Romantic Cooking Guides
As more and more men become comfortable in the kitchen, traditional romantic dinners at a restaurant have gone by the wayside. Lady friends are invited to join them for a meal not soon to be forgotten.
Whether married or unmarried, an invitation to the meal is a key point. Make sure she knows that this is special, that this is for her. Give her a special card with a romantic poem letting her know the date and time of dinner. Send her a bouquet of flowers asking her to join you for this special occasion.
Don’t worry if you never learned to cook. Cooking classes can be found at most community colleges and some caterers and restaurants also offer them as well. Planning the meal does not need to be difficult. You need to know her likes and dislikes and if she has any allergies, but after that the sky is the limit. Dinner does not have to be fancy. If you are comfortable grilling a steak that is great! Add a salad and some crusty French bread and a baked potato and you have a meal. Make dessert special, chocolate fondue is especially easy and very romantic. After all, chocolate is an aphrodisiac. Here is a great fondue recipe:
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup of heavy whipping cream, reserve ¼ cup to thin if fondue gets too thick
- 4 bittersweet chocolate bars, chopped, 31/2 oz. each
- 2 tablespoons of Amaretto or Frangelico liqueur, (optional)
- ¼ cup finely chopped hazelnuts or almonds, optional
Directions:
- Heat ½ cup cream in heavy non-reactive saucepot over medium heat until cream comes to a low boil.
- Remove pan from heat and add chocolate. Let stand for 3-5 minutes to soften and then whisk cream and chocolate together.
- Stir in liqueur and nuts if desired and transfer to fondue pot or put in mixing bowl above a small lit candle.
- If fondue becomes too thick add reserved cream to fondue one tablespoon at a time.
- Arrange your dipping items (biscotti, pretzel sticks, strawberries, banana slices, pound cake chunks, fresh cubed pineapple, orange segments) and add fondue forks or skewers for dipping.
Now that your meal is planned you need to arrange the setting. Flowers and candles are always appropriate, but try to be more creative. Think outside the box. Rose petals covering the table offer a unique perspective. Instead of using traditional taper candles, make a candle garden in the center of the table by using pillar candles of different heights. Tealights around the room are another alternative. Make your table look like you have made an extra effort for that very special person no matter what you do.If it is a special occasion like and anniversary or birthday, a gift is the order of the day. Give your gift in an original fashion. Instead of leaving her gift and card at her place at the table, you can plan a treasure hunt for after dinner. Leaving a card with a clue on her plate will make her curious and eager to start the game. Place cards and clues that only you and she would understand throughout the house and let her follow the trail to her big surprise.
After dinner planning is just as important as planning the whole event. Do you want to curl up on the sofa together and watch a romantic movie? How about dancing arm in arm under the stars? What about lounging on pillows in front of the fireplace and consuming your fondue there while listening to your favorite music? Remember chocolate isn’t just for eating.
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When you are planning an evening of romance with your loved one, it is important to serve the right foods to enhance the passion. Finger foods are very sensual and should definitely be on the list of items that you buy to enjoy the perfect night of romance.
The best place to go to get finger foods is a local deli or a grocery store, which carries some specialty items. You will want to get an assortment of fresh fruit to cut up into bit size pieces and place in a colorful arrangement on a plate. Don’t forget to get a creamy, fluffy, sweet fruit dip of sorts. You may want to make your own fruit dip from vanilla yogurt, cream cheese and whip cream. If you mix these items together it will be decadent. You may even want to have a fruit fondue so that you can dip the fruit into melted chocolate with sticks. The sight of strawberries dripping with hot melted chocolate will definitely make a person enter into the realm of passion and sensual desire.
Whip cream in a can is very sexy too! There is something about the sound of whip cream being sprayed out of a pressurized can that is very suggestive. Who is to say that the cream has to be put on the fruit either? Let your romantic creativity run wild and see where passion takes you. You may both be pleasantly surprised. If you are preparing a tray of fruit, make sure that the fruit is fresh, ripe and colorful. Keep in mind that some fruit turns brown if it sits too long, so it is always good to prepare it as close as possible to the time that you are serving it.
