Disney Week- Snacks

On my last blog I talked about some tips and hints for planning your Disney trip.  Today I am going to post some treats to share while planning your trip, whether you are on your trip or just dreaming about a vacation.  But first, just to show that I have been a Disney fan for eons- here is a picture of me meeting the Mouse in 1987! 

One of the favorite Disney experiences is the Disney Surprise- how to tell the kids you are going to Disney World.  Now, my girls are in college and were away at school when we decided to go and made our plane and hotel reservations. I knew that I could not wait until they got home for break to tell them so, not wanting to be deprived of any of the fun, I prepared a surprise Disney package to send to school to let them know that we were going to Disney World and when.

Inside the package was a handmade card with a Disney them and a copy of the itinerary. (To make this simple card I traced a coloring book outline of Mickey Mouse onto black scrap book paper, cut it out with a bow made with my Cricut Create a Critter Cartridge and layered it onto blocks of printed paper.  Of course, there is a rhinestone on Minnie's bow!)  Also inside the package was a lot of silly Disney related paraphernalia, including stickers, band-aids and Mickey Munch.  What is Mickey Munch you ask? Well, this snack began when my mother babysat my kids years ago.  It was originally a combination of raisins, peanuts, chocolate chips and marshmallows.  Over the years my girls and I made this mix and it changed according to the occasion.  

Mickey Munch has red, yellow and brown M&Ms, marshmallows (or yogurt covered raisins), chocolate chips and pretzels (which sort of look like Mickey ears.)  This treat is also great to carry into the park to avoid having to purchase expensive snacks while there. By the way, how cute are these little containers I found at the Dollar Store? Wouldn’t they be cute for popcorn on Disney Movie night! 

We have also made:

Mermaid Mix (for a pool party): Raisins, green and blue M&Ms, chocolate chips and Goldfish Crackers.

Bruin Bites (for Tailgates and other High School snacking needs): Teddy Grahams crackers, blue and yellow M&Ms, peanuts, chocolate chips, marshmallows.  This combination, minus the Teddy Grahams, also became Cougar Crunch when my oldest daughter went to a college with the same colors.

Wolfpack Snacks (for a NC State Graduation Gift Basket): Red and black M&Ms, marshmallows, peanuts, dried cranberries and chocolate chips. 

It is surprising how popular this simple little snack mix is! The great thing about it is that it can be personalized dependent on the people and the occasion. It can be more a more healthy combination or the colors or shapes changed by a quick visit to the snack aisle. For example, I just found Star Wars mini graham crackers in the store last week!  I am going to create a Vader Vittles mix for next Star Wars Day!

Inside the package was also a Mickey Rice Cereal Treat. 

Mickey Rice Cereal Treat

1/2 Stick of Butter

1 Bag of Mini Marshmallows

1 tsp. Vanilla

6 cups Rice Cereal

Spray 13 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. 

Melt butter and marshmallows in large saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Remove from heat.  Mix in vanilla. Add cereal and stir until well coated. 
Press mixture evenly into pan with a buttered spatula or waxed paper.  

Once the cereal treats are spread in the pan, cut with a Mickey Mouse shaped cutter.  When cool, dip in melted chocolate, place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with your favorite sprinkles (These are Mickey shaped sprinkles from Disney World. You can also purchase them at Amazon.com).  

Note: for years I used the traditional Rice Krispie recipe until we bought some generic (Market Pantry) cereal with slightly different ingredients.  The addition of the vanilla added a different flavor dimension which is absolutely delicious!  This recipe is derived from the one found on that cereal box. 

Of course, no Mickey Snack is complete without some milk or lemonade!  

I bought this cup at the Dollar Store.  I traced and cut out the Mickey shape on adhesive vinyl which I purchased through Amazon, but can also be found at a craft store.  (Insider tip: sometimes you can find shelf liner at the hardware store which works perfectly!)  I also placed yellow, black and red mini- Mickey stickers I made from the punch I mentioned last week.  The ribbon is from Michael's. 

I hope that you have discovered some ideas that you might enjoy this summer!  Thanks for stopping by!

Cynthia