Date Night (at home)

Jeremy and I are on to something here.

It all started on Valentine's Day when we were tired of going out (my birthday, our 4-year's old's birthday, other engagements, etc.) and decided to put the kids in bed early and cook ourselves a fancy meal--a cooking date, if you will.

Ever since, we've had several of these little stay-in dates and they're quickly becoming our favorite!

The trick is to buy special date-night-worthy food that requires little prep and serve it on the good dishes.

Last night, the menu was: artisan rosemary bread (from the freezer section) with herbed olive oil for dipping (recipe at bottom), lamb tenderloin--salted, peppered and pan-seared, crab cakes (from the seafood case) and fresh spinach with a little of the warm, flavored oil drizzled on top.

Can you tell how much I liked that bread and oil? Nyum nyum nyum.

After dinner, we watched a movie and enjoyed a piece of chocolate pie.

simple and relaxing, lots of laughter, I totally recommend it.

Herb and Garlic-infused Olive Oil

(These are all approximations, as I really just made it up as I went. You can't mess this up.)

Drizzle a little oil in a saucepan (I used about 1/3 cup). Begin to warm the oil over low heat and chop fresh herbs. I used a sprig of rosemary, a few leaves of oregano and a few sprigs of thyme. Add the herbs to the oil, along with a clove of chopped garlic and a sprinkling of sea salt and cracked black pepper. Simmer until the garlic looks toasted.

Linked to: Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello