apathetic girliness.: Valentine's Night In

Monday, February 10, 2014

Valentine's Night In

Ladies—I know we don’t always have that perfect Valentine’s date lined up. If that’s you this year, I encourage you to celebrate this Friday with a group of your special friends noming over good food and getting drunk watching every Ryan Gosling movie out there… It’s okay, I mean this only happens like, twice a month normally anyways right?

http://www.celebuzz.com/2013-11-12/33-ryan-gosling-gifs-for-his-33rd-birthday/

I can't think of anything better than a comfort meal that's easy to make. That recipe has my name all over it! Not to mention a recipe that feeds a big group, too. This pasta dish is filling, yet light, and is perfect to serve all year-long.

Ingredients 
1 package of pre-cooked grilled chicken strips 
1 1/2 cups of sliced grape tomatoes 
1 package of whole wheat pasta 
1 jar of pesto sauce

Directions 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place sliced tomatoes in aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil and salt/pepper. Place foil pouch in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package. Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain and set aside.

Heat grilled chicken strips according to package. This is a time saver for me, but you can certainly grill your own chicken breast to go on top of the pasta. Another time saver for me is jarred pesto sauce. However, you can be really impressive and make your own with this recipe.

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Use reserved pasta water to thin out the pesto sauce if needed (sometimes I find it hard to work with without a touch of water or olive oil).

Now, I know what you are thinking… what about the ice cream-face stuffing part of the night? Well, y’all, this great dessert is just perfect for your single ladies party!