share, amazing to indulge in on your own.

At Disneyland: On carts scattered throughout the park. Just follow your nose.

At Home: The best place to get one at home is Costco. If you don't have a membership, you can always try your grocery freezer section, or a homemade version.

Mickey Premium Bar

rickpilot_2000 / Foter / CC BY

Sure, it's just vanilla ice cream covered in a chocolate shell. But this is a Mickey shell people and it's delicious. I think I only got about 1/2 an ear before my husband and kids gobbled it down. But it's so cute and irresistible- kinda like Mickey Mouse himself. 

At Disneyland: On carts scattered throughout the park with other frozen delights. 

At Home: I've heard you can find them on occasion at Wal Mart. Or simply settle for this awesome "Melt with You" men's t-shirt inspired by the ever famous Mickey Premium Bar.

Frozen Banana

You've just gotta have a frozen banana at Disneyland. We had-um-several during our last trip. And another amazing find was at California Adventure's Buena Vista Street where we ordered an ice cream sundae with a frozen banana in it! Amazing!

At Disneyland: On carts scattered throughout the park with other frozen delights. 

At Home: Super easy to make yourself. My favorite way to make and eat them: slice bananas, lay out on a parchment covered banking sheet, spoon melted chocolate in heaps on top of sliced bananas. Freeze and eat. It's like frozen finger food goodness. 

Popcorn

Loren Javier / Foter / CC BY-ND

Seriously, I have a problem. And it involves popcorn. I cannot resist buttered popcorn. I can't go to the movies without buying popcorn, I can barely get through a Target trip without popcorn (I just use the kids as an excuse) and I certainly cannot go through 2 days at the Disneyland Resort without having a bag of popcorn (or 2).

At Disneyland: On carts scattered throughout the park. 

At Home: Microwave, air popped with butter and salt and of course we already covered Target and the movies.

Dole Whips

Sam Howzit / Foter / CC BY

I honestly had never heard of these until seeing copycat recipes all over Pinterest. After tasting my first Dole Whip Float, I feel completely deprived. I have missed out for so long! If you haven't tried it, it's basically soft serve pineapple ice cream. But don't worry, there are no chunks! No one in our camp had any complaints- expect that there wasn't enough!

At Disneyland: Tiki Juice Bar in Adventure Land. You can also sneak around to the back which is in the waiting area for the Enchanted Tiki Room, lines might be a bit shorter and there's plenty of places to sit. 

At Home: Try one of the recipes to make at home. I've also heard you can get one at either the Dole Plantation or at Aulani, both in Hawaii. 

Mickey Pretzel

woofiegrrl / Foter / CC BY-ND

It's hard to believe we ate all of this in one day, in addition to regular meals. We had a late lunch (and obviously so many snacks) that our family of 5 split this yummy pretzel for dinner. Cheapest meal we've eaten in the park to-date. ;)

At Disneyland: We grabbed this at a little location near Indiana Jones.

At Home: I don't have any Mickey shaping tricks for you, but you can make regular soft pretzels at home with this recipe, or pick up one at the local mall. 

It's a good thing Disney stocks their theme parks full of the best goodies around, tempting your tastebuds at every corner. Tell us about your favorites, we're always looking for new things to try on our next trip.

Easy Crock Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken

We are wrapping up football week with the perfect tailgating recipe: Crock pot shredded buffalo chicken.  This recipe is super easy and tastes amazing (bonus, it's not all that bad for you!).  Here's what you need:

Crock pot, one packet of ranch seasoning, buffalo sauce, and 4-5 chicken breasts.  (We marinated our chicken breasts, but that is totally optional.  They will still absorb tons of flavor in the crock pot without marinating first.)

Cut your chicken breasts in half and put them in the bottom of the crock pot.

Add in the ranch seasoning.

Pour in the buffalo sauce, approximately one 12 ounce bottle, depending on your tastes.

Give everything a good mix, then let sit on high for two hours.  Give everything a stir, then cook on low for an additional hour.  Then use two forks to shred the chicken and mix again.

Then let everything sit on low until you are ready to serve.  We served ours on basic hamburger buns with a little bit of ranch dressing.

The chicken is super tender and flavorful and makes a great tailgating meal!

Tailgating Extra Little Details

So we have already seen how to make an awesome tailgating utensil holder and cute football field tablecloth, but there are some little details that can make your tailgating party just a little bit more awesome.  And I'm pretty much a tailgating pro, so if you trust anyone on the subject, it should be me!  These little things can make a big difference!

Use team colored duct tape and a paint pen to make everyone a personalized cup...

Decorate your cupcakes with a message of support in your team's colors...

Add a team banner to your table...

Tie your bottle opener to the side of your canopy.  Nothing kills a party like not being able to open your beer...

Park next to (if you're lucky) or make friends with the guy with a satellite TV.  Watch football while you are waiting for football!

