I don't like to dine by candle light for it calls to my mind the countless hours of power failures in the suburban Bengal of my childhood together with the disquieting apprehension of finding something on my plate that's not supposed to be there in the first place (I was lucky, after all, to have discovered the sogged remains of a grasshopper once, right in the gravy)! That ''it' can practically be anything makes things even worse. I know it's (by and large) an irrational fear but as far as candles on the dining table are concerned (cute, elsewhere!), I don't mind doing away with the cuties.

Okay. I don't mean to talk candles, of course but what was on today's 'table for two'.

This was supposed to be my treat, celebrating a small (but important) success

I'd shopped insightfully before our anniversary and I thanked myself (many times) for braving the long queue at the supermarket last week.

Consequently, the kitchen was well stocked and I did (once again) have the luxury to skip going to the market altogether in the morning. Oh, how I love that!

The menu, however, was without much frill: Chicken Pasta Salad with Apricots, Steamed Baby Carrots glazed with honey, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes and Chicken Kiev. The salad looked great but took zero effort (well, almost!). Ditto for the baby carrots (just steamed and glazed with honey).

The Chicken Kiev, I admit, did cause some anxiety to begin with – with all the butter leaking out (too bad!). I'd forgotten all about the flavored butter and hurriedly made some in the morning, just after breakfast. So, a word of caution here: rest your Kievs long enough in the fridge after stuffing them with the butter and before cooking them.

Here's a fantastic article on the Chicken Kiev. Go read. And, drool!

For the salad, I used strips of green and red bell-peppers, chunks of red onion, boiled and shredded chicken, boiled (al dente) fusilli and apricots, finishing with a good drizzle of honey (dissolved in a little warm water and lemon juice), chopped parsley and a dash of freshly-ground peppercorns.

& Voila!

If there's anything like a 'potato person,' I am one, for sure! I mashed my lovely russet potatoes with lightly-roasted garlic, chopped parsley and a little melted butter. Next, I arranged the stuff on a baking dish topping it with shredded mozzarella and freshly-ground peppercorn. I baked it (covered with a foil) at 180 degree Celsius/ 350 degree Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

That's it.

And then, there was the dessert! Yesss!!

I've always been a fan of chessecakes (here's my earlier post on cheesecakes) and a few slices from the strawberry gâteaux I made sometime back was sitting pretty in the fridge. So…

Here's a photo taken before the assault. This one's also the 'Photo of the Day' on Foodsee's Facebook Page:

Bon Appétit!