Noche Buena (part II)

HELLO dear foodies, hope you're ready for the salad of your Noche Buena. We will continue our christmas flowers italy buffet as planned and again hope you pick up some tips, which you could use.

Today, we do the salads. Salads have evolved into so many different types and variations.

Plan your Sinulog week ahead and find out what's in store for Sinulog 2012.

You have the greens only, the fruit only, the macaroni only, the boiled potatoes and root veggies only, the shepherd's lunch type, the side dishes - meaning a bit of green with mild dressings, such as coleslaw and waldorfs; and oh so many kinds. Another time we will do these salads and variants.

We suggest we concentrate on the side dishes salads. These are the salads to accompany entrees and not as hearty and heavy as the shepherds type or the macaroni type, which both have meats and maybe fruits in the salads. The side dishes type consists of greens such as romaine, lettuce, cabbage, cubes maybe slivers of apple, or melon or papaya in the mix and then dressed with vinegar and oil. Since Noche Buena is so heavy may we suggest a light salad?

A slaw consists of finely shredded cabbage, both violet and green, and mixed with whatever you want to mix with it. You may try shredded or grated carrots. And like we frequently remind you, whatever you feel like adding. So for a slaw you will need:

1. 1 half kilo of green cabbage very carefully washed and thinly sliced;

2. 1/4 kilo of violet cabbage also very carefully washed and sliced;

3. 3 apples cored and sliced thinly, keeping on the skin so that the red will appear;

4. A small tin of crushed or tidbits pineapple, well drained. (Save the liquid);

5. Whatever else you like, cubed zucchini or fine slices of melon, papaya maybe (be sure to choose the half ripe, called manibalang in Tagalog) or even singkamas; and

6. Extra fruits to decorate the sides of your serving dish.

When all has been sliced, put them all in a large bowl. Do not, repeat, do not, mix them yet.

Separate the veggies in sections until you are ready to serve. Cover with a clear wrap and refrigerate.

Just be sure the slices and grates are uniformly done. For number 5, julienned strips are better. If you grate those, too much liquid is extracted.

We cannot emphasize too much on the need for super cleanliness. Remember, these are to be served Raw, and you certainly don’t want all to get sick. Do not use the chopping board, which you use for fish and meats. Use a clean plate to slice and put the veggies directly into the storing bowl.

The dressing again is your choice. You may use a mayonnaise based dressing or oil based making your own dressing. (Making your own? Ask for the recipe. This column will gladly supply the recipe and its variations). If you use a commercial mayo based dressing, you will need:

1. 1 1/2 cup of good mayo. Don’t use the mayo which is a sandwich spread or flavored because you want to put in your own flavoring;

2. 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. (The market is teeming with lemons);

3. Juice of the pineapple, which you drained.

At this point, your own taste buds will prevail. You may include a bit of honey, if you feel like honey. But is you don’t like manamis-namis, you may opt for maanghang-anghang. Use ground, freshly ground white or black pepper. Taste as you go, when you are happy, call someone to taste test with you. Thin the mayo with some of the liquid of the pineapple if you like a sweetish dressing. If you like a peppery dressing put in a bit of tabasco or chili powder. If you like sour, use lemon juice. If you like all, mix and blend until you are happy. Finally, be warned not to mix the dressing with the salad until you are ready to serve. Mixing the dressing too early will cause the green to become soggy and lose its crunchiness. Put your dressing in a bowl and cover it also with a clear wrap. Refrigerate this with the salad greens.

Mix them when you are ready to serve and only then. Use your prettiest bowl or platter and line the sides with apple slices and pineapple tidbits. Encircle the platter or bowl alternate with these fruits and you will have a lovely looking salad.

Made too much dressing? You may use the same dressing with macaroni or potato salad. Not to worry, the dressing tastes good on any salad.

FOOD TRIVIA I

Did you know saffron originally came from the east? It is now grown commercially in many parts of the world and is the most expensive spice in the world since 70,000 flowers have to be picked to make 1 kilo of saffron. In the Philippines, we are lucky to have a substitute, called kasubha, and this approximates the color and taste of saffron. Kasubha can be bought in the market very easily. More on saffron next issue.

