Weekdays are hectic, but it’s such a shame to come home late from work 5 days out of 7 only to get takeout and fall asleep in front of the TV. Here is a quick and easy homemade dinner and drinks idea, perfect for a weekday date night. We made Burro Buck cocktails from our Shaker & Spoon subscription box and a super simple mac & cheese.

First off, who doesn’t like mac & cheese? I used to love making the kind right out of the box with the orange cheese powder when I was a kid. It was one of the first things I ever learned how to cook. This recipe is the same concept. You basically boil water, cook the pasta, and then add cheese. I usually make this with leftover packets of shredded cheese and random portions of dry pasta that went unused from other recipes. When I make this for Colin, I use yogurt cheese from Trader Joe’s since he can’t have regular dairy.

Here’s what you need for this super easy mac & cheese:

• 2 cups of dry elbow macaroni (orecchiette works well too).
• 2-4 or more cups of shredded cheese (more or less depending on how cheesy you like it).
• Pinch of salt.
• You can also make a single serving of this recipe with 1 cup of pasta, about 1-2 cups of cheese, in a small saucepan.

Here’s how you cook the mac & cheese:

• Add water to a medium size pot.
• When the water comes to a boil, add in your macaroni and the salt.
• Boil for about 12 minutes or until the noodles are tender.
• Once the noodles are cooked, reserve half a cup of the pasta water and then strain the rest (you’re not even going to use the full half cup but I’d rather you have a little extra in case you need it).
• Add your pasta back into the pot while it’s still hot and steamy. Add in the tiniest bit of pasta water just enough to moisten up the noodles again.
• Immediately add in your cheese and stir it in with a wooden spoon.
• Cover the pot with the lid for a few minutes to allow the cheese to fully melt.

Mmmm… that’s it! Get ready for gooey, stretchy, cheesy goodness. Now on to the drinks!

I love using the Shaker & Spoon cocktail subscription box for a weekday date night – I’m not a huge fan of going to a crowded bar or restaurant when I have work the next day. So it’s nice I get 3 recipes to choose from and I can make up to 4 drinks per cocktail recipe. The Burro Buck was from the Agave Blanco box. It’s a tequila cocktail made with ginger beer, Mexican spice syrup and lime – so you know it’s got quite a kick. I automatically like any drink with ginger beer. And this house-made Mexican spice syrup by Shaker & Spoon is one of a kind… smoky and savory, it adds such flavor to the drink especially when combined with the zing of that ginger and lime. 

Here’s what you need:

• 1/2 lime
• 1/4 oz Mexican spice syrup
• 1 oz ginger beer
• 2 oz tequila (the only thing not provided to you if you have the Shaker & Spoon box)

The Burro Buck is a cocktail that gets muddled and shaken.

Here’s how you mix the drink:

• Slice 3 thin wheels off the 1/2 lime and set aside for garnish.
• Cut what’s left of the lime in half and add these wedges, along with the Mexican spice syrup to a shaker.
• Use a muddler to firmly press the lime pieces into the bottom 2-3 times.
• Add the tequila and fill the shaker with ice cubes. Shake vigorously for 6 seconds.
• Fill a double rocks glass (a short wider glass) with fresh cubed ice and slide the 3 lime wheels down around the ice against the sides of the glass to garnish.
• Add the ginger beer to the shaker, then strain the contents of the shaker into the glass.

And that’s it! A quick little low-maintenance weekday date night at home. Sometimes my cousin Kat comes over after a long day of classes at FIDM and does some homework or takes a nap at my place. I’ve made her this mac & cheese before and she loved the idea of being able make it for her boyfriend too. I gave her my Shaker & Spoon box so she could mix the rest of the Burro Buck cocktails and have a weekday date night of her own.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! Agency Addicts readers get 15% off Shaker & Spoon boxes so don’t forget to use our special code for your next box: AGENCY15.

XO!