Anniversary Dinner

Last night, Matt and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. I was SO excited to have a real kitchen, that I cooked us a three course dinner. Matt said that he'd love an Italian or French dinner. Since I didn't have the internet to help me, I went for Italian. I forgot how much I really enjoy cooking :) The key for me is lots of planning and lots of prep work. Here's what I made:

Martha Stewart's Tuscan Tomato Soup: I pureed the soup, thinned with light cream, and put a dollop of pesto on top. It's also good with a bit of sour cream mixed in.
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/05/tuscan-tomato-soup-and-homemade-french-bread-recipe.html

Chicken, Garlic, and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta: I tried to make the cream sauce as healthy as possible, but the butter makes it a bit tricky :) I will probably double the amount of sun dried tomatoes next time. We loved this! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Garlic-and-Sundried-Tomato-Pasta/Detail.aspx

Tiramisu: I just used the BHG recipe; it was really tasty, but it didn't "present" very well. It looks nice when served on a plate, but I wouldn't want anyone to see it in the pan :) Also, you need about 8 more lady fingers than the recipe calls for. I made it with the liquor options, as I think it tastes better. We have a lot left over so I'm going to drop it by Matt's work today.

I was also SO excited to have a real dining table, that I took pictures of how I set it. Nothing special to it, but such a joy to have a dedicated eating space :) I wanted to use our wedding china, but we have about a dozen "formal dining" boxes full of fragile pieces individually wrapped with bubble wrap, taped, and wrapped in paper. I just didn't have the time! I did manage to use wine glasses we received for our wedding (thanks, Katie!) and some candle holders that I received at my bridal shower.