Creating the perfect romantic dinner is actually pretty easy. All you need to do is realized that you need to is keep in mind that there needs to be a certain ritual to it and you're doing fine. Most bachelors over-think it and that's where they tend to get screwed; they want to present this over-complicated meal when all they need to do remember that elegance and simplicity are linked. Just go into with a game plan, and you should be fine.
Remember that you can take advantage of prepared foods as long as you make it look home-made. It means that you need to put at least a modicum of effort into the prep; if you don't want to go all out you don't need to, but you do need to put some effort into it. At the same time, you need to keep in mind that this does need to be a little more stand out than the average meal. With that in mind, there's an easy way to fix a three-course dinner that will impress your date. All you need to do is relax and think ahead a little.
You're going to want to go cold-hot-cold. A warm first course, such as a soup, is more likely to put the person to sleep earlier than you would like. They also tend to heavy in carbs and anything else that the other person is trying to avoid. You also want to end on a cold note as it's an excuse to get warmer, such as through snuggling. This means that a good salad is usually the best way to start, followed by a good meal, and some sort of frozen dessert. Keep in mind that it helps to keep in mind any food allergies or other problems; ignore anything about cheese if she is lactose intolerant or nuts if she has nut allergies. You don't want the date to end in an emergency call or a trip to the emergency room.
[A serving note: You want a little drama here in order to show that you actually were cooking. If she actually sees you cooking, it actually helps to seal the deal: It shows that you do have some kind of cooking skills, and that you aren't trying to poison her. If she offers to help, say "no" the first two times, and let her do the salad, possibly the starch and vegetables, but only if they are to be nuked. If she does the protein, the spell will be broken and that's a disaster for your purposes; after all, you're trying to impress her with your cooking skills.
As far as order goes, finish cooking the main course and then put it aside. Mix the salad and dressing, and serve that. When the salad is eaten, take away the plates and serve the main course; it should still be warm and the it gives the meat a chance to rest. Once the main course is over take away the plates, do something else for about thirty to sixty minutes, and then serve up the dessert. The break between second and third courses actually allows the appetite to come back so that neither of you feels over-stuffed.]
For your purposes, start with a Caesar salad mix. The Romaine lettuce, croutons, and Parmesan cheese is a great base. Instead of the normal salad dressing, mix up a basic oil and vinegar dressing using balsamic vinegar and olive oil as the base, with a lot of pepper and Italian seasoning. Or, for those that need a recipe:
Salad:
2 cups Chopped Romaine
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Croutons
1/2 cup of any three of the following: diced tomatoes, dried cranberries, chopped sweet peppers, sliced olives, crushed walnuts, sliced almonds, bacon bits, quarter slices of cucumber, sliced or shredded carrots, or bean sprouts
Dressing:
1 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
Mix the salad and dressing ingredients separately, only combining them right before dinner. Make sure you keep it refrigerated until you serve it. Serve with the first of two glasses of red wine; the other should be poured right after you serve her dinner but before you sit down, but you can get away with pouring the first glass after you have sat down. Make sure that it has been allowed to breath for about thirty minutes before putting the salad together.
For the main course, you're going to want protein, starch, and veggies. The starch is probably the simplest part: Rice is always a good idea, as are roasted potatoes. Any packaged rice mix is fine, especially one that you can nuke. Roasted potatoes are simply diced potatoes, well seasoned, possibly with chopped or sliced onions, all of this cooked until the potatoes are golden brown and the onions caramelized. For vegetables, keep it simple; a stir-fry mix works, as well as asparagus, broccoli with cheese, or any decent vegetable combination. As with the rice, feel free to use something you can throw into the microwave.
The protein is going to be the fun part. Your three best bets are going to be a boneless chicken breast, fish, or a portabello mushroom. The latter can be quickly seared: The fish should be seared as is, possibly with a little lemon and pepper. The mushroom can be seared with some butter and garlic salt, and then served as is. The chicken you can have a little fun with; the simplest way is to cook it thoroughly in oil with a little garlic salt and pepper on top. Put it all together and serve.
Dessert is where you can cheat with no problem. Keep it simple, and keep it cold: Chocolate-dipped strawberries are always a good bet, while ice cream is a close second. You can get away with a warm pie, but only if it's underneath a scoop of ice cream. Pudding, sugar-free or otherwise, also works, as well as mixed fruit. Again, a cold dessert not only keeps her awake after the hot dinner, but also gives you the possibility for snuggling. Keep to this meal plan, and you may even impress your date; there is nothing wrong with that.
