Well, I certainly enjoyed Kristen's Mentoring Mondays interview and I hope everyone else did too. If you haven't read it you should go right now (it's the post after this one)!! Please be sure to follow her Year Long Culinary Challenge at Cooking With Mickey. Next Monday the featured Mentor will be Sarah with Magical Days With The Mouse. Follow her on twitter @MagicalMouseDays or "like" her on facebook - "Magical Days With The Mouse."
If you follow my blog you know I love listing things I love about Disney. My next list is going to be Disney Villains. As much as we all love Princesses, Princes and Heroes let's be honest we all love Villains!! And Disney does them better than anyone out there. Watch for my first Disney Villains post later today. Until then, hope you have a Magical Day!!
Showing posts with label Cooking With Mickey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking With Mickey. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Mentoring Mondays - Kristen Hoetzel Cooking With Mickey
Mentoring Mondays
Who: Kristen Hoetzel - Cooking with Mickey
twitter: @cookingwmickey
facebook: CookingWithMickey
Welcome to the first edition of Mentoring Mondays! I am thrilled to have Kristen Hoetzel of Cooking With Mickey here with us today to share some insight on blogging and social networking. She and her husband Aljon Go live in Nashville, TN and are currently in Disney Happily Ever After Contest. They are such a cute couple, their picture is in the middle of this post. Please go vote for them, it takes just a minute. Kristen's favorite classic movie is Alice in Wonderland, here is a picture of her with the White Rabbit.
Introduce yourself and describe your blog.
I'm Kristen Hoetzel, creator of Cooking with Mickey. CookingwithMickey.info is a blog about Disney dining information, recipes, reviews, how-to videos, news, vacation planning, travel deals, trip reports, cooking tips and more.
I'm Kristen Hoetzel, creator of Cooking with Mickey. CookingwithMickey.info is a blog about Disney dining information, recipes, reviews, how-to videos, news, vacation planning, travel deals, trip reports, cooking tips and more.
What inspired you to start blogging?
I had been making Cooking with Mickey videos for Sorcerer Radio to show people how easy it was to make their favorite Disney recipes. I wanted to share more than just my videos so I started my blog so I could write about everything I loved about Disney, share more of my knowledge about food and cooking and let people read about my visits to the Disney parks and what I loved the most.
What do you think is the best way to attract new readers/followers?
Get to know people who have similar interest to your own. Chat it up with people online. You can join forums, chat rooms, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. Just interact with people.
What is the best/worst advice you have ever received?
I haven't received much advice from others. I've always been someone who likes to learn the hard way. LOL! I would have to say that I've been told to contribute to as many blogs as possible and to have as many contributors to my own blog as I can find. I find that people get lost in blogs set up that way and you have no connection to your readers and they don't get to personally connect with you.
What is the biggest mistake most new bloggers make?
Trying to be someone they are not. You need to write your blog the way you are. Don't be afraid to inject your personality into it. Let your readers get to know you and be genuine.
How important is social networking (Twitter/Facebook) to blogging? Any advice on getting followers/likes?
I think it's a great way to get your blog information out to people and get to know others who have similar interests to your own and what you write about. There really is no key to getting followers or likes. If you write interesting information and interact with people they will follow/like you and spread the word to their friends about you and your blog. Some people like to use the apps that gain followers on Twitter however, those often get people who have nothing in common with you and many times some undesirables.
How important are labels, and do you have any advice on choosing labels for posts?
I'm very big on adding these to my posts. I find all of the key elements to my posts and include those words in my tags. So choose those things that stand out and include the name of your blog.
Who is your favorite Disney character?
This is a very difficult question! I have several favorites and I can't pick just one so I'll give 2 of my favorites. The first is Belle from Beauty and the Beast because she is smart, educated, wants more out of life - she has ambition and doesn't judge people. The second would have to be Remy from Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille. From the name of my blog it should be pretty easy to see why. He loves to eat good food and to cook. He finds fun in be creative and combining different flavors to create dishes. He also helps others and he believes in Gusteau's philosphy, "Anyone can cook!".
Do you have a Disney Vacation tip you would like to share with our readers?
Get the Disney Dining Plan. It will save you money. If you are someone who enjoys dining at different restaurants and you like two sit down meals a day and want to try the signature dining restaurants, get the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan. You'll find that it will save you a lot of money. On one trip my husband and I did the Deluxe plan and saved nearly $500, and it's nice not to have to worry about the price and order exactly what it is you want.
Anything you would like to add?
Thanks so much for asking me to be part of this Donna Kay! I hope your readers enjoy my interview and find it helpful. They can always find me on Twitter as @CookingwMickey or on Facebook as CookingWithMickey. Some of my videos can be found on my site but the others are on my YouTube channel, Cooking With Mickey. Thanks again!
