#datenight (Day 21)

It was a crazy Saturday.

Up at 5am (naturally, don't ask me why)
Max's strobe light show at 6a
Gymboree at 9:30am
Mr. KK priming the ceiling in the addition
Me, prepping for a brunch I'm hosting tomorrow
2-hour trip to Lowe's (insert silent tears)
Then bath night for Mr. Max

PHEW.

We were both looking forward to an amazing dinner and relaxing.

Good thing I didn't disappoint!

Uh-may-zing.

Snack time while Max has dinner! Cocktails and kale and artichoke dip.

The beef rib roast is seasoned and ready to go 

with minced garlic, herbs de provence and olive oil.

Now that is a thing of beauty. 

Onion rings (because I can't help myself) and roasted garlic and rapini. 

That is restaurant-quality medium rare right there.

And, of course, a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Happy #datenight!

Date Night is not dead.

Before Max made his arrival, Mr. KK and I promised each other that we would still have our date nights.

Date night = a night at home with a fire (outside in the summer, inside in the winter), cocktails, chit chat and catching up, sometimes a movie or a game (I am the reining Scrabble Champion, thank you very much) and a delicious home-cooked dinner.

They are my most-favorite nights.

This past Friday night, we kept our tradition alive.

And I made duck.

This is a big deal, because I only make duck a few times a year. 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it, but I mostly order it out because it's a pain in the ass to cook because it makes such a mess. So much so, that I only cook it the night before our cleaning lady comes (#firstworldproblems, I know).

MENU
Cocktails
Seared duck breast
Bacon lentils (Emeril's recipe here)
Roasted broccolini
Rioja wine

We were in a beer mood. See that Bourbon County Stout Mr. KK is drinking? That was a FANTASTIC find by yours truly at the liquor store. A little surprise for the hubs.

I got these duck breasts at Stop and Shop; they have them pretty regularly.

Just score the skin with a sharp knife, about 3/4 of the way through (try not to cut into the meat). This allows the skin to crisp up and release all of the fat goodness. 

I never time my cooking, I do it by feel. So I'm always paranoid I'm going to over cook the duck breasts. And every time, I cook them perfectly (sloppy luck). I cook them to a delicious medium rare. (OMG look at the grease on my stove)

The bacon lentils were rich and delicious.

I also roasted some broccolini with garlic and olive oil until it was crispy and tender.

 Date night plus one.

My stove looks like a wreck (sorry, Rosa!) but it was worth it.

I won't even talk about the oatmeal cookies I made for dessert (from the Betty Crocker pouch, people…remember: I don't bake!). Those things are like crack to us. It's embarrassing how many of them we ate. There should be an anonymous program for those cookies. 

But those cookies, warm out of the over? OMG. 

But we're not talking about it.

Day 22: Date night and invalids

Just one day short of Max's seven-week birthday we had our official first date night! (outside of the house, sans bambino)

Also, I feel I must let you know that on this date night, we were both invalids. Me, with my bum knee from my fall the other day (in case you missed it, you can read about that traumatic day here), and Rob, with his brand-new ankle injury from today's leaf blowing in his parents' yard, including x-rays and two prescriptions.

So between the two of us hobbling, we somehow miraculously made it out of the house.

And…here's how our life has changed after having a baby.

When making a dinner reservation, they told us that they had 6:15pm and 8pm.

I hated to admit it, but if we took the 8pm reservation, there was a good chance I'd be asleep at the table before dessert.

"So 6:15 it is! Us and the blue hairs!" I (half) joked.

Now that we had the reservation, we needed babysitters. In an effort to not hurt anyone's feelings, we offered babysitting duties to BOTH grandmothers. All's fair in love and grandchildren.

TEXT TO GRAMMIES: 'Hi. Is anyone free to babysit Saturday night?"

TEXT FROM GRAMMY 1: 'We're free! Hey, maybe all four of us could babysit and we can order food and make a night of it."

TEXT FROM GRAMMY 2: 'We're in! Sounds like fun!'

Immediately I imagine the four of them ordering take-out and having cocktails and wonder…but if you're all eating food and drinking cocktails...who's watching the baby???

So we went on our date night and I'm ashamed to say we were home by 8:45pm. Not because we were worried about the baby (because we weren't), but because we're old and tired, and one of us had a fresh ankle injury and had spent the afternoon in the Urgent Care center.

