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 FEATURE STORY |
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Spice Up Your Lovelife in the Kitchen!
Check out our great Date.com Cooking Contest entries!
I was trying to really impress this guy I had only dated twice and invited him over for dinner. I remember the old saying*the way to a man's heart is through his stomach*. So when he arrived I had nothing but candles lighting up my apt. and his favorite beer chilled in the refrigerator I was wearing only my apron and had two delicious steaks on the barbecue with baked potatoes and a nice salad to go with. We never made it to the dinner part but the rest was GREAT. He ended up as my honey and hubby for 23 years. I think it was the apron that got him*wink*. - Audrey
I met a really hot woman who I immediately fell for and wanted to impress immediately. Since I am an accomplished chef, I invited her to my home on a Friday evening for dinner. I am definitely a planner, and any change to a well-thought out schedule is usually not welcomed.
I got my hair cut, and was in the wine section of Trader Joe's when my phone rang at 5pm. It was my date who wanted to know if I was home. I told her that I was picking up wine and that I was going to home and begin to cook for our 8 o'clock date. She mentioned that she was on my side of town, and would rather come by my house early than drive back to Hollywood and then back to the Westside and hour later.
I asked her to give me 45 minutes to get things started and clean up a bit. In reality, the 3 hours left were planned to the minute. I raced home and spent the first 30 minutes throwing everything I own into closets. Visually, the place was acceptable to receive guests. I then hit the kitchen and began to make dinner. I had to get my chocolate cake in the oven and the sweet potatoes on the stove. This alone was a hysterical feat. I popped a bottle of Moet Champaign and poured myself a glass to relax. She was already 10 minutes late from our newly agreed-upon time.
I live in an old apartment. The kitchen was heating up from the oven and the boiling water. I was drinking the Champaign like water. I was sweating and I was a mess. She was now 45 minutes later than we had agreed. I continued to take the appearance of my apartment to the next level, on guard of her any-minute arrival. I decided to jump in the shower. I took a cold shower to cool off and was dressed in 5 minutes, feeling completely manic and rushed about everything. The cake was done and the potatoes were cooked and she had still not arrived.
At 8:30 she knocks on the door. I'm pretty smashed from the Champaign, and I'm not feeling great about the way I looked after feeling rushed for three hours. I offered her a glass of Champaign. SHE TELLS ME SHE DOESN'T DRINK, AND I'M SMASHED. She proceeds to let me know that she decided to arrive at the agreed upon time to give me the "EXTRA" time I needed to prepare. She decided this--"WITHOUT TELLING ME!" I would have been able to complete all tasks without stress if we had kept to the original plan.
Needless to say, despite my scattered nature, I served an actually pretty tasty meal. When she left I got a kiss on the cheek. 5 days later I got an email letting me know that she really liked me, but SHE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST IF WE PURSUED SOMETHING ON A FRIENDSHIP LEVEL.
Moral of the story: NEVER cook for someone to impress on the FIRST date. It's best to meet a restaurant - clean, relaxed and confident. Save your cooking skills and energy for someone who earns your energy and culinary gift.
-Brian
I was preparing dinner for a special someone and I was absolutely nervous, though I know how to cook and I think that my food taste good, I am sure that not everyone will agree. LOL. So I am making Homemade Enchiladas with Spanish Rice and fresh Bean from the pot.
So it's about 20 minutes till 8pm and that is when he is supposed to come over. Everything was going well, but I decided to use my moms favorite pan that I had never used to cook my rice. That was a bad decision, I ended up burning the bottom of the rice without knowing it and when it came time to serve him rice I was hit with a big surprise. I took a big scoop (while he was watching) and plopped it on his plate, all you saw was burnt black rice, and my tomato red face!!!! He was sweet enough to laugh with me about it and sit to eat, but that was the last time he accepted a home made dinner from me!
Okay, that is my story!
