Pumpkin and Spice

 I think it's pretty fair to say that learning how to cook mussels and clams has changed my life. A bold statement, I know, but it's true. Less than a year ago, I had never cooked mussels before. I'd eaten them, but cooking them seemed daunting. Then, we made them one night in class and they were so quick, so simple that I couldn't believe I'd never done it before.

While maybe not a busy weeknight meal, they are an ideal date night meal. As I have mentioned, I like my date night meals to be simple to prepare, but also a little more special than weeknight meals. Mussels have quickly become a date night favorite in our household.

My favorite basic mussel preparation is steamed in white wine and just a few other simple ingredients- minced shallots, minced garlic and red chili flakes. Once perfectly cooked, the mussels are removed and the wine, now flavored with the ocean-y mussel juices is reduced, and a couple handfuls of chopped, seeded tomatoes are added. At this point, you can take your mussels two different ways, depending on your mood. You can reduce the wine waaaay down, swirl in a pat of butter, pour it over the mussels and enjoy it with lots of crusty bread to dip in the sauce. Or, if you'd prefer a pasta reduce the wine, whisk in a slurry of cornstarch and serve the mussels and sauce over linguine noodles.

Friday morning, Kyle went into work for a couple hours to get a few last things done before our weekend, which was okay, because I had a salon appointment. I barely beat Kyle home, and then ran around the house like a crazy woman trying to pack. (Yeah, I should probably have packed earlier. I'm a busy Pumpkin... it's hard to find enough time in the day!)

Finally, I was ready to go, so we got in the car, and Kyle asked if I had my Disney annual pass. Of course, I did not, so I got back out and ran into the apartment to get it. Once I got back in the car, we really left.

Everyone needs a little stash of "date night" recipes (regardless of whether one is a singleton or a smug married.) A good date night recipe is something a little more special than weeknight dinners,  a little bit impressive, and, ideally, not too time consuming. I mean, the point of date night is spending time with that special someone- and as much as I love to cook and bake, I do not consider my oven a "special someone".

Usually, Kyle and I go out on Saturday nights, but as we have a stack of borrowed DVDs that we've been meaning to watch, we decided to stay in this weekend. That put the duty of date night dinner on my shoulders. After rummaging through the fridge and a little brainstorming, I ran (not literally) to the store to grab a couple supplemental ingredients and threw together this- Italian Chicken Roulade with Fondue Sauce. "Roulade" is just fancy talk for something that's rolled up like a swiss roll. Mine is a chicken breast that's been butterflied, spread with a little sundried tomato pesto (I buy jarred pesto- basil's too pricey for me to buy enough to make pesto), topped with prosciutto, then rolled up. The top is brushed with a bit more pesto, then baked and sauced with a fondue made of delish Italian cheeses. Check out the cross section- pretty, isn't it?