What Happens in Disneyland Stays in Disneyland

I did stifle a scream when I saw these two walking down Main Street.

 We just got back from our Spring Break in Southern California and were lucky enough to spend a  few days at Disneyland. It was great to take a break from cooking, honestly, as well as get away from work, computers and just hang with the family. Why is it when I come back from vacation I have trouble getting back into our routine? And why can't I stop thinking about the food from our trip? Starting in Newport Beach we got to enjoy a milkshake and chili fries with an incredible view of the coast at Ruby's Shake Shack.

Peanut Butter Dreamin'

I'll spare you a picture of the chili fries, because I have yet to see a picture of chili fries that doesn't look like it was found in a garbage can. But yum yum.

It has been 23 years since I've been to Disneyland and it was great to go back as a parent. I appreciated the little things like the cleanliness of the place, the seemingly unjaded characters that enthralled my 2 year old and, surprisingly, quality of food and the availability of fresh fruit around the park. It was great to get a bag of fresh grapes to munch on rather than french fries.

Honestly, I expected to see french fries around every corner (and they were certainly not hard to find!) but in addition to fried potatoes the park offers a nice array of healthy options. One of my favorites was the Power Pack we bought for the kids in Tomorrowland - string cheese, yogurt, applesauce, sliced apples and milk. It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't deep fried and the kids inhaled it.

However, our favorite food that we went back for all three days was deep fried. I am not ashamed to admit this, but we were regular customers at Cafe Orleans all three days we were there for their delicious Mickey Mouse shaped beignets. They were deep fried to perfection and served with an overly generous amount of powdered sugar on top. I think my husband and I ate my son's portion while he was jamming to the live music. Sorry, kid.

Always eat the ears first!

I can't say I'll be making these anytime soon, but just in case I feel the need to laissez le bon temps rouler, I found a great Disneyland Beignet recipe from Just Spotted.