Showing off your culinary skills is an excellent way to get your guy or girl to swoon over you. When you are comfortable enough to ask your date to dinner at your place, you want to be able to lay a nice table and present a terrific dish. Great food doesn’t have to be complicated, however, so even if your cooking abilities aren’t extensive, you can still impress with some simple but delicious dishes.
The Half-and-Half Dinner
This dinner is for those with little time to spend in the kitchen or for those who do not yet trust themselves to pull off a problem-free entrée. With the half-and-half approach, the trick is to order some excellent takeout and then supplement the takeout with either homemade or store-bought sides that are easy to put your special touch on. Choose sides that are hard to ruin and quick to put together, and pick a nice wine, beer, soda, coffee, or other drink that pulls it all together. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Order: an aged steak. Make: green salad and two baked potatoes (don’t forget toppings such as dressing for the salad, and butter and sour cream for the potatoes)
Order: a delectable pasta dish such as lasagna, butternut ravioli with sage butter, your favorite to-die-for noodles and sauce, or something equally as mouth-watering. Make: a green salad and garlic sticks from refrigerated dough
Order: a Chinese entrée. Make: boiled rice, buy fortune cookies
Do It Yourself Dinner
There are lots of good ideas on the Internet if you search for meals you can make to impress your date. You’ll need at least some basic cooking skills, the right tools, and knowledge of a few cooking terms, but those things are not difficult to learn or buy. If you’re already an excellent cook, you’re good to go. For everyone else, here are some ideas to get you started:
Packaged ravioli or other fresh, refrigerated pasta with a homemade sauce, garlic toast, and green salad
Marinated grilled chicken breast, steamed carrots (or another vegetable), and macaroni salad
Make or buy pizza dough and pizza sauce and buy the toppings for make-your-own pizzas
Buy really good bread and cheese, some sliced meat, and other toppings for gourmet grilled sandwiches, such as basil leaves, onion, apple rings, etc.
Most women and men find it sexy to have a date cook for them. Now that you’ve got some ideas, you can get started planning the menu for your romantic dinner at home. Meanwhile, check out Mingle2’s Home page to build a free profile and start meeting exciting singles in your area or around the country.