Silly me, I got so excited when Kristen agreed to do this for me I forgot to ask her about her favorite Disney recipe. I asked her when she returned the interview and she was nice enough to answer for me.
My favorite recipe is easily the Curry Butternut Soup from Boma over at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. The soup is very easy to make and it's perfect for a cool, crisp fall day or cold winters night. It's got a kick to it and if you don't like things spicy you can always use less of the curry paste. I bring this to either Thanksgiving dinner as an appetizer or Christmas Day as lunch. It's also probably the Disney recipe that I've made the most because I find it to be perfect for those times of year and to be very tasty.
If you go to Kristen's blog she has a video showing you how to make it, look for it posted on April 27th!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
It's Been A Crazy Week!
My week has been so busy and a little crazy. I have been getting interviews ready for the Mentoring Mondays, which premiers tomorrow and the featured Mentor is Kristen of Cooking With Mickey and it's a must read. I am also starting a new Facebook group for Mentoring Mondays please join! I will be making events for each Mentor as reminders so you won't miss your favorite bloggers. I have been organizing everything hoping to make this an entertaining and informational series for all bloggers. Also, please let me know if you have someone you would like to be featured in a future Mentoring Mondays. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Mentoring Mondays!
What is Mentoring Mondays?
First of all I have to thank all of the fabulous Disney bloggers who have agreed to be Monday Mentors. None of them had any idea who I was and I am quite sure had never heard of or read my blog, for them to be willing to take time out of their busy schedules is amazing. I am overwhelmed at the kindness and generosity of the Disney fans out there.
The May lineup includes: Kristen from Cooking With Mickey her blog is fabulous and you should be following her series on her Year Long Culinary Challenge. Sarah from Magical Days With The Mouse, her home park is Disneyland and her pictures are phenominal. Amanda from Disney Go To Girl first of all, how cute is the header on her blog! I love her philosphy that Disney vacations can be luxury vacations, and she is your girl if you are looking for eco-friendly. Jodi from Magical Mouse Schoolhouse, she's from Texas and I imagine she has the sweetest southern drawl, and that's how I read her blog and tweets. Jodi, I have a southern drawl too Honey, I am from Alabama. I love that she has brought Disney into homeschooling, how smart is that. J.L. Knopp from the Disney DrivenLife I'm not sure if you have heard of it, it's a just a small website. I am sure you are all excite to hear from her. So there you have it, the May line up for Mentoring Mondays.
I would have been thrilled with any one of these fabulous ladies agreeing to do this, let alone all five of them. Thank you all so much. I look forward to the insight you all will bring about blogging for us to learn and become better bloggers ourselves.
First of all I have to thank all of the fabulous Disney bloggers who have agreed to be Monday Mentors. None of them had any idea who I was and I am quite sure had never heard of or read my blog, for them to be willing to take time out of their busy schedules is amazing. I am overwhelmed at the kindness and generosity of the Disney fans out there.
The May lineup includes: Kristen from Cooking With Mickey her blog is fabulous and you should be following her series on her Year Long Culinary Challenge. Sarah from Magical Days With The Mouse, her home park is Disneyland and her pictures are phenominal. Amanda from Disney Go To Girl first of all, how cute is the header on her blog! I love her philosphy that Disney vacations can be luxury vacations, and she is your girl if you are looking for eco-friendly. Jodi from Magical Mouse Schoolhouse, she's from Texas and I imagine she has the sweetest southern drawl, and that's how I read her blog and tweets. Jodi, I have a southern drawl too Honey, I am from Alabama. I love that she has brought Disney into homeschooling, how smart is that. J.L. Knopp from the Disney DrivenLife I'm not sure if you have heard of it, it's a just a small website. I am sure you are all excite to hear from her. So there you have it, the May line up for Mentoring Mondays.
I would have been thrilled with any one of these fabulous ladies agreeing to do this, let alone all five of them. Thank you all so much. I look forward to the insight you all will bring about blogging for us to learn and become better bloggers ourselves.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
#18 - I Wanna Be Like You - The Jungle Book (Disney Blog Hop)
#18 - I Wanna Be Like You
It's Thursday, and that means it's Disney Blog Hop Day. So first of all I would like to say Hi to all the Hoppers out there and and welcome anyone visiting my blog for the first time! Right now I am blogging my 25 favorite Disney Songs. Today is (obviously) #18. I love the movie Jungle Book, and I especially love the music from the movie. King Louie is so funny to me, and he is obsessed with becoming a man, unfortunately Mowgli can't help him with the one thing he wants to know-how to make "Man's Red Fire."
