Mushrooms? Truffle oil? Lasagna?

Cooking Light sent me an early Christmas present... In the form of this recipe. 

Mushrooms & truffle oil... Be still my heart.

It's being made on Monday night for dinner. Please standby for a review complete with drooling pictures... Ok. So by Monday night I mean TOMORROW night. I don't know that I can wait.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 2  cups  thinly sliced leek
• 8  garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3/8  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 7  cups  sliced cremini mushrooms (about 1 1/2 pounds), divided
• 4  cups  sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 1 pound)
• 2/3  cup  Côtes du Rhône or other fruity red wine
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh oregano
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh sage
• 3  tablespoons  white truffle oil
• 1  teaspoon  black pepper, divided
• 2 1/2  cups  1% low-fat milk
• 1  bay leaf
• 2  tablespoons  butter
• 3 1/2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 2  cups  fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1  tablespoon  grated lemon rind
• Cooking spray
• 8  ounces  precooked lasagna noodles
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leek, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté 2 minutes. Add 4 cups cremini mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes or until mushrooms release moisture and begin to brown. Stir in wine; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in thyme, oregano, sage, truffle oil, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

2. Combine milk and bay leaf in a heavy saucepan; cook over medium-high heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard bay leaf. Set aside.

3. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining 3 cups cremini mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add flour, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until thick. Stir in remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg.

4. Preheat oven to 350°.

5. Combine ricotta, parsley, lemon rind, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl. Spread 1/2 cup milk mixture in bottom of an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over sauce; top with 2 cups mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Arrange 3 noodles over cheese. Top with 1 cup ricotta mixture. Repeat layers once with 3 noodles, 2 cups mushroom mixture, 1/4 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 3 noodles, and 1 cup ricotta (dish will be very full); spread remaining sauce over top. Cover with foil; place baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; increase oven temperature to 450°. Uncover the lasagna, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan; bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Wedding Tasting Recap...

I finally found my camera cord while starting to pack up my room. Last Friday Madre & I flew down bright and early to Charlotte to see out wedding venue and have the menu tasting. I didn't take enough pictures of our short little trip, but it was really fun! Here is a brief recap.

*Me waiting for the bus to Enterprise to pick up our rental car. I know. I look pretty amazing. 

(Insert eye roll.)*

*Standard table set up... I didn't much like the color of the linens. Am thinking either a grey (see below) or solid white everything... Thoughts?*

*This is what I'm thinking of having on the tables. I LOVE the grey/silver and the pintucking.*

*Then we started the tasting. Here are two options for the hors d'oeurves. Coconut shrimp on the right with an orange horseradish sauce and a duck confit spring roll. The coconut shrimp was delicious and the orange horseradish was INSANE. I was slightly disappointed with the duck confit spring roll and nixed it immediately. PB and I LOVE us some duck spring rolls but this was not the best I've had.* 

*More starter options... Mini crab cakes on the right and pulled pork slider on a cheddar chive biscuit on the left. The mini crab cakes were the best I have EVER had. Chock full of crab and seasoned perfectly. I only wished they were bigger! The slider was delish. The pulled pork was in an Eastern NC sauce (read vinegar based) which isn't my favorite but the cheddar chive biscuit absolutely won me over. I almost asked if we could have some biscuits to take with us! Both were picked for the menu. Since I vetoed the duck spring rolls, I picked mini Brie Wellingtons (brie, surrounded by rasp jam in phyllo dough) instead*

*Our starter is my favorite course of the entire menu. AMAZING. It's fried greens tomatoes with bacon ranch dressing... and a slice of the most delicious perfectly cooked piece of bacon with a maple chipotle drizzle. My mother even liked this and she doesn't even like tomatoes! This dish is going to be the star of the show!*

 *Now here are our entree options. First one... Filet of Beef with truffled whipped potatoes an vegetable in a peppercorn sauce. OH.MY.WORD. This was literally the best piece of beef I have ever had. It was melt in your mouth tender, cooked perfectly with the inside being a bright pink. Don't even get me started on the potatoes. My mom, who NEVER has liked steak, loved it. We were already getting full so we could only take a few bites but we almost to take it home!! PB was getting pics via BBM throughout the tasting and he got plum angry that he couldn't be eating this with us! I know what he'll be having!*

