All of us celebrate Friday because it means the end of the work week. After five days of stress, lack of sleep and thoughts about moving to the woods, and living in a tree house; we rush to the weekend like a Night Watchman’s blade to Jon Snow’s torso (spoilers). Some of us however, don’t want to just hit the bar and spend half of our just deposited paycheck, or get dragged to see Jurassic Whatever. No, we want nothing more than to get home, put on our pajama’s and flop on the couch. We get to spend time with what’s their name? That person that lives with us but never see because we work all the time? Whatever, not important.
To help you make the most of your night in, we have a guide of what to cook, drink, watch, read and/or listen to, while you just relax and actually get six or more hours of sleep.
WHAT TO COOK
No take out, because we’re too lazy to actually make ourselves a decent lunch, we end up spending untold amounts of money every week. You could just settle for Chinese and wait forever for the delivery guy because it’s Friday (duh!). So to impress that person who lives with you, who after more than ten minutes of being in the same room, you’re starting to remember why this person is important to you, you can cook this meal, for both of you to share. This week, you’re gonna make bacon asparagus pasta.
Pasta Ingredients:
12 ounces whole wheat pasta (I used farfalle, aka “bow tie” pasta)
2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 (6-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/3 cup chopped or julienned fresh basil, loosely-packed
creamy garlic sauce (recipe below)
optional toppings: crushed red pepper flakes, extra Parmesan, toasted pine nuts
CREAMY SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups Almond Breeze original unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
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WHAT TO DRINK
Bodegas in Brooklyn that have Shiner Bock in stock quickly become a favorite in the neighborhood. Shine has a few different editions and you usually can’t go wrong with any choice, but, to celebrate summer, we highly suggest you have a six pack of Ruby Redbird in your fridge. Have your first one while your cooking, have a second while your’e enjoying your dinner, then have a third once you set up your entertainment of the night. Any more than that, is your responsibility and you might end up knocking out faster than you think.
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WHAT TO LISTEN TO
Podcasts are all the rage right now (and are perfect to listen to while cooking); we even asked some experts how to go about one of these Internet radio programs. But with the seemingly ever growing number of new podcasts appearing every week, it’s tough to pick out the truly great ones, from the ones where it’s just a pair of guys just having a private conversation and believing it could be entertaining. Gimlet Media’s newest program Mystery Show has host Starlee Kline solve mysteries.
We’re not talking about pulling masks off old people wanting kids off their land, or using her extreme, completely unrealistic powers of deduction to predict what their opponents every move it going to be; Starlee’s mysteries involve a very unique belt buckle, an author wanting to know how a world famous pop star ended up with her book and a license plate that says something that maybe extremely offensive. You’ll come for the mysteries, you’ll stay and enjoy the meditative experience of Starlee getting people to open up to her and reveal themselves to a complete stranger.
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WHAT TO WATCH
So it leaked a week early, but you’re far behind because of work. Yes, we are picking a really safe bet here, but we do so because three seasons in, Orange is The New Black not only continues delivering binge-worthy TV, it finds new ways to deepen characters we’re already familiar with. So if you’re sick of your friends side-stepping every conversation because you’re on episode 4, while they’re on episode 10, then plop on the couch, fresh meal on your lap, cold brew in your hand and catch up.
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View Comments (1)
Mystery Show is so good!