Simple Yet Satisfying – Date Night Dining In

Last weekend, before the events that unfolded at the Capitol Building, I was planning a simple meal for dinner and decided to go a step further.  No, every meal is not like this but there are times when I want to go the extra step – a date night.  With everything that is going on around us it is a way to lift my spirits doing something I love.  A way to step away from the madness and have a moment of self-care.   Today I took a few minutes to sit back and close my eyes and think back to that dinner to give my mind a break from the recent events.

So, the table was set with care.  Nothing fancy – very simple.  Nothing here is new except the supermarket flowers.  Yellow and green was a nice change after the red of the holidays.  My prep station olive oil, capers, and more for a puttanesca sauce, artic char fillets from the freezer, heirloom cherry tomatoes for both the salad and the sauce, vinaigrette for the salad, fresh berries and yogurt, lemon, and honey sauce for dessert.

Next, I went outside to get my fresh herbs to flavor my dishes.  There’s parsley, oregano, rosemary and my favorite of all  – lots of basil.  The kitchen was filled with the smells of those herbs, the berries, the flowers – how Well, dinner was served.  Here is a look at the final dishes.

Salad consisting of sliced heirloom cherry tomatoes, chopped basil and tarragon tossed in a vinaigrette of white balsamic, Dijon mustard and extra virgin olive oil.

Entree of grilled Artic Char topped with puttanesca sauce consisting of chopped olives, capers, anchovies, chopped garlic, tomato paste and diced tomatoes.

Dessert of mixed berries (raspberries, strawberries and blackberries topped with a sauce consisting of Greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and honey.  It gave me a moment to smile and I hope you do, too.