next morning trying to scrap the caked leftovers off of your pots.

In the early stages of dating, I like to avoid starches because it can make some people feel bloated or heavy. Pasta can be a beautiful dinner, but you have to know how you and your date are going to react to it because nothing kills a romantic evening like suddenly developing a three-pound ball in your stomach.

For

Cooking together at home is a great idea for a romantic evening. The emphasis on food in our lives makes cooking a great aphrodisiac for most of us. Two lovers in the kitchen, passing ingredients back and forth, flipping steaks and baking French bread to a crunchy brown crust. Boiling edamame for an appetizer and popping the cork on a new bottle of red wine, and then sitting down with a heaping plate of steaming hot food.

The variations are endless, but you can see the appeal.

The cooking is the anticipation, and the payoff is not only the meal, but a lovely evening with your date. I am practical cook, too. I believe in simple recipes, easy clean-up and a well-balanced meal. If you know in advance a romantic dinner is pending, marinating the meat or fish overnight is a simple way to get a flavorful main dish without a lot of fuss. Some salad dressings do work as a marinade, but make sure they are complementary flavors. And in this case, I do not mean complementary as in a faithful companion to what else you might be serving, but complementary as in, does not taste like death after soaking in the meat overnight. Soy sauce also works well as a marinade.

Easy clean-up usually means putting foil on anything that goes in the oven, so you can rip the foil off after dinner and toss it, and the baking pan is clean. My kitchen is pretty non-stick as a rule, and after dinner, I soak everything. It serves a dual purpose; you do not spend your entire evening at the sink washing dishes, and if you forget about them, you do not spend the entire next morning trying to scrap the caked leftovers off of your pots.

In the early stages of dating, I like to avoid starches because it can make some people feel bloated or heavy. Pasta can be a beautiful dinner, but you have to know how you and your date are going to react to it because nothing kills a romantic evening like suddenly developing a three-pound ball in your stomach.

For

ing plate of steaming hot food.

The variations are endless, but you can see the appeal.

The cooking is the anticipation, and the payoff is not only the meal, but a lovely evening with your date. I am practical cook, too. I believe in simple recipes, easy clean-up and a well-balanced meal. If you know in advance a romantic dinner is pending, marinating the meat or fish overnight is a simple way to get a flavorful main dish without a lot of fuss. Some salad dressings do work as a marinade, but make sure they are complementary flavors. And in this case, I do not mean complementary as in a faithful companion to what else you might be serving, but complementary as in, does not taste like death after soaking in the meat overnight. Soy sauce also works well as a marinade.

Easy clean-up usually means putting foil on anything that goes in the oven, so you can rip the foil off after dinner and toss it, and the baking pan is clean. My kitchen is pretty non-stick as a rule, and after dinner, I soak everything. It serves a dual purpose; you do not spend your entire evening at the sink washing dishes, and if you forget about them, you do not spend the entire next morning trying to scrap the caked leftovers off of your pots.

In the early stages of dating, I like to avoid starches because it can make some people feel bloated or heavy. Pasta can be a beautiful dinner, but you have to know how you and your date are going to react to it because nothing kills a romantic evening like suddenly developing a three-pound ball in your stomach.

For

is a simple way to get a flavorful main dish without a lot of fuss. Some salad dressings do work as a marinade, but make sure they are complementary flavors. And in this case, I do not mean complementary as in a faithful companion to what else you might be serving, but complementary as in, does not taste like death after soaking in the meat overnight. Soy sauce also works well as a marinade.

Easy clean-up usually means putting foil on anything that goes in the oven, so you can rip the foil off after dinner and toss it, and the baking pan is clean. My kitchen is pretty non-stick as a rule, and after dinner, I soak everything. It serves a dual purpose; you do not spend your entire evening at the sink washing dishes, and if you forget about them, you do not spend the entire next morning trying to scrap the caked leftovers off of your pots.

In the early stages of dating, I like to avoid starches because it can make some people feel bloated or heavy. Pasta can be a beautiful dinner, but you have to know how you and your date are going to react to it because nothing kills a romantic evening like suddenly developing a three-pound ball in your stomach.

For

Easy clean-up usually means putting foil on anything that goes in the oven, so you can rip the foil off after dinner and toss it, and the baking pan is clean. My kitchen is pretty non-stick as a rule, and after dinner, I soak everything. It serves a dual purpose; you do not spend your entire evening at the sink washing dishes, and if you forget about them, you do not spend the entire next morning trying to scrap the caked leftovers off of your pots.

In the early stages of dating, I like to avoid starches because it can make some people feel bloated or heavy. Pasta can be a beautiful dinner, but you have to know how you and your date are going to react to it because nothing kills a romantic evening like suddenly developing a three-pound ball in your stomach.

For

next morning trying to scrap the caked leftovers off of your pots.

In the early stages of dating, I like to avoid starches because it can make some people feel bloated or heavy. Pasta can be a beautiful dinner, but you have to know how you and your date are going to react to it because nothing kills a romantic evening like suddenly developing a three-pound ball in your stomach.

For romantic evenings, too much of any one flavor is counterproductive. Remember, small portions, a variety of flavors and lots of colors. Fresh vegetables, washed and cut, can do amazing things to stimulate your senses. Depending on you and your date’s tastes; green or red peppers, carrots, or even cucumber slices. Works great with dip or just on their own. Instant healthy side dish that meets all three criteria.

It is really important to follow up dinner with a dessert. Whether it is a small square of chocolate just to kill the lingering taste of dinner, or something more elaborate for later in the evening, be prepared. Let’s face it, we are creatures born and bred screaming for our sugar fix, and it elevates the mood. My recommendation is have something on hand and then if you never make it to the dessert course, most will keep for another day.