you know that i love my kids.
and my husband.
more than anything...
but sometimes a mama needs a girls' night out!
my running buddies and i hit the town for a movie and dinner.
we were so excited to be out and off the clock.
for dinner we chose Olive Garden.
we drove to this brand new one, looked around, and there were only a few cars.
we found out they opened the NEXT DAY.
we got a great laugh out of our luck.
we drove to the next one, and it was time to relax, unwind and catch up with each other.
it was one mama's birthday.
CHEERS!
when eating at Olive Garden, i look forward to the salad.
and the hot breadsticks...YUM.
the flavors are the same as they always have been.
i love that.
we ordered appetizers.
this was the first time i have had the Caprese Flatbread. it was so good!
Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil on a flatbread crust.
it could be a meal on its own.
you can never go wrong with lasagna.
it's always good.
always.
it makes me feel like i am enjoying a home cooked meal.
one friend ordered Capellini Pomodoro.
Roma tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, extra-virgin olive oil and marinara sauce tossed with capellini.
i was debating on ordering it myself.
it is one of my favorite meals.
our waitress was very helpful and highly recommended the Stuffed Chicken Marsala.
doesn't it look tasty?
it was chicken breast stuffed with cheeses and sun-dried tomatoes with mushrooms and a creamy marsala sauce on top. it was served with mashed potatoes.
i ordered the Five Cheese Baked Ziti.
it was perfect.
i love that Olive Garden has big portions.
i was able to bring home half my meal and enjoy leftovers the next day!
that is a real treat when getting to go out.
or i get to share with my husband when i get home as a "thank you" for giving me some time away.
we decided to try several desserts...just to be safe.
you can tell which was the table favorite.
we ordered a Toasted Marshmallow Martini.
wow.
i think i found my new special going out drink.
seriously delicious.
we passed it around till it was gone to the last drop.
a clean plate is the sign of a good dinner.
spending time laughing and talking with my friends is necessary for me to be a better mom and wife.
everyone needs some down time.
i love sharing it with these friends.
when you get away from the chaos of everyday life to reconnect with people, you are blessed.
and having a fabulous meal while enjoying all that is even better.
Olive Garden is offering a new dinner special.
a 3 Course Italian Dinner for $12.95...the 1st course is soup or salad...the 2nd course is one of five new entrees, and the 3rd course is one of five Dolcini desserts. check out all of the options at Olivegarden.com/specials.
would YOU like to spend time with special people at Olive Garden?
to be entered to win a $100 gift card to Olive Garden from BlogHer just leave a comment telling me who you'd love to take to dinner.
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available
here.
This sweepstakes runs from 1/23/12 - 3/18/12.