You may even decide to use some of the fruit as garnishes on your plate or maybe even on the edge of your drink glasses. Ice cold, frozen tropical drinks truly deserve wedges of fresh pineapple, orange or ripe red cherries to enhance them. Again, be creative with colorful toothpicks and small umbrellas on your drinks. The more exotic looking the better!
Next, fresh veggies are in order. A tray of assorted fresh vegetables, cut up into bit size pieces would be good. Arrange the vegetables in a way that is pleasing to the eye. Place a good veggie dip in the center of the platter. You may want to buy a powdered type of dip mix that you add things to. Ranch flavor for dips tend to be popular. You may want to stay away from and strong garlic or onion flavored dips unless you are sure that both of you like this type of thing. You wouldn’t want bad breath to stand in the way of a passionate night of romance.
Finally, get some hot finger foods to make everything complete. There are several frozen appetizers that you can buy to heat up in the oven, which is really easy to prepare, yet very good. Chicken wings can be great too! It depends on the mood you are both in.
An assortment of different cheeses and crackers are excellent too. If you go this route, be sure to get a good bottle of wine to enjoy with them and maybe some olives, if you like those. There is something about the taste of wine, cheese and olives that is extremely sensual and passionate. Certain foods just good so well with love and romance it seems.
Finally, make your presentation of all the food look good! Use toothpicks, sticks, small forks, napkins and colorful drink umbrellas. You may even want to place some glitter on your tablecloth and light some candles to set the mood. Don’t forget the romantic music either. Some classical or folk music turned down low, can really set the mood for love. Embrace the evening and enjoy the assortment of fine foods, as you both enter into the realm of passion and romance like you have never known.
Often, couples can experience more fun and romance by eating at home, than by eating out at a restaurant. There is so much freedom to be creative when you prepare a meal at home for you and your loved one. Better yet, you can have your own creative theme for your dinner at home together!
The best place to start is to decide what theme you want for your romantic dinner at home. Do you want a beach theme, a nature theme or a Mexican theme? Let’s say you want to have a beach theme. A trip to an inexpensive department store is in order for this. There are so many items that you can get for a dollar or two to make your romantic beach theme dinner fun. For instance, you can get some sand and some stones at the store. Usually the sand that you buy at the store comes in different colors, which can be fun. If you have access to real sand, that is even better. Also you can buy or collect bags of stones and bags of shells. With these items you can decorate the dinner table and coffee table. You may even put the sand on a plate and put shells and stones around some pillar candles as a centerpiece. This really sets the mood!
Next, you will want to consider the music. What sorts of music to you associate with the beach? Maybe the Beach Boys music is in order? Another idea is soft music with the sounds of surf in the background with seagulls etc. This would certainly set the atmosphere that you are looking for.
With respect to food, I would suggest fun foods like hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, salads etc.. Summer foods being the theme for the menu. You might want to make up a fresh fruit tray that would include various melon slices, berries and a nice yogurt or whip cream type of dip. Chips and dip and maybe even popcorn would be great snack foods too for the evening. Finger foods in general are fun and suitable for the theme. As far as dessert goes, maybe you will want to make your own sundaes or have ice cream cones. Either of these types of dessert ideas would go over well.
To make things even more fun, you might want to make some frozen alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks and garnish them with colorful umbrellas, cherries and orange wedges. Think summer and you will know what drinks to make. Maybe fresh squeezed lemonade is a good idea. Don’t forget the straws and get lots of ice too!
As a finishing touch, you might want to have coconut scented candles or fragrant oil burning to create a nice fragrance to remind you both of summer. You could even take this further and buy some coconut bath products and message oils to add to the passion of the night together. If you have a bath, put beach towels out for each of you to dry off with, again in theme of summer. Hey, you might even want to sport your bikini and flip flop shoes for a while for fun!
There is no limit to the fun you can both have with dinner theme nights. You can even have a theme lunch or breakfast for that matter. Nothing says that you can’t be creative at any hour of the day. The more creative and unexpected, the better the time will be together. Be yourselves and have lots of fun!