FOOD TRIVIA II

In certain parts of Italy, eel (igat in the Philippines) is the dish served on christmas flowers italy blogs Eve. It is first skinned, and sliced for frying, and included in the lard for frying is a lot of ginger and garlic. The dish is served with orange or lemon slices without the ginger and garlic. In the Philippines and here in particular in Benguet, it is cooked adobo style. So if you want to go off the beaten path why not try eel and make the men happy. Eel is supposed to be invigorating. BON APPETIT!

Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on November 30, 2011.

Walt Disney World Resort Update

Characters from Fantasia will welcome guests to the 19th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival next spring. When the Festival opens March 7, 2012, an eight-foot-tall Sorcerer Mickey topiary will stand atop a 12-food-tall mountain cliff, with dancing broomsticks, buckets, hippos, alligators, elephants, and mushrooms from scenes in the film.

Other topiaries will include Lightning McQueen and Mater (Cars); Buzz, Woody, and Lotso (Toy Story); and the Fab Five (Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto) outside the Festival Center (formerly Wonders of Life).

Bambi's Butterfly House and the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden will return this year, at the Imagination and Test Track walkways, respectively.

Plantings outside the Italy and Norway pavilions will have a new look for 2012, with overflowing containers of flowers and herbs at Italy and geraniums, violas, snapdragons, poppies, and alyssum at Norway.

Popular acts will once again return for the Flower Power concert series, including Jose Feliciano, Chubby Checker and The Wildcats, Davy Jones, and Paul Revere & The Raiders. Once again, the concerts will be limited to Fridays through Sundays.

HGTV returns as a sponsor, with celebrities from the network appearing each weekend at the Festival Center. Mondays through Thursdays will feature other recognized garden personalities.

There will again be themed weekends during the festival, including Art in the Garden March 23 to 25; Florida Federation of Garden Clubs April 27 to 29; and Fresh from Florida Farmer’s Market May 4 to 6.

The Festival runs through May 20, 2012.

Epcot's christmas flowers italy tree once again features huge internationally-themed ornaments. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

Disney Cruise Line keeps winning awards

Last week, we noted that Disney Cruise Line had won a Thea Award from the Themed Entertainment Association for the new Animation Magic show coming to Animator's Palate on the Disney Fantasy when it sails next year. Two more organizations have announced awards for the cruise line. Cruise Critic named the Disney Dream the Best New Ship and also honored it for the Best Inside Cabins, and the entire Disney Cruise Line won the Best Standard Cabins award.

The Best New Ship award recognized the Dream for the AquaDuck water coaster, Remy restaurant, and interactive artwork, while the Best Inside Cabins unsurprisingly noted the virtual portholes. The Best Standard Cabins award cited DCL for the split bath set-up, iPod docking station, wave phones, and cabin size.

Meanwhile, the cruise line won three awards from the readers of Porthole Cruise Magazine in its 13th annual Readers' Choice Awards. DCL received notice for Most Family-Oriented Line, Best Children's Programs, and Best Entertainment.

Duffy the Disney Bear is in his christmas flowers italy blogs -themed attire for his meet-and-greets. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

2012 DVC dues released

DVCNews.com is reporting that 2012 dues increase information has been released for all Disney Vacation Club resorts.

Here's a list of dues by resort, as reported on the site:

Resort	2012 Dues	Increase
Animal Kingdom Villas	$5.4356	+8.40%
Aulani (Subsidized)	$4.4794	+3.93%
Aulani (non-Subsidized)	$5.9607	+4.02%
Bay Lake Tower	$4.2219	+8.41%
Beach Club Villas	$5.5043	+4.34%
BoardWalk Villas	$5.6160	+2.95%
Grand Californian	$4.3255	+6.28%
Hilton Head	$5.9290	+4.47%
Old Key West	$5.2035	+4.44%
Saratoga Springs	$4.7309	+4.84%
Vero Beach	$7.1163	+5.02%
Wilderness Lodge	$5.6096	+4.99%

Dues cover operating costs of the resort, as well as allocations for repairs and upgrades. This is in addition to the pass-through property taxes levied by the municipalities in which the various resorts reside.