-lovelyqueen
I was dating a nice woman a few years back and invited her over for dinner. We had been dating about a month or so. I made baked mostaccoli with cheese and put some on her plate. She went to the bathroom before eating and when she got back there was nothing on her plate. Well, it wasn't me, I was busy cleaning up the kitchen and opening a bottle of wine ... So it was either my 3 yr. old 50 pound German shepherd dog or my 10 month old 85 pound white shepherd puppy. Boy, it was easy to figure out. Puppy was looking quite guilty and lickin' his chops to no end. Amazing that spaghetti sauce can cling to a dog's cheek just like a human's. How could I be mad...? He was so cute with those puppy eyes. My date, on the other hand, was mad that I would allow my dog to do that. I ended up deciding that I liked my dog more than her and dropped her quickly thereafter.
- Brad
It was my former girlfriends first mother’s day away from her mother, and things looked like she wasn’t going to make it home to see her mother. Knowing that she really wanted to see her mother, I rented a car and picked her up and told her to call her mother and tell her we would be in San Francisco in 6 hours. We got to San Francisco Saturday afternoon, and picked her mother up, and went down to Pier Ave. for a walk down along the waterfront in San Francisco. That night, I prepared dinner for the two of them. On the menu for the evening was cream of mushroom soup with fresh mushrooms; along with a spinach artichoke dip served on lightly toasted fresh French bread for an appetizer. For the main course, I prepared a bacon wrapped garlic basil chicken toped with a thyme and oregano white wine sauce with sautéed portabella mushrooms. For the side dish, fresh spinach topped lightly with nutmeg. Thin carrot shavings decorated the plate. For desert Breyers French vanilla ice cream flavored with a port wine, and chocolate covered strawberries. The meal was served on a candle lit table, with Dave Brubeck lightly floating through the air. After dinner was completed, the woman retired to the living room with a fresh coup of coffee, while I cleaned the kitchen.
- Bryan
I love having dates that involve cooking, they really make any potential connection very sensual. Using other senses to entice one another.... drinking some light wine and nibbling on the dinner being prepared can make the end result of a meal very satisfying. Especially if the other person is willing to suggest innovative adaptations to the meal to make it even more enjoyable.... Mmmm blind folding the other person and having them sample some concoctions and really make the chemistry sizzle or sear.... Blindfolded I led my date into my kitchen where he could only smell the light burning of the rosemary in hot oil. I gently pushed a glass of red chardonnay against his lips... as he sipped it, I enticed his senses by placing his hands into the bowl, and helping him mix the pasta with the sizzling oil and spices... His smooth hands caressed the pasta as though it was my wet hair lathered with soap....
- Christina
It was Valentines weekend last year and I had told the girl I was dating for 8 months that we were going away to a place in Newport Beach for the weekend. But that’s about all I told her.
We were staying at the new Newport Beach Marriott Timeshares on Newport Coast in a 2 bedroom ‘Villa.?The best part of the accommodations was that it was virtually an apartment with a fully stocked kitchen. So I took half of a day off work to prepare for our weekend. I wend shopping for food at some of our favorite markets down in Newport for fresh meat and fish and I stopped by the flower mart in LA to find some of the freshest roses I could. I went to the Villa early in the afternoon, unbeknownst to her, to take care of the check-in details and set up for our weekend.
After I had made the preparations I went and picked her up and brought her back. I pretended that I had never been there before and acted lost when we arrived at the facility. I told her to wait for a little while as I wandered around. I actually went to our Villa to light candles and arrange the flowers.
So a few minutes later I came down to find her, still seeming to be somewhat confused, but convinced her to walk with me. We walked up to our Villa and when she opened the door there were over 100 candles lit throughout the entire place. There was a card for her at the entry that wished her a happy valentines day and informed her to pick up the rose laying next to it and where to find the next one. Each of the other twelve roses were strategically located throughout the Villa next to cards that explained one of her characteristics that I loved. So for the next 30 or so minutes I let her wander around looking for the cards and roses. The last one was next to a warm bath I had prepared for her. As she bathed and relaxed I made dinner. We had fresh Tilapia, pan fried and lightly breaded, with rice pilaf and Asparagus and Shitake mushrooms. Some of the most fun we had was cooking throughout the weekend. We hardly even left the Villa. I made her breakfast in bed the next morning, and we made lunch together and filets with a port reduction sauce for dinner. Each dinner was candlelit with a white tablecloth and appropriate music.
The cooking is what truly added another dimension to our experience. We enjoyed cooking together in the past and it was much more intimate to cook as we were and not have to leave.
