First time making dinner for BF?!
First time making dinner for BF?
Want to impress him but am not a very good cook and want to make a huge effort cos really like him. Any suggestions on what to make? Bangers & mash and spag bol aren't really great for that! Do guys actually notice the decor if I decorate the table nicely? Thank you
Answers:
If you really want to impress him, I suggest a salad with hearts of palm and artichoke hearts, served with the following pasta, and then buy a simple dessert to finish with. Here is the recipe for the pasta, it got me engaged!
tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
Coarse salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
Crusty bread, for passing
Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.
Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread
What about a nice English roast dinner? Its really easy.
do a stir fry there always nice and is easy, get a bottle of red as well al;ways good talkiing to girl over a bottle of wine after a meal!
good luck
Make a test run first. Cook it one time and plan it all out.
i have no suggestion
yeah guys notice!
this is a true story, bout my ex who cooked a mael for me for the first time!
let me just say when i gave her a valentines day card i wrote, roses are red violets are blue, now you know, tuna casserole makes me spew"
and i did all over her mums lounge and carpet as i ran for the toilet!
find out what he likes and what he is allergic to first to avoid dramas like mine!
goodluck!
Curry, get a jar of pataks. easy
Just make him his favourite and he will kno that u luv him x!x
He probably won't mind what you cook, so do something that is easy to make and that you've done before so you won't stress over it and can be relaxed for the evening. He'll prefer it if you can spend time with him rather than spending the whole evening in the kitchen.
Try something like a coq au vin with baked potatoes which could all be made in advance and just put in the oven - serve is with a side salad and maybe a nice wine.
I think atmosphere is key!! Candle light is simple, elegant and very romantic. A nice table setting would be inviting too. Wear a dressy outfit.
It's a bit of a cheat from cooking- but get chinese take out, and make a great dessert! The table setting can make up for the rest. But if you are dead set on cooking-
Keep it simple- don't go gourmet goo-goo. Steak or chicken and a baked potato and salad. Make a nice desert.
I always go for roast chicken pieces with nice steamed fresh veg and roasties, all the usual trimmings and a light desert. My ex was awful for being late and ruining all the effort I put in, so a lot of the meals I made were ruined and though I'd try to keep quiet when he did arrive I just felt like hitting him the selfish git. He never noticed if I cleaned the whole house and got his favourite beers in specially, and he never said thanks, spose thats why hes my ex!! Hope its lovely and that he appreciates it.
Yes, guys notice your homemaking skills.
Dress the table up with some votive candles in the center, not anything too formal. A small bouquet of daisies or other wildflowers in a bowl would be a great low key centerpiece.
Serve wine and beer. Make sure you also have some hearty bread on hand, maybe with olive oil for dipping.
Men love carbs and meat and potatoes kind of meals.
Smothered steak and mashed potatoes? Just grill a good angus DelMonico steak, and at the end of cooking, smother it with sauteed mushrooms and mozz cheese. When the cheese is good and melted, serve it up.
Make mashed potatoes with some milk, sour cream, and garlic powder. You could throw in some parsley for color into the potatos.
And for dessert...you.
it`s the company what matters keep it nice and simple you cant go wrong with roast chiken potatoe carrots and buy a nice white sauce from the super market to pour over the chicken
Stick wih simple and don't go for anything that really stinks like fish or Garlic. If your not much of a cook make up for it with dessert or cold starter. Buy a jamie oliver book, there all easy.
He will notice the effort though
Yes! Decor and Candles are really important. Do something simple like seared steak with a baked potato and spinach. or scallops? For starters you could get some oysters and just have them with a bit of lemon or shallot sauce... no cooking required! and for dessert try creme brulee? You can always buy that ready made, and simply put it in the oven. Good Luck!
Steak and baked potato with salad is pretty easy. When I was young, I very successfully made two stuffed game hens. They're really easy, just little whole chickens. Rub their skins and insides with rosemary, thyme, sage and olive oil. You can use a stuffing mix but add a couple of things, like some diced apple and onion, to spice it up. Then make a salad or steamed veg. Make sure you cook the hens long enough, but they're so small, shouldn't take much more than an hour. Having a meat thermometer is the best way, they have to get to 180 degrees F.
