Dinner for Two

Dinner this evening will be lighter fare but I still enjoy setting a nice table even if just for the two of us, myself and my husband. My menu for this evening is a Mixed Green Salad of Baby Greens from the garden topped with olives, marinated artichokes and Feta with a sprinkling of a favorite Greek salad dressing. I have also prepared a new recipe that I wanted to try called Serependipity Pasta Salad with Roasted Chicken. I prepared it earlier since it should be refrigerated for a few hours before serving and will have fresh Yeast Rolls dripping with butter, of course, with dinner as well.

Serendipity Pasta Salad with Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb rotini pasta
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 lb Serendipity "Cyprus", cubed (this is an herbed cow's milk cheese from Sweet Grass Dairy from Thomasville, GA-it has a definite Mediterranean flavor.)
1/4 cup plus 2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1 cup thinly sliced roasted red peppers
1 cup black olives
1/2 cup thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes (rehydrated or oil-packed)
2 tbs chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Prepare a large sauce pan with enough salted water to cover your pasta by about 2 inches and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, in a bowl large enough to accommodate your cooked pasta, mix garlic and approximately 1/2 tsp salt together. Mix in the balsamic vinegar, dried basil and just a pinch of black pepper. Once these are thoroughly combined, slowly whisk in the olive oil. Once your water is boiling, add the pasta and cook "al dente" (about 8-10 minutes). Toss cooked pasta in bowl with prepared vinaigrette and remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly to incorporate everything. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (at least 3 hours to allow flavor to intensify).

I also added three chicken breast halves that I had roasted in a 350* oven for approximately 30-35 minutes. I also salted and peppered both sides of the chicken breast and added olive oil to both sides before roasting. After roasting dice the chicken breast into bite size pieces and add to salad.




Since dinner was prepared much earlier it gave me the time to set my table for our Dinner for two.



The candle holders are a sweet little blue and white ceramic piece that I found a couple of months ago and HAD to have. Of course, right now in North Florida my hydrangeas are in full bloom and I love to bring them in by the armfuls. They brighten every corner of my house.



Tonight I used yellow quilted placemats since I love yellow with blue, my Vilroy and Boch white dinner plates and Vilroy and Boch, Audin Ferme salad plates and bread plates. The taller etched wine glasses are a new purchase when I was in Atlanta last week at one of my favorite shopping spots, Boxwood. The water glasses are some I have had for a long time that were purchased from Willian Somoma Home online that were a steal. The silver oak leaf and acorn napkin rings are also a new purchase from Boxwood last week.



I can never resist acorn napkin rings and these were wrapped in oak leaves. Now I ask you, how southern is that?



I really loved the heighth of these wine glasses. I think heighth variations at a table setting are more interesting so I HAD to have these as well. My husband rolled his eyes because I do have a lot of stemware. This too was another purchase from Boxwood in Atlanta. If you are ever in Atlanta make a point to visit this shop. They advertise in Veranda magazine and it is a charming little shop. It's a gift/floral/antique and just a fun shop.


I am joining in the fun of Susan's party for Tablescape Thursday
To view other beautiful table settings check out Susan's blog at Between Naps on the Porch. Have a lovely Thursday.