*This is the option that I made mandatory. This was non-negotiable. Shrimp & Grits. This is the one dish that I can never pass up. Now, I've had my share of shrimp & grits. My favorite is at Crooks Corner in Chapel Hill, NC. They make the best s&g in the south, so the bar was raised really high on this dish. Boy they did NOT disappoint. Grits were SO creamy that they bordered on being polenta. LOVED them. The tasso ham & sauce were spicy and added a perfect bit of heat. The shrimp were huge and cooked perfectly. I wanted to eat all of it but my stomach would NOT let me!*

*The third option is a veggie tart with goat cheese with truffled whipped potatoes and vegetables. I forgot to take a picture but it was really pretty and the goat cheese was amazing. It was the smoothest goat cheese I've ever had!

Then it was time for the most important part.

CAKE TASTING!

The pastry chef was this super tall, manly dude, which was unexpected. He brought us out 3 mini cakes. We had red velvet, carrot and a pound cake with strawberries in the middle. I had requested red-velvet, carrot and coconut, but we had an AWFUL wedding coordinator there who has now left this Ritz, who did not convey that request! Anyway, despite that blip, I managed to pick an option.*

* I tried the pound cake with strawberries first. It was tasty but not really my favorite. Then I tried the carrot cake. OHHHHHHHHH the carrot cake. I LOVE carrot cake. It was most, full of flavor, chunks of pineapple, carrots and nuts. It was DIVINE. Finally, I tried the red velvet. LITERALLY the best red velvet I've ever had. Super most. SUPER tasty. I ate BOTH slices of the carrot and red velvet dithering. I decided, after consulting with PB, Madre, Noortje (Sales Manager) and the pastry chef, that the carrot cake was the way to go. I've since decided that PB needs a grooms cake, and that will be red velvet. I decided this because a) I love him and b) I'll die if I can't have the red velvet too. :) *

They gave us the rest of the cakes to take home. I shared some with my computer lab boss on Saturday but I had to throw the rest away. I simply could not be trusted. COULD NOT be trusted. 

I think our menu is going to be the highlight of the night! Now, I just need to decide on flowers and the linens. 

What color linens do y'all think I should have?

White? Grey? Silver?

PS- I can't finish this post without raving about Ritz Sales Manager who helped us. Her name is Noortje and she was there helping out from the Toronto Ritz Carlton since my original person left. She was PHENOMENAL. She helped with everything, was patient, honest, helpful, funny, sweet and I wanted to keep her forever! I am SO sad that she won't be there in March and won't be the person helping me plan everything. I told PB that we now have a reason to try out the new Ritz Carlton in Toronto when it opens. I absolutely LOVED her and loved our experience! 

(I also adored the catering manager who was helping with the tasting... They seriously have an amazing staff!)

Bar 1086 at The Four Seasons, Hampshire

True Story: I LOVE HAMBURGERS.

Also true story: I only have them once a month... if that. 

(Moderation is my middle name.)

So when I found out I passed the bar I gave PB two choices for a celebratory dinner: Fish & chips (mainly for the chips) or a burger (since I hadn't had one in a month.) He picked the burger option. My favorite burger in Boston is found at The Four Seasons. They have simply the *BEST* burgers on the entire planet. After checking online to be sure they did in fact, have a burger on the menu, PB picked Bar 1086 at The Four Seasons Hampshire thinking that if the ones in Boston were good, since it's the same chain, the one here had to be good.

*FS was all decked out for Halloween*

*Broke out the red Chanel lipstick for the night!*

We didn't make reservations but decided to just sit in the actual Bar instead of getting a ressie for the Bistro restaurant. They still allowed us to order off of the menu for the Bistro, which was great. I am SO glad that we did because the ambiance and staff in the bar were exactly what we wanted!

