These days, the overwhelming sentiment from everyone I talk to is spring can’t come soon enough. I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been pouring over our summer plans and dreaming of the warmer weather that’s slowly approaching. I decided to give us a little preview of the fun to come, and take us to the Italian countryside for a recent date night.

I try to cook mostly in season, using local vegetables and decorating with regional flowers. But there does come a point where I break that, like a Saturday night when we need a dose of springtime. We picked up some cherry tomatoes and fresh basil, along with rocket greens and a giant ball of mozzarella for our dinner.

For the table, I used a bright white tablecloth and a peach-colored runner to add a light, fresh feeling {I got mine on sale at West Elm, but also like this one here}. Then I got to work on the center arrangement. I picked several leafy branches from our trees outside our building and inserted them into a wire frame. I used roses from another arrangement, cut them so there were just a few inches left on the stem to show off just the bloom, and added them in casually.

For the place settings, I paired our bright white plates with our rattan chargers {ours are from Caspari, similar here} to give it a relaxed rustic feel.

I was inspired for the pasta dish by the one Camille Styles shares in her book {she has great taste – I love the way she brings all the senses together with her entertaining}. It was a simple mix of olive oil with minced garlic, cooking down the halved cherry tomatoes, adding in the cooked pasta, creamy torn mozzarella and shredded fresh basil just picked off the plant. The entire kitchen smelled heavenly.

For the salad, I just drizzled from freshly squeezed lemon juice onto the rocket and parmesan, along with a little olive oil. It was light, fresh and a delicious accompaniment to the pasta.

My husband decanted a wonderfully aged bottle of red, and poured them into our crystal glasses {it’s okay to add a little glamour, it was a date after all!}.

We had such a good time laughing and dreaming about returning to Italy {the bottle of wine certainly helped!}. I know we’ll call on this combination again soon. Salute!

Chargers / Plates / Silverware / Napkins / Glassware / Decanter / Wine Coaster / Pitcher