- Colin
While trying to prepare a tantalizing dinner for two, I thought.... SHRIMP is a perfect aphrodisiac to get things going with a little WILD rice and some white wine. To top it off, a little chocolate covered strawberries, the perfect "date meal". Well things heated up before dinner was ready and guess what? The shrimp was in the oven too long and the rice was a little too wild. But all was not lost. To the rooftop with our strawberries and white wine and you can only imagine what happened next.
- Colleen
I have this surefire Valentines Day recipe that is so scrumptious and tasty that I admit, it has to be reserved for someone you truly want to love you. It involves a secret recipe for Alfredo sauce that is high on the charts of taste bud retreat from typical restaurant food, and borders on too heavy to eat and go dancing. You guessed it- this is a recipe made with love, where good loving is the result. Set your egg timers for this... and I begin Always fresh ingredients- that’s a rule. On this particular occasion I am cooking for myself and date, my roommate and his date. (The reputation of this recipe was all it took for my roommate to make the decision to designate me as cook for Valentines)
So off we go- one hour before the girls arrive. I am preparing my special dinner. This involves a creamy Alfredo, bowtie pasta with fresh corn and kielbasa. Sounds a little different, makes a great display actually and presents both subdued flavors as well as savory from the meat, and sweet from the corn. There are definitely better recipes in my Cupid’s quiver, but this is a date, not an engagement.
On this occasion I had prepared to make my Chicken Marsala as the main weight of the meal. (The keilbasa is sliced and dished up in the pasta dish- chicken marsala as the main- sautéed mushrooms of course) now all things being equal this should have gone flawlessly and been hot and ready upon arrival of the women. One problem- the mozzarella in the Alfredo decided it would "chunk-up" instead of break down in the sauce.
Disaster is afoot. The clock is ticking and I have no other option but to call the King Soopers and demand new dates! no new dates? Okay, how about- my special dinner is ruined because your produce is substandard! Aha!!
The women arrive.
Chicken is ready to go into the pan- and pasta water boiling. "OK ladies- we have a planned a little walk before dinner" As we are walking the 5 blocks to the market, my temperament is preparing for the manager of the supermarket- because that’s exactly where we're heading.
Question: do I act angry in front of the dates? because I know it is going to ensure I receive replacement produce.
Or Do I act nice and gentlemanly and risk having the manager deface me in front of our dates and not remedy the situation... What to do?
Option 3: I walk in, I locate the manager. I take him aside and explain the direness of the situation. He looks over his shoulder at our dates- they are still unaware of why we are stopping at the store- perhaps for wine? I ask the manager in a kind but stern tone if he personally was ready to be responsible for the broken hearts and shattered anticipatory hormones of a special Valentines dinner- simply because of a ruined Alfredo- and the fact that because his cheese wont blend, I’ve just ruined $40 worth of groceries- and more importantly, the expectations of 2 women whom expect only the best. (They were as you can envision, extremely sexy and hot, yet not spoiled by their own beauty.) He looks me in the eye and nods. Whispers to me, "What will you need?" I hand him the recipe written on a note card. "And 2 nice bottles of Chardonnay... Its part of the recipe." I say.
The store manager grabs a brown paper bag and escorts the ladies through the store- as a fine gentleman should- and not only fills the bag with twice the necessary ingredients for the recipe, but asks the ladies to pick any wine they choose from their selection- as a favor for Mr. Colette. (That’s me)
We were escorted into the parking lot, bags overflowing and wine in hand. Gratis of course. Free shopping and treated with the most care!
The women were stunned- neither had ever seen someone treated so well at a common market- and suddenly my friend and I are "rarified" We were the Frank Sinatra of one of life’s simplest duties. We had concierge service at the most common of public places.
