May 2020 – Whole Heartily

Luigi’s Mansion 3 – Complete Gem Guide by Floor

If there’s one thing I do when I play a game (besides trying to relax and enjoy myself), it’s look up information. I get curious or stuck, and I find myself turning to the internet for answers. There are a lot of good guides out there that are super helpful, but what I don’t see are an abundance of simple and clean visual guides that lay out all the information in one place.

I just finished playing Nintendo’s Luigi’s Mansion 3 and loved every minute of it! As soon as I started playing I knew I wanted to create a complete, yet condensed, guide to collecting the game’s many (so many) gems. I took handwritten notes while I played and boy did that remind me fondly of the good ol’ days when you sometimes had to write down a game’s pertinent information in order to progress.

These infographics are organized by floor; I’ve provided each gem’s room, location and gadget(s) needed to find it. It is a lot of information and even condensed I had to create three separate pages to convey all the information. The first guide has the two basement levels through floor four, the second guide has floors five through ten, and the third guide has floors eleven through fifteen.

Please let me know if there are any games you would like to see visual information or guides for in the future! I love helping people, discussing games and organizing information!

Let’s try Intermittent Fasting!

I am now a fledgling intermittent faster. Do you want to try it with me?

If you’re not familiar with intermittent fasting, it is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It doesn’t specify which foods you should eat (although healthier foods yield better results), but rather when you should eat them.

I’ve chosen the 16/8 schedule, which means that I am restricting my eating to an 8 hour timeframe and fasting the remaining 16 hours of the day. This is what is working for me, but there are several other schedules out there if you’re looking for something different.

20/4: Restrict eating to 4 hours of the day and fast the remaining 20.
5/2: Eat regularly for 5 days of the week, on days 6 and 7 only consume about 500 calories per day.
24 hour: Fast for 24 hours straight, once or twice a week.
36 hour: Fast for 36 hours straight once a week.

Why am I doing such a thing you ask? Odd as it may sound, I wanted to conserve food during the pandemic. After breaking my fast, I usually don’t feel hungry again until right before the 8 hours are up. Everything is simpler, there are fewer meals to prepare, cook or clean up after!

In addition to conserving food, I would love to reach my pre-pregnancy weight or lower. As I mentioned above this eating pattern has me eating fewer meals and consuming less calories a day. I’ve also read that intermittent fasting can boost metabolism and that’s encouraging!

There are several other potential benefits, but the best thing I can do is tell you about my personal experience. I will practice intermittent fasting for the next three months at least and report back with my findings. How about you?

“Reflection” Lyric Page from Disney’s Mulan

I love singing to Baby Zoey and she loves being sung to!

I mean who can blame her? Her mom is communicating to her in singsong; making eye contact, smiling, and dancing or making funny movements. I haven’t sung so much in years (harsh comments in high school broke my confidence) and it feels good! I am opening back up and throwing myself into showing her my love through music and I think it’s having a positive affect on her and me.

I used to know all the songs from Disney movies by heart, but I’m a little rusty. I’ve started making lyric pages to refresh my memory or teach me new songs I’ve never known! Feel free to save them to your phone for a quick reference, and please let me know if there are any songs you would like to see lyric pages for!

The Hua Family Pork Dumpling Recipe (Mulan)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be cooking up the dumplings or potstickers featured in Disney’s Mulan.

Mushu's Happy Porridge and Faa Family Dumpling Recipe from Disney's Mulan. This recipe is featured twice, once when the Hua family is eating dinner before Mulan departs for training, and again when Mushu pulls one out to roast towards the end of the film.

The Faa Family and Mushu's Pork Dumpling or Potsticker Recipe from Disney's Mulan. Dumplings, in this case potstickers, are delicious! This recipe would have been (and could be) easier if I had used store-bought wonton wrappers, but I was looking in the wrong place and couldn’t find them. It’s a happy accident though, now the whole recipe has been made from scratch!

