We've been craving pasta lately, probably because we've been watching too many cooking shows on Netflix (hello Chef's Table), so we decided to just go for it and make some for ourselves tonight.

We wanted something light and fresh tasting, something that would go well with red wine and French Cafe Radio on Pandora because you know our feelings about getting the mood just right to enjoy a good meal. We weren't sure what we wanted to make, but we knew we had a tomato we needed to use up, so we started there.

Thomas' mom grows basil so we picked up some from her house and thus, dinner tonight was born. To be honest, we didn't measure anything and just kind of through it together, but here is a similar recipe to what we made tonight. Here's the breakdown:

Ingredients:

Pasta of your choice (we used whole wheat)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (we used 2 whole tomatoes, diced)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
About 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved (we didn't use this but it sounds delish)

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; place pasta in a large bowl.
While pasta cooks, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Add tomatoes and salt; cover and cook 4 minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in basil and pepper.
Add tomato mixture to pasta; toss well to combine.
Top with cheese (optional)

It took 15 minutes to make and filled us up for the whole night. Something about fresh ingredients, French music, a glass of wine, and summer nights after it just rained makes us nostalgic for a place we've never been before. Maybe Italy. Do you know what we mean? At the same time, it makes us appreciate being home and gives us that comforting feeling of being completely content in the moment.

We hope you've had a good weekend. Here's to starting the new week off right!