But on to today's Disney Blog Hop's Theme, "Blog Inspiration." I would like to dedicate my song to the people who have inspired me to be a better blogger. Thank you all for making me want to be more like you and strive to be better. On Tuesday when I first saw the theme of this week's Blog Hop the first person I thought of was Suzannah DiMarzio of Zannaland, her blog was the first one I really started following regularly. She is a former cast member at Walt Disney World, a former and current Disney Mom's Panelist, has 5763 followers on Twitter, 889 "likes" on Facebook, 101 Followers on her blog. She is inspirational, and why would you not want to be like her?? But then I thought what about Babes in Disneyland's, Lisa Robertson? She inspired me to put my blog out there for other people to see for the first time. Before I joined my first Disney Blog Hop I think less than a dozen people, besides myself, had ever seen my blog. I am sure there are dozens of bloggers out there she has inspired and we all appreciate the opportunity she gives us each week to share our blog. She is an author, her book - "Babes in Disneyland" was recently published, and she has a very successful blog. Then there is the blogger Lisa mentioned herself, Cooking With Mickey this blog is very unique. It has a huge following and I love reading about all the food at Disney World and it has helped me tremendously in choosing where I am eating during my upcoming vacation.
But in my heart I knew what I had to chose as my true inspiration. Two blogs I found through the Disney Blog Hop. The first blog that inspires me is Disney on Wheels - http://www.disneyonwheels.blogspot.com/ . Her blog is well thought out, she touches on a lot of Disney World restaurants and attractions and her blog tends to be fun and upbeat, and I would imagine her personality would be the same should I ever have the honor of meeting her in person. She is wonderful about posting regularly and has some great pictures on her blog. Make sure you check out her post "Disney in a Wheelchair: Still a Magical Experience" from January 25, 2011, I think you will be inspired too!
The second blogger who inspires me to be a better blogger is DIStherapy http://www.distherapy.com/ she is very new to the blogging and she is a physical therapist. Take a couple of minutes to read her post "A Tale of March Madness-How Basketball Rescued My Autistic Son" I promise you will never look at a nerf basketball the same way again. I would imagine we will see a lot of inspiring post come from D Marie in the future and I look forward to reading all of them! I look forward to seeing who inspires all of you! Now I'm off to dance with King Louie and Mowgli!
It's Thursday, and that means it's Disney Blog Hop Day. So first of all I would like to say Hi to all the Hoppers out there and and welcome anyone visiting my blog for the first time! Right now I am blogging my 25 favorite Disney Songs. Today is (obviously) #18. I love the movie Jungle Book, and I especially love the music from the movie. King Louie is so funny to me, and he is obsessed with becoming a man, unfortunately Mowgli can't help him with the one thing he wants to know-how to make "Man's Red Fire."
But on to today's Disney Blog Hop's Theme, "Blog Inspiration." I would like to dedicate my song to the people who have inspired me to be a better blogger. Thank you all for making me want to be more like you and strive to be better. On Tuesday when I first saw the theme of this week's Blog Hop the first person I thought of was Suzannah DiMarzio of Zannaland, her blog was the first one I really started following regularly. She is a former cast member at Walt Disney World, a former and current Disney Mom's Panelist, has 5763 followers on Twitter, 889 "likes" on Facebook, 101 Followers on her blog. She is inspirational, and why would you not want to be like her?? But then I thought what about Babes in Disneyland's, Lisa Robertson? She inspired me to put my blog out there for other people to see for the first time. Before I joined my first Disney Blog Hop I think less than a dozen people, besides myself, had ever seen my blog. I am sure there are dozens of bloggers out there she has inspired and we all appreciate the opportunity she gives us each week to share our blog. She is an author, her book - "Babes in Disneyland" was recently published, and she has a very successful blog. Then there is the blogger Lisa mentioned herself, Cooking With Mickey this blog is very unique. It has a huge following and I love reading about all the food at Disney World and it has helped me tremendously in choosing where I am eating during my upcoming vacation.
But in my heart I knew what I had to chose as my true inspiration. Two blogs I found through the Disney Blog Hop. The first blog that inspires me is Disney on Wheels - http://www.disneyonwheels.blogspot.com/ . Her blog is well thought out, she touches on a lot of Disney World restaurants and attractions and her blog tends to be fun and upbeat, and I would imagine her personality would be the same should I ever have the honor of meeting her in person. She is wonderful about posting regularly and has some great pictures on her blog. Make sure you check out her post "Disney in a Wheelchair: Still a Magical Experience" from January 25, 2011, I think you will be inspired too!
The second blogger who inspires me to be a better blogger is DIStherapy http://www.distherapy.com/ she is very new to the blogging and she is a physical therapist. Take a couple of minutes to read her post "A Tale of March Madness-How Basketball Rescued My Autistic Son" I promise you will never look at a nerf basketball the same way again. I would imagine we will see a lot of inspiring post come from D Marie in the future and I look forward to reading all of them! I look forward to seeing who inspires all of you! Now I'm off to dance with King Louie and Mowgli!
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