DUMPLING DOUGH

2 cups of all-purpose flour (plus a little extra for kneading)
1 egg
3⁄4 teaspoon of salt
1⁄2 cup of water
Cornstarch (for rolling out the dough)

INSTRUCTIONS (DUMPLING DOUGH)

Place the flour into a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, salt, and water.
Create a well in the center of the flour and pour in the wet ingredients.
Mix everything together with a spoon (or your hands), until the mixture begins to come together.
Turn the dough onto a hard surface, dusted with flour and knead for about 3 to 5 minutes. The dough should be firm, but smooth when you are done. If your dough is too tacky, add a little extra flour to your counter.
Place the dough back in a floured bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and let it rest for 1 hour.
Divide the dough in half. Cover one half of the dough with your towel.
Lightly dust your counter-top with cornstarch (NOT flour), and roll half of the dough as thin as you can. Mine came out a little thick. but it worked out just fine!
Cut the sheet into 3 inch circles (you can use a cookie cutter, I used a cup).
Repeat with the remaining dough until you’ve cut the maximum number of circles.

PORK DUMPLINGS (POTSTICKERS)

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 cup chopped head cabbage
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
3/4 teaspoon of sesame oil (or more to taste)
1 lightly beaten egg white
6 Tablespoon vegetable oil (for light frying)

INSTRUCTIONS (PORK DUMPLINGS)

Season the ground pork to your preference and cook it In a skillet on medium high heat until it’s golden brown.
Add the chopped cabbage and green onion to the skillet midway through so they can cook and get soft as the ground pork finishes.
Place the individual dumpling wrappers on a clean, dry surface and scoop about a tablespoon of filling in the center of each one.
Moisten the edge of each wrapper with the beaten egg white before folding.
Pull the edge of each wrapper over the filling and use your fingers to crimp the edge into a folded fan pattern (see images above).
Add 3 to 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a wok or deep skillet on medium heat.
Place the dumplings in single layer on the bottom of pan and fry them on each surface until browned (about 2 to 3 minutes each side).
Remove from the heat and enjoy!

Ring Fit Adventure Challenge – Reboot

Can playing a video game really help you and I get fit? I believe Ring Fit Adventure can and I’m going to test it out!

Ring Fit Adventure was released Saturday October 18th, 2019 for the Nintendo Switch. It comes with a squeezable pilates ring to hold and an elastic leg strap for leg movement. It piqued my interest because the main part of the game is a story where you need to travel across maps and defeat monsters to get to the boss who you also have to fight using different work out moves. The more you experience you get the more you level up and acquire new workout moves to complete your journey. It is delightfully distracting and entertaining!

As you might have gathered, I am not the epitome of health I would love to be, and to speak plainly, I haven’t been for a long time. This is uncomfortable for me to tell you, but I currently weigh 170 pounds. I feel heavier and far less graceful on my feet than I ever used to, and I want movement to feel easy and comfortable instead of a chore. When I was a teenager, I was more active and fortunate enough to have a good metabolism; I weighed 110 pounds and, at 5’2” tall, I felt comfortable in my own body. Since then I have put on more and more weight as my metabolism has slacked off and my bad habits have grown. Now I am a freshly minted, new mama and I’m looking to get back into shape and lose my baby weight plus a little extra! I’ve indulged myself for a little too long and it’s time to get back on track!

In addition to the game, let’s talk about my variables:

I’ve been practicing up to 20 minutes of yoga daily.
I’ve been taking my daughter out in her stroller for 30 minute walks daily.
During this shelter-at-home order, I’ve started intermittent fasting and only feel like eating 2 large meals a day.
I am making an effort to drink at least 78 oz. of water a day.

Confession time: I started this challenge back in October when the game released, and I dropped the ball. Months went by and I started doing my daily yoga and walks. This has made me feel better than I have in a long time (being pregnant and having a baby is no joke on your body) and with a stronger foundation, I wanted to give this challenge another try!

Let’s do this! Follow along with me on here and Instagram!

Mushu’s Happy Porridge Recipe (Mulan)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be cooking the happy porridge Mushu serves to Mulan in Disney’s Mulan.

Mushu's Happy Porridge and Faa Family Dumpling Recipe from Disney's Mulan. This recipe is featured when Mulan is about to start her training. Mushu wakes her up the first morning with this happy breakfast to get her day started!