But what a great night, no matter what time we got home!

Kicking the night off with a few IPAs.

Baxter's Stowaway IPA out of Maine…a favorite from our trip to Portland 

and now on its first week on tap in Connecticut.

 We went to Caseus (delish!) and we were seated next to a cheese lover's dream: the cheese fridge! No joke, probably thousands and thousands of dollars worth of cheese in here. Had I brought a larger pocketbook, we could have smuggled home some Manchego, college-style.

I'm a cheese whore. So, yes, we got the cheese board. 

Steak au poive for me.

The meatloaf special for Rob. This was my second choice, 

so thankfully he ordered it so I could have a few bites.

And back at home…

The parents had finished their dinner and wine, and were relaxing and watching TV. Max was wide awake, keeping an eye on everyone. AND, we missed not one but TWO poopy diapers.

So a successful night in our books to say the least. :)

Day 17: A baby changes everything. (thanks, Captain Obvious!)

A baby changes your whole life. That's what everyone told me while we were waiting for Max's arrival; and now that I've experienced it, I completely understand what they mean.

My "routine" is different. 

PRE-MAX: wake up, go to the gym, work, come home, cook dinner, watch TV and go to bed. Basically, do stuff for ME.

NOW: wake up, clean bottles, make bottles, feed Max bottles, change diapers from bottles, repeat.

"Oh I can't, the baby is waking up/hungry/crying/needs my attention."

When in doubt, blame it on the baby.

PRE-MAX: "Ugh. Okay." (cue guilt)

NOW:

On the phone

Representative: "Would you like to take a quick survey about our service?"

KK:  "Oooh, you know I would love to, but I have a newborn just waking up from a nap. Maybe next time."

In the bank

Teller:  "Do you have time for me to tell you about the 2,347 benefits you could be taking advantage of by banking with us?"

KK:  "Oooh, you know I wish I did, but I have to get home to my baby."

To people trying to sell me something/collect donations

Strangers: "Hi, would you like to buy a calendar to support the high school basket weaving club?"

KK:  "Oooh, you know I wish I could, but we have a college education to save up for!"

Date night at home.

PRE-MAX: enjoy a few chilled cocktails, open bottle of wine, cook a late dinner, watch a movie, relax.

NOW: strategically feeding Max and calculating nap time, then sipping on a warm cocktail while coordinating dinner with the precision of someone organizing a space shuttle launch. Then asking, "If we do bath night tomorrow, can I have another glass of wine?"

Date night out.

PRE-MAX: drinks and dinner at night; or a full-day of visiting breweries then happy hour then dinner.

NOW: Date night what?

Shopping at Target.

PRE-MAX:  Self-limitation of ONE trip per month with a triple-digit total.

NOW:  With Max in the main part of the cart, I only have the little front section to put goodies. So, in a way, Max is helping me SAVE money. (How's THAT for logic, Mr. KK???)

Shopping everywhere else.

PRE-MAX:  "OMG! Look at this cute sweater/pair of shoes/coat/necklace/pillow! I must buy!"

NOW:  "Does this sleeper come in 0-3 months?"

But I wouldn't trade any of it. 

Not for a second.

Day 10: Family Fun and a Date Night Recipe

It's been a little hectic ever since we got back from Georgia. Mr. KK has gone back to work, Max and I are finding our routine. There are visitors during the week. 

And because we live in the woods, our yard is FILLED with leaves that need Mr. KK's attention on the weekends (since it's pitch dark at 5pm now…GRRR).

This weekend, however, Saturday was family day – all day long!

It started bright and early with breakfast at a little place down the road.

Max was well-behaved as usual.

After breakfast we headed out to a few car dealerships. Now that we have Max, and with the winter weather upon us, I need a larger vehicle with all wheel drive. For the record, I HATE car shopping. (But that's another post, for another day.)

To keep the spirit of family time alive, all three of us ventured out to Stop & Shop to grocery shop. I was finally able to introduce Max to my other Happy Place! Unfortunately it was the most crowded time to shop, but Max seemed to enjoy it nonetheless. He even got his own cart.

Saturday night was Date Night, as usual!

But it was extra special because we got to enjoy the homemade macaroni Max and I made on Thursday!

