An Un-Lazy (but kinda lazy) Dinner
For those nights that the ManFriend and I are extra lazy, our dinners usually consist of a bottle of vino, a wedge of good cheese and some crackers. And then there are those nights where we’re not as lazy but still pretty unmotivated, so we make a simple Mozzarella Caprese Salad. But when we want to get a little crazy and go the extra mile, we make this…
{My mouth is watering just by looking at that mozzarella.}
This dish sort of developed out of a mixture of boredom, knowing what we like, and using what we had on-hand. We normally don’t have fresh mozz and basil lying around the house (although one day I plan to attempt to grow my own herbs), but we happened to be lazy the week prior, so we had some leftovers from our previous no-hassle dinner.
This dish is essentially a Mozzarella Caprese Pasta. Same ingredients as the salad, but add pasta and forget the balsamic vinegar.
{recipe below in case you don’t know how to make a Caprese salad}
I’m easy when it comes to food. I’ll pretty much eat anything and I normally don’t have a preference for what I eat at any time of the day. Heck, I even eat breakfast for dinner. Having this side dish-turned-main meal is perfect for me – easy and delish – what more do you need?
Well apparently more, according to ManFriend. Being that he’s a Southern boy (Southern for Florida), he insists on having some sort of protein at dinner. I know, I know – kind of backwards considering he’ll be content with a wedge of cheese for dinner.
But, being the best WomanFriend that I am, I threw in a little baked salmon – just to keep him quiet.
Why he hasn’t asked me to marry him yet I’ll never know.
Juuuust kiddinnnnn’. :)
Mozzarella Caprese Pasta
Recipe created by me!
INGREDIENTS
1 8-10 oz. jar of mini mozzarella balls
1 container of grape (or cherry) tomatoes
a few leaves of basil (depends on how much you like basil)
extra virgin olive oil (enough to cover the dish, but don’t soak it)
1 box thin spaghetti
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, julienne chop the basil. Once pasta is cooked to al dente, drain. Add the olive oil to your liking, tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls and the julienne-d basil. Don’t mix together.
Then, dish into bowls – ensure each plate has a good amount of tomatoes and mozzarella. For each bowl, add salt and pepper to taste. The cheese will start to melt over the top of the pasta and seep down.
Easy amazingness.
Welcome Back Party
Do you ever have one of those weeks where you’re swamped at work, your house is a total disaster, and the only time you have to relax is when you go to bed (and even then you’ve got a lot on the mind)? Last week was one of those weeks.
I’m working on a huge project at work that has literally taken me over. My mind is constantly thinking about it. I’m in the shower and get an idea. So I run out, butt-naked and soaking wet to write down the idea, and then jump back in. I was so busy last week that I couldn’t even take a normal shower. In the midst of it all, I neglected my love – this blog. I took an unexpected vacation I didn’t want to go on. I had a huge void in the pit of my stomach, and now I know why. Because as I write this, that void is no longer there.
The last time we chatted, we were preparing for our Housewarming Party. As you know, we had a leak in the wall which was getting fixed and ManFriend was laying new floor in our bedroom. Well, in true procrastinator fashion, the floor was completed and the door to our bedroom was put back on 1 hour before the party was officially supposed to start. Good thing no one shows up to parties on time, because if they had, they would’ve seen me all dressed up in my birthday suit.
As soon as our first guest arrived, I had just enough time to brush my hair and grab a beer. After 4 weeks (probably more) of busting our asses nonstop, we deserved one (a beer, I mean).
Playing the hostess with the mostest is hard work! I talked my face off to everyone and anyone. The turnout was good, a consistent 45 people at all times, and there was plenty of food and drinks for all. Aside from getting the room done, that was the only other concern I had. Sadly, I didn’t get ANY pictures of the party decor and setup.
We did, however, get about 15 bottles of vino and 10 bottles of liquor. Nothing in the salted chocolate household is conventional. Our party was a Housewarming/Stock-the-Bar Party. We made out like bandits. That’s just how we roll.
{It started out empty. Bar – $50, Kohl’s}
Plus, Marm brought us a chocolate cake that weighed about 50 pounds. No joke. And a week later, it’s gone. Don’t judge me. Hey, this blog has chocolate in the title. What can I say?
{ManFriend getting grabby}
{Chocolate tower of gloriousness}
Happy Weekend
It’s official – the cake I will be making for our Housewarming Party is …
Thanks you all of you who have voted!
I’m truly excited about this weekend. Not only do we have our Housewarming Party on Saturday, but it also happens to be Memorial weekend – which means no work for me on Monday!! We have guests in town for the party until Sunday, so Monday will be spent doing absolutely NOTHING. The house may be a wreck and there will be chores a-plenty, but I ain’t doing a damn thing. I have a hot date with my couch and a few movie marathons.
Have a safe and happy Memorial weekend!!
Floored
Today is the last day to vote in the “What Cake Should I Make?” poll. Vote early (or late in this case), and often. As it stands, Caramel Latte Cake and Car-Bomb Cupcakes are in a battle for 1st place. Whichever one wins, it’ll be good regardless. That much I do know.
I need to apologize for my serious lack of posting these past 2 days. It’s officially become a mad dash to the end. The end being our Housewarming Party on Saturday. Status update: we are still floor-less in our Master bedroom, and our living room now looks like a smorgasboard of couch, bed frame, dresser, night stands and coffee table/ottoman. Talk about stress!
ManFriend tried his little heart out to place the laminate flooring down the other day. After 5 hours and a few screams into the wall, he had about 2 feet of laminate laid. I mean I have patience and all, but when you work on something for 5 hours and alls you have to show is a measly 2 feet of flooring, it’s definitely a test. I give him full cred for taking it on, so now I just hope we can get it figured out in these next 2 days.
Otherwise, sigh…
Sharing a song I’m loving right now – puts me in a good mood – and I need it!
A Good First Impression
I’ve mentioned my goal of getting several different patterns incorporated into my home decor. I even stated that because this is a design and fashion, and everything-in-between-blog, we must call a ‘Clover’ a ‘Quatrefoil‘ pattern. This is a for reals design blog – I promise.
Somehow, I manage to score a cheaper-than-originally posted Quatrefoil mirror at Target TarJay. This mirror, no lie, I got for 25 bucks. The cheapest one I could find before that was $40.
On one of my ridiculous amount of many Target trips, I found this side table on sale for $79, down from $150, because of a few nicks here and there. If you ask me, I say it adds character to a piece of furniture from Target.
Mirror and table paired together – with help from Mother Nature – makes the perfect entryway get-up – perfect for a good first impression.
salted chocolate | life with a dash of flavor 