Certain foods have a very sensual quality to them! In particular, finger foods can be very romantic. Fresh fruit cut up into bite size pieces next to a big bowl of whip cream or smooth, silky yogurt can be very sexy when shared by two. Also certain appetizers and main courses can make an evening very romantic. In addition, desserts that involve chocolate definitely set the mood for romance!
Let’s look a various fruit that can be sensual in its appearance taste and texture. Berries are very sexy, especially if they are soaked in champagne before serving. That little bit of fizz and bubble adds to the sensuality of things. Also, watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melons can add extra sweetness to a romantic evening of love. The creamy yogurt and whip cream can be both delicious and fun in very romantic ways. Let’s just say, have lots of fun with the whip cream!!
Chocolate, as you know is an effective aphrodisiac for many people. Not only does it contains things that cause various amorous side effects, it is so smooth and creamy and sweet. Chocolate makes a fine addition to ice cream, fruit and cheesecake. Even a hot chocolate with either whip cream or melted marshmallows has a very sensual appeal to many people. This hot chocolate can be topped off with shaved chocolate or a sprinkle of cinnamon, which also has aphrodisiac effects. Keep in mind, dark chocolate with lots of cocoa is the best for this purpose!
Small bite size candies such as jellybeans, chocolate kisses and chocolate filled candies put passion into a romantic evening. Feeding each other small candies can be very sexy. Take the time to enjoy these innocent passions together. Chocolate truffles are known to be very decadent and sexy when shared. They just melt!
With respect to appetizers and certain main courses, zesty, spicy finger foods are very popular for couples. Potato skins with cheese, bacon and sour cream for instance is delicious and also spicy chicken wings are hot in many ways! Nachos, fries and shrimp are also very sexy to eat together. Any foods that you pick up in your hands to eat can be very passionate. For instance corn on the cob, crackers and cheese and peanuts. Basically and finger foods that are salty or full of flavor are sexy!
Finally, the atmosphere where you eat these romantic foods together is important too! You may eat these things at the table, on the couch, while in the bath or even in bed. Be creative!! Set the mood with candles and soft music and a bottle of your favorite red or white wine. Make things comfortable and cozy around yourselves. If you have a fireplace, make a nice warm fire to sit next to and let the evening unfold with a nice atmosphere, romantic food, wine and passion!
One of the best ways to impress your loved one is to prepare them a romantic breakfast! There is nothing like the aroma of fresh brewed coffee, toast and bacon and eggs first thing in the morning being prepared by the one you love. Making breakfast for your partner is an extremely romantic gesture that will make a great impression!
So what makes a good breakfast? Well, coffee is a must or tea if that is what is preferred. If you go with coffee, keep in mind that fresh ground coffee beans make the best and freshest tasting coffee. Coffee grinders are very inexpensive now and if you don’t have one, you should get one. Also, coffee that is kept in the freezer stays freshest longer. These are just a couple tips on how to make the best coffee!
Some people like juice with breakfast. If you are buying orange juice, try to get one that tastes the closest to fresh squeezed orange juice. There is no need to squeeze fresh juice when there is a store bought one that tastes just as good. Apple juice or grapefruit juice are also favorites. If you want to really be fancy, you can always combine champagne and orange juice together and serve it in a wineglass with a wedge of orange as a garnish. This always looks amazing!
With respect to the hot breakfast, bacon, eggs and hash browns are the best! Cook the eggs in the preferred style and smoked bacon tastes the best. Try to get lean bacon if possible. Some people like turkey bacon or ham style bacon. If sausages were served instead, I would suggest boiling them first and then frying them, unless they are already cooked and just need to be heated. Ham is also another favorite. When cooking the hash browns, add diced onion and cook it first then add the potatoes. If you fry it in a little butter the flavor is great!
Make the toast last as it takes only a few minutes. Use either butter or olive oil margarine on the toast before adding jam. Freezer jam is always the best if you have some. Some store bought jams are good too, as they can taste almost like homemade. Peanut butter, honey or marmalade is also good options for the toast. You may even decide to toast a bagel or English muffin in place of regular toast.
Make the breakfast table look special with a fresh flower or two in the center of the table. If you don’t have store bought flowers you may want to go outside and pick some natural flowers and make them the centerpiece for your table. It does not take much to make the table look very romantic and artistic.
