So Brandon and I have been pretty good about having a date night once a week. Way easier when already "dating," slightly more challenging once being married because I can see how easy it is to fall into the "we see each other all the time, why do we need a date night," mentality. Yet, we have been given the advice to keep date nights a priority by so many amazing couples, we really try to do so.
We are fairly social on a regular basis, so we try not to go out (at least to dinner) for each date. (Although now I may start to want the break from cooking- LOL!) With this in mind, on a couple of occasions recently we have decided to shut off the TV, turn on some tunes, and completely cook a new recipe together at home.
A couple of side notes here: I am NOT a natural nor experienced cook! Actually, trying new recipes tends to overwhelm me a bit. The Type A side of me wants everything to turn out just as it should the first time, and I logically know that this is not realistic. Also, Brandon is amazing and if he is home, he will always come ask what he can do to help me in the kitchen, so it is not an anomaly for us to cook together. Yet, we want to try to make it intentional on occasion.
To expand my cooking skills and repertoire of recipes I am very thankful to friends and family who have not only supplied their favorites, but also the websites they love. My hats off to the ladies from Our Best Bites! They have challenged me and now my zesting skills are top notch and I could teach someone how to prepare ginger root, should the moment arise. Brandon is also so supportive and helpful that it gives me the confidence to try recipes out even when I have no clue what I'm doing. (Yes, I did have to throw an entire meal away this week.)
On this night we chose honey glazed ginger tilapia (http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/01/honey-ginger-glazed-tilapia). We also had a yogurt based dipping sauce (part of the recipe), steamed asparagus, and potatoes sautéed in butter with a little dried basil for extra seasoning (B's idea). (As I write this, it sounds a bit fancy, but the veggies we did are super easy!) I am trying to have us eat healthier, and I know tilapia is good for you, but alas I undid everything by drowning the potatoes in butter. (Yet, I will always choose butter over margarine every day- I have just heard so many crazy and unhealthy things about it over the long term.)
I encourage the hesitant cook to just give a new recipe a shot! So many of the sites post things that are straight forward and fairly quick, because let's face it, who has that much time to spend making dinner?? I also encourage you to grab a loved one- even the day-to-day stuff like cooking can be more fun with him by your side. :-)
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