A Cozy Night In
This week’s post is all about creating a cozy night whether it's for yourself, your significant other or family and friends! I LOVE to entertain, and haven’t been doing that as much lately. But, I still love to make meals even if it’s just me and Matt relaxing at home. We tend to order out on Fridays, so I like to cook a fun meal on Saturdays. This takes a little planning ahead but follow these steps and you’ll have yourself a nice little night in!
Step 1: Light tall candles (I like these unscented ones from Target), pour yourself a glass of wine or make a fun cocktail, and play some music that goes along with the theme of your meal. I made an Italian dinner, so an Italian playlist was the perfect addition.
Step 2: Cook your meal and take your time. Enjoy the process! See below for the breakdown of the meal.
Step 3: Set your table with your favorite dinner plates and add any candles, lights and decor to make it festive!
Here is the Italian dinner I made:
Appetizer: Bread with Olive Oil & Balsamic
Take sliced baguette on a baking sheet, brush with OO and warm in the oven until golden brown. (keep a few slices on the side for homemade croutons)
While they are baking for a few minutes, take a plate and pour a few tbs. of OO, drizzle balsamic pepper, and add fresh cracked pepper on top
Make sure to refill your wine glass around this time ;)
First Course: Healthy Caesar Salad
Wash and chop a head of romaine lettuce
You can use either a premade or homemade dressing. I love this one!
Top with fresh parmesan cheese, pepper & homemade croutons. (Use cubed pieces of baguette, toss in olive oil and onion powder and bake at 375 for 15 minutes shaking the pan halfway through.
Second Course: A Simple Pasta
I used this recipe from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020830-caramelized-shallot-pasta
It was so simple and delicious! Even Matt said “this tastes like it’s from Italy” haha.
Third Course: Dessert
In my opinion, dessert is absolutely necessary to complete a cozy night in. It doesn’t have to be complicated though! I will take store bought ice cream and serve it in a cute ramekin dish with a sprig of mint to make it look nice. Sometimes those simple touches can really make something look fancy! Enjoy & as always, tag me in your “Cozy Night In” Insta story!