Rigatoni with Chicken and Pesto

In all fairness I could have written and posted tonight's menu by now.  We ate at 5:30ish so my excuse for the tardiness of my writing needs to be cast iron.  Fortunately I think I have a good reason.  Since Z weaned R onto solids he has been having his tea (supper) between 5 and 6 o'clock.  To my mind this is just too early so we have been eating after he is tucked up in bed.  So why change now?

Well, we're a traditional/old fashioned sort of family really.  We didn't actually discuss getting engaged.  I spoke to Z's parents, chose a ring and proposed on bended knee in Parc Guell, Barcelona.  Happily she said yes.  We got married a few years later in Z's church in Windsor and had a nice 80 person 3 course meal followed by an indie-disco.

A few years passed again and 16 months ago we were shocked by the arrival, two months early, of our son.  Things have been all topsy turvy ever since.  I'm not complaining, I have no right to.  R is a cracking little boy, he doesn't cry much, sleeps through the night and eats almost everything we put in front of him.  He can be a bit stress inducing at times, the few moments before meal and nap times mostly.  He has also knocked our routines, but we have got used to not eating until 9pm.

To continue our traditional/old fashioned path through life we have decided to get him Christened.  We both were* and it hasn't done us any harm.  To night we had the local Vicar coming around to discuss the formalities after R went to bed, so we all ate together.  I want family meals to be a daily occurrence, eventually, but closer to 6 or 7 would be better.  That wouldn't have fitted R's current timetable.

Fortunately, pasta dishes can be really quick to prepare, even quicker if you're using fresh pasta.  While I kept R entertained (or vice versa) Z fried chicken, garlic, mushrooms and tomatoes.  Pesto and cream cheese were added and tea was ready.  We got extra parmesan, R got yoghurt for dessert.

*although I now put Jedi on census returns