It was minutes after we returned home that everything was served- wine chilled and dinner began. The plates weren't even cleared before the women were sitting on our laps and showering us with wet kisses and appreciation. I remember the weight and heat of her body and the sweet taste of the chardonnay on her tongue. Of course I really wanted to finish dinner, but here was something a little more pressing if you know what I mean. So I figure, when it comes to my Valentine's Alfredo: All is well that blends well. Hope you enjoyed my dinner story. :-)
- Roxy
My stunting partner from my college cheer squad and I were dating on the side, and for Valentine's Day I made him his favorite food, Thai food. I learned how to make Pium Yium soup and Pad Thai, and spoofed together some interesting sides, all with a lot of help from my roommates, who didn't have dates for the evening. It ended up being a 5-course meal, but he had forgotten to tell me one thing: he's allergic to mushrooms. Four of the five dishes had mushrooms in them, and we only got to taste the bitter taste of irony. He felt so bad, he took me to a very expensive restaurant, even though I knew he couldn't afford it, and treated me to my favorite food, Italian. We're now very great friends, but always reflect on this as well as tons of other nerdy things we've gone through over the years.
- Cynthia
I was trying to impress a new woman, so I attempted to prepare a meal with all new recipes that I had never even READ before.. Well, I tried to do it wearing new contact lenses that didn't allow me to read the small print. As a result, my unsuspecting date inadvertently got drunk on the salad dressing because I unwittingly added way too much vodka. However, because she had gotten intoxicated, she was oblivious the fact that I had also ruined the main course due to my poor recipe-reading acuity, The end result was that she merrily went home after an enjoyable evening , believing she had been served an incredible meal by a great guy who also happened to be world-class chef!
- Dony
It was my second date with this girl, Amy and she said she would cook me dinner. I went over there and she was cooking hamburger helper, which I actually don't mind eating however this time it was awful. First of all who makes hamburger helper on a second date, I could understand if you've been together 15 years and just like it but if you're trying to make a good impression that is a strange choice. Was able to get a little down, then to be a nice guy I decided to do the dishes when I noticed a trail of ants marching over our desert (muffins). Later on that night when she brought them out to eat I didn't have the heart to tell her what I had seen earlier and even managed to scarf one down. I was so impressed with the hamburger helper and ant flavored muffin I dated that girl for 2 years.
- Dustin
I once cooked dinner for a Valentine date. I started off with a candle light and rose petals ambiance. I placed the rose petals at the table, on her chair, and at her feet. I cooked up a beautiful rosemary and herb chicken breast, with some Parmesan and paprika crusted new potatoes. Along with lightly buttered asparagus tips. For dessert I had drawn an aromatic bath decorated with rose petals and candle light. As she relaxed a introduced a batch of fresh strawberries with a melody of melted chocolate, vanilla cream, and whip cream. We proceeded to take the platter to the bed, draped with more rose petals, where we decided to use each other's body as a eating pallet. The evening was memorable. I would love to try to top that. But I think it may be hard.
- Eric
A simple mixture of aromas of wine , fresh ingredients , Barilla Pasta , juicy tomatoes, spices, and of course garlic, led to the most incredible "spaghetti and meat ball " Superbowl " party of Two. It started with appetizers of stuffed mushrooms , Pinot Grigio, and gentle hugs, the entree of Spaghetti and Meatballs , led to gently wiping the sauce from lips, lips meeting with a gentle kiss. Then, the Tiramisu!! Well you know the rest!!!!
- Gene
I had a first date with someone I met online. We had decided to get together for a second date and cook together. The day of our second date, he called that he had a horrible flu and didn't want to get me sick. However, he wanted to spend the evening together. We ended up having a cooking phone date. While we chatted on the phone we marinated steaks in the same marinade, sautéed our asparagus, made salads, and broiled our steaks. We then ate and shared conversation. It was a bit awkward but, really fun. The menu was filet mignon marinated in balsamic vinegar, garlic, sautéed onions, and pepper. Asparagus sautéed with garlic and olive oil. Spinach salad with feta, tomatoes, and cucumber in a balsamic vinaigrette.
- Athena
The woman, Kym Hoy, was a singer and actress that I met when I started playing with Marty and Elayne at the Dresden Room (I'm an upright bass player who has been playing there for nearly two years). I often played bass for her when she would sing shows and she and I would often grab lunch together.
Please understand. I am a musician; thus, I would never consider myself a real cook. Just a creative person who sometimes, in the spur of the moment, discovers gems by accident.
One evening, I had invited her over to my place for a promised a well-cooked dinner, old wine, and a suitable romantic ambiance. She came, and I opened the first bottle of wine, a beautiful '78 Alsace, A. Gaschy white. As we both sipped on that, I popped open the fridge and began grabbing things at random.
