We hope these simple recipes put you on the path to impressing your lady love. In the immortal words of Virginia Wolfe “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
You finally started dating your crush. Now you’ve asked her over to yours for a home cooked meal. Cooked by you. Don’t panic, following are five easy recipes that anyone can pull off but that look like you are an ace in the kitchen. Pull out the candles and nice place settings, dim the lights, put on appropriate tunes and she’ll never notice if you take a few shortcuts. These options have you covered to rock the romance for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Lemon-Pepper Salmon and Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette
This is the grocery store special. Pair it with a loaf of crusty bread and a bottle of sparkling wine, and you look a lot more impressive than you deserve to.
The Salad
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
- Pre-bagged salad mix (go with the fancy one)
Mix dressing thoroughly with a whisk and serve it on the side. 3:1 is a common ratio for vinaigrettes, but use more vinegar if you like a tangier dressing or less if this is too sharp.
The Salmon
- 2 6-ounce salmon filets
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub salmon filets with olive oil, place skin down on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet, and sprinkle with lemon pepper. Bake in the center of the oven until they flake easily with a fork, about 12-15 minutes. (Photo source: JeffChristiansen/Flickr)
French Toast with Blackberries, Whipped Cream and Warm Maple Syrup
Whether it’s Valentine’s Day or Mothers Day, breakfast in bed is the height of romance. Take French toast up another notch with fresh blackberries and real maple syrup.
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract or Grand Marnier
- six slices of white sandwich bread
- about ½ cup real maple syrup
- 1 can of Reddi-Whip
- one 6 ounce container of blackberries
- cinnamon for sprinkling
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Slide a stick of butter over it once to get a thin coat. Whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla/Grand Marnier in a bowl wide enough to fit a slice of bread. Dip one slice of bread at a time and make sure to very quickly coat with egg batter (1 second on each side). Place on hot pan. Cook 2–3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Put three slices on each plate. Warm the blackberries about 30 seconds in the microwave to bring them to around room temperature. Warm the real maple syrup in the microwave about 45 seconds (it will be lava). Top with syrup, whipped cream, and berries, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Make out.
Note: If you use fake maple syrup, you may want a little more. If you’re using real maple syrup and aren’t used to it, taste it first—it’s quite strong. (Source: taste.com)
Deluxe Quesadillas with Peppers and Onions
A laid-back movie night demands a laid back meal. But with steak, peppers, and onions, you can have restaurant-quality quesadillas at home–without a slightly overenthusiastic waiter named Tad asking you if you need more “guac”.
- 4 burrito size flour tortillas
- 8 ounce bag of shredded sharp cheddar
- small bag of presliced peppers and onions
- 6 ounces cooked steak or chicken
- pico de gallo
- guacamole
- sour cream
Sautee peppers and onions in olive oil in a nonstick pan until soft. Thinly slice cooked steak (rare is best) or chicken. Put a tortilla in a nonstick pan on low heat (3-4), layer thinly with meat and veggies, sprinkle liberally with cheese, and top with the other tortilla. Then flip after the bottom is starting to brown (a few minutes) and cook the other side until it starts to brown. Us a pizza slicer to slice into segments. Top with pico, sour cream, and, ok, “guac”. (Photo source: jeffreyw/Flickr)
Easy Shakshuka
You’re romantic, sophisticated, and even appreciate vegetables — you’re so different from those other guys. At least, that’s what you hope she’ll say after eating this. The secret is the harissa, which is pretty complicated when you make it but (shhh) really easy to buy premade.
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- half an onion, sliced
- inch-long chunk of ginger, sliced into three pieces.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 eggplant, chopped into half-inch cubes
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into half-inch cubes
- 1 green pepper, chopped and de-seeded
- 4 ounces shredded carrots
- 1 tomato, diced
- 3 eggs
- small jar of harissa (find it in the imported food section or at a whole foods store)
- salt
- pepper
Cover the sweet potato and microwave for about 6 minutes (or until tender but not mushy) on high. Meanwhile, sautee the garlic, onion, and ginger in olive oil in a large nonstick pot on medium until onion starts to get soft. Throw in the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for two minutes. Add the other vegetables except the tomato. Turn heat to medium low and let simmer until vegetables are tender, perhaps ten minutes. With a minute or two to go, add the tomato. Add the sweet potatoes and salt and pepper to taste and stir to mix. REMOVE GINGER.
Fry three eggs, being careful to leave the yolks runny. Top vegetable mixture with eggs and drizzle with harissa sauce to taste. (Photo source: Wikimedia Commons)
Paleo Steak with Baked Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus
Perhaps your beloved is really into CrossFit. Or perhaps you’re actually pretty hungry and don’t want to waste time messing around with salad. Either way, this up-to-date spin on steak and potatoes will make you look like a health-conscious guy with a gourmet touch.
- 2 six-ounce steaks
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- cinnamon
- 16 stalks asparagus (or one small bundle)
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Wash sweet potatoes and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet and bake until soft, about 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees. They create their own natural syrup, so you can just sprinkle on a little cinnamon for a paleo treat. You can also add brown sugar and butter—I’m not your personal trainer.
Chop the bottom two inches off the asparagus, rinse, and dry. Rub the asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet and broil for 3-4 minutes (watch carefully to make sure they don’t burn). Flip and broil for another few minutes. You want a few blisters on the stalks if possible without burning the tops — the tops will be crunchy but hopefully not burned. It helps if they’re at the coolest part of the oven. If in doubt, remove a little early rather than a little late.
Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper and grill or broil until done to your liking. (photo source Erica Wong/Flickr)
We hope these simple recipes put you on the path to impressing your lady love. Once you’ve mastered these simple recipes you will at least have a balanced repertoire of unusual dishes. This is very important, in the immortal words of Virginia Woolf “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
