The Ganachery Chocolate Shoppe - Disney Springs

After having lunch at Portobello today, my daughters and I stopped at The Ganachery Chocolate Shoppe, which opened in Disney Springs earlier this week.  The shop is very small, and we had to wait in line for about 10 minutes before we were allowed to go in.

The Ganachery, with its apothecary theming, features hand-crafted chocolate.  Upon entering, we watched chocolate being applied to their custom-made ganache.

Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen - Magic Kingdom

Yesterday, I had lunch at Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen, the newly opened Jungle Cruise themed restaurant in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom,

Currently, Disney's newest table service restaurant is not accepting reservations, but we were able to put in our name before the restaurant opened at 11:00, and I received a text when our table was ready.

Williams-Sonoma Gluten-Free Gingerbread Spiced Cookie Mix

Earlier this week, I made gingerbread cookies with Williams-Sonoma Gluten-Free Gingerbread Spiced Cookie Mix.

I was really excited to try this new product from Williams-Sonoma, because the mix contains my favorite gluten free flour, Cup4Cup, and I love their gingerbread spice quick bread mix.  I had high hopes for this mix, and it certainly did not disappoint, though I was disappointed that I never received my online order of the gingerbread spiced cookie mix, which I placed back in October.  I knew it wasn't supposed to be shipped for several weeks, because it was not in stock yet when I ordered it, but after seeing it in the Williams-Sonoma store in Winter Park, I called to find out where my order was.  Well, it turns out that the online store would not be fulfilling my order, because I guess they never received the mix, so I headed to my local store to buy two boxes, which were on sale for $12.99.

Backlot Express - Disney's Hollywood Studios

Yesterday, we headed to Hollywood Studios to immerse ourselves in everything Star Wars.  We rode Star Tours twice, so we could experience some of the new adventures inspired by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  We also checked out "Star Wars: Path of the Jedi" and the Star Wars Launch Bay, where Disney Visa cardmembers can feel the power of the force at a private Star Wars Imperial Meet 'N" Greet.

The Backlot Express, a quick service restaurant at Disney's Hollywood Studios, recently updated their menu with Star Wars themed food options, so we headed there for lunch.

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Cake

Earlier today, I stopped at the Trader Joe's in Winter Park to buy a gluten free cranberry orange ricotta cake.  The cakes are available in the bakery section of the store, and a new batch are put out each morning, so be sure to get there early, especially if you are going on a weekend.  An employee also told me that you can call in the morning and reserve one for pickup later that day.

The cake, which costs $5.99, has an allergen warning that it contains milk, egg, and soy, and may contain traces of almond, hazelnut, and walnut.  It is not a large cake, but it would probably serve 4 to 6 people.

Boardwalk Pizza - Winter Park

A couple of weeks ago, we had dinner at Boardwalk Pizza in Winter Park with family that was visiting from out of town.  We first discovered Boardwalk Pizza about four years ago, when I was still teaching full time.

Before Boardwalk Pizza, I had never had a gluten free pizza that I liked at a restaurant.  Last month, I found this picture of a Margherita pizza I ordered there years ago.  I enjoyed their pizza so much, we ate at Boardwalk Pizza pretty regularly until I retired from teaching and started making pizza with Chebe at home.

Carrabba's Italian Grill

Earlier tonight, we had dinner at the Carrabba's Italian Grill in Oviedo.  We have had several good dining experiences there since moving to Orlando, but we haven't eaten at Carrabba's in probably three or four years.

Carrabba's recently expanded their gluten free options with the addition of casarecce gluten free pasta, and modified their signature grill-baste to make it gluten free.

Williams-Sonoma Gluten-Free Honey Corn Bread Mix

This year, we spent Thanksgiving with our family in our hometown of Pittsburgh.  My aunt bought a Williams-Sonoma Gluten-Free Corn Bread Mix to make muffins for my daughters, who are not huge fans of stuffing.

The mix, which is certified gluten free by the Celiac Support Association, contains degermed white cornmeal, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar, potato starch, baking powder, salt, and light amber honey.  It has an allergen warning that it contains eggs and milk, and is prepared and packaged using machines that may come in contact with soy.  The mix itself does not appear to contain eggs or milk, but the directions call for the addition of 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 1 cup of milk, and two eggs.

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

We recently had dinner at BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse in Oviedo.  Locally, they also have restaurants near the Mall at Millenia, on International Drive, and in Kissimmee and Lake Buena Vista.

BJ's has a pretty extensive gluten free menu, which you can view online here.

Cranberry Ice Cream Float

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our house.  All three trees are up, including our Disney tree, which is full of the Disney ornaments we have collected since moving to Orlando 7 1/2 years ago.

While we were having Thanksgiving dinner in Pittsburgh with my family, I remembered a drink my grandmother used to make at the holidays.  Both my mom and aunt said it contained two simple ingredients - cranberry juice and vanilla ice cream.