Moroccan Pavilion's Couscous Salad

Epcot’s Moroccan Pavilion’s Couscous Salad

Yield: 4 servings.

Olive oil for sauteing
1/2 of a red onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 of a sweet red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of a sweet green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of a zucchini, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste
Cinnamon to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 cup orange juice
12 ounces cooked plain couscous
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup tangerine segments or mandarin orange segments
Mint sprig for garnish

1. In skillet, saute onion, garlic, sweet bell peppers and zucchini in olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add 1/2 cup olive oil to vegetables along with raisins, chickpeas and orange juice.
2. Toss vegetable mixture with couscous and pan juices. Add parsley and fold in citrus segments. Mound mixture onto a platter and garnish with mint.

Disney Store locations nationwide are hosting parties Saturday in anticipation of the DVD release of 'The Princess and The Frog.' (Kristin Ford/Orlando Sentinel)

Disney is celebrating this weekend the DVD release of The Princess and The Frog on Tuesday.

Most Disney Stores nationwide — including Orlando’s locations at Florida Mall and Seminole Towne Center — are hosting themed parties Saturday. At the events, kids can create Froggy Visor crafts and show off their dancing skills at a mini Mardi Gras party. Participants each will receive a recipe card for Froggy-In-The-Water cupcakes from Tiana’s Cookbook: Recipes for Kids. We told you about this sweet treat here.

The hour-long parties begin at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at Seminole Towne Center and at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. at Florida Mall, and they are free to the public.

At the Magic Kingdom, Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen continue to meet with visitors from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. daily at The Glade in Liberty Square. The royal couple will be honoring their subjects by handing out crowns.

If you’re planning a home viewing party, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has released Miss Charlotte’s Perfect Planning Tips, which include these activities:

Slipper Relays: Fill a box with several pairs of shoes — all styles and sizes. Divide guests into two teams. Each member must find the correct pair, put the shoes on and properly walk the red carpet to join team members at the other end.

Crown Toss: See if your guests can toss their crowns onto the throne.

Enchanted Jewel Hunt: Place a number of treasures and trinkets around the tea room or in the yard for your guests to find. Give each of your guests a purse or treasure box to hold all of their precious jewels in.

Your little princes and princesses are sure to enjoy whichever royal treatment you choose.

A few weeks ago, amid other permits for to demolish some existing structures, Disney filed notices to start construction of Cinderella’s Chateau, Belle’s Village and Aurora’s Cottage. The company also filed notices to build a new restaurant (presumably the Be Our Guest restaurant or Gaston’s Tavern in the Beauty and the Beast area) and a gift shop in the same area.

The three princess locales, along with a ride based on fourth Disney princess, Ariel of The Little Mermaid, are part of the first phase of the Fantasyland project and are scheduled to open sometime in 2012. A second phase, anchored by a Tinker Bell area, is to open in 2013.

The flavors of peanuts, ginger and garlic mix in Stir-fried Noodles from Ohana at Disney's Polynesian Resort.

Ohana restaurant in Disney’s Polynesian Resort is a family-friendly restaurant. Even the service is family style. Menu items include barbecue pork, turkey and beef skewers and marinated shrimp. The chefs shared this noodle recipe with us in 2008. It’s a winner at the theme park and in the home kitchen.

Stir-Fried Noodles from Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Resort
Yield: 4 servings.

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon each, puréed: garlic and ginger
1/4 cup each, julienned: red pepper and pineapple
2 cups cooked udon noodles
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon chopped roasted peanuts
Peanut sauce:
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2-inch piece ginger, peeled
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup each: soy sauce, sugar and water
1/8 cup diced Spanish onion
1 tablespoon chopped peanuts

1. For sauce, put ingredients in pan. Bring to boil, stirring. Turn heat to simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, pour in blender. Pulse until smooth.
2. For noodles, heat canola oil in wok. Add garlic, ginger, red pepper and pineapple. Stir-fry until red peppers are tender but still firm. Season with salt and pepper. Add noodles. Stir-fry until noodles are heated. Add 1/2 cup peanut sauce to glaze ingredients. Garnish with nuts.

Handy Manny takes to the track in a prime-time special March 20. (photo by Disney Channel)

Design a race car online and it could do a few laps on the Disney Channel when Handy Manny puts the pedal to the metal in the series’ second prime-time special, Handy Manny Big Race, at 7 p.m. ET March 20.

NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. and N’Sync’s Lance Bass will guest star on the show.

Earnhardt has said: “My 4-year-old niece is a huge Handy Manny fan, so when Disney Channel approached me about doing this role, I did it with her in mind. It was fun doing it, and being ‘Chase Davis’ for a while. I know Kennedy will enjoy seeing me on her favorite cartoon.”

