Universal Studios, Home Edition: Krusty Burgers and Lard Lad Doughnuts

This weekend we were supposed to be heading up to Universal Studios for their Running Universal Trolls race.  Thatkid and I were signed up for the 5k, while Thatbaby was going to do the kids' race.  Of course, like usual, we were going to make a whole weekend out of it.

But since the race was cancelled, and Universal Studios is closed for the foreseeable future, I decided that we'd do our Universal Studios weekend at home.  This worked especially well given that Universal just released their Trolls World Tour Movie for streaming instead of a theatrical release.

When the boys woke up, I had Trolls shirts and hats ready for them, since they wouldn't get them from the race.  I also had printed out park maps for the two of them to decide what ride or show they wanted to go on/see.

We set up the loveseat facing the television and the kids' chairs in front of it and pulled up some virtual ride-thrus on youtube.

The kids took turns being the "line manager" and asking how many were in our party and directing us to our seats.

And then we rode a bunch of rides.

We took a quick break at lunch to head over to "Springfield USA" which is where we usually eat lunch at the park, since there's something for everyone.  This day, however, everyone was stuck with one option - Krusty Burgers.  However, they were served with fries and Squishees.

I even managed to grab some Duffs for the adults.  (Although in this case it was an energy drink instead of a beer)

And after lunch, there was doughnut.  Just one.  But as big as the kids' heads.  Because that's how they serve them at Universal Studios and because that is Thatbaby's FAVORITE thing to eat there.  Just like at the park, we divided the doughnut into four pieces and split it.

After lunch and nap, there were more rides.

And even a show or two!

And of course, we rounded out the evening with a showing of  Trolls World Tour.

It actually ended up being a really fun way to spend the day.  Of course, riding rides virtually doesn't really compare with riding them in real life, but as Thatboy pointed out, there were also no wait times.

And we did a pretty good job of creating theme-park worthy food.  Our doughnuts might have even been better than the ones you get in the park!

Krusty Burgers

1 lb ground beef

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup shredded cheddar

lettuce, tomato,  red onion

Thousand Island dressing

4 burger buns

4 cornichon

1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Divide the meat into 4 portions and shape into patties.  Season with salt and pepper and cook 4-5 minutes per side until desired doneness.
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter. 
3. Stir the flour into the butter and cook until a paste forms.
4. Stir in the milk and continue cooking and stirring until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.  Remove from heat.
5. Stir the cheddar into the white sauce.
6. Place each burger patty on a bun and top with some of the cheese sauce.
7. Add lettuce, tomato, onion, and a squirt of thousand island before topping with the other half of the bun.
8. Garnish each with a cornichon and serve.

Lard Lad Doughnut

1 1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup + 1 tsp sugar, divided

1 packet active dry yeast

4 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp butter, melted

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract, divided

canola oil

2 cups powdered sugar

pink food coloring

sprinkles

1.  Microwave 1 cup of milk for 40 seconds.
2. Add a teaspoon of sugar and stir to dissolve.
3. Sprinkle over yeast and let sit for 8-10 minutes, until frothy and bubbly.
4.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining sugar, melted butter, eggs, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.
6. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix to combine.
7. Add in the dry ingredients, stirring until a shaggy dough forms.
8. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until elastic, about 5 minutes (add more flour if necessary during this process)
9.  Form the dough into a tight ball and place in an oiled bowl, covered with a clean dish towel.  Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
10.  Line 2 baking sheets with silpat or parchment.  Punch down the dough and divided in half.
11. Roll out one half on a lightly floured work surface until it is about a 1/2 inch thick round.  Use a doughnut cutter or biscuit cutter to cut the center out of your "doughnut."  Repeat with second half of dough.  You can use the leftover scraps to craft more regular sized doughnuts or even doughnut holes.
12. Place doughnuts on baking sheets and cover with a dish towel.  Let rise again, about another hour.
13. Make the glaze.  In a shallow pie pan, whisk together remaining milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.  
14. Whisk in as much pink food coloring to the glaze to get your desired color.  
15.  Heat 2 inches of Canola oil in a large, shallow, saucepan - large enough for your doughnut to fit inside - to 350 degrees.  Cook doughnuts, one at a time, until deeply golden on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
16. While doughnuts are cooking, line the baking sheets they were on with paper towels.  Remove doughnuts from oil and transfer to these baking sheets to drain and cool slightly.
17. Spoon glaze over top of doughnut and place on cooling rack.  Add sprinkles to your heart's content.