Mushu's Happy Porridge Recipe from Disney's Mulan. You can see little grains of rice in the porridge Mushu holds out to Mulan so to stay as true to the recipe from the film as I could I made congee. Congee is a type of porridge created with rice and enjoyed in China. It’s super easy to make and super delicious! I also chose to make the eggs in a muffin tin and the bacon on a baking sheet so I could cook them all at once and it was easier to keep them in the correct shape for the happy face on the porridge.

MUSHU’S HAPPY PORRIDGE

4 cups of chicken broth
4 cups of water
1 cup of jasmine rice
Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS (PORRIDGE)

Bring the 4 cups of water and 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil in a medium to large pot.
Add the rice and bring the combination back to a boil.
Lower the heat and let it gently simmer with a partially closed lid, stirring occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
The longer the porridge cooks the thicker it will get, keep in mind it also gets thicker after it’s cooled off. Once you are happy with the consistency, remove your porridge from the heat.
Season with salt to your taste.
Serve Mushu’s happy porridge in a bowl, arranging 2 cooked eggs and a bacon slice (see below) to look like a happy face on top.
Enjoy!

BACON AND EGGS

8 eggs
4 slices of bacon

INSTRUCTIONS (BACON AND EGGS)

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Grease 8 cups of a muffin or cupcake tin.
Gently crack and place an uncooked egg into each greased cup of the muffin or cupcake tin. I personally only used the yolk and half of the white of each egg, but you can use the whole egg if preferred!
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Cut each slice of bacon in half and line the pieces out on the prepared baking sheet.
Place the eggs and bacon in the preheated oven to cook. The eggs will take about 15 minutes and the bacon will take about 25 minutes, but keep an eye on them as every oven is different!
Carefully (because they’re hot) remove the eggs and bacon from the pans and arrange them on the porridge (see above).
Enjoy!

Lady’s Doughnut Recipe (Lady and the Tramp)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be frying the Doughnuts (or Donuts) Jim Dear and Darling give Lady in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp!

Tony's Spaghetti and Meatball Recipe and Lady's Donut Recipe from Disney's Lady and the Tramp. These doughnuts are featured during a breakfast scene after Lady retrieves Jim Dear’s paper. Darling offers Lady a doughnut and Jim Dear offers her coffee to dunk it in.

Lady's Doughnut or Donut Recipe from Disney's Lady and the Tramp. I knew I wanted to make old fashioned buttermilk doughnuts with a simple glaze. I considered making cake donuts, but deep frying seemed like so much more fun! If you’ve never deep fried anything before, be very careful! I use a very heavy dutch oven and a frying thermometer, heating the oil up a little at a time so it doesn’t get too hot too fast!

DOUGHNUTS (DONUTS)

4 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 1/2 cups of flour, sifted
3/4 cup of buttermilk
6 cups of canola or vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS (DOUGHNUTS)

In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar until they form a light, sandy texture.
Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the egg yolk, and then the vanilla extract.
Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.
Begin adding in one cup of flour, followed by 1⁄4 cup of buttermilk. Continue alternating the flour and buttermilk, ending with the flour.
The dough will be very sticky. Flour your hands and sprinkle a little on the dough, cover it with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for at least an 1 hour.
In a large heavy bottomed sauce pot (I use my dutch oven), slowly heat the oil to about 325F as read on a candy or deep fry thermometer.
While the oil heats, flour a large flat work surface and roll the dough out, flouring it liberally if needed to prevent sticking. Roll out to about 1⁄2″ thickness.
Using a doughnut cutter, cut out doughnut shapes. Keep re-rolling and cutting the dough as needed.
When oil is hot, gently slide the doughnuts into the pan using a slotted wire spoon to prevent splashing.
Fry the doughnuts for about 90 seconds per side, or until a deep golden brown then remove them from the oil and place a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.

GLAZE

2 teaspoons of corn syrup
3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1⁄3 cup of hot water

INSTRUCTIONS (GLAZE)

Combine all of the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and stir until smooth.
Place the warm doughnuts into the glaze mixture one at a time.
Use a fork or spoon to turn them over and coat them completely in the glaze.
Place the glazed doughnuts back onto the wire rack to set for about 20 minutes.
Enjoy on them on their own, or dunked in coffee!