When the food is on the plate, use a twisted orange slice as a garnish and maybe some grapes here and there. Small details like this can make the presentation into something special and very attractive looking. Just be creative and express yourself, and put love into the preparation of this romantic breakfast. You will be amazed at how your partner reacts to this loving gesture!
Did you know that your sexuality is enhanced by the food that you eat? In fact, when a person eats too much unhealthy foods with excessive salt, sugar and fat, they can actually reduce their sex drive significantly. Also, one should limit their intake of coffee and alcohol as these beverages are considered drugs that give pleasure and they interfere with one’s sexuality. So, not only is it good to eat and drink healthy food and beverage, to look your best, but also to feel your best, especially in sexual ways. There are several foods, which enhance sexuality.
First, it is important to eat an abundance of assorted fruit. The fiber and antioxidants in fruit is beneficial but fruit also contain aphrodisiac properties. The idea of fruit enhancing sexuality is a well-known fact internationally. Some of the most popular fruit for this purpose are apples, bananas, cherries, apricots, coconut, dates, figs, grapes, figs, mangoes, papayas, peaches, pears, plums, pomegranates, quince, raspberries and strawberries.
Secondly, people should eat lots of vegetables, which energize the body with vitamins and minerals. Many vegetables are sensual in their shape and have aphrodisiac side effects. The avocado in particular is associated with sensuality, especially in Spain. Other vegetables which you may want in include in your diet are, carrots, celery, corn, eggplant, cucumber and asparagus. Tomatoes are known to be a libido booster, as they contain a very powerful antitoxin called lycopene. So, enjoy tomatoes for sure! Sexuality is also enhanced, by eating beans, leeks, parsley, soybeans, garlic, onions, spinach, watercress and turnips.
Thirdly, the human body and brain is energized and sex drive enhanced by eating certain deep, cold water fish such as cod and halibut. It is good to eat shellfish such as abalone, clams, oysters, lobster, shrimp and scallops as they improve sexuality. In particular, oysters contain zinc and iodine, which helps in the generation of testosterone.
Also, it is advised to eat lean meats such as turkey and chicken, within moderation, as too much protein interferes with sexuality. People should also eat an assortment of nuts, seeds and beans too. Pumpkinseeds and pine nuts are also great for sexuality.
In addition, vitamin supplements play a key role in keeping one’s sexuality at its prime. In particular, vitamins A, B, C and E are critical to sexual function. Vitamin E assists in providing the sex organs with the required oxygen levels. The B vitamins including niacin and B-5 assist with achieving orgasm and having sexual energy for men and women. Selenium, manganese and zinc regulate hormones and improve sex drive. The best thing to do when it comes to vitamin supplements is to take a multivitamin rather than taking the vitamins individually.
Finally, one needs to have fun with their food to enhance sexuality. Eat without silverware, drink a glass of wine or champagne with the food, have finger foods and feed eat other creatively. Combine great food and drink with a bubble bath, massage, dim lights and music. Let food enhance your sexuality!
A romantic dinner for two at home is a very passionate way to bring love and good food into your evening together! Not only are you both in your own home but you have the freedom to be as creative and as loving as you want to be! The first thing you need to do is to decide what type of food you both enjoy and work from there. The Internet has lots of recipes and all you need to do it pick the right one and head off to the grocery store! Better yet, select a theme for the evening and go from there!
Let’s say that you both like Italian food and want to have an Italian night! In this case you may decide that it would be fun to make your own gourmet pizza together. You can search on the Internet for the pizza recipe of your choice and buy all the ingredients to make your pizza. Below is a sample shopping list of the types of things you could buy. If you have an Italian Market close to you, that would be the perfect place to go!
- Pizza dough in a bag (already made and ready to use) This saves a lot of time and it is delicious too!
- a small bag of cornmeal (optional)
PIZZA TOPPINGS!
- Tomato paste
- Beef bouillon (Beef bouillon is the secret ingredient that you mix with the tomato paste for a unique flavor. This is an Italian secret for making the best pizza)
- Mozzarella Cheese (If you want to save time, get the cheese that is pre-shredded. Note that there is special mozzarella cheese for pizza, if you want to get that type.
