.A Taste of Europe.

It's OFFICIAL! 

Husband and I are going to Europe next summer!!!

We just finished booking our flights and have finally mapped out our trip.

Our Itinerary?

1. England {for obvious reasons, aka. a very important wedding + amazing shopping} 

2. Girls: Scotland {stagette + sexy accents} Boys: Czech Republic {stag + sexy beer}

3. Paris {land of love + eiffel tower + baguettes}
4. South of France {great wine + classy people + sunny white beaches}
  5. Greece {sunny black beaches + sambucca + baklava}
AND STILL TO BE DECIDED ON:
 **Italy {wine + pizza + spaghetti} 

Heaven for 25 Days!!!

And because we are sooo very excited, on Friday night {date night}, husband and I celebrated! 

Celebrated with a 'Taste of Europe'.

Toad in the Hole + Fresh Melons = A Taste of Britain.

We stayed in and made ourselves a tasty feast featuring a flavor from all of our European stops.

Appetizer: Toad in the Hole - but in a bite sized version {England}

For dinner:  Chicken Mushroom Stuffed Crepes {France} with a Caprese Salad {Italy}

Dessert: Baklava {Greece}

After thinking of my {ohh-sooo-clever} date night idea, I knew right off the get-go that I was going to serve Baklava for dessert. I have been dying to make this for a while now, and I finally had the excuse to do it {recipe here}.

Baklava = A Taste of Greece

Then I thought of a "French themed" food that we could have, and instantly thought of those amazing Chicken Mushroom Crepes that we served at our wedding.

Caprese Salad + Chicken Mushroom Crepes = A Taste of Italy + France

And of course, I couldn't forget one of my most favorite salads.....a simple Caprese salad {basically bocconcini cheese, basil, and tomatoes with a drizzle of oil and balsamic vinegar}.

The only place that really stumped me was England. What on earth do those Brit's eat? Bangers + Mash came instantly to my head, but I was already salivating over the crepes, so I really couldn't serve another main course. And I needed an appetizer. Do the English even serve appetizers? So with all my questions, I went to my main source for British intellegence. My BFF, Fiona.
And for those of you who don't know Fi, she's straight from across the Pond. Cool accent and all.
So she had a little laugh over my questions, especially this one "Do English have appetizers?", and informed me that I could serve Traditional Toad in the Hole {but in a bite sized version, rather than the large main course typically served} and a side of thinly sliced melon + berries.
Done and Done.

Toad in the Hole + Melons.

I opted for a Jamie Oliver adapted version, complete with an onion gravy and it was delicious!! {Jamie's dinner recipe here. My appetizer version here.}
We completed our date night by watching 'Crazy Stupid Love' {cute movie by-the-way, and when I mean cute, I actually mean Ryan Gosling is too die for sexxxy. OMG}, and sipping on some French Wine.
It was an awesome night hanging out with my hubby and my bells. And now, I cannot wait to taste the authentic versions of this menu........