Four Years!

My boyfriend Paul (a.k.a. The Dutchman, cause he's half-Dutch) and I celebrated our fourth anniversary at Arrington Vineyards, just outside Nashville:


It's a winery owned by Kix Brooks from Brooks and Dunn, which is apparently a popular country band. I hate country music, so I don't know anything about them except dude makes some darn good wine. The winery is located in a beautiful rural area marked by rolling green hills and lots of trees.


We had the Riesling, which was hands down the best Riesling I've ever had. I'm usually not a fan of white wines because they're too sweet, but this wasn't nearly as sweet as some other Rieslings I've had. I prefer reds, but they give Paul heartburn.

I packed a light picnic dinner, which we ate on a wrought-iron table on the winery's large deck. We split a loaf of Rosemary Olive Oil bread:


I made the Picnic Caviar from the latest Veg Times (black and pinto beans, corn, bell pepper, oil, and vinegar), but I left out the red onion and cilantro (because Paul is picky) and added tomato (because I can):


It was perfect for dipping my Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos in. Also on my plate are chunks of Teese!


Note on the Doritos: As far as I know, these are vegan. That's what Peta says, and though there was some debate on the PPK boards recently, I e-mailed someone I know at Peta for re-assurance. And she backed up their claim. If you know something un-vegan about these (like hidden natural flavors), please DO NOT tell me. I really like these and would prefer not to know ... besides, I rarely eat them cause they're totally unnatural and super-fatty. They're reserved for special occasions.

For dessert, we munched on strawberries and peaches, but I forgot to take a picture. Of course, you know what strawberries and peaches look like ...