First I began by preparing lasagna noodles, chopping red peppers, onions, tomatoes, avocado, tofu (oh, I must mention that Kym and I were both vegans at the time, making a good preparation more challenging). As we waited, I sliced a peach, hollowed it out, filled it with a scoop of soy ice cream, and interjected some peanuts. We snacked on those and some sliced apples.
As time passed, I became more creative. I removed some Gimmie Lean fake sausage from the fridge and cooked that up. About that time, the noodles were ready. I got them sauced with a vegetariana mix as I tossed all the vegetables and the tofu in a skillet. I threw in the fake meat, all chopped up, and made a stir fry, also in which I flavored the tofu. Then inspiration hit me, and I added the rest of the apples and peaches into the mix.
To assemble it all in the dinner bowls, I created a foundation with the noodles, threw in the stir fry, and layered the tofu. Again, inspiration struck and I sprinkled the rest of the peanuts on the top.
As we ate, Kym and I both commented on the excitement of the dish. Multi-layered, multi-flavored, and different in each bite. The superb white wine only added a fourth side to the pyramid. We finished, too stuffed for dessert, but moved on and guzzled another wine, this time a '64 French red.
Couldn't have been better tasting and more mutually well-received. And I haven't eaten as well since.
- Gordon
The evening was cool and the translucent sky was was being swallowed by a full moon. My date and I set out to the store to gather the items necessary to make a spicy hot bowl of chicken tortilla soup. While at the store with our hands embraced, we tranced through the isles gathering the chicken broth, chicken, stewed tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, onion, garlic and corn tortillas and olive oil and ground cumin. Last but not least, we could not forget the creamy avocados that would perfect this heavenly soup. When we got home, I began to heat up the olive oil in my large soup pot. Once the oil was almost spitting I began to saut?the onions, jalapeno, garlic and ground cumin. Then I began to break apart several tortillas and fry them in the aromatic mixture.
Suddenly she embraced me and began to kiss my neck. My back arched in response, but I never lost sight of what I was doing. Once crispy, I added the stewed tomatoes and began to stir, mixing the now wonderful blend of treasured fragrances. Finally, the soup was ready for the chicken broth. With a pot full of soon to be soup, I took out my hand blender and began to mix everything together thoroughly. Now the soup was ready to cook uncovered for about an hour. This allowed much of the water to boil off the top of the pot, and the soup to thicken. It also gave us a little time to enjoy each others company and kiss out in the living room.
After a time of just staring into each other's eyes, we waltzed back into the kitchen. We cooked up the chicken and broke it into small pieces. We also cut up some tortillas into thin strips and fried those till crispy and set aside. Lastly, we cut up our avocado into small bite size pieces. While I stirred up the soup and deemed it ready, my lovely date set the table with a beautiful setting, including wine glasses. As she smiled at me from the table I began to fill each bowl with soup, adding chicken, avocado and tortilla strips. While she poured us glasses of cabernet, I set her bowl down in front of her.
Dinner was incredible and after a romantic conversation over a spicy bowl of tortilla soup, we washed dishes together. What an incredible experience! Holding each other's hands under a sink full of sudsy water may not seem too sexy, but when each washed dish is followed by an even wetter kiss, you can only guess what happened next. I will never forget how a night of spicy soup ended up burning a hole in my heart. While things didn't work out for the two of us, I often wonder when I will have someone to cook with again.
- John
About 3 yrs. ago I was invited to a Going Away Party in Vista, I was told the cooking was to die for and the company even better... I was elected to make the cakes as I worked in the Bakery at Price Club, now affectionately called Costco. I arrived cakes in tow, and was blown away... This place was too die for.. Spanish tile covered floors, kitchen complete with gourmet cooking dishes and shelves of books from all across the world, Wine and beer flowed freely, and the ambiance was all candles, torches and flowing waters, streams, brooks, coy ponds, water statues, the Jacuzzi warming in the distance..
After what seemed an eternity smells could be found through out the property, I found my way to the kitchen and there I found in a woman's domain, that these smells were being produced by a MAN... not any man, He was tall, dark and a stranger, but he was stirring my senses as well as the Homemade sauce he was preparing to top the pasta, I was thoroughly impressed, much to my dismay I was informed that this was Chris, The person the party was give in honor of.
