DCA Festival of Holidays 2017 - Day 3 + Pictures
On December 11th, I went to my last day at the Festival of Holidays this year. Since my pass was blocked out for the last couple weeks of December, the BF and I decided to spend a weeknight evening at the parks, before they got too crowded for the holiday season.
Spoiler: I finally got my Warm Buttered Rum, and it was, indeed, as delicious as I anticipated.
That night, we stuffed our faces and shared 8 different festival food items. Starting from first to last: (1) Nashville Hot Fried Turkey with Dill Pickles, (2) Ghirardelli White Hot Chocolate with House-made Cinnamon Marshmallows, (3) Braised Pork Belly Adobo with Garlic Fried Rice, (4) Seared Salmon Filet with Lemon Caper Sauce, (5) Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole with Crispy Onions, (6) Chicken Liver Pate on Toast with Cherry Jam and Pistachios, (7) Milk Chocolate-Candy Cane Pot de Creme, and (8) Hot Buttered Rum with Cinnamon Stick.
(1) (2) (3) Nashville Hot Fried Turkey with Dill Pickles, Ghirardelli White Hot Chocolate with House-made Cinnamon Marshmallows, & Braised Pork Belly Adobo with Garlic Fried Rice - What can I say about these? Throughout the festival, we got three of the fried turkeys, four of the pork, and two of the hot chocolate. If you're looking for tried and true goodies, try these.
(4) Seared Salmon Filet with Lemon Caper Sauce - To be honest, the salmon wasn't very special to me - it tasted like salmon. It wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. The best part of the dish to me were the potatoes. And the potatoes were just that, simple potatoes. I'd say 2.5/5 stars, found at Joy to the Sauce.
(5) Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole with Crispy Onions - I almost didn't get this, as I felt uneasy about spending money on a popularly disliked side dish. But, I'm so glad that I tried it. I have no idea what was so different about this recipe, but it was absolutely delicious. Even the BF, who hates green beans (to the point where he picks it out of fried rice), ate it up in a heartbeat (although, convincing him to even try it took some effort). Found at Classic Crocks and Casseroles, this earns a 4.7/5 stars. Great for kids.
(6) Chicken Liver Pate on Toast with Cherry Jam and Pistachios - I love Pate. Most people do not love pate. I can admit that it has quite a strong flavor, but, man is it delicious. I grew up with Pate, given the French colonization of Vietnam and it's use in Vietnamese food, but to people that haven't, I'd be weary of the dish as it does have a strong liver flavor. Found at Chips, Breads, and Holiday Spreads, this gets 4.6/5 stars from me.
(7) Milk Chocolate-Candy Cane Pot de Creme - BF ordered this, didn't like it, and so it was adopted by me. I have more of a chocolate tolerance than he does. Still, the little cup was quite strong. I was sick of the taste after a couple of bites. The flavor of peppermint was a bit assaulting. I would be willing to share one with friends but not order one to eat by myself. Classic Crocks and Casseroles has this dessert. BF gives a 1.5, I'd give it a 2.7, averages at 2.1 stars.
(8) Hot Buttered Rum with Cinnamon Stick - I've wanted this since I saw it. I neither love buttered rum nor cinnamon, but, by golly, it looked so cute in the little cup and I wanted it. The drink was so creamy and warmed me up, both from the heat and from the alcohol. This hit the spot - but I did throw away the cinnamon stick immediately as to avoid too much spice. This was purchased at Winter Sliderland and gets a 4.1/5 stars from me.
Another point of excitement for the night, we got to see a Disney Mop Artist! For those who don't know, some of the "maintenance crew" are actually Mop Artists who draw animated characters on the ground for park goers to enjoy. I've only ever seen a couple of them at work, so I definitely knew I had to take a picture to share. The BF was so confused why I stopped mid stride to stare at a mopping cast members. But it was his first mop artist! Now commemorated forever here. You're part of the magic too.
To finish our night, we headed to Disneyland to see the Castle, Tree, and Main Street lit up for the Holiday season. If you didn't get to see it this year, or simply want to relive the magic, indulge yourself in some of the below pictures.
Merry Christmas, all.
