Opening time: 8 a.m.
Weather: Sunny, warm but not too hot
Crowds: Stay away, fellow locals.
You would think that, with this being such a busy time of year for Disneyland, that they'd attempt to open the parking lot at a reasonable time instead of letting two lanes of traffic back up down Magic Way and onto Disneyland Drive by 7:30 a.m. Sadly, this was not the case.
Anyway...
The fountain in Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is on again but Sir Clinksalot still doesn't clink. It's a bit jarring to have a suit of armor silently lean toward your car.
The line for Finding Nemo is so freaking long it extends into Fantasyland and around the Matterhorn. I don't envy anyone who waits in it.
One of the jack-in-a-boxes in Roger Rabbit's warehouse scene has been missing for weeks. Do take the time to notice the money on the floor - the bills are simoleons (1940s slang for dollars) and some feature the back of Roger's head. Ha.
Classic example of guest stupidity:
I was waiting in line for the Jungle Cruise at the point where it splits into two separate lines (to load different sections of the boats). The three tourists in front of me stared brainlessly into space while one skipper announced, repeatedly, on the intercom that there were TWO lines, and could everyone please use both? Then they couldn't make up their minds regarding which line to use. Anyone with decent eyesight and a few living brain cells could have seen that their best move would have been to move into the right line. Did they even look? Of course not. Tourists are stupid. If I had been in a worse mood I might have told them straight off to get moving; it's very poor etiquette to make other people wait for you to move your lazy butt.
Word has it the Cafe Orleans is serving (what else?) ratatouille. I haven't gone (I rarely eat in the park, especially in the summer), but I have seen pictures. I'm all for encouraging people to discover this fantastic soup for themselves, but in the photo I saw, the stew was garnished by asparagus spears (which is a nice touch) and what sure looks like a cheese wedge (which isn't). My family is from Southern France, which gave the world ratatouille, so I know what it is and is not supposed to contain. Ratatouille should be served with potatoes, rice, or some good crusty bread (or as a crepe filling - drain the excess liquid first), but *never* cheese. It competes too much with the rich flavors of the stew. Besides, as I have pointed out many times, dairy is a common allergen. Well, hopefully what I saw in the photo isn't cheese.
My ratatouille recipe:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 white onions, chopped
6 tomatoes, skinned and quartered (blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, and the skin will peel off much more easily - if you can't be bothered, use 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, but for food's sake get a good brand like Muir Glen)
1-2 eggplants, chopped, sweated, rinsed, and drained (to sweat eggplants, slice thinly, salt liberally, put slices in a colander, allow to drain 30 minutes, and rinse well - don't skip this step, it's essential to help reduce an eggplant's natural bitterness)
3-4 zucchini
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped (optional; I LOVE red bell peppers)
1 tbsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp herbes de Provence (this is an essential ingredient, do not skip it)
Fresh thyme and basil to taste (optional)
Heat the olive oil in a large metal casserole dish or soup pot. Saute' onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Add the other vegetables and stir occasionally. It may take a while, but the tomatoes will produce enough liquid to cover the other veggies. Add seasonings and allow to simmer partially covered on low heat (I use gas mark 2) for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender and stew is reasonably thick. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Makes about 8-10 cups of ratatouille.
And you bet your baguettes I'm going to see the movie this weekend. BTW, high-end kitchen store Sur La Table is reportedly carrying high-end Ratatouille merchandise, so I'm probably going to swing by the Newport Beach location after the film.
Has anyone else noticed (from the trailers and ads, anyway) that the only characters who don't have passable French accents are Linguini and the rats? Hmmm.
See you at Disneyland...in about two months.
Weather: Sunny, warm but not too hot
Crowds: Stay away, fellow locals.
You would think that, with this being such a busy time of year for Disneyland, that they'd attempt to open the parking lot at a reasonable time instead of letting two lanes of traffic back up down Magic Way and onto Disneyland Drive by 7:30 a.m. Sadly, this was not the case.
Anyway...
The fountain in Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is on again but Sir Clinksalot still doesn't clink. It's a bit jarring to have a suit of armor silently lean toward your car.
The line for Finding Nemo is so freaking long it extends into Fantasyland and around the Matterhorn. I don't envy anyone who waits in it.
One of the jack-in-a-boxes in Roger Rabbit's warehouse scene has been missing for weeks. Do take the time to notice the money on the floor - the bills are simoleons (1940s slang for dollars) and some feature the back of Roger's head. Ha.
Classic example of guest stupidity:
I was waiting in line for the Jungle Cruise at the point where it splits into two separate lines (to load different sections of the boats). The three tourists in front of me stared brainlessly into space while one skipper announced, repeatedly, on the intercom that there were TWO lines, and could everyone please use both? Then they couldn't make up their minds regarding which line to use. Anyone with decent eyesight and a few living brain cells could have seen that their best move would have been to move into the right line. Did they even look? Of course not. Tourists are stupid. If I had been in a worse mood I might have told them straight off to get moving; it's very poor etiquette to make other people wait for you to move your lazy butt.
Word has it the Cafe Orleans is serving (what else?) ratatouille. I haven't gone (I rarely eat in the park, especially in the summer), but I have seen pictures. I'm all for encouraging people to discover this fantastic soup for themselves, but in the photo I saw, the stew was garnished by asparagus spears (which is a nice touch) and what sure looks like a cheese wedge (which isn't). My family is from Southern France, which gave the world ratatouille, so I know what it is and is not supposed to contain. Ratatouille should be served with potatoes, rice, or some good crusty bread (or as a crepe filling - drain the excess liquid first), but *never* cheese. It competes too much with the rich flavors of the stew. Besides, as I have pointed out many times, dairy is a common allergen. Well, hopefully what I saw in the photo isn't cheese.
My ratatouille recipe:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 white onions, chopped
6 tomatoes, skinned and quartered (blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, and the skin will peel off much more easily - if you can't be bothered, use 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, but for food's sake get a good brand like Muir Glen)
1-2 eggplants, chopped, sweated, rinsed, and drained (to sweat eggplants, slice thinly, salt liberally, put slices in a colander, allow to drain 30 minutes, and rinse well - don't skip this step, it's essential to help reduce an eggplant's natural bitterness)
3-4 zucchini
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped (optional; I LOVE red bell peppers)
1 tbsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp herbes de Provence (this is an essential ingredient, do not skip it)
Fresh thyme and basil to taste (optional)
Heat the olive oil in a large metal casserole dish or soup pot. Saute' onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Add the other vegetables and stir occasionally. It may take a while, but the tomatoes will produce enough liquid to cover the other veggies. Add seasonings and allow to simmer partially covered on low heat (I use gas mark 2) for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender and stew is reasonably thick. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Makes about 8-10 cups of ratatouille.
And you bet your baguettes I'm going to see the movie this weekend. BTW, high-end kitchen store Sur La Table is reportedly carrying high-end Ratatouille merchandise, so I'm probably going to swing by the Newport Beach location after the film.
Has anyone else noticed (from the trailers and ads, anyway) that the only characters who don't have passable French accents are Linguini and the rats? Hmmm.
See you at Disneyland...in about two months.
posted by Sally Ravenswood at 1:46 AM
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