We started off with cocktails and nibbles. If you know me in person then you know that I have never met an olive I didn't love! I managed to restrain myself and only had about 5 (ok, maybe 7) before ordering dinner. Although I went in planning on ordering the burger, I almost switched to the gnocchi with stilton when I saw the menu. However, when I asked the server her opinion she said burger hands down. 

*Blackberry mojito was the cocktail of the night.*

NOTE TO SELF: ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE SERVER!

The burger was the best burger I have had in England! Juicy, perfect pickles & onions on it. The only bad part was that it was absolutely massive and I had a really hard time eating it. I mean. It was like 6 inches high! The did NOT skimp on the salad bits (as they say here.)

*This is where the picture would be... but for some reason both the picture I took of the burger with my phone AND the picture taken with my camera are gone. A Bloggers WORST nightmare!*

After dinner we were so full that we just enjoyed our high backed chairs and one last cocktail before heading home to pop the bubbly!

*PB loved the chairs! I see a pair in our future. Apparently he wants to put them in our bedroom by the fireplace. Not that he's thought about it... or anything.* 

It was a perfect evening and I'm SO glad I let him pick for once. 

The staff, food, ambiance and drinks were all simply outstanding. I just can't wait until we go back! Maybe next time we'll be lucky enough to get the coveted seats by the fire.

The Four Seasons, Hampshire is located on Chalky Lane, in Hook. 

Strawberry hearts... (aka my documented ridiculousness.)

We, here at Chez BP, like to take every available opportunity to be as cheesy as humanly possibly. This includes celebrating being married for a whopping 6 months. Which is, you know... a feat for some!

(SHH-Really I just wanted a reason to bake and eat yummy things.)

So we had a whole container of strawberries and therefore I thought, AHA! Strawberry cake. But that wasn't nearly cheesy/mushy gooshy enough for moi.

Enter heart baking tins.

I received these as a wedding present at my bridal shower and I have been *DYING* to break 'em out.

Clearly someone hasn't baked a cake for a while because SOMEONE filled the tins ALL. THE. WAY. UP. And this is what ensued.

Whoops.

So I carried on and salvaged my little hearts.

Then I decided to be all crazy and use up some leftover cream we had in the fridge and made whipped cream which I layered with some more of the sliced strawberries.

I stuck them in the fridge to hang out while I went even more mad and attempted a homemade strawberry buttercream.

It. was. AMAZING.

I outdid myself.

(and almost out-ate myself on that dang stuff while making it because it was JUST that good.)

Of course I added over the top sprinkles.

Because when am I ever NOT as over the top as humanly possibly?

Answer: NEVER.

It was delicious. I was really proud of my handiwork and I must say... It's an EXCELLENT way to get in a serving of fruit! It MUST be the reason why I lost a pound and a half as Weight Watchers this week!

That or my gluttonous intake of these fall vegetables:

Moral of my story: 

I'm ridiculous.

PS: Completely gratutious kitten pic. You're welcome.

Belated Wedding Wednesday...

This past Wednesday I was in NYC with the amazing K from Grove Gal Gifts. We went to Martha Stewart and had a blast. She is wonderful and I was so sad to see her head back to DC! I'll do a post about that tomorrow.

 But now, here's my belated Wedding Wednesday post. We're going down to Charlotte in about a month and I'll have the chance to taste all sorts of cake and pick my cake design. Our venue package includes a cake, so I just have to tell them what I want, and they'll make it! I've been looking for cakes for inspiration, and here are a few that I'm liking.

*I'm really liking the dots!* 

*And the bows...*

*And stripes...*

*And maybe perhaps even cupcakes!*

Which do you like best?

I have to admit... I'm loving all three of the stripy ones! I will have white/cream flowers if I pick a cake with flower accents. I'm leaning toward the plain, classic looking stripes. (And kinda want the one with the bow and the bling.) Now... which flavors combos do y'all suggest for the cake & icing?!

