Last night, I decided to take the homemade meal a step further. I decided to course it.

The appetizer was chips and homemade guacamole. Cathy and I caught up a bit, and started into our bottle of red wine for the night, a Malbec/Petite Verdot blend from Cooper’s Hawk. This gave her time to unwind and settle down.

Then I served the warmed arugula salad. This was my big gamble. Taking inspiration from the idea of a warm spinach salad, I made a hot dressing to toss in the arugula. The liquid part was a balsamic reduction with honey and coarse ground dijon mustard. It could have used just a bit more honey, but I didn’t use measurements, so I’ll have to experiment in the future. I threw in sauteed onions, garlic and diced mortadella and sprinkled in some fresh cilantro. In spite of the need for just a smidge more sweet, it was delicious!

Entree course was a baked chicken breast with bacon, smothered in bbq sauce. That was straight from a simple recipe, so I saved it for last, confident the meal would end on a high note.

I’m getting better at winging it all the time. I’m also getting better at portioning for two, which means there were no leftovers last night. Now that I’ve proven to myself and Cathy that I can craft a multi-piece meal and not just single-skillet concoctions, it’s getting to be pretty exciting to have the opportunity to cook at home. Enjoy!