Cookin’ Up Some Romance

“Cooking is Love made edible.” -Unknown

Are you tired of the same dinner and a movie for date night? When was the last night you even had a date night? If you are like me and my hubby, then it’s not very often. Today’s Thursday Thoughts are meant to “spice” things up a little bit for you and your significant other!;) Either in the comfort of your own home or out on the town for a date.

A few weeks ago in my first blog post “Once Upon A Time” I talked about my husbands birthday and how difficult it can be to buy him gifts. I hear from a lot of my girlfriends that they also find it a challenge to come up with new and exciting ideas to get their man a present. So I’ve tried to pick themes for the past few birthday’s, fathers days, etc…For his birthday this year I picked a cooking theme. I got him a subscription to Blue Apron; a company that sends all the farm fresh ingredients to your doorstep, plus the recipes, and all you have to do is cook. It doesn’t get much easier than this folks and you and your partner can spend some quality time following the instructions then enjoying a delicious meal together.

The other part of his birthday gift I discovered a local cooking school, called Tspoons, and signed us up for a couples date night (which ensured us a night out without the kiddos). So I planned ahead, booked a baby sitter and we were all set to go.

Now, I wanted to take the time to share how it all turned out…

First up on the menu was the delivery from Blue Apron. I have to say that I was pretty excited when the large, well insulated, box arrived on our door step. Even though it was a gift for my husband, I think I might have been looking forward to the food even more than him ever since my good friend had told me about it. I emptied out all the ingredients and recipes and it felt a little like Christmas for this food network lover.

Here are some pictures of the meals we have had over the past few weeks (Salmon Caesar Salad and a Chicken & Basil Fettuccine Pasta). Some have been more amazing than others, but overall we have been very pleased with the program. We decided not to do it every week, because the hubby is not home on a lot of evenings, but it’s nice on their website (or app) you can pick and choose which week(s) you want, what day you would like it delivered, and you get to pick 3 out of 6 different meal choices for one week. I will say this is probably not ideal if you have a large family you are trying to cook for, but since our kiddos are usually not eating what we are eating, it works for us for now. Also, they always include the calorie count if you are concerned about that, although they all seem pretty healthy & hearty.

Next on the menu is our date night at the cooking class. First off, lets just say that any date night for us is a very special occasion, but this one was extra fun! My hubby is a great cook (you kind of have to be when you are a firefighter and are required to cook for an army of men some nights) and even he learned a few things at class! We picked a “Trip to Italy” for our class, they had “Hawaiian nights,” “Parisian,” “Everything Beer,” etc…They also do ladies nights and singles for those of you interested. If you don’t live near Orange County, I know Sur La Table also offers cooking classes through their store.

The evening was filled with 4 courses (to be honest I was pretty full after the second one) and each one was delicious. We cooked the first two courses, put the dessert in the fridge, then sat down to eat with the rest of the couples and delighted (maybe even drooled) over what we had made. Then back up to cook the main course. We concluded the night with our main pasta dish and dessert. I was so full I felt like you had to roll me out of the class, but it was a fun date night that I would definitely suggest for novice to pro cooking enthusiasts.

Here are some pictures of our evening. Starting with our first course of Tomato Basil Bisque (my favorite course of the evening) with Homemade Parmesan Herb Loaf. Seriously, I could have just had this for dinner…so yummy! Don’t worry I’m going to give you this recipe in case you want to try.

Second course was Roasted Chicken Panzanella (are you hungry yet?).

Third course was Linguine and Clams tossed in a Garlic Prosciutto Wine Sauce.

And last, but not least, dessert! Ricotta Citrus Cake with Prosecco Infused Strawberries.

Being in the kitchen together, whether at home or at a class, can be really fun. I love spending any extra time with my hubby that I can get. We’ve only been married for 7 years (this September) but it’s been nice adding a little extra heat in the kitchen!;)