Want to make a nice romantic dinner for the misses (V-day)

I was gonna post this on Hands on Kitchen, but the site looks dead, and since a bunch of people posting there were from here, ill just post here.

So I figured for Valentines day this year, instead of spending an assload of money on a night out at a fancy resturant, etc (already spent close to 2k on a trip to DR in march). I want to cook something nice. Im not great at cooking, but if i have a recipe laid out, i can follow it no problem. really the most "romantic" thing i can think of is something like chicken parmesan, and while thats a good dish, im not sure if thats the best bet.

Im open to something that might take a while to cook. the more effort it looks like i put into it, the better it looks for me anyway lol.

so what are your suggestions? whats romantic? feel free to add wine/drink suggestions to go nicely with the meal.

 

Not sure if the meal itself it was makes it romantic, but more the presentation.

 

I'm making scratch mac and cheese with the likes of panko, proscuito and gruyere.


Going to make a nice lemongrass ginger beef kabob for appetizer, and molten chocoloate lava cakes for dessert.



Drinking some Arrogant Bastard Ale and some 14Hands for the misses. Probably rent a nice romantic comedy.

 

what kind of food does she like? what do you have experience cooking?

 

The key to a good meal on a holiday like this (or anniversary,etc)
is to

a) don't put her to sleep (ie, carb overload, tryptophan, etc)
b) don't make her gassey/bloated (lay easy on cheese, butter, broccoli, etc)
c) mind the breath (onions, garlic, etc)
d) don't give her a headache (most wine, especially if she's not a wine drinker, lots of salt that will dehydrate her)

cuz if you do, you won't get laid after if she thinks her breath stinks, or shes too tired, or if she feels like crap and not want to blow ass in front of you, hold it in, and get cranky, and go to bed.


You know her best. You know what she likes. You know what tears her up. You know if she can drink or not.


Some safe (and easy) bets:

chicken:
- lemon-pepper
- Montreal
- marsala (depends if she likes mushrooms, or if these make her gassey, so could be a no-no)

if you guys like fish, you could do some
lemon-pepper Salmon/tuna steak/swordfish
but these are harder to cook RIGHT....

If she's not a member of Peta,
Veal with a blueberry/red wine reduction is banging. it's almost like blueberry syrup.

You can get a tenderloin of pork. Most supermarkets have these pre-seasoned ready to broil up in the specialty meat section.

Then, there's always the 'roast' options like pot roast, corned beef, etc...


pair any of that up with some roasted red bliss potatoes with some rosemary, and some shoestring or other mixed veggies and you're golden.

Make an easy tossed salad for an app, and get a pie or something else light from the market for desert. even fruit/ strawberries, whipped cream, and other things can't hurt

 

Pick up a bucket of chicken. Get naked in the car.

 

women love to watch and be entertained. get her a chair in the kitchen and cook for her. let her watch, give her little bites and samples. dress up a little bit. make it a treat. have some flowers there.

Food:

Salad-Something easy to start. You can whip up a cranberry, walnut, and apple salad in about 4 minutes and it will taste amazing.

Chicken is probably best. I would suggest a roast chicken, maybe a light rub on the outside. you could even pan sear something.

Sides: something light. usually a rissoto works well. kind of tough to make. do some light right if it's too hard. timing is the key. pureed mashed or sweet potatoes. onions, mushrooms, and sauce would be good.

Dessert: something light with fruit. usually a tart. works well. cheesecake is good, but not to make from scratch. this is where knowing her helps. get something she will like.

Drink: women love martinis. they are easy to make, light, and you can regulate the alcohol. find a drink you think she will like. usually a pomegranite works awesome. but don't get her wasted.

remember, it's all about ambiance. good music, flowers, and candles do more than buying shit and having a fancy dinner. make her feel good and she'll make you feel good.

 

lmao E, i also like how that doubles as a meal.

drinks. shes a beer/wine girl, i rarely see her drink any kind of mixed drink, never a martini. im thinking a good red/white wine will do. she really likes wine.

foods, like me, she likes pretty much anything, really only objects to things that are spicy (which i love lol). she likes chicken/steak/pasta, pretty much anything. just looking for some good ideas. and trust me, she would get bored watching me cook. shes the kind of person that woud rather come home and have it done, or as a surprise (which is what i want to do). if i sat her down in the kitchen she'd walk away and say tell me when its done lol.

just looking for ideas. its one thing to say make X,Y, or Z, but i need a recipe lol. salad/desert i can figure something out, thats easy. looking for ideas on the main entree.

 

lmfao..... just give her a cock sammich!!!

 

Pan Seared Sea Scallops, Asparagus cooked in white wine, garlic and butter reduction sauce, and just a nice baked potato with your favorite toppings and a nice bottle of Ruffino Chianti Reserve

 

How do you reduce butter?

I was going to say tubesteak but E kinda beat me to it.

Did you ever ask her what she wanted?

 

and searing scallops is VERY easy to fuck up, and you end up with rubber balls. Not something for the novice cook to try to impress someone with.

 

Make sure scallops are dry if not they wont get a nice sear, and if in doubt, under cook them not over cook.

You can eat raw scallops.....

 

The cock in the box is great.

How long have you been with the misses?

 

You can actually cook asparagus in a REALLY simple way that makes an awesome side dish, using the grill.

Lightly cover the asparagus in olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Cook on the grill on medium/low heat for 4 - 6 minutes. Then take it off of the grill and sprinkle sliced almonds on top.

The asparagus should be crispy but tender, and the almonds add a little to the flavor. VERY easy to do, and it makes a great side dish or snack in just a few minutes.

 

www.allrecipes.com

 

just to update.

i ended up making this: Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon with Port Wine Sauce Recipe - Allrecipes.com
and this : Ghirardelli Chocolate Cheescake Valentine Hearts Recipe - Allrecipes.com

i set the table nice, and had a half dozen red roses/arrangement as a center piece.

i dont stock most of the ingredients in my normal food collection, so i had to buy a bunch of it. but well worth it. the fillet mignon steaks cooked perfect, and the port wine sauce and blue cheese really set it off well. Baby red potatoes with olive oil and seasoning (baked) for a side and caesar salad for an appetizer. i planned to have some asparagus as well, but kind of ran short on time.

the cheesecake was kind of a pain to make, and i didnt do it perfect, but still came out delicious.

between the couple bottles of wine i bought to drink, and the ingredients i spent maybe 100 bucks. and i have plenty left to make 2 or 3 more servings of this stuff (minus the meat). so not bad IMO. def cheaper than going out to a high end fancy place like i was originally planning.

the woman was blown away that i made everything from scratch. and it def payed off for me later thanks guys.

 

This is like... Epic advice lmao.

I like the getting naked in the car part, but where did you come up with the chicken? Lmao

This would have had me laughing so hard I wouldn't have been able to even do anything about what was in the box. Hahahaha


I think it's so nice that you cooked for her! Sometimes that can be a million times better than an expensive dinner at a restaurant, even if you do screw up the food. If the food gets burnt, or doesn't turn out right, you can just move on to doin it, and then go hit up waffle house or something for a late night dinner- then when you get home, you can have... um... dessert.

Hubby bought me a new Ipod Nano a couple of weeks ago, and we went to Sonic and got breakfast on the way to work yesterday morning lmao. Having 2 kids and no sitter ftw! Ha

 

i made this for dinner - minus the whole rolling up the chicken thing.

Chicken Saltimbocca from Mike's Table

and then chocolate moose pie for dessert.