Deliciousness of the Week

This week I didn't make a menu plan... I just sort of decided to wing it and try to use up all the veggies from our Abel & Cole box. We had 2 big portabella mushrooms that were going to double as hockey pucks if I didn't use them. However, I had been craving some crab cakes all week. So I decided to be all crazy-like and make up my OWN recipe for stuffed mushrooms. I googled stuffed mushrooms to get the baking times (because I've been known to over roast veggies because I tend to like them all brown and burny and didn't want to kill the mushrooms) and then went to town. I mean, this wasn't rocket science, but you know... I like to think I'm now a cooking savant for flying without a recipe. 

You may just call me Julia... Or Ina. 

My Spicy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

(makes 2)

1 can white lump crab meat in brine (drained)

4 oz. sweet chili flavored light Philadelphia cream cheese (I don't know if they have this in the US but it is MY. FAVORITE. and is KEY. If you don't have it get some sweet chili sauce and add to regular cream cheese)

1/2 diced red pepper 

1/2 diced yellow onion

1/2 to 1 cup grated parmesan (divided)

1 1/2 tsp-ish of mix of red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt and black ground pepper (I didn't actually measure, but I used to taste!)

2 large portabella mushroom caps

Pre-heat your over to 350F. Mix the cream cheese, red pepper, onion, 1/2 of the parmesan together. Fold in the crab (don't mush it up too much- It's tasty in chunks). Add in the seasoning to taste. 

Spritz the bottom of the mushrooms with low-cal cooking spray and lay cap side up. Top each with half of the crab mixture. Spray the top of the mix again with low-cal cooking spray and bake for about 15-20 minutes. After the mix is a little bubbly and the mushrooms look close to being done (took mine about 15 mins) put the rest of the parmesan on top and put back in the oven until it melts. 

We served ours with a side salad. It was scrumptious. We might be having them again this weekend because I loved them SO much. Well PB loved them too... but I mean I REALLY loved them.

What recipes have y'all made up lately?

PS: I got a lot of emails about my earrings from the kitten pictures! I'm glad y'all love them as much as I do! I actually purchased them on my last visit to NYC while MCW & I were wandering around near the Shake Shack. I had the girl's card but I can't seem to find it. I'll keep checking and will give you her contact details if I can!

Wedding Wednesday!

This is clearly the week of themed posts! Since we're almost 6 months away from my wedding, I thought it might be time to throw a little more wedding stuff at y'all.

Topic of today's wedding wednesday?

FOOD.

Which in my opinion is the most important part!

I finally had a call back from my planner at The Ritz and we discussed food options and scheduled the tasting. I have decided that I want a southern theme to the food. My entire family is southern and it no secret that I harbor a deep love for any and all food found south of the Mason Dixon line. Fried chicken, hushpuppies, collard greens, shrimp & grits... You name it, I love it.

Insert ENGLISH fiance.

PB & his family have never tried good ole' southern cookin'. However, since I am bringing 75% of the guests, I figure I get to dictate the menu. We've decided to have passed hors d' oeuvres during the cocktail hour, a starter, main and then wedding cake for dessert. I was talking to the woman and she suggested some appetizers as an example of what they could do... She said "How about pulled pork slider on a cheddar chive biscuit?" UM, YESSS! She then followed it up by saying "And what about fried green tomatoes?" Again, YES!

If the two options off the top of her head are any indication, the food is going to be OUT of this WORLD! We're likely going to have shrimp & grits as an option as a main course because it's my favorite food in the entire world. PB is not a fan, so we'll likely also have a steak option and maybe one more for non-meat eaters. The tasting is October 29th. Mama and I will be flying down to Charlotte and spending the night.

The only thing I didn't like is the scoff I got when I told the wedding planner where our rehearsal dinner is going to be. She asked and I answered: BOJANGLES! I love Bojangles and I NEVER get to have it. I also hate fancy rehearsal dinners. So we're going to walk ourselves down to Bojangles and have us a jolly ole time before the old folks retire and the young folks head off to a honky-tonk bar for the night.

The fancy Ritz lady can scoff all she wants, but this bride will be in heaven with her fried chicken, biscuits and sweet tea a'la Bojangles.

Now, you tell me... What is the best wedding food you've ever had!

Any southern delicacies you think must be included?

Menu Monday

So I've seen a bunch of bloggers that do this so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I'm going to try really hard this semester to not eat out much at all (except for Tues/Thurs when I'm in class from 10-9:30. Then I get to pick EITHER dinner OR lunch out, and I have to pack the other.)

So this is what my week is looking like in dinners!

Monday: Broiled bourbon marinated salmon & spinach salad

Tuesday: Soup & grilled cheese (At the law school)

Wednesday: Homemade pizza on a "Flat-out" wrap with turkey pepperoni, mushrooms and cheese

Thursday: McDonald's grilled chicken bacon ranch salad (taking soup for lunch, so get dinner out!)

Friday: Homemade chicken fried brown rice w/ veggies

Saturday: Turkey burgers and tater tots with salad (I have the BEST recipe for turkey burgers. My speciality!)

Sunday: Campbell's healthy choice Tomato bisque soup (At law school again)

I also must share the recipe for my "Super Veggie- Stuffed Peppers" from the other night. I usually use a Weight Watchers recipe but I decided to try out this new recipe from my 'Hungry Girl 200 Under 200' cookbook. It did NOT disappoint! Make this. Especially if you are only cooking for one! (If making for more than one, adjust accordingly)

*3 WW points for BOTH pepper halves (188 Cals, 2g fat, 8.5g fiber)*

Ingredients:

1 large red bell pepper (I used green because they were on sale.)

1 plum tomato (preferably Roma), deseeded and chopped (I used hald a small vine ripened tomato and it was fine.)

1/2 cup frozen ground-beef style soy crumbles, thawed (I omitted this because I was out, but if you want to use them I recommend the Quorn brand. SOOOOO good and they taste like real meat!)

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 up chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup canned tomato sauce (Um. So I was out of plain and I used marinara. It tasted super Italian-y. I'm just saying for those who find themselves in the same boat.)

2 tablespoons shredded fat-free cheddar cheese (I don't do fat free cheese, so I used reduced fat and it was fine.)

1/2 tsp dry taco seasoning (I used about 1 TBSP but thanks to my aforementioned marinara it still tasted italian. Next time I will use PLAIN tomato sauce)

1/4 tsp minced garlic (Y'all know I like tripled that. I love me some garlic)

Preheat oven to 375.

Bring a medium pan to medium-high heat on the stove. Add mushrooms, onion and green bell pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally, until veggies are slightly softened. Add garlic to the pan and cook for 1 additional minute. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl.

To the bowl, add tomato, soy crumbles, tomato sauce, cheese, and taco seasoning mix. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Slice off the top of the red pepper, and then slice it in half lengthwise. Remove seeds.

Spray a medium baking dish lightly with nonstick spray. Place pepper halves in the dish, cut side up and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

Remove pepper halves from the oven and reduce temperature to 350.

Once pepper halves are cool enough to handle, use paper towels to soak up any excess moisture. Evenly spoon veggie mixture into pepper halves. Return to the oven and bake for 20 mins. Let cool slightly and then dig in!

The Eden Project: Part 1

The weekend before last PB and I wanted to do something fun and spontaneous. We got up and went to WW (I'd gained 1/2lb. Bleh) and then we called British Airways to get on a flight to Edinburgh. PB had checked flights literally 1 day beforehand and the prices had tripled overnight! PB mentioned how he'd always wanted to see The Eden Project so we decided to venture to Cornwall and see it instead of Scotland.

The Eden Project is an educational charity that uses "exhibits, events, workshops, and educational programmes to remind people of our dependence on, and connection to, the natural world." It's located in a vast pit with two huge biomes; the Rainforest biome and the Mediterranean biome. In each of the biomes they grow plants, vegetables, etc and have various exhibits. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen! Before I get to the pictures and details of the project, let's discuss our trip down.

Saturday we drove down to Plymouth and checked in at a snazzy hotel known by the name of "Holiday Inn." Ohhhh was it stunning! We felt as if we walk straight into 1972. (We both acknowledge that we've become spoiled hotel snobs. But in the world of affordable hotels, in my opinion, Hampton Inn? Yes. Holiday Inn? No. Although because of PB's priority club status we were upgraded to an "executive room." That's right. High rollers, folks.)