- Mushrooms (sliced)
- Green Peppers (diced)
- Onions (diced)
- Meat options: Pepperoni, Salami, Bacon, Ground Beef, Ham or Sausage (pick the combination that best suits your taste buds)
- Parmesan Cheese/Cheddar Cheese (extra cheese can taste great!)
- Pineapple (chunks in a can)
- Tomatoes (diced)
- Black Olives (sliced)
- Italian Seasoning
- Olive oil (extra virgin olive oil is best)
EXTRA ITEMS TO BRING SIZZLE TO YOUR ROMANTIC EVENING!
- Italian music CD
- Dinner Candles
- Red or Green Napkins (vibrant colors are passionate!)
- Imported Italian Wine (make sure you have 2 wine glasses at home)
WHAT TO DO!
- Preheat the oven to about 400-450 degrees (the hotter oven is best usually for cooking pizza)
- Put olive oil and a bit of cornmeal on a circular or a rectangular pizza pan (The cornmeal is optional) If you use cornmeal, just dust a little on the pan with the oil.
- Place the pizza dough on the oiled pan and extend it out to the edges of the pan with your fingers. The dough should be very elastic like and stretch across easily. Put oil on your fingers if the dough is sticking to your fingers too much.
- Apply the mixture of tomato paste and beef bullion over the dough to start
- Add all the toppings that you desire. You might want to make half of the pizza different than the other for variety.
- Be sure that whatever you put on the pizza that the mozzarella and other cheeses are the last items put on the pizza.
- NOTE: You may want to precook your meat a little before putting it on the pizza to cook. (Some like the meat well done)
- Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the cheese.
- Drizzle a little olive oil on top of the pizza and place it in the oven.
The pizza should take about 20-25 minutes at most, but you should check on it to see when you think it looks done. Everyone’s oven is different.
Set the table in a romantic way! Put the napkins in the wineglasses for the extra creative touch until you are ready to serve the wine. This looks very nice and much like you would see in a fancy restaurant! Light the candles and turn on the Italian music. Dim the lights. You may even decide to have a glass of wine together while waiting for the pizza to cook.
Enjoy the magical romance of your Italian dinner for two!
If you really want to impress the love of your life, make them a romantic breakfast in bed! This may take a little extra effort, but the response will be well worth it!
First, you will need to go to the grocery store to get a few items the night before the breakfast. If you need to hide some of these items to keep things a surprise, do so! You might want to try putting these things in a drawer in the fridge and covering them up.
The Shopping List!
- Eggs
- Bacon/Ham or Sausages
- English Muffins or Croissants
- Butter
- Jam
- Orange Juice
- Coffee/Tea
- Coffee Cream or Milk
- Sugar
- An Orange
- Strawberries
- Champagne
- Two Trays for Eating in Bed (these have folding legs and sit over your lap)
- Napkins if necessary (red ones if possible)
How to do it!
Sneak out of bed quietly and close the door to the bedroom so that your loved one does not hear you preparing food in the kitchen.
- Start perking the coffee or boil water for the tea. Make sure to steep the tea!
- Start frying the bacon/ham or sausages first, as it will take the longest to cook. (Sausages tend to take a little longer to cook, so you might want to cook them longer on lower heat or boil them first, before frying them)
- In another frying pan, cook the eggs in the way that will be most enjoyed.
- When the above items are near done, toast the English muffins or warm the croissants.
- Butter the toast/croissants and put the jam on the side in small container.
- Place everything on the plates in an artist and creative way.
- Put a little ketchup on the side if you know they like it. (You don’t want to have to come back from small things.) Also, add some salt and pepper or bring it along.
- Pour the coffee/tea and put sugar and cream in it or on the side if you don’t know what they put in it.
- Mix the orange juice and the champagne together and put it in two wineglasses garnished with a slice of orange.
- Garnish the breakfast plates with a few strawberries and place the red napkin on the side! (Red is a passionate color and will make things look warm and colorful!)
Bring the breakfast on a tray to your loved one and come back to get yours, so that you can both enjoy breakfast in bed together! What a perfect romantic start to a day!
