Quick links: Wedding Cake | Donuts | Ribeye and Mushy Peas | Spaghetti and Meatballs | Breadsticks | Verdict
Follow @DisneyMealsProbably one of the most famous Disney food scenes out of all of the animated movies. The spaghetti kiss. We tried recreating the famous scene, but our dog wasn’t as willing as Lady. All-in-all, Lady and the Tramp had a good haul of food. And our greyhound loved the food too.
Passed-up Wedding Cake (with fondant)
Toward the start of the movie, Tramp was looking for a good place to eat, before settling on Tony’s. One of the options is a cake shop.
(Credit: Disney)
We have made lots of cake throughout this blog, but never a wedding cake. So we made a delicious wedding cake, with fondant and everything
Wedding Cake and Fondant
Ingredients:
Cake
| 1 package | (18 ounce) betty crocker white cake mix |
| 1 cup | all-purpose flour |
| 1 cup | granulated sugar |
| 3 | whole eggs (even for white cakes) |
| 1 cup | water |
| 1 cup | sour cream |
| 1 teaspoon | almond emulsion (stronger than flavoring) (or 2 teaspoons almond extract) |
| 1 teaspoon | vanilla extract |
Fondant
| 1 package | (16 ounces) white mini marshmallows (use a good quality brand) |
| 2 5 tablespoons | water |
| 2 pounds | (about 8 cups) sifted confectioners’ sugar |
| 1/2 cup | solid vegetable shortening |
Cake
- In a bowl, mix 1st 3 ingredients. (see notes below) Set aside.
- Place remaining ingredients in mixer bowl then add the dry.
- Mix on low speed for 30 seconds, until dry ingredients are incorporated; mix at medium 2 minutes.
- This makes 1 & 1/2 times the usual batter than a ‘straight’ cake mix. It will fill one of the following pans: 8″ sq; 12″ round; 9x13x2; OR one 10″ and 6″ round.
- Pour into pan(s) and bake as you usually do. I prefere to bake at 300 degrees F. for 20 minutes, then turn oven up to 325 degrees F. for an equal time OR until you can smell cake If it has pulled away from the edges of the pan it is *over done*. You should have a flat cake that won’t (usually) need leveling & is not sticky on the top when it cools.
Special NOTES:.
- There is NO oil, butter or margarine in this recipe.
- Use large eggs.
- If almond extract (not emulsion) is used, add 2 teaspoons or to taste.
- Can use ANY cake flavor.
- Flavorings can change depending on cake flavor you use. Try a combination of 1 part vanilla, 1/2 part butter flavoring and 1/4 part almond.
- It is important to mix the dry ingredients well especially if using a chocolate mix or you will have white spots in the finished cake. I use a wire whisk.
Fondant
- To make marshmallow fondant, place marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds on high; stir until mixed well. Continue microwaving 30 seconds more; stir again. Continue until melted (about 2 1/2 minutes).
- Place 3/4 of the confectioners’ sugar on top of the melted marshmallow mixture. Fold sugar into marshmallow mixture. Flavoring can be added at this point if desired. Place solid vegetable shortening in easily accessed bowl so you can reach into it with fingers as you are working. Grease hands and counter GENEROUSLY; turn marshmallow mixture onto counter. Start kneading like you would dough. Continue kneading, adding additional confectioners’ sugar and re-greasing hands and counter so the fondant doesn’t stick. If the marshmallow fondant is tearing easily, it is too dry; add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time) kneading until fondant forms a firm, smooth elastic ball that will stretch without tearing, about 8 minutes.
- It’s best to allow Marshmallow Fondant to sit, double-wrapped, overnight. Prepare the fondant for storing by coating with a thin layer of solid vegetable shortening, wrap in plastic wrap and then place in resealable bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Marshmallow Fondant will keep well in refrigerator for several weeks.
- When not working with fondant, make sure to keep it covered with plastic wrap or in a bag to prevent it from drying out. When ready to use, knead fondant until smooth. Roll out fondant 1/8 in. thick.
- To color fondant: If you need to tint the entire batch of fondant, add a little icing color to the melted marshmallow mixture before adding confectioners’ sugar. For smaller amounts of tinted fondant, add icing color to portions of fondant as needed.
Donuts and Coffee for your pooch
Disclaimer: DO NOT feed your dog donuts and coffee. Caffeine is toxic to dogs. But that didn’t stop Jim Dear. While having his morning coffee and donut, he decided to give Miss Lady some.
(Credit: Disney)
Even though it’s a bad breakfast for dogs, it’s a perfectly good breakfast for humans. We found a great donut recipe that fits the time period of the movie well.
Early 1900's Donuts
Ingredients:
| 1 | egg |
| 1 cup | sugar |
| 2 tablespoons | butter |
| 1 cup | sweet (aka whole) milk |
| 1 pinch | salt |
| 2 teaspoons | baking powder |
| 2 cups | flour |
| 1/2 teaspoon | ginger |
| 1/4 teaspoon | nutmeg |
| lard or oil, for frying | |
| extra flour |
- One egg, one cup of sugar, two tablespoons of butter, beaten together till creamy.