I spent the next 6 months with this man until he had no choice but to return to his home and Medical Practice in New Jersey, I visited a few time though 3000 miles is a long way to carry on a relationship... We both agreed that it was too hard and too far to continue... I will always carry a special place in my heart for this man though reality still tells me I made the correct decision... I am single once again and would love to meet Mr. Right, so please accept my story and give this girl another chance to find that special someone... this time closer to home...
- John`ene
My name is Leo and I am very single, age 26, and living in the L.A. area. The best time I cooked for a date, was actually a first date that I had with a girl named Jen. I met her in my Marine Biology class at U.C. Santa Barbara a couple of years ago. We had studied together for this class several times, but we always met at the library, or a local coffee shop. So, I asked her if she wanted to come over to my place and allow me to cook dinner for her. She agreed. Since we had the Marine Bio class together, I thought that the perfect theme to this dinner was of course, SEAFOOD!
As she arrived, a crab/artichoke dip in a Hawaiian sweet bread bowl was laid out on the table. She was instantly impressed and just from the appetizer, I knew that this "study date" was going to go good. After chit chatting for a little bit while the main dinner was finishing up, we sat down at the table. No seafood dinner would be complete, without some freshly prepared Clam Chowder (thanks to my Bostonian friend Rob Laffie for an awesome recipe).
After soup came my specialty, scallops and shrimp with angel hair pasta in a lemon-crème sauce. This complemented the bottle of Cab I had chosen perfectly. Now, I searched all over for an "aquatic" themed Cabernet Sauvignon, however I was unable to find one. So, I settled on a Mondavi Coastal Cab that worked well. Finally, dessert called. And even though we were both stuffed, we could not pass up the vanilla ice cream and pastry that was shaped in the form of a swan (Okay, I had to buy this at the local bakery).
A perfect aquatic ending to a perfect aquatic date. Well, we didn't do any studying that night, but the evening did end at the end of the Santa Barbara pier. Since then, seafood has been my favorite food to cook and I have a new appreciation for all aquatic species.
- Leo
Here is my funny story. I was dating this guy "Jim" - had known him for a longer time professionally but it took a long time to get together. Anyhow, our first date I made Cod in a shrimp cream sauce, with brussel sprouts/carrots/parsnips with a butter/horseradish/white vinegar sauce followed by creme brulee. So, along came Valentines Day - one of the rare few with a Valentine - so I made 8 dozen, three size shaped heart cookies. A third were dipped in white chocolate, a third in milk chocolate and a third in dark chocolate. Needless to say, he and his entire office were floored by the amount of thought and work that went into his Heart Day present. Obviously, I single - so it didn't work out. But, I can tell you that for many events that followed, his dates would know me as "that lady who dipped all those hearts in chocolate!" Probably not too exciting for Date.com but I'm originally from Oregon where things ARE from the heart. Would love to be a candidate!
- Lisa
A long time ago (Okay, it was about 6 years ago) in a far far away land (uh, yeah, Sherman Oaks) I was busily going about my everyday life, which at the time included acting in a play in Palos Verdes. I was playing the lead character and one of my costars (who played my fianc?in the play) was a very attractive woman who I felt there might be some chemistry with. With the Tony awards coming up, I thought what better way to invite this young lady over to my apartment for dinner and the Tony's (which after all was related to what we were both active in, i.e. theater).
To my pleasant surprise she accepted and our date was planned. I prepared a simple penne pasta with Meat sauce (including ground beef and some vegetables that's I added for flavor and texture), a simple green salad, dinner rolls and red wine. It all came out nicely except for the fact that she didn't drink wine. We ate out on my balcony listening to some Dave Brubeck jazz enjoying the view until the time of the Awards presentation. Well, I guess whatever spices I put in the pasta sauce caused the spices in our hearts to beat a little faster, and to make a long story short, we missed most of the show.
After 2 1/2 years of dating and a 2 1/2 year marriage I guess my pasta didn't hold sauce anymore. We ended up breaking up, amicably, but still remain friends today. All that being said, I am ready to explore the possibilities of lighting a fire in my heart while lighting a fire in the kitchen. Maybe Cleo can help?