In Handy Manny Big Race, Manny and the tools help Elliot fix up his used race car to enter the big Wood Valley 500 race. The car turns out better than expected and everyone is ready to race – except Elliot, who’s too nervous to drive. Famous race car driver Chase Davis steps in to help, but Elliot’s nerves get the best of him. With the tools as his pit crew, Manny gets behind the wheel in an attempt to win the race for the entire team.

In the special, Wilmer Valderrama (who voices Manny), Bass (who recurs on the series as surfer-dude Elliot) and the cast of Tools perform the new song “One Step at a Time.” A music video for the song can be seen here.

In addition, preschoolers can create their own race cars here for the chance to have them featured on air during the premiere of Handy Manny Big Race. Kids can also play Manny’s Pit Stop Shop Game, and parents can find tips and recipes to make family viewing night fun.

The “Disney Premier Passport” will cost $700 plus tax and include admission to all four theme parks and both water parks in Orlando and both theme parks in Anaheim, Calif. Sales begin tomorrow.

Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger unveiled the pass this morning in remarks to attendees at Disney’s annual shareholder meeting in San Antonio.

Disney says guests already holding premium any style of annual or seasonal passes to both Disney World and Disneyland (excluding Epcot after 4 passes and the promotional four-day “dream” passes)  will automatically be issued the new Premier Passport. Guests with annual or seasonal passes to one of the resorts can upgrade “for an additional fee.”

Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant will host an all-day, family-friendly bash on March 17. (Walt Disney World photo)

Ready for something besides green beer on St. Patrick’s Day? Walt Disney World has a celebration planned for March 17 that makes room for even the wee ones.

Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at Downtown Disney will host a family-friendly, all-day bash with traditional Irish foods and entertainment. The party begins at 11 a.m. with a $10 cover charge for the day; guests can come and go as they please once they have wristbands. Even better — kids younger than 18 are free, and all guests will receive party favors. (Advance dining reservations are not available for March 17.)

Live musical entertainment kicks off with Creel and Danielle at noon, and Myra Waters will lead her dance troupe in their routines starting at 1 p.m. Elevation U2, billed as “the world’s most popular U2 tribute band,” will perform from 10 p.m. to close.

Throughout the day, guests will have the opportunity to participate in games and competitions, including “So You Think You Can Riverdance”, and prizes will be awarded. That contest alone is worth the cover charge in my book.

Raglan Road offers bistro-style food and Irish beers and whiskies in a dining room that seats more than 400 guests and showcases four antique bars that were imported from Ireland. The regular dinner menu will be served all day March 17 and you can view it here.

So, come out and celebrate the luck o’ the Irish, lads and lasses. Just don’t forget to wear green!

With a little help from Mickey Mouse, Chicago residents (from left) Danielle Rub, Dwayne Gibson and Marissa Sproul begin a volunteer project Sept. 29, 2009 at the Bethune School of Excellence in Chicago. (Photo by Gene Duncan/Walt Disney World)

The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday ended a promotion offering free theme-park tickets to people who perform a day of community service, after Disney said it reached its goal of 1 million volunteers.

Disney said 1 million people had either volunteered or committed to volunteer just 10 weeks after it launched the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” campaign.  The company said it subsequently closed registration for the promotion.

Volunteers who signed up have until Dec. 15 to redeem their one-day, one-park tickets, though the passes have certain blackout dates.

“By any measure, the ‘Give a Day, Get a Disney Day’ program exceeded our expectations,” Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs said in a prepared statement. “These 1 million volunteers touched their communities with their hearts and hands.”

The 2010 “Give a Day” promotion followed a 2009 campaign in which Disney offered free tickets on visitors’ birthdays. Disney distributed an estimated 1.2 million passes through that promotion.

Indulge in creamy Alfredo with this arcgive recipe.

Epcot’s signature Italian restaurant is now Tutto Italia. But L’Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante held that position at Epcot’s Italy Pavilion early on. L’Originale Alfredo closed in 2007, the same year we shared this recipe with readers of the Orlando Sentinel’s Cooking & Eating section.

Fettuccine Alfredo from L’Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante at Epcot
Yield: 4 servings.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 pound Parmesan cheese, grated
1 pound fettuccine, preferably fresh
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. With an electric mixer, beat 2 sticks butter and grated Parmesan cheese until creamy.
2. Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup water.
3. Return fettuccine to pot. Toss with salt, cheese mixture and 1/4 cup reserved water until all strands are coated. (Add more reserved water as needed to make a smooth, creamy sauce.)
4. Garnish with fresh Parmesan.
What to drink: Masi Campofioran Ripasso, Veneto, stands up to the richness of this Italian favorite.