March Favorites from Spinning Carousel Co.
This month has been drawing me to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at every turn! From fun park days with girlfriends to the preview of new experiences, it’s been a thrill heading into the park for favorites and new fun.
This park means so much to me – it’s where I first worked at Club 33. It’s the only park I remember from my childhood trip to Walt Disney World with my parents. Even though so much has changed in the parks even since I moved to Orlando back in 2017, walking in fills me with feelings of nostalgia.
That’s why this month I’ve been flaunting my 1989, Never Was, Always Will Be design from my company, Spinning Carousel Co. PLUS for all my girls who love Disney and Taylor Swift, 1989 is the perfect necklace to rock in honor of the Eras Tour, which kicked off in Arizona this month.
Favorite Purchase
I am OBSESSED with the diffusers I’ve bought for our new home! We started with the smaller size, just to see how it fit and what the quality was like. I was nervous at first that it would be difficult to use, but it was easy to set up! Everything was self-explanitory and within moments it was up and running! I loved it so much, I snagged the larger size for our master bedroom, and will be buying another as soon as possible!
Favorite Bite
Have I found the best Ben & Jerry’s flavor ever? The answer is yes! The Ben & Jerry’s partnership with Tony’s Chocolonely, Chocolatey Love A-Fair, sounds pretty standard, but it’s insane. This partnership is not only tasty, but is a commitment to ending modern slavery in chocolate – you can learn more here!
The chocolate ice cream is rich and thick, and even though the chocolate coins are nestled into cold ice cream, the texture remains perfect. Each bit of chocolate melts in your mouth and has pieces of flaky salt that adds tiny bits of crunch and texture. The added bits of caramel add some dimentsion and it’s perfect. I’ve been finding the limited edition pints at Target.
March Favorites Restaurant
For March, we had to head somewhere new. And by new, I mean BRAND NEW! Rodeo Roundup BBQ in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
I was thrilled when I was invited to a preview of the restaurant the night before it opened to the public at Walt Disney World. In full transparecny, although I had early access, I did pay full price for my experience. Although, I would say that it was a much less hectic experience compared to a busy day in the parks, so that might have been why I loved the experience so much!
I plan on sharing a full, detailed review of the experience, but the food and the atmosphere surprised me in the best way! The theming and storytelling were perfectly Toy Story and the food was delicious and fun!
The highlights for me included the ribs plus the sweet barbecue sauce, the Slinky Doooooog Mac and Cheese, and the Billy’s Chocolate Silk Pie.
Favorite recipe
This month I feel like I have fallen back in LOVE with cooking. You all obviously know that I love food, but it’s been a long time since I felt at home in the kitchen.
Last year, in traveling so often, when I was home, I wanted foods that were quick and easy. I rarely felt I had the time to pull out my kitchen gadgets to experiment with something new. But these last few months, as the kitchen has truly become the heart of our home, I’ve been trying out tons of new ideas to see what sticks.
Cottage cheese dips have been a hit in our home. Even though René cannot stand cottage cheese, new combinations, and blends have opened him up to eating this protein and probiotic-rich food!
I have made dupe cottage cheese Chuy’s jalapeño ranch, classic ranch, and my favorite, a cottage cheese pesto that is creamy and cheesy and great atop chicken, salads, pasta, and more. Here, I’m sharing that recipe exclusively for you to recreate in your own kitchen!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese (I prefer the low-fat Good Culture)
- A handful of fresh basil
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Add more or less olive oil depending on desired consistency, and enjoy!
Favorite food trend
Fruit. Roll. Ups. An elementary snack that is my hyper-fixation food of the moment! Have you all seen the TikTok food hack that has fruit roll-ups flying off of supermarket shelves?
Take a fruit roll up, lay it out flat, and fill the center with ice cream, sorbet, or sherbet. Then roll it up and see how the fruit roll becomes crunchy and brittle right under your fingertips!
This bite provides a serious crunch and a blast of refreshing cool in each mouthful. I’ve tried tons of combinations of fruit roll-up flavors and frozen confection fillings so you don’t have to. The best? A tropical fruit roll-up, filled with mango sorbet, fresh lime juice, and Tajin.
Disney parks things
The EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival is BACK! I obviously could not be more thrilled – especially since this floral fest means springtime here in Orlando! This month, the days are sunny and warm with a cool breeze making it the perfect time for park days. While each EPCOT festival holds a special place in my heart, there’s none I enjoy more than Flower & Garden.
The topiaries scattered throughout the park are incredible – lush and vibrant green, they just look so regal. With deep ties to Walt Disney World, where topiaries have stood proudly since opening back in 1971, it’s nice to see how each year the incredible Disney horticultural team makes magic out of flowers and leaves!
Next, the food always strikes the perfect balance between something new and all the festival favorite from the year before. The violet lemonade has a cult following for very good reason, along with the goat cheese croissant – two of my most beloved festival dishes.
Favorite Carousel Project Podcast Moment
This month ushered in the recording of our SIXTH season of The Carousel Project Podcast. It truly blows my mind to see how far our passion project has come. While I won’t spoil too much before our season premiere on April 7th, I will say that I had a blast filming this episode – and our new break time tradition – the questions episode!
We were thrilled to connect with our listeners via Instagram to answer their most burning questions about the podcast, and about all of us hosts! In addition, we also introduced our new voicemail line, where listeners can call in and leave us a voicemail for us to play and respond to in the podcast. We cannot wait to see how our listeners react to season six of The Carousel Project podcast!
Want more?
Looking for more monthly favorites?! Here are my favorites from January and February!