- Add one cup of sweet milk, a pinch of salt, two teaspoons of baking powder stirred into two cups of flour*.
- Add one-half teaspoon of ginger and one-fourth teaspoon of nutmeg to the flour.
- Beat well, roll out about one-fourth of an inch thick.
- Cut out all the cakes before beginning to fry.
- Cook in deep fat that will fry a small walnut-sized ball of the dough in about sixty-five seconds.
- Do not let the fat get above that degree of heat.
*NOTE: I don’t know if I messed up the recipe or what, but I had to add about double the flour asked for. The dough was too sticky to shape so I just added more flour until I could shape the donuts to fry, which I used 2 different sized lids to make the circle shape and the circle hole.
Lady’s Rib-eye Steak and Mushy Peas
:Poor Lady didn’t get a chance to eat the juicy steak she envisioned.
(Credit: Disney)
and instead got a face-full of mushy peas
(Credit: Disney)
Even though Lady wasn’t a fan of the peas, our greyhound loved them.
For the Rib-eye steak. I salted the meat beforehand, and then threw it on the grill until I got a medium-rare cook. The mushy peas recipe is as follows.
Mushy Peas
Ingredients:
| 1 (10-ounce) package | frozen green peas |
| 1/4 cup | heavy cream |
| 1 tablespoon | butter |
| 1/2 teaspoon | salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon | freshly ground black pepper |
- Bring a shallow pot of lightly salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add frozen peas, and cook for 3 minutes, or until tender.
- Drain peas, and transfer to a blender or large food processor.
- Add cream, butter, salt and pepper to peas, and process until blended, but still thick with small pieces of peas.
- Adjust seasonings to taste, and serve immediately.
Tony’s Famous Kissing Spaghetti and Meatballs
Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the famous spaghetti and meatballs. Its such a beautiful scene on a bella notte.
(Credit: Disney)
We tried to recreate the scene with our dog, but Roxie wasn’t so sure about sitting at the table. We did manage to get a semi-decent picture.
Tony's Famous Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients:
| 2 cans | (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes undrained |
| 1 can | (12 ounces) tomato paste |
| 1 1/2 cups | 1-1/2 water divided |
| 3 tablespoons | grated onions |
| 1 tablespoon | sugar |
| 1 1/2 teaspoons | 1-1/2 dried oregano |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 1 1/4 teaspoons | 1-1/4 salt divided |
| 1 teaspoon | minced garlic divided |
| 3/4 teaspoon | pepper divided |
| 6 slices | day-old bread torn into pieces |
| 2 | eggs lightly beaten |
| 1/2 cup | grated Parmesan cheese |
| 2 tablespoons | minced fresh parsley |
| 1 pound | ground beef |
| hot cooked spaghetti | |
| additional parmesan cheese optional |
- In a Dutch oven, combine the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 cup water, onion, sugar, oregano, bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, garlic and pepper. (NOTE: I’d also add some crushed red peppers)
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1-1/4 hours.
- Meanwhile, soak bread in remaining water. Squeeze out excess moisture.
- NOTE: I’d skip on the soaked bread and add 2 cups of bread crumbs and 1/4 cup milk
- In a large bowl, combine the bread, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and remaining salt, garlic and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.
- Shape into thirty-six 1-1/2-in. meatballs.
- Place meatballs on a rack in a shallow baking pan.
- Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes or until no longer pink; drain.
- Transfer to spaghetti sauce.
- Simmer, uncovered, until heated through, stirring occasionally.
- Discard bay leaf.
- Serve with spaghetti with additional Parmesan if desired.
Tony’s Breadsticks
Accompanying the spaghetti is a bowl of breadsticks. Mary had made this recipe before, so we decided it would be good. However, when I made it, the bread turned out too sweet. I’m not sure why. So just a forewarning while making it, maybe add a little less sugar.
Tony's Bread Sticks
Ingredients:
| 1.5 cups | Water |
| 1 pkg. | Yeast |
| 1.5 Tbs | Sugar |
| 3 cups | Flour |
| 1/2 tsp | Salt |
- Mix ingredients
- Knead for 3 mins.
- Let raise for 10 mins
- Roll out on parchment paper to the size of a cookie sheet.
- Cut into 1.5 in strips
- Spread with butter
- add garlic, salt and Parmesan cheese on top
- Let rest for 10 mins
- Bake at 350F for 20 mins
Will you call it a bella pasto (beautiful meal)?
Overall the recipes were good. I was a little tired and out of it when making the spaghetti and meatballs. I would have made the meatballs a bit spicier if I were on my game, and probably used bread crumbs as opposed to soggy bread. But they still turned out pretty good.
The donuts and hot chocolate were a great pairing. Part of a balanced breakfast.
And the cake was amazing. We got lots of compliments on that. I highly recommend it.
Verdict:
Wedding Cake – 10/10
Donuts – 8/10, Donuts dipped in hot chocolate 9/10
Rib-eye Steak – 9/10
Mushy Peas – 7/10
Spaghetti and Meatballs – 7/10
Breadsticks – 6/10
Disney Meals 