And that's how you have an awesome tailgating party!

Wedding Wednesday: Football Wedding Inspiration

In keeping with our theme of the week, today I have some football wedding inspiration for you.  If you and your partner are both football fanatics, why not incorporate some game details into your big day?  There are ways to do it in a classy and pretty way, and these inspiration shots are the proof!  (Click pic for original source, all pics via Pinterest.)

And here's a football wedding inspiration board for you!

Don't be afraid of a little pigskin on your big day!  Especially if it is something you and your significant other enjoy together, football can be a great way to bring some fun and personality to your wedding.

Tailgating Football Field Tablecloth

Hey football fans!  It is football week here at Bees Times Three and I have another tailgating project to share with you today!  I made this football field inspired tablecloth for our tailgating party last weekend.  Check out the finished product in action:

This project is a little labor intensive, and I'm not going to lie, I will not make the disposable version again.  I do hope to make a more permanent, reusable version sometime soon!  For this project, you're going to need green butcher paper or a green plastic tablecloth, masking tape, white acrylic paint, a white paint pen, a ruler and a pencil.  Get ready to do some math :o(

I started by making the field stripes.  If you can find white tape, your life will be infinitely easier.  I didn't have time look for it, so I made my own with masking tape and white paint.  First, I covered my surface with wax paper and laid out the strips of tape.

Then I gave the strips of tape a couple of coats of white paint.  I actually like the texture the tape created because it ended up looking like chalk, but it was a long and tedious job laying out and painting all those strips.  Pre-made white tape would be much easier!

While the paint was drying, I laid out the green paper and did the measuring.  I made each end zone about five inches, and then spaced out the lines so they were about three and a half inches apart.  That covered the length of my six foot table.  Make sure you have the correct number of lines (I used a picture of a football field to make sure I was putting everything in the right place).  I marked the lines on the green paper with my pencil...

Then placed the tape over the markings.  The paint dried a little funky on the edge of the tape, but again, makes it look a little more like the real lines on a field.

Once you have all your lines on the green paper, add in the numbers, making sure you skip a line in between each one.  The numbers need to go on both sides of the tablecloth.

Here is is with all the numbers done...

When I do the one that will be for real, I will do a couple of things differently.  One, I will probably use fabric instead of paper, and ribbon instead of tape for the lines.  Then I will cover the whole thing with clear contact paper so it is easy to wipe and clean off the messes.  This guy was ruined about .5 seconds into our tailgating party, so it was definitely not built to last.  But it was cute for our party, and that makes it all worth it!

Check it Out!

This week I am launching a new blog about one of my greatest loves: Disney!  It is called Two Disney Darlings, and it is going to feature all kinds of Disney themed crafts, recipes, weddings, and inspiration.  Most importantly, it is going to offer tons of advice and insider tips on all things Disneyland!  I hope you will take a minute to check it out!

Tailgating Utensil Organizer

Are you ready for some football?  I know I am!  In fact, this time of year is one of my favorites and I am super psyched that football season is back in full swing.  Mr. B and I are both football fans and we love going to games, mostly for the tailgating.  If you have never been tailgating, then you are seriously missing out and you should go as soon as possible!  If you have been tailgating, then you know what I am talking about.  This week is going to be football week here at Bees Times Three, and we are starting out with this super easy (and cheap) utensil holder that is perfect for tailgating.  Here is the finished product:

You need very limited supplies for this project: a green plastic container (found mine at the Dollar Tree), a ruler, and a white paint pen.  For the inside, one small plastic divider (got a pack of three at the Dollar Tree, score!)

First, use the paint pen to mark off one inch increments along the side of the container.

Then use the paint pen to draw straight lines running vertically.  Since my container is not a perfect rectangle, some of the lines look a little off, but that's okay, it's not as noticeable when you add in the numbers.

Now take the pen and add in the field numbers.  Skip every other line for authenticity!

Add in your small container to the inside.

Fill the divider with your utensils, then add in cups and napkins.  You could even fit in plates, depending on the  size of your container (mine was too small).

And here is the bad boy in action at our tailgate party last Saturday!

I will be sharing the how to on the football tablecloth tomorrow, so make sure you come back then for the details!  For now, one last look at the utensil holder...

Literally this project cost me about $1.50, doesn't get much cheaper than that, and it was a super handy way to keep everything together at our tailgate party!

Halloween Decor Inspiration

Can you believe it is already almost October?  I feel old whenever I say this, but time is flying!  In just a couple of weeks, it is going to be time to put up Halloween decor!  Because I am crazy, I rarely reuse holiday decor elements because I like to go for a different feel each year.  So these are some of my inspiration pics for this year's decor!  (Click pic for original source, all pics via Pinterest.)

Alright, so am I the only crazy one who is already planning out Halloween decor?  Please tell me I'm not!