A good couple dinner?

apollonia666 · October 2006

So my guy and I are planning on cooking dinner together for the first time this weekend, and I'm flummoxed as to what we should make. Any suggestions? I'd like to make something that isn't too expensive (we're both on that first-half-of-the-month-paycheck-that-the-rent-came-out-of budget), involves stuff we can both do (whether that's just chopping veggies or whatever), and isn't insanely complicated. We're both omnivores, for what it's worth. I don't necessarily need any recipes (I figure I can always find one online) but if you have a great one please share!

doctorj · October 2006

Subject: Re: A good couple dinner?

apollonia666 wrote: So my guy and I are planning on cooking dinner together for the first time this weekend, and I'm flummoxed as to what we should make. Any suggestions? I'd like to make something that isn't too expensive (we're both on that first-half-of-the-month-paycheck-that-the-rent-came-out-of budget), involves stuff we can both do (whether that's just chopping veggies or whatever), and isn't insanely complicated. We're both omnivores, for what it's worth. I don't necessarily need any recipes (I figure I can always find one online) but if you have a great one please share!

Did you ever try rolling Vietnamese rice-paper rolls? It's easy once you get the hang, the ingredients are cheap and whatever you like, delicious, and it's 100% something you do together over an evening until you've had enough.

drano · October 2006

Fondue is fun and easy if you can get your hands on the hardware.

findcate · October 2006

making pizza is fun--buy the dough at a pizza place & experiment with toppings (and use the best fresh mozzarella you can find). you should have a pizza stone if possiible, put it in the oven to heat up & get the oven really hot. If you don't have one of those wooden things to slide the pizza onto, just use a big piece of corrugated cardboard and throw some cornmeal on it--it works great!

also, i'd recommend no sauce, it can get soggy & hard to work with (white pizza is awesome with shrimp, or sliced tomatoes/basil, quattro fomaggi, and my husband likes chicken & jalapenos)

let the dough sit at room temp for a while so it's easy to work with. then roll it out (don't knead it or anything if you've bought dough that's already risen or it'll get tough. Just pinch it into two pieces if it's too big. and put a ball of dough on some flour and gently press/push it out until it's a circle.

you have to have everything ready to go once you put the oil on, you have to be super fast else it'll get soggy and stick to the surface you're working on. put the oil on, chopped garlic, salt/pepper, whatever toppings then cheese. add basil after it comes out of the oven if you want to, and i usually add some extra salt.

pitu · October 2006

I'd keep it simple and delicious the first time out - you learn alot about someone cooking with them, and you might not want to learn tooooo much with something too labor intensive.
But if you need a Viet spring roll recipe, I've got a good one that's very delicious and authentic. It would also require a fun field trip to Chinatown.

How about chicken with 40 cloves of garlic (whole chicken roasted, with sliced up garlic stuffed under the skin with butter and fresh thyme, or Bittman's version that's just thighs stewed with white wine and garlic) with roasted potatoes and a green salad. You can make the dressing. Make a simple cake while you're roasting the veg and have the oven on anyway.

Or a pot of minestrone, so you can chop veg for an hour together after you shop at the Grennmarket.

Or a can of crab from Trader Joes (in the fridge case with smoked salmon, next to cheese. $8.99) to make crab cakes, or just crab on toast with butter. Really easy, impressive, and light. Linguine with clams, ditto - but requires Chinatown again for fresh clams.

I loooove cooking dates. The most fun in a kitchen I had this summer was deep frying everything in sight with my friend's Italian wife while our partners went to the grocery store . . .

everything in sight = sage leaves, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, summer squash, onions, and lemon peels

whyfi · October 2006

Gotta second the pizza, but with a couple wrinkles -

I don't do sauce, either, I like diced tomatoes instead. If you want to cheat, you can buy a can of diced and peeled tomatoes. If you want to do it from scratch, blanch the tomatoes to remove the peel, seed them, and then dice. From here, it's the same whether fresh or canned - strain them while chopping lots o' fresh herbs, I like to use mostly basil with a little oregano and rosemary thrown in for good measure. Mix in with the herbs and salt & pepper, continue to strain (the salt will draw out more water).

Oh, and I like to make the dough myself, but I cheat and use a bread machine. I also use a pizza screen since I don't have a stone oven - a screen will get you a nice, light, crisp crust. Screens can be hard to find, but I got mine here - it's a quick drive.

apollonia666 · October 2006

These are all *wonderful* ideas, thank you!

I might not do anything that requires new kitchen equipment this weekend, but even so I think I may have to haul off and get myself a pizza stone or a screen soon anyway!

Pitu, is the chicken with 40 cloves of garlic as garlicky as it sounds? Like, will we be sweatin' garlic 20 minutes after eating, or is it post-dinner-foolin'-around-friendly?

pitu · October 2006

apollonia666 wrote: Pitu, is the chicken with 40 cloves of garlic as garlicky as it sounds? Like, will we be sweatin' garlic 20 minutes after eating, or is it post-dinner-foolin'-around-friendly?

You think I'm trying to set you up? No my sister - all suggestions are specifically recommended for after dinner sex. The garlic cooks a long time so gets very very mellow.

Anything that involves a pinch of chile flakes is nice for dates too, imho.

apollonia666 · October 2006

Okay, I trust you.

Sounds yum!

I ended up deciding on white chicken chili instead, just because I haven't made it in forever and it's getting to be chili/stew weather. Plus the way I make it calls for lots of toppings that call for simple tasks like shredding cheese and making guacamole that we can do together while the chili simmers. But I think I'm going to try the chicken next time, and I'm going to have to go get a rolling pin and pizza screen so we can do that too!

pitu · October 2006

apollonia666 wrote: I ended up deciding on white chicken chili instead, just because I haven't made it in forever and it's getting to be chili/stew weather.

Are you under the influence of Texas or one of those other peculiar places that says chili exists without beans?

If not . . . BEANS?
And you're wondering about the garlic? I don't understand....

Last time I checked, an inordinate number of straight men adore fart jokes when they are happy and relaxed.
But still.
Appollonia, what would Prince say?

apollonia666 · October 2006

pitu wrote: [quote=apollonia666]I ended up deciding on white chicken chili instead, just because I haven't made it in forever and it's getting to be chili/stew weather.

Are you under the influence of Texas or one of those other peculiar places that says chili exists without beans?

If not . . . BEANS?
And you're wondering about the garlic? I don't understand....

Last time I checked, an inordinate number of straight men adore fart jokes when they are happy and relaxed.
But still.
Appollonia, what would Prince say?

Not to worry. I've got Beano.

A good couple dinner?

Comments

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories