Les Quatre Pins B&B

"The Four Pines"
Grolejac, France
Travel Thursday


While in Dordogne, I stayed at Les Quatre Pins. I found this peaceful bed & breakfast on Visit France. Quietly tucked away in the heart of the Dordogne region just off the road from the small village of Grolejac (about 10-15 miles from Beynac, Sarlat, Le Roque Gagac, and Domme) it is convenient for exploring by day and relaxing by evening and night, and evenings here couldn't be more peaceful.

 

One thing I really enjoyed about the French country was the sound of birds chirping and singing all evening long. But there was something special about Les Quatre Pins, and that is it's owners Helen & Stephen. Originally from England, it was nice to finally converse in English, and they welcomed me as a long lost friend, going above and beyond to invite me to dinner and social evenings like at the local Hotel bar for traditional Friday evenings. 

Photos above from Les Quatre Pins website.

My stay was particularly special because it was my first stay in a bed & breakfast, even though it's been a dream of mine to own and run one for many years now. I'm so glad Les Quatre Pins was my first, and I'm grateful for the friendships I made. Here is my last night when we all ordered our own pizzas for dinner! Can you spot the fried egg pizza, again?

 

Even the cows were comforting to me especially when they "came home" in the evenings to the farm across the street. I grew up feeding the cows with my grandpa, so it definitely reminded me of some wonderful childhood memories.

For English & Americans seeking refuge and peace in the Dordogne region, I highly recommend Les Quatre Pins! (To book, visit HERE.)

Happy Traveling!!

Tea Time

Good TEAS Wednesday
Teas of My Travels


When traveling I like to purchase non-traditional souvenirs, particularly for my kitchen. A couple years ago, the theme was Christmas ornaments, this time it was "teas-to-go" though I generally ordered hot chocolate at the actual locations for "research" purposes. I've been very excited to share my tea collection with you!

I found this darling chalkboard in Domme, France which has great artisan shops.

The British Teas: FORTNUM & MASON Trio: Royal Blend, Earl Grey Classic & Afternoon; HARRODS: Afternoon Loose Leaf Tea.

The French Collection: Secret d'Hilgarde tea from the Fortresse Royale du CHINON, my favorite tea strainer from Teavana, Honey from the Thursday Market in DOMME, & Tisane Relaxante from Chateau de VILLANDRY in Loire Valley. 

Teapot from Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

For more of my tea posts check out the Macaron Party & some of my favorite teas!


 Bon Appetea!

L'Entrecote in Paris

Good Eats Wednesday


My favorite meal in Paris was at L'Entrecote. After reading mixed reviews on TripAdvisor I debated trying this restaurant... good thing I don't listen to reviews. Because in my opinion their World Famous Sauce was one of my best encounters in Paris... which tasted like a gourmet blend of mustard and butter; heaven on their traditional seared medium rare to rare tenderloin beef which is kept heated at your table. Though the fries were perfectly crisp, the ones that were smothered in sauce were oh so good. I'm going to have to try to replicate this sauce at home. They even brought me a second serving of it after witnessing me scraping every last bit, and it was comforting to see many 'business lunchers' rather than tourists when I went.

 Bon appetit!

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

 & Symphony Hall in Birmingham


While in London, if you follow on Facebook, you may have seen my post that I had a front ticket to The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. On a Tuesday amidst the week of the Royal Wedding, I was able to score front row smack in the center for ₤25. In my opinion a great bargain, the theatre was beautiful and got me prepped for my next leg of trip in France.  

While in Birmingham, I went to the Symphony Hall to see The Organ Symphony, which was also a great bargain to experience the acoustics of this hall for ₤9.50 for the 4th floor.

Also, I've mentioned before that my friend Kori at Blonde Episodes has her book released today on Amazon.com! I'm so honored that she mentioned me in her dedication!!! Murder on the Boulevard is available HERE.


Tomorrow, I leave for Paris and am very sad to leave my friend Sheila. This time with her as a last minute surprise has been very special. Today we saw Water for Elephants, a book I read last year for book club, and was so excited to see, and to share it with her was the icing the cake.

So now, I'm pulling out my French dictionary for the next month! Until we meet in Paris...

Au revoir!

The Albert

Cottage Pie

Charming English pubs abound... had Cottage Pie for lunch on Monday. Savory and reasonable near Victoria Station and Westminster.

Fish & chips are is on my list today... finally.


Cheers!

Orange Poppyseed Loaf

Good Eats Wednesday

I have many cookbooks that I have been eager to dive into... and now that I have a little more time, I'm excited to start. So here is an Orange Poppyseed Loaf that I have baked from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book from the bakery in NYC.

This loaf is super delicious and extremely moist. You can see on my handwritten notes that I have also tried the lemon version which was equally as good, but there are some variations in the ratios on sugar and such. Also, I didn't make the glaze in both instances and thought it to be extremely delicious without...

Orange Poppyseed Loaf

1 whole orange, washed well

1 cup sugar

3eggs

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of butter (melted)

2  1/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4  teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon poppyseeds

Mix wet ingredients in a bowl, and mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Fold the two together.

Bake at 350 F for 50-60 minutes.

 

*I used only one stick of butter.

If you opt for the glaze see photo for recipe.

**I just have one recommendation for the recipe which calls for the whole orange or lemon to be pureed in a food processor, but the white part of the orange and lemon can make it a tad bitter, so it may best to grate the zest, then cut the fruit and then puree the fruit minus the seeds.

Bon appetit!

Biography Weekend Review

I spent part of the weekend "reviewing" biographies.

Coco Before Channel has been around the blogosphere for awhile,

but my interest in it derived from my dear friend, Sheila from England,

 who was once a live-in tutor/ caregiver for Coco's nephews

 and I wanted to learn more about this timeless icon.

What an empowering movie!

Another motivating movie was Amelia...

which anyone can appreciate the once fearless flier's bravery. 

Lastly, my beau and I watched

10 Questions for the Dali Lama,

which neither of us were too familiar with

life in Tibet or Tibet's struggle with China.

It was a great documentary and we were thus able to appreciate some

amazing journalistic photography we saw this weekend

at the Las Olas Art Fair in Fort Lauderdale

by Robin Smillie, president of Rainbow Photo Tours, who operates tours to Bhutan.

To see his personal gallery, visit his website HERE. 

Happy Monday!!

Kim Anderson

Remembering this popular 90's photographer of young love.

All photos by Kim Anderson.

thanks to everyone for your

book suggestions...

Dear John was good,

but different from the book,

and I saw it with every 'tween'

in Fort Lauderdale at our showing,

who managed to giggle the entire time.

Forget date night...

I'm sticking with the early bird 10am special.

Happy Monday!

Happy Friday

Dewey Readmore Books

I admit, sometimes it takes me awhile to finish a book, and some often go undone. But working by day, and blogging by night, or something like that, reading has been cast aside. I think I just took comfort in having those cute little eyes starring at me on the nightstand. Seriously, who could resist?

Well, I finished last night, and greatly enjoyed this true story of a beautiful cat who was left in a drop box at the Spencer Public Library in Iowa one wintery night. His tale of life and role in the community spread like wildfire making him a dignified and lovable world renowned cat.


Here is an excerpt of Dewey's Job Description:

1. Reducing stress for all humans who pay attention to him.

2. Sitting by the front door every morning at nine to greet the public as they enter the library.

3. Sampling all boxes that enter the library for security problems and comfort level.

4. Attending all meetings in the Round Room as official library ambassador.

5. Providing comic relief for staff and visitors.

6. Climbing in book bags and briefcases while patrons are studying or trying to retrieve needed papers.

7. Generating free national and worldwide publicity for Spencer Public Library. (This entails sitting still for photographs, smiling for the camera, and generally being cute.)

8. Working toward status as world's most finicky cat by refusing all but the most expensive, delectable foods.


Oh, and if you choose to follow this adorable trendsetter, his favorite food-- Arby's Beef & Cheddar.

So, next on my list in an effort to expand my Classics horizon is Moby Dick.

I have been pining to be part of a Book club ever since watching The Jane Austen Book Club. Has anyone seen it? I adore the movie.

Other great book-related movies:

Becoming Jane, Miss Potter

Becoming Jane is based on the life of Jane Austen, played by the beautiful Anne Hathaway.

Miss Potter is based on the life of Beatrix Potter, author of The Tales of Peter Rabbit, played by the talented Renee Zellweger.


I HIGHLY recommend these 3 movies if you have not seen. Maybe snuggle up with some hot cider and carmel popcorn balls. ;)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!