At-Home Date Night

After a long week of work, a cozy Friday night at home is usually my plan of choice. Last night was no different, but neither Matt nor I were in the mood for sitting on the couch, so when he walked in the door at 6:30 last night I cracked open a bottle of red wine, set out some freshly made sourdough bread and cheese, and put on my favorite John Mayer Pandora station. Date night at home!

Last weekend I found this espresso crusted parmesan cheese at the grocery store, and after sampling it I had to have it. It's super sharp and salty, and has a hint of coffee. It's too good to just eat on a whim, but is perfect for snacking on with a glass of wine.

I would've been perfectly fine with a wine & cheese dinner with a little bread and some condiments (one of my favorite meals), but Matt needed something a little more substantial, and sweetly requested some homemade pasta. Why not? Making pasta is really fun when you have company in the kitchen. While we chatted I made up a batch of black pepper fettucini to mix with some pesto I had made.

I actually made the pesto last weekend to use up some fresh basil I had. This was a basic Joy of Cooking pesto recipe, except I used about 1/3 less olive oil and subbed walnuts for pine nuts.

I didn't want to use it when I made it on Sunday, so covered it with a bit of olive oil and stored it in the fridge. Fresh pesto will last about a week this way.

Last night after I cooked the fresh pasta, I grabbed my pesto and reheated in the microwave for a minute before tossing it with the pasta.

Matt had the genius idea of grating a bit of the espresso parmesan to sprinkle over top, and that seriously set this meal over the edge. It had so much flavor, we were literally "mmm-ing" the entire way through our plates.

I know you're noticing the serious lack of vegetables in this meal. I know. I considered making a salad, but whatever, it's Friday night. I loved that everything we ate last night was homemade though, besides the cheese - the bread, pasta and pesto all came right from my kitchen. Love that!

We spent the rest of the evening sitting out back sipping on our wine and watching Butters chase the cat and have a serious fight with a cardboard box. Never get sick of watching that crazy dog act like a fool. ;-) Speaking of, have you seen this Oatmeal cartoon that's been floating around Facebook? I no joke laughed the entire time I read it, so funny!

Off to have some breakfast and get a start on the day. I have a million errands to run before heading up to the city for a girls' night out to celebrate another of our bunch turning the big 3-0. Have a great weekend!