.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........

.Toad in the Hole.

For our Taste of Europe date night, I needed an appetizer with a British flavor to it, and this was just what the doctor ordered: Traditional British Toad in the Hole!

BUT......adapted by me to fall into the 'appetizer' category!!

I found this recipe via the utterly awesome Jamie Oliver {true Brit!} and just added a little of my own magic.

Jamie Olivers Meal Version

My Appetizer version....with Onion Gravy {a MUST!}

It tasted and turned out brilliant, so I thought I'd share with you this super simple appetizer.

Toad in the Hole {the Appetizer version!}

{note: main course meal found above under Jamie's link, which I will be trying out in the near future}

Makes 6 servings. 

note: You can easily double this recipe, and if you're going to a party, I would recommend doing just that :)

Ingredients:

1 Package Puff Pastry Cups (this will give you 6 cups)

1 package tiny Griller Sausages {I choose the Jalepeno Cheddar flavor, but you can choose whatever floats your boat, or whatever your grocer has in stock}

2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary

2 Red Onions, peeled and chopped

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

2 knobs Butter {about 2 tbsp}

6 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp Powdered Chicken {OR Vegetable} Stock/Seasoning

Directions:

1. Cook the puff pastry according to the package directions. Mine simply said, leave frozen until ready to cook, place on a pan, and put in the oven for 18 minutes. "Pop the top" of your cooked pastry. Set aside

2. In the meantime, fry up the mini sausages in a pan with a tsp of oil until cooked. Remove from heat when done, and chop into tiny cubes.

3. For the Onion gravy {which is a MUST for this appetizer....and I don't even LIKE ONIONS!!}, simply place the onions, garlic, and butter  in a pan over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the go sweet and translucent. Add the rosemary sprigs while they are cooking. Now add the balsamic vinegar and allow it to cook down by half by simmering it. At this point, add the chicken {or vegetable} powdered stock by sprinkling this into the mixture and add a little water. Allow to simmer and you'll have a really tasty onion gravy.

4. Add the cubed sausage pieces into the middle of the cooked puff pastry. You can place the top back on it, or leave it off to show the sausage. You're choice, just make it pretty. Then add a 1 - 2 tbsp of the onion gravy over the top of the pastry and voila! 

Note: If your sausage and pastry are cold, you can pop them into the oven for a couple minutes before serving, as I think it tasted better warm. 

.Baklava.

This Baklava recipe is from my most favorite chef ever, Chuck Hughes. Remember this little post about our trip to Montreal where we had the opportunity to visit his restaurant? Yeah, we still kinda love him. Like, a lot.
So when I was craving some Baklava, I decided to try to make it myself and this is the recipe I used.
Hope you enjoy.

Classic Greek Baklava
by Chuck Hughes.
NOTE: This recipe is exactly as the original, however, when I did mine, I halved everything and there was still a ton of delicious goodness!
Ingredients:
6 cups chopped Walnuts {can be replaced with any kind of nut, or a mix blend}
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon (5 ml)
2 1/4 cups of sugar (560 ml)
1 cup butter, melted (250 ml)
16 ounce package of Phyllo pastry
2 cups Water (500 ml)
1 cup Honey (250 ml)
1 tsp Vanilla extract (5 ml)
4 cups Corinthian Grapes
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (45 ml)
1 cup Greek Yogurt (250 ml)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. Mix nuts with cinnamon, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of melted butter. Set aside.
3. Unroll Phyllo pastry. Cut the whole stack in half to fit the pan. Cover Phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Lay two sheets of Phyllo in the pan and butter thoroughly using a pastry brush. Repeat until you have 6 sheets layered. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cup of nut mixture on top. Layer with two sheets of dough, butter and add nuts to end up with 4 layers of nuts and dough. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
4. Using a sharp knife cut diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
5. Make the sauce while the baklava is baking. Boil the water and remaining sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add honey and vanilla. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the sauce over it. Let cool.
7. In the meantime, place the grapes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and remaining 2 tbsp of sugar. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until the grapes start to burst.
8. Serve the baklavas with greek yogurt, the baked grapes, and a drizzle of honey and crushed walnuts.

.Happy Birthday Mama.

Zosia,

"They say love has never been about genes, but about beauty and unforgiving grace".

My Beautiful Mother-In-Law.

Mama, you're such a wonderful mother. So gentle, yet so strong.

The many ways you show you care, always make me feel I belong.
Thank you, always.

You're such a dependable source of comfort. You help us in times of need, and you're always there for us whenever we call. 

You're such a wonderful person, and genes or not, you're my mama through and through.

I love you more than you know.

Hope you have a very happy birthday.

Love, 

Twoja córka
{your daughter}

.Sept & Oct Favorites.

I missed doing a 'Favorites' for September because my Mac has decided it wants to mess with my head. And apparently it still does....see anytime I do a video, my voice doesn't want to keep up to the actual video, so I'm always a few seconds off. Probably the most frustrating thing EVER to watch.

However, I did one {a video} with the hopes that I turned into some technical geek and fixed the issue. 

I didn't.  

That is, I didn't turn into a geek or fix the issue {husband said the 'geek' part is still yet to be decided....} 

But, the video is done and it took so long I actually had to break it into 2 videos, so that's what you get.

Watch it if you dare, but don't throw your computer across the room like I did. Trust me, that doesn't fix it either.
{part 1}

{part 2}

Products Mentioned:
1} Pantene ProV Curly Satin Hairspray
2} Hard Candy Bronzer in Tiki
3} Cover Girl Eyeshadow in Champagne
4} Maybelline Fit Blush in Light Pink
5} Sephora Professional Crease Brush
6} Benefit BadGal Lash
7} MAC Lipglass in Orange Tempera
8} China Glaze Nail polish (color unknown.....rusty red I'd describe it)
9} O.P.I. Nail polish in A Taupe the Space Needle
10} Calvin Klein 'Forbidden Euphoria' Perfume
11} Prada 'Candy' Perfume
12} Voluspa French Bourbon Vanilla Candle {Chapters}
13} Cranberry Ginger Ale {Soda} by Canada Dry
14} The Last Werewolf, by Glen Duncan (Book)
15} The Maze Runner, by James Dashner (Book)
16} The Scorch Trails , by James Dashner (Book)
17} Decorate, by Holly Becker & Joanna Copestick (Book)
18} Rust Lace Shirt at Anthropologie
19) Rose Blazer at GAP
20) Red Rust Ring at Club Monaco
21} Sparkly Necklace at Club Monaco
22} Melanie Auld Ice Drops Earrings
23} Melanie Auld Large Maia Necklace
24} Gold and Cubic Zirconia Studs at Anthropologie
25} Black and Gold Studs at Anthropologie
26) Long Gold Pendant Necklace at Banana Republic
27} Rose Gold Goddess Earrings
28} Rose Gold Anabelle Necklace
29} Black & Gold LeMode Necklace {wearing it!}
30} Navy Suede flats at Anthropologie