And yes, remember the ambience! If you don't drink (and why drink, it dulls the senses!), sparkling cider is lovely with game hens. And a nice dessert too, you can make or buy that in advance.
I find that lasanga is pretty easy but impresses men no end. All you have to do is boil noodles and fry hambuger. The rest is layering and baking - no stirring and the proportions of meat, sauce and cheeses don't seem to matter. It's also something that's easy to get ready the night before and then just do the baking the day of. As an added bonus if he's running late it takes forever to get cold as long as you don't slice it until he gets there.
And men do notice things like cloth napkins and candles. Mood music is good too. Good luck!
buy a nice take out with him and a bottle of wine from asda, my wife and i do this when our two year old is with his nanna on a saturday nite,it`s cheap and also find out what b f likes.
How about a rack of lamb, roasted, with some roast potatoes, cabbage, carrots and gravy. Tasty and lots of colour. And yes, I would think they certainly appreciate a beautifully dressed table, with candles, nice glasses and white table linen
yes we do notice decor etc
Just go for something simple he we love what Ever you do
I don`t know where you live but have you an Aldi`s store if you have you have cracked it
Cooked frozen chicken pieces
A jar of chicken tikka
Packet mushroom rice
defrost chicken stir in tikka and cook 15 to 20 mins in frying pan
boil rice 15 to 20 mins ,done it is so tasty
lovely bought chocolate cake with fresh cream poured over ,,,ideal
A few white candles great
steak rice peas
i think a lasagne will do the trick!
good luck!
make spaghetti and meatballs guy love that and if they really like you they would give you a compliment on how the table is decorated
Guys do notice the effort. Candles, music, and even a simple meal of spaghetti or lasagna, a green salad, and crusty bread with a dipping sauce like balsamic and olive oil. Hard to mess that one up! Good luck hon!
unless you're vegetarian, you might also want to consider getting something like a freshly prepared rotisserie chicken from your local grocer (or costco, theirs are great). nice and juicy. you could make (or buy) salad or sides that you are good at. good italian markets also have some very nice freshly prepared dishes that you can heat and serve. get rid of the foil containers, use your own cookware, and only your grocer will know for sure. less mess, less stress. even though i am a decent cook, i have used these methods on more than one occasion with good resuts.
Cook something real easy. Like pasta and baked chicken and nice toss salad or fix his favorite meal. Get some champagne. Set the table in a candle setting. And you can feed him too. That will be a good impression. I think he will like that even more. Good Luck!
I agree with singing&dancing... Steak Dinner with a side salad. & choose a wine that would go great with the dinner too. It's easy to cook, & its filling...guys seem to like that. hell, I do.
also, know what his favorite dish is. If he sees that you went to the extreme to make him happy with his fave dish, he'll see that you really care.
good luck.
The first meal I made for my husband when he was my bf was,
steak-marinated with soy sauce, worcestershire, pepper, minced garlic. On the grill.
Sliced potatoes and sliced onions. On the grill. In tin foil.
Freshly steamed broccoli. Stove top.
He's never complained about my cooking. We've been married 2 years now. Men love steak and potatoes. Good luck.
Make something that you feel comfortable with - don't try to overdo it - sometimes less is more. Keep it simple. at the end of the day its the thought that counts and the effort that you put to doing something special.
You might consider a pasta dish - something you can put in the oven with cheese on top and that you don't have to fuss over. this way you have time to organize the table and set the mood.
Pasta bake:
cook some ground beef, onions, garlic(1 -2 cloves), Italian spices, red & yellow pepper (1 each) in a pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. once its all cooked through add in a can of crushed tomatoes and a splash of red wine, let it simmer through for about 10 min. Boil some pasta - anykind is ok - i like penne or the bowties are cute, then combine in a baking dish. top with lots of cheese and place in the oven on a low temperature for about 15 min then turn the oven off and leave there until you are ready to serve. you can serve with a salad and garlic bread.
Have a nice bottle of wine, candle light and some nice music.
I am sure he will love whatever you decide to do. Best of luck!