Disney characters virtually visit Times Square

Disney Parks hosted a special augmented reality event in New York City at the Disney Store's flagship location in Times Square. There are currently no plans to bring this event to other locations or to reprise the event in New York at this time, but one never knows when special events may show up again. Check it out!

Participants stood on or near a blue circle, and Disney characters were added to their image on the display above The Disney Store. Photo (c) Disney.

Disney characters interact with guests via augmented reality.

Send us your menu photos

Click on the "Dining" section from our Walt Disney World Guide to see our complete list of of the park restaurant menus from Walt Disney World. Please help us keep the menus up to date! Send photos or scans of park menus to menus@mouseplanet.com to help us keep our listings updated.

Reservations clerk found not guilty

Wilbert "BJ" Brookins, who was arrested in February for allegedly raping a guest, was found not guilty of the crime by a jury last week. Reportedly, the lawyer for Brookins (who is a married father of two) did not even mount a defense during the trial, and merely poked holes in the prosecution's case during closing arguments.

Dining options added for Thanksgiving

With the parks getting crowded for Thanksgiving week, the Magic Kingdom is adding another dining venue: the Diamond Horseshoe. From Sunday, November 20, through Saturday, November 26 (except Thanksgiving Day), the Horseshoe will serve counter service lunch from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m. From Sunday through Wednesday, November 23, it will also serve table service dinner. On Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, table service lunch and dinner will be served. Expect seasonal fare similar to what's available at the Liberty Tree Tavern, whose kitchen the Horseshoe will be sharing. It's likely that the location will remain open for lunch through the end of the year, but we haven't confirmed that yet.

If you can't find a seating elsewhere, Fort Wilderness will be serving Thanksgiving Dinner at the pavilion that hosts Mickey's Backyard Barbeque at 12, 2, 4, and 6 p.m. A full Thanksgiving Dinner will be served, at a cost of $52.99 plus tax for adults and $31.99 plus tax for children ages 3-9. For those who have not been to the outdoor pavilion before, the buffet-style meal will feature character interaction and family-style seating, so a small party will likely be sharing a table with new friends. After dinner at each seating, there will be live entertainment.

The gang wishes you A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas. Part of the Christmas Party entertainment until December 19. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

Construction update

Here is the listing of interesting items from paperwork filed with Orange County in the last week:

Magic Kingdom Skyway Restroom – unspecified work.

Magic Kingdom Fantasyland tunnel – construction.

Magic Kingdom Dumbo – facility fit-out package.

Magic Kingdom Country Bear Jamboree – construction.

Magic Kingdom switchbeam building – construction.

Epcot main entrance stanchion – unspecified work.

Disney's Hollywood Studios Fantasmic – construction.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Kilimanjaro Safaris north savannah work area – general construction, plumbing.

Downtown Disney Marketplace – kiosk sign package.

Disney's Wedding Pavilion – miscellaneous scaffold screening.

Fort Wilderness Campground & Resort Reception Outpost – electrical.

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort – construction.

STOLport Contractor's Row – electrical.

Quick takes …

…In response to those who complained that the 9:30 p.m. showtime was too late, the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue will be testing earlier showtimes, moving each show up by one hour. Through February 11, 2012, showtimes will be 4:00, 6:15, and 8:30 p.m. We'll have to wait to see if people now complain about the 4 p.m. show being too early.

…Last Monday, the first tree was planted in the new Fantasyland Forest area under construction at the Magic Kingdom. Planting in the far western area of the expansion has continued, as the horticultural teams start bringing the color green to Belle's Village.

Imagineers move the first tree into place in the New Fantasyland expansion. Photo (c) Disney.

…According to MousePlanet's Jeff Kober, inside sources say that Adventureland will be the first land to premiere Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, Disney's new interactive game. The game will open somewhere toward the middle or end of the first quarter or 2012, though there will be some public testing prior to that.