- Mark
At 60 years of age I am probably a little older than what you are looking for, but I am an attractive younger appearing lady, who manages loves men and loves to cook.
I was at Trader Joe's market, and was gathering the ingredients for an impromptu Italian meal and was going to call one of my gal friends to invite as it was Valentines Day. In my shopping cart was a bottle of nice Italian Valprochelli wine, a bottle of a Champagne, some candles, salad fixings (mixed European Lettuce, some walnuts, gorgonzola cheese - I had the sun dried tomatoes and pancetta bacon at home), some pumpkin ravioli's, and some butter to make a butter berre sauce with some walnuts also.
As I went to check out, there was a nice tall good looking gentlemen in front of me, who noticed my shopping cart and said it looked like I was going to make all his favorite things for my valentine for dinner. I confessed that I was feeling a bit alone, having just lost my daughter a few months ago, and wasn't sharing the evening with anyone special. I told him this was a spur of the moment thing and that I was going to call a gal friend who I knew was also alone and have her over for a Valentine's Day dinner and treat us both.
He was very taken with the idea, and told me he was a member of a local church and would say a prayer for me and one for my daughter who I had just lost, and one more that I have a great evening. As he finished checking out, he asked the grocery clerk for a piece of paper and he proceeded to write his name and phone number on it, telling me if my galfriend and I were interested, he also had a guy friend who was spending the evening alone - and they would be happy to bring dessert and some wine and join us. He said it would give four lonesome people a nice way to spend the evening.
I called my galfriend and told her the story, imagining that she would think I was crazy and that I had finally met my match. Instead she asked if he seemed nice and if I thought so, why didn't we go for it. I called "Tony" back and told him my galfriend liked the idea, he said he had mentioned to his friend what he had done, and his friend was also interested. But said that he also liked to cook and could they come early and help?
They showed up at the door with flowers, champagne and a wonderful Tiramisu cake. Tony and I went to the kitchen to get the dinner ready, while my galfriend and his friend set up the table - it was the fanciest I had ever had in my house. Wonderfully folded napkins, interesting name cards which had been cut from red paper in the shapes of hearts, which were marked to look like puzzle pieces had been put together.
All in all it was a very surprising and interesting evening... We took our time enjoying the food, then later the dessert and champagne, in-between we put on a collection of songs from "our" days and danced telling each other we were burning off the calories before the next course. It was one of the most wonderfully fun, and interesting dates I had ever been involved in. We told each other about ourselves and listened to tales of how our lives interacted with our friends, as we said our goodbyes... Tony kissed me goodnight and said thank you for one of the most interesting dates he had even been involved with.
What I found out later was that he was the Pastor of the local Church, and we still see each other on occasion, even though nothing serious became of the connection.
- Pat
It was a first date with a girl I had met in a bar. I did not want to go in the usual date; A crowded restaurant, little or no ambiance, and just average food. I have always preferred home dining by romantic candlelight, with a nice bottle of wine, some ambient music and no distracting rude people or waiters.
Over the phone she agreed and said she would bring some fresh dill and wine and I agreed to pick out some nice salmon. So we had our menu set; Broiled salmon with a nice dill sauce, followed by a mixed baby green salad with Roquefort, sun dried cherries, and some candied pecans. Simple enough to still enjoy one anothers company. And delectable enough to wet both of our appetites. She brought over a nice chardonnay and the dill. I already had candles lit throughout the dining and living room some soft music playing in the background and had the salmon prepared and ready to broil.
The salad was chillin, just waiting for its final toss with vinaigrette with a soft hint of raspberry. We quickly prepared our fresh dill sauce together and then put it in the fridge to chill. I brought out a small plate of cheese and crackers. A little brie, some English cheddar, and some emmanthal, and also some mixed olives I had brought back from Sicily. We corked the wine and with a huge smile on each of our faces toasted to a wonderful beginning. Talking and snacking on the balcony the evening was warming up nicely.
The sun setting in the distance was like a bonus gift and for a few moments neither of us said anything as I stood behind her, my arms holding her close and we watched the sky as if Monet himself were painting for us. Second by second new brush strokes appeared brightening the hues of red that bounced off the few clouds over the ocean and bringing new shadows to life. From here we silently fell into a long soft passionate kiss that opened new roads that seemed to have no end. Like a Sunday drive in a convertible up the California coast and the sun bathes you with its warm love, cradling you in its arms as you relax and enjoy the moment.
