What To Make For A Romantic Dinner Date
A dinner date is all about love. When you’re in a new relationship, you may want to spend an evening at the swankiest restaurant in town just to make every moment special. It isn’t just about fancy restaurants or showing off to each other. It’s about enjoying each other’s company and basking in the warm glow of love on a pleasant night. If you don’t have your own recipes, follow a cookbook and prepare something your date will enjoy. This is a simple and easy date, and depending on your culinary skills, you can make a memorable impression too. I’ll share with you some important things with u to make your dinner date perfect.
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Romantic Dinner Date |
Create the Right Ambiance
• Our only advice here is not to overdo your decor, rest assured your efforts that night would be noticed.
• For a more relaxed and inviting atmosphere, dim your lights, use candles or light up the fireplace. This should make your date feel at ease.
• Play music you know and enjoy, because the music itself can be a handy conversation topic if you ever stumble upon an awkward moment of silence.
• Take the extra effort to find appropriate tableware, a nice new tablecloth and having the right wine glasses.
• keep things clean and tidy! Finally, turn off your computer and leave your mobile phone on silent mode. The focus is on your date tonight.
Focus on a Simple Menu
• If you seldom cook, make sure you test the recipes a few times beforehand, not on the day itself!
• Serve a 3 course menu
• Putting some thought on food presentation takes your cooking to the next level.
• Think about colours, shapes and textures too.
• Choose food that are not messy to eat.
• Drinks - get a nice bottle of wine that matches your main course. If your date doesn't drink, consider pairing your food with juices.
• End with a great dessert, always. Especially your date's favourite.
Be the Perfect Host
• Always serve your date first, including drinks.
Have Backup Plans
• Get a few good DVDs of movies that you both may want to watch. It may come handy if you guys need an excuse to spend more time together.
Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding
Ingredients
• 1 3/4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed Hawaiian sweet bread
• 2/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tablespoon Kahlúa (coffee-flavored liqueur)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
Preparation
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes or until toasted. Remove bread from oven; decrease oven temperature to 325°.
• Combine milk and next 5 ingredients (milk through egg) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add bread, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
• Divide half of bread mixture evenly between 2 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with half of chocolate. Divide remaining bread mixture between ramekins; top with remaining chocolate.
• Place ramekins in an 8-inch square baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 325° for 35 minutes or until set. Serve each pudding tablespoon whipped topping.
Chicken Cakes with Creole Sauce
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/2 medium-size red bell pepper, diced
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 cup soft breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
• 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Creole Sauce
• Garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Preparation
• Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Add bell pepper, onions, and garlic, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Stir together bell pepper mixture, chicken, and next 5 ingredients in a bowl. Shape chicken mixture into 8 (3 1/2-inch) patties.
• Fry 4 patties in 2 tablespoons hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
• Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and patties. Serve immediately with Creole Sauce. Garnish, if desired.
Artichokes with Roasted-Pepper Dip
Ingredients
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 artichokes (1 pound)
• 12 cups water
• 3 lemon slices
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried fines herbes
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon capers
Preparation
• Preheat broiler.
• Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, discarding seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil for 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 20 minutes. Peel and set aside.
• Cut off artichoke stems, and remove bottom leaves. Trim about 1 inch from tops of artichokes. Bring water, lemon slices, and bay leaf to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add artichokes; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until a leaf near the center of each artichoke pulls out easily. Drain well; discard lemon and bay leaf. Set aside.
• Combine bell peppers, oil, mustard, and vinegar in a blender; process until smooth. Combine bell pepper mixture, fines herbes, and black pepper. Spoon 2/3 cup into a serving bowl; sprinkle with feta and capers. Serve with artichokes. Cover and chill remaining dip.
Pizza for night date
ingredients
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella (or cheese of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon Fennel
• 2 teaspoons Oregano
• 4 teaspoons Parsley
• Toppings of your choice. (I went with some organic pizza sauce, more mozzarella, pepperoni, hot Italian sausage, and topped it with a generous sprinkling of fennel, oregano, parsley, basil, and thyme.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450.
In a bowl, mix together your cooked, riced cauliflower, eggs, and mozzarella.Spread dough mixture onto a baking sheet or pizza pan. Make it as thick or thin as you’d like.
Sprinkle with the herbs.
Cook in oven for 15-20 minutes, until desired doneness is reached. Some edge-burning is normal.
Remove from the oven, turn the oven off, and cover with your favorite pizza toppings. I recommend to cover the entire crust with your toppings for ultimate deliciousness. Any plain crust around the edges just ends up tasting like cauliflower, but, with the sauce and stuff on top, it all just tastes like regular pizza. It’s like magic!
Turn your broiler on High.
Place your pizza with toppings on the top rack near the broiler. Watch it until the cheese melts and bubbles and until the toppings look the way you’d like. I broiled ours for almost 10 minutes because I like really crispy pepperoni and sausage.
Remove from oven. Dough will typically be drier around the edges and softer in the center of the pizza. I used a spatula to serve it up, and we ate it with a knife and fork – it was too soft for pick up.