Tony’s Spaghetti and Meatball Recipe (Lady and the Tramp)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be cooking the Spaghetti that Tony serves Lady and Tramp in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp!

Tony's Spaghetti and Meatball Recipe and Lady's Donut Recipe from Disney's Lady and the Tramp. This recipe is featured when the Tramp takes Lady out to one of his favorite places to eat, Tony’s Restaurant. Once Tony notices Tramp is not alone and has brought Lady with him, he decides to treat this as a special night and serves them spaghetti and meatballs, then serenades them with “Bella Notte’.

Tony's Spaghetti and Meatball Recipe from Disney's Lady and the Tramp. Spaghetti and meatballs are quite fun to make and did I mention delicious? I had to stop myself from snacking on the meatballs before I was done making the pasta! My only regret is that I didn’t make the pasta or the sauce completely from scratch. I chose the timesavers path and used pre-packaged pasta, canned tomatoes and tomato paste. The good news is, most of us do not have time to make everything from scratch, but I do look forward to revisiting this recipe in the future to bring you everything from scratch!

SAUCE

1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
3 tablespoons of grated onion
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 – 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 – 12 ounce can of tomato paste
1 cup of water

INSTRUCTIONS (SAUCE)

Combine all the sauce ingredients together in a dutch oven.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer (uncovered) for about an hour and 15 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering prepare the meatballs (see below).

MEATBALLS

6 slices of day-old bread, torn into pieces
1/2 cup of water
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of minced fresh parsley
1 pound of ground beef

INSTRUCTIONS (MEATBALLS)

While the sauce simmers, soak the bread in the water until fully saturated.
Squeeze the excess water out of the bread, then place it in a large bowl.
Add the beef, eggs, garlic, parmesan cheese, parsley, pepper and salt; mix well.
Shape the mixture into meatballs 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place them on a rack over a shallow baking pan.
Pre-heat the oven to 400F.
Bake the meatballs, uncovered for about 20 minutes or until they are no longer pink then remove them from the oven and prepare the spaghetti (see below).

SPAGHETTI

12 cups of water
3 tablespoons of salt
8 ounces of spaghetti noodles

INSTRUCTIONS (SPAGHETTI)

Bring the water to a rolling boil.Add the salt and allow the water to return to a boil.
Add the pasta to the salted, boiling water and stir.
Bring the water back up to a boil again (don’t cover), then lower the heat slightly to avoid the pot boiling over and cook for as long as directed on the packet.
Once done, drain the pasta.
Remove the bay leaf from the finished sauce (see above) and add the spaghetti, stirring to coat.
Place the meatballs (see above) into the spaghetti and sauce, and simmer until heated through.
Garnish with parmesan cheese if desired, and enjoy!

Creme de la Creme a la Edgar and Roquefort’s Cookie Recipes (The Aristocats)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we are cooking up Creme de la creme a la Edgar as a dipping sauce with Roquefort’s butter cookies from Disney’s The Aristocats!

Creme de la Creme a la Edgar and Roquefort's Cookie Recipes from Disney's The Aristocats. This recipe is featured when Edgar wants to get rid of Duchess and her kittens, thinking they will be the sole heirs to his employer’s fortune. He makes a cream for the cats to drink, laced with sleeping pills and drives them out to the countryside to abandon them. Roquefort the mouse brings his cookie to share the cream, and ends up falling asleep too!

Creme de la Creme a la Edgar and Roquefort's Cookie Recipes from Disney's The Aristocats. First thing is first, I did not lace the creme with sleeping pills, I’m not trying to knock you all out. What I did do was infuse it with chamomile to add a calming effect, although this is optional. With or without the chamomile it really is quite tasty as a dip, on its own, or even as a creamer for tea or coffee.

I’d also like to mention that when Roquefort brings out his “cookie” he actually refers to it as a cracker, but it looks so similar to a Sable Breton or French Butter Cookie that I took the liberty of switching it over. Totally worth it when pairing the cookies with the cream!