After we checked in we ventured out to find dinner. We passed a Mexican restaurant on our way in. I got so excited and made a beeline straight for it. However, after noticing that enchiladas came with "chips" and "prawn cocktail" was on the menu with "potato skins" I decided that perhaps this wasn't a truly Mexican restaurant. I mean really... fries instead of rice and beans?!

A few doors down we noticed a sleek looking Japanese restaurant that looked packed. We ended up at Yukisan and it was literally the best Japanese food either of us had ever eaten. We were taken upstairs and sat on the floor which was so fun! It actually was quite comfortable and we ended up being in this huge room all alone, which was lovely. PB ordered duck spring rolls followed by wasabi steak with wasabi mayonnaise and I ordered the vegetable gyoza followed by the grilled sea bass with sweet ginger sauce. For dessert we were really bad- PB got chocolate pudding (which was really a dark chocolate cake) and I got the deep fried banana rolled in coconut. It was HEAVEN! I know it's unlikely that many of the people reading this blog would venture to Plymouth, but should you find yourself here, you MUST try! (I forgot to take pictures of our dinner because I was too busy eating it!)

*Dining Room*

*My gorgeous fiance. Swoon.*

*Moi*

After dinner we ventured to this fair that was on the ocean. We rode rides, ate cotton candy (aka candy floss) and PB won a pink ball for me at a shooting game. Who knew he was such a good shot?! It was super fun! We headed to bed and the next morning were off to The Eden Project.

Here's a pic of the view on our way in... Stay tuned for a full post on The Eden Project tomorrow!

Pear & Brie Tart

So I was feeling a little creative the other night (inspiration courtesy of one of my favorite foodie bloggers) and decided to try my hand at a homemade tart. We had pears, an onion, and some leftover phyllo dough that needed to be used up.

*Um, I forgot the onion... but trust me. It was present!*

We checked the cooking time on the dough and preheated the oven. PB is a timid cook, so to inspire more confidence (and because I may or may not be lazy) I put him in charge of caramelizing our leftover onion. He did SUCH a good job!

After he had caramelized the onion we unrolled the phyllo dough, I spread a little garlic/herb cheese (oh, hey Philly light) on the phyllo and then layered the onions, followed by the slices of pears and brie cheese. We baked and it ended up being DELICIOUS! I urge you to try this! I only caution that the onions were really strong and somewhat overpowered the taste of the brie and pears.

*Going in the oven... Clearly I almost forgot a picture!*

*Ta-daaaa!*

*Add a little salad and it made such a wonderful dinner!*

What are some creative dinners you all have come up with recently?

Soooooo much to blog about, so little time...

I'll start with the weekend before last... PB and I, as previously mentioned, picked up a guide to Tea Rooms across England. We were bored so decided to knock two out in one day. We headed southwest to Dorset to check out the Riverbarn Cafe & Restaurant. It was delightful! We had tea and sandwiches (too early for cream teas and we hadn't had lunch) and walked around the beautiful property and found lots of 4-legged friends.

*The quaint front of the restaurant, which is tucked away in a tiny village of only 200 inhabitants.*

*The next door neighbors that I spoke to on our way in... Presh!*

(Can you tell I'm slightly obsessed with piglets?)

*My delicious lunch of a brie, grape and chutney sandwich with literally 6 crisps (when in England) and a lovely salad with lots of tasty seeds!*

*The inside of my amazing sandwich. Who knew so simple could be so wonderful?*

*A friend that came by for a pet and then a snooze. He laid down against my leg for almost an hour. We have no idea who he belonged to and we wanted to steal him!*

*PB looking all handsome in his Red Sox cap.*

*A cute butterfly we found while walking around the grounds, near the river.*

*Our cute neighbors. They were at the table across from ours and they stayed just like that! So well behaved. I love how much Britons love their dogs!*

*Enjoying some tea after lunch before hitting the road again.*

*The river... more like bubbling brook... that runs along the back of the property. It was so beautiful and quiet!*

I'll be back tomorrow with the second tea room on our Dorset tour! Stayed tuned for some scrumptious goodies!