After the sun had long disappeared, we emerged momentarily from the kiss and decided to take a brief break for dinner. Luckily everything was ready and we popped the salmon in the broiler, set the table, lit the dinner candles, changed the CD and poured another glass of wine. By now the salmon was perfect. Using the remaining dill I made a small bed of greens on the plate to lay the salmon on.
Topping it with the dill sauce, a masterpiece was created. We toasted again and began to dine. The salmon melted in our mouths like only the finest, freshest Alaskan salmon could. Our taste buds danced as if in heaven. And then my favorite salad. I was delighted as each new flavor in the salad caused a new glean in her eyes. Last thing I remember was drifting off in her eyes as we stepped on a magic carpet into the heavens...
- Paul
I have a gay roommate obsessed with his offensively big dogs. I came home hammered with a date of mine and proceeded we to eat dog biscuits hat he had shaped into candy cane cookies. My best cooking story... to top that? I don't know if I can, but I am a 22 year old good looking guy has has tried hard to make spaghetti and meatballs for that special girl and failed miserably. Sincerely, A desperate, funny, sarcastic, guy.
- Shawn
I'm very single and very unattached (not to be confused with DEtached!). BUT I have been dating up a storm... with no luck thus far :( So here's my submission... I had been dating this guy for few weeks and it was time to cook for him. I really did it up... a roast, my mom's Thai recipe fried rice, and stir fried veggies in oyster sauce. We had a nice glass of sparkling cider to go with it (cause he didn't drink). I put on a sexy, but not too revealing piece of lingerie, set up candles and dinner and we ate.
For dessert, I brought him into the bedroom where on either side of the bed lay a tray of chocolate dipped strawberries, flavored massage oil, whip cream and chocolate syrup. Each person had their choice of 1 item and could place it one place on the body, and then the other person had to eat/lick/etc. the item. Then we switched, and just kept taking turns until, well, you know...
That was the best dessert I have had in a long time!
- Mary
I was dating this man I had met at church. We had started in October/November a few years back. As I got to know him, and had many dinners with him. I come to find out he does not like any green food. Nothing green, no salad, peas, green beans, broccoli you name it if it's green he won't touch it. Also, he is not the best with remembering dates. So April comes around and I ask him over for dinner one night, during the week. It also happened to be April Fools Day but he was oblivious to that as he had been busy with work.
So I plan this dinner, and of course as you know it was made up of nothing but green food. So he sits down and I bring him his plate, heaped with spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts and peas. He takes one look, gets up and runs in the other room. After the initial shock was over we sat down to have our real dinner of meat and potatoes. Needless to say we laughed about it for a while. Were not together now, do you think it was my cooking?
- Susan
The only time I ever cooked for a date, I was stood up. He never showed up. Never called. I was eating lasagna a week!
- Veronica
Well it was Valentines day about 10 years ago and there was a girl I was dating for a short while who I really liked. I invited her to my house for a dinner I prepared. Only I didn't prepare it... I ordered it from a restaurant . The meal came as planned and I took the trouble to put everything in the right size pans and bowls and put them in the oven/stove. She was real impressed until the delivery man came back to the door because he gave me the incorrect change, which was caught by the mgmt. when he went back to the establishment. Anyway, this confirmed her incorrect suspicions that I was a player, or a Romeo, as she put it, and she left in a mood. I later convinced her of my good intentions and all was okay... for a while...
- Wesley
When I was a teen, my Mom, my sister and I would make Empanadas from scratch... meaning we had to make the dough, mix-up the eggs with the milk just so as to not make it too sticky or dry. Gather all the ingredients, and choose which topping. This would take all day on any given Saturday, but the best thing was that we got to laugh, share stories, throw flour at each other, and have contests on who can make the perfect twisties that seal the empanadas before you cook them or they will fall apart as you can imagine. At the end of the day, we were all tired, but felt great as we ate together the empanadas with coffee. I learned a lot on those Saturdays and remember them fondly as we're not longer together. I hope to get to meet you and tell you more...
- Soraya
- by Brenda Ross
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