…Santa Claus has arrived at Downtown Disney Marketplace, and will be greeting guests through Christmas Eve.

…Visitors to La Signature Shoppe at Epcot's France pavilion this weekend (Friday through Sunday, November 25-27) can take advantage of two special offers. From noon until 8 p.m. each day, guests can receive complimentary engraving with any Guerlain fragrance purchase. Any guest purchasing $150 or more in Guerlain merchandise will receive a complimentary gift.

…D23, the official Disney fan club, announced its 2012 events last Friday, including events across the country (with further information to be announced). There will be a celebration of Epcot's 30th anniversary, but no further details have been announced for that yet, either.

…While Disney Vacation Club Member Services has gone to a seven-day-a-week schedule, it will still observe the same holidays as in previous years. The phone lines will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. Members who hit their 11- or 7-month booking windows on those days will need to call the following day.

…Following the close of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, the opportunity to buy pizza by the slice at a window outside Via Napoli on Saturdays has been extended until December 17.

…To receive special holiday offers from the Disney Parks Store online, text SHOP to 37275. Standard text messaging rates apply.

New cars are on the track at Test Track. Aside from the paint job, not much seems different. Photo by Stephanie Wien.

…The 2012 version of the Expedition Everest Challenge (a 5K event that also involves an obstacle course and scavenger hunt) takes place on May 5, 2012. No registration date has yet been announced.

…Registration is open for events for the 2012 Disney Princess Half Marathon (scheduled for the weekend of February 24 to 26, 2012). The Princess Half Marathon is 67 percent full and Kids' Races are 61 percent full.

…Registration is open for events for the Walt Disney World Marathon 2012 (on the weekend of January 5 to 8, 2012), but events are starting to fill up. If you were considering entering one of these, now's the time. As of this week, registration is at:

Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge – 93 percent full

Marathon – 91 percent full

Marathon Relay – 74 percent full

Half Marathon – 92 percent full

Family Fiesta 5K – 88 percent full

Kids' Races – 82 percent full

Crowd update

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Crowd information and forecasts are provided by TouringPlans.com, the website of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, to help you better plan your trip to the Walt Disney World Resort. TouringPlans.com gathers wait time data from a team of in-park researchers and users of their Lines mobile phone application, and then predicts crowd levels for the next 365 days. Using a scale from 1 to 10, TouringPlans.com has a 90 percent accuracy of predicting the crowds to within 1 point, helping visitors prepare for their trips so they can "Do more. Wait less."

Thanksgiving week is typically one of the busiest at Walt Disney World, and this year is no exception! TouringPlans.com can help you avoid falling into the typical tourist pitfalls, and will help you avoid the dreaded tour groups, with our per-park Crowd Calendar, Lines - Mobile Wait Times App that gives access to current and estimated wait times for attractions, and Touring Plans detailing the best plan of attack for hitting the attractions. Now more than ever, it's a good time to subscribe to TouringPlans.com to plan your strategy to avoid the crowds!

Below are the predicted resort-wide crowd numbers for select days generated by the TouringPlans professional statisticians as measured for the upcoming week. For the access to the full year and per-park crowd level predictions, visit our Crowd Calendar.

Date      Overall

Monday, November 21, 2011     8 / 10

Tuesday, November 22, 2011     10 / 10

Wednesday, November 23, 2011              10 / 10

Thursday, November 24, 2011    10 / 10

Crowds will be heavy this entire week. Check out the Disney World Park Crowd Levels page on TouringPlans.com for park-specific predictions and recommendations on which days to visit and avoid particular parks!

Expect Osborne Lights to draw dense crowds to the Streets of America in Disney's Hollywood Studios at night.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parties are this week; remember to account for the Magic Kingdom's 7 pm closings on party nights when you're planning your itinerary!

Following a Touring Plan will be especially important this week given the heavy crowds.

See Disney World crowds for the next 365 days.

Get Disney World wait times on your iPhone, Android or smartphone.

Do more. Wait less.