Sorry this is a little late, but I wanted to do a little Valentine’s Day recap. First, it is really fun now that we are all grown up and have kids of our own and we can watch how they get so excited for holidays and occasions. My youngest, Emma, who is 2 was so excited when I got her up that morning and I told her it was Valentine’s Day. She jumped right up and was ready to go. She said. “It’s Valentine’s Day, it really is! We get to go to it!” I think she might have been just a little confused 🙂 but as excited as ever! They were excited to get special Valentine muffins for breakfast with a candle, because what kid does not like a candle and also special Valentines and treats throughout the day. All month I have been putting hearts on their bedroom doors telling them all the things we love about them and every morning they couldn’t wait to see what new heart was on their door.
As for Jim and myself, just being able to have a quiet dinner is a treat for us. With a 5 and 2 year olds that doesn’t happen very often. We decided to have our dinner a little later that evening, after the girls were in bed, and it was most definitely worth the wait! Earlier that week we talked it over and decided what we wanted to have and we have been anxiously waiting for it all week! I will say that there was absolutely nothing about the meal that was healthy… but oh my goodness it was delicious! On the menu was…
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Sauteed Asparagus ( I guess I lied, the asparagus was the healthy part of the meal :), balance right?!)
Garlic Bread
Earlier on Friday when I went to buy what we needed, I tried my best to buy gluten free pasta, but no, Jim would not hear of it. See, we rarely make this meal. I know it has been well over a year since we have had it and Jim wanted the real deal. I even tried to compromise and let us get whole wheat pasta but, no, this was just regular white pasta! It was very hard for me to buy that but I did because that is what Jim really wanted and this day is all about LOVE, right! 🙂
Jim knows how to do lots of things well and cooking is no different. He is actually the one who taught me how to cook when we first got married. His Alfredo is to die for and it is really a simple dish to make but he makes it very, very, well!
We had our quiet, peaceful dinner with thoughtful conversation and slowed down and enjoyed each other’s company. A nice change of pace from our normal weeknight dinners. After being married 12 years and with 2 kids it is important to take nights like this and shift the focus a little. It takes a little effort but it’s well worth it!
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- 8 ounces grated parmesan
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 stick butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 chicken breasts, split into halves
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 box fettuccine
- Salt to taste
- Boil water for the pasta
- Melt the stick butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Then add in the cream and parmesan and whisk until combined. Let it cook for 5 minutes on medium, whisking often, before reducing the heat to low.
- Add salt to the boiling water and add pasta. Stir the pasta every few minutes to prevent sticking and cook until desired tenderness. Strain pasta.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Then sauté the chicken over med-high heat in the olive oil until cooked. Slice into bite-size pieces.
- To serve, place the pasta in a bowl and top with chicken. Then spoon desired amount of sauce on top. Optional: top with more grated parmesan.
Let’s Chat
How often do you go on date nights? J and I would love for it to be a weekly thing, but that rarely happens. It usually works out to be about once a month for us.