Remember that you can take advantage of prepared foods as long as you make it look home-made. It means that you need to put at least a modicum of effort into the prep; if you don't want to go all out you don't need to, but you do need to put some effort into it. At the same time, you need to keep in mind that this does need to be a little more stand out than the average meal. With that in mind, there's an easy way to fix a three-course dinner that will impress your date. All you need to do is relax and think ahead a little.
You're going to want to go cold-hot-cold. A warm first course, such as a soup, is more likely to put the person to sleep earlier than you would like. They also tend to heavy in carbs and anything else that the other person is trying to avoid. You also want to end on a cold note as it's an excuse to get warmer, such as through snuggling. This means that a good salad is usually the best way to start, followed by a good meal, and some sort of frozen dessert. Keep in mind that it helps to keep in mind any food allergies or other problems; ignore anything about cheese if she is lactose intolerant or nuts if she has nut allergies. You don't want the date to end in an emergency call or a trip to the emergency room.
[A serving note: You want a little drama here in order to show that you actually were cooking. If she actually sees you cooking, it actually helps to seal the deal: It shows that you do have some kind of cooking skills, and that you aren't trying to poison her. If she offers to help, say "no" the first two times, and let her do the salad, possibly the starch and vegetables, but only if they are to be nuked. If she does the protein, the spell will be broken and that's a disaster for your purposes; after all, you're trying to impress her with your cooking skills.
As far as order goes, finish cooking the main course and then put it aside. Mix the salad and dressing, and serve that. When the salad is eaten, take away the plates and serve the main course; it should still be warm and the it gives the meat a chance to rest. Once the main course is over take away the plates, do something else for about thirty to sixty minutes, and then serve up the dessert. The break between second and third courses actually allows the appetite to come back so that neither of you feels over-stuffed.]
For your purposes, start with a Caesar salad mix. The Romaine lettuce, croutons, and Parmesan cheese is a great base. Instead of the normal salad dressing, mix up a basic oil and vinegar dressing using balsamic vinegar and olive oil as the base, with a lot of pepper and Italian seasoning. Or, for those that need a recipe:
Salad:
2 cups Chopped Romaine
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Croutons
1/2 cup of any three of the following: diced tomatoes, dried cranberries, chopped sweet peppers, sliced olives, crushed walnuts, sliced almonds, bacon bits, quarter slices of cucumber, sliced or shredded carrots, or bean sprouts
Dressing:
1 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
Mix the salad and dressing ingredients separately, only combining them right before dinner. Make sure you keep it refrigerated until you serve it. Serve with the first of two glasses of red wine; the other should be poured right after you serve her dinner but before you sit down, but you can get away with pouring the first glass after you have sat down. Make sure that it has been allowed to breath for about thirty minutes before putting the salad together.
For the main course, you're going to want protein, starch, and veggies. The starch is probably the simplest part: Rice is always a good idea, as are roasted potatoes. Any packaged rice mix is fine, especially one that you can nuke. Roasted potatoes are simply diced potatoes, well seasoned, possibly with chopped or sliced onions, all of this cooked until the potatoes are golden brown and the onions caramelized. For vegetables, keep it simple; a stir-fry mix works, as well as asparagus, broccoli with cheese, or any decent vegetable combination. As with the rice, feel free to use something you can throw into the microwave.
The protein is going to be the fun part. Your three best bets are going to be a boneless chicken breast, fish, or a portabello mushroom. The latter can be quickly seared: The fish should be seared as is, possibly with a little lemon and pepper. The mushroom can be seared with some butter and garlic salt, and then served as is. The chicken you can have a little fun with; the simplest way is to cook it thoroughly in oil with a little garlic salt and pepper on top. Put it all together and serve.
Dessert is where you can cheat with no problem. Keep it simple, and keep it cold: Chocolate-dipped strawberries are always a good bet, while ice cream is a close second. You can get away with a warm pie, but only if it's underneath a scoop of ice cream. Pudding, sugar-free or otherwise, also works, as well as mixed fruit. Again, a cold dessert not only keeps her awake after the hot dinner, but also gives you the possibility for snuggling. Keep to this meal plan, and you may even impress your date; there is nothing wrong with that.
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