CREME DE LA CREME A LA EDGAR

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 or 2 chamomile tea bags (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS (CREME DE LA CREME A LA EDGAR)

In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and the chamomile bag or bags (optional).
Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the cream mixture begins to steam. Do not let it reach a boil.
Remove the creme from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Divide into a bowl, bowls or cups and enjoy with Roquefort’s cookies (see below)!

ROQUEFORT’S COOKIES

1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS (ROQUEFORT’S COOKIES)

Pre-cut the butter into small cubes and allow enough time for it to soften.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites (you can keep the egg whites in the fridge for another recipe).
Place the confectioner’s sugar and the egg yolks into a large bowl and whisk them together until they are fluffy and lighter in color.
Add the softened butter, and whisk the mixture again until combined, this should look like a thick paste.
Sift and stir in the baking powder and flour. Stop as soon as the dough comes together.
Prepare a baking tray lined with a baking mat or parchment paper.
Pre-heat the oven to 325F.
Lightly flour your work area and transfer the cookie dough to it. Sprinkle the dough with a little bit of flour and flour your rolling pin.
Using the floured rolling pin, gently press and stretch the dough to flatten it.
Using a round cookie cutter (mine was about 2.5 inches in diameter), cut out the cookies and place them on your prepared baking tray, leaving a little bit of space between each cookie.
Use the tip of a butter knife, create four + shaped patterns in the dough (see image above). If you butter knife is sticking to the cooke dip it in a little bit of flour.
Repeat the process with any extra dough left. If the dough starts to become really soft, place in the fridge for a few minutes to harden.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cookies have a golden tint. Keep an eye on them, every oven is different!
Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack until completely cool.
Dip in the Creme de la creme a la Edgar (see above) and enjoy!

Mrs. Judson’s Cheese Crumpet Recipe (The Great Mouse Detective)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we are baking Mrs. Judson’s cheese crumpets from Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective!

Mrs. Judson's Cheese Crumpet Recipe from Disney's The Great Mouse Detective. These crumpets are featured when Olivia Flaversham and Dr. Dawson arrive at Basil’s apartment. Mrs. Judson (Basil’s maid) offers and serves them before Basil sets off on a lead, Olivia managing to snag a few before they rush off.

Mrs. Judson's Cheese Crumpet Recipe from Disney's The Great Mouse Detective. I am going to be so bold as to say that these are not traditional crumpets. Disney usually does their homework pretty thoroughly so I may be wrong, but perhaps they meant scones? Traditional crumpets look like the ones I made for Ratty and Mole’s Recipe in November, cooked on a flat surface within round rings. It was very hard to achieve the puffed look from the film using a crumpet recipe in a muffin tin, but I tried twice. The first time I used the recipe from Ratty and Mole’s Crumpets and added cheese, but they were very deflated up top. The second time I got a bit more lift by using baking powder instead of baking soda. Neither option had as much lift and puff as the cartoon, but they both taste cheesy and delicious so use what you have available!

BAKED CHEESE CRUMPETS

1 teaspoon of cane sugar
1 tablespoon of dried active yeast
1 cup of warm milk
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of warm water
1 cup of shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

INSTRUCTIONS (CRUMPETS)

Stir the sugar and yeast into the warm milk and let it rest for 10 minutes until frothy.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.
Add the liquid to the flour mixture and stir/knead until a thick dough forms.
Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for an hour to let the dough rise.
Dissolve the baking powder in the warm water and add it to the dough. Using a mixer, beat the dough for about one or two minutes. Any remaining lumps will dissolve during the next resting stage.
Lightly coat the shredded cheese with flour, add it to the batter and stir to incorporate.
Lightly grease a muffin pan and scoop the batter into it, filling each space no more than 2/3 full.
Cover the batter while it’s in the pan and let it rest again in a warm place for at least 30 minutes. The batter should be nice and bubbly.
While the batter is resting for its final 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 400F.
Bake the crumpets for about 20-30 minutes until they are lightly golden. Keep an eye on them, everyone’s oven is different!
Remove the muffin pan from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Remove the cheese crumpets from the muffin pan and serve warm, or you can reheat them later!