a malasada's taste test...

over Memorial day weekend we spent our vacation in Hawaii. we ate a ton of really good food. malasadas were one of our favorites. They have several bakeries that specialize in them so of course we had to do a taste test to see which ones were the best...




these are from champion. our cousin nelson told us they are the best in his opinion. they were so hot we couldn't even touch them. but oh so good....

crunchy on the outside

soft on the inside. got 4, wish we had more....

after the beach we passed by leonard's little red wagon. we were in need of a snack so why not malasadas. we wanted to compare the champion with leonard's. they were very good, not as hot. 4 more down, so far champion still the best...

umm. so good...

second to the last day in hawaii. for breakfast, after getting starbucks coffee we headed to leonard's bakery. it was close to our hotel but there was no parking and a huge line inside. as jeff drove around the block several times and i waited and waited in line i wondered if it was really worth it.

yes, it was...

very hot and ready to eat. we got 2 with sugar and 2 without. should have gotten all 4 with sugar. last time it was too much sugar but this time there was not enough...

4 more down the hatch. these were very good but not as good as the champion ones. so thank you nelson... you were right we loved champion malasadas!!!

for those of you who have never had malasadas here is a little history lesson: malasada is portuguese confection. made of egg size yeast dough that are deep fried in oil and coated with sugar. the portuguese laborers came to hawaii and brought their traditional food with them. Mardi Gras (fat tuesday), the day before lent is also known as malasada day in hawaii. if you are in hawaii you must try these. so yummy. i found a recipe for them so i will try to make them.

last 6 weekends, part 2

we ate a lot of these corn dogs thoughout the food and wine festival. they were not on the special menus. we just love them and seemed to be the fastest lunch we could get before and while waiting in line for the wine seminars.

we didn't attend very many cooking classes as we would have liked to because they were held at the same time as the wine seminars. both involved waiting in line at least an hour or more. we were able to only go to 2 of them. both of them were fun and the food samples of what was taught was good too.

boudin bread, 4 different appetizers

in our seats waiting for the cooking class to start.

the executive chef from Naples (downtown disney)

sample of what the chef at Naples made. gnoochi with peas and onions. it was good...

beer white cheddar cheese soup in a sourdough bread bowl. very good (especially the bowl). we ate several of these during the 6 weekends.

OMG

we found these on the second to the last day of the festival. can you believe it??? we were only able to have this 2 times. it was so good.

cream cheese, strawberries, red velvet cake, honey and chocolate mouse.

yes, it was that good...


dog update!!!
our favorite, corn dog castle is now closed...until 2011


but they are now being served at bountiful market (nearby) and come with fries...

woo hoo

last 6 weekends, part 1

for the past 6 weekends we have been busy going to the Disney's food and wine festival. mostly going to the wine seminars. we love wine but we love food too. we are lucky to have annual passes so we could have all this fun and free wine too...

waiting for the wine to be poured.

our tasty samples of wine. always 3 different ones.

usually the winery owner or winemaker was the speaker. every one had very interesting stories to tell about how they got in the wine industry, about their winery and of course the wine.

this was our favorite!!!

oops..

that's better, you would think we would be good at this by now.

food and wine festival stuff to purchase. the only thing we bought was some wine!!!

stay tuned for part 2. it's all about the food...

who's that guy???

he was having a cooking demonstration at the food and wine festival at Disney's California Adventure. we didn't get there in time to attend the seminar. some people waited 5 hours.

guy fieri

from the food network...
it was cool to see him in person.

the last dog

our favorite corn dog stand at Disney's California Adventure is closing due to renovations and the addition of the new mermaid ride opening in 2011. that is a long time to wait. we love these corn dogs with their crispy corn crust and juicy hot dog. i don't know how we will live without them. so sad but good for our weight management...

the lines are always very long but well worth the wait...



finally

yummm... let's eat....

bye, bye corn dog castle... we will miss you...