I also made a sauce we both LOVE, but haven't had in a while. It's from one of my cookbooks from when we lived in Boston (which feels like a century ago!). It's so easy to make and it tastes fantastic!

Date Night Pasta with Sausage and Pancetta
Serves 4 (if you're lucky!)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 ounces loose ground sausage (NOTE: to me, 4 ounces isn't enough, so I use 8 ounces)
4 ounces pancetta, coarsely chopped
14 oz. crushed tomatoes
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 pound pasta
5 Tbsp. heavy cream (NOTE: I use light cream and it's equally delicious)
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper (NOTE: I never add salt to this recipe because the pancetta is usually salty enough to flavor the dish)


Directions:

Heat oil in medium skillet or Dutch oven. Add the garlic and fry over low heat to 1-2 minutes to flavor the oil. Remove garlic and discard it.

Add the pork and the pancetta to the flavored oil and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is brown and crumbly and pancetta is crispy.

Add the crushed tomatoes with half of the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste (or just pepper). Stir well and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time. 

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to directions on the package. Or, in our case, cook the fresh pasta for just a few minutes until it floats.

Put the cream and the egg yolks in a warmed large bowl and mix with fork (I usually just fill a bowl with hot water for a few minutes to warm it up and then discard the water).

As soon as the pasta is done, drain it well and add it to the bowl with the cream mixture. Toss the pasta in the cream until it's well coated. Pour the sausage and pancetta sauce over the pasta and toss again.

Serve immediately with remaining parsley.

And because I'm a cheese whore, I absolutely put grated Parmesan cheese on top.

To ensure a good night's sleep for all, Max had a late-night bath (during which he screams like a champ and wears himself out) and Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a nice bottle of red wine.

Cheers!

Day 1 #NaBloPoMo: Date Night 2.0

OMG, I almost didn't make the posting deadline on the FIRST DAY.

WTH?

Do you know how embarrassing that is?

It's hard to post under pressure!

It's a Saturday night, so Mr. KK and I had one of our Date Nights.

Our Date Nights are pretty special. There are always cocktails, either music or games (ahem, Scrabble champion right here, thank you very much), and – of course – a fabulous dinner.

Now that we're a month into parenthood, we've adjusted to what our new date nights have become. We still have them, they're just…slightly different.

First, we have to time date night between feedings and naps. 

It sounds something like this:

"So if he eats at 8pm, then we keep him upright for a half hour after, then put him down to sleep, and we have to preheat the oven which takes about a half hour, then it should take about an hour for the roast to cook, then it needs to rest, that puts us eating around 9:15pm. Which gives us an hour to eat, clean up and get ready for the next time he eats. Forget starting a movie! We don't have the luxury of time or attention span! We'll just watch cable!"

Tonight's date night started out with a dirty martini for me (blue cheese stuffed olives, thank you very much) and a Manhattan for the hubs. 

After two sips of my martini Mr. Max was fidgety and wanted to be held. After two more sips he wanted to be rocked and to hear my rendition of Philip Philips' "Home". That put him right to sleep, and we went back to our dinner.

Tonight's Date Night Menu:

Roasted Pork Rib Roast with a garlic and rosemary crust
Brussels Sprouts and bacon (cooked in bacon fat, of course)

 brussels sprouts always get a bad wrap! 

I made these by browning about 6 strips of bacon and removing them, 

leaving about a TBSP of the fat. I cooked down an entire stalk of sprouts, 

continuously deglazing the pan with chicken stock. 

After 20 minutes I added the bacon back in. PERFECTION!

the best thing we ever purchased was an electronic thermometer 

that you can put outside your stove and set to an internal temperature. 

We have had perfect roasts every time every since. Tonight was no exception. 

the finished product. Amazing.

(and Max slept through our entire dinner!)

this was tonight's wine. It was something we purchased on a whim on our way out of the liquor store. One of those "hey this looks good and it got a good rating and the price is amazing" type of purchases. It was delicious, and perfect with the pork.

**NOTE: see that back splash behind the wine? That's our homemade cork back splash. We collected corks FOREVER to make it. Some of them are written on and say things like, "Rob's Birthday!" or "Promotion at work!" or even "Mom and Dad anniversary!". Needless to say, it was built with love, and we included coasters from our honeymoon in Napa Valley.

So bring it on, New Date Night. We're ready. And so is Max.

Max during tonight's Date Night.

He's the quiet type.