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    Recipes » Entrées » 5 Menus for Date Night at Home

    5 Menus for Date Night at Home

    Published: Feb 11, 2019 · Modified: Feb 22, 2023 by Kate Shungu · This post may contain affiliate links

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    These five menu ideas are perfect for a date night at home!

    Meyer Lemon and Asparagus Risotto with Seared Salmon on white china on a wooden table.

    Looking for ideas for a date night at home? Here are five ideas, ranging from easy to slightly more time intensive (but nothing crazy, I promise). But first, a few tips!

    Tips for cooking together

    1. Designate a “head chef” and a “sous chef”. Delegate the recipe reading to one person, and then they can assign tasks as necessary as the cooking begins.
    2. If one partner doesn’t enjoy cooking, setting the table, pouring wine, and making conversation are perfectly acceptable tasks to be completed.
    3. Speaking of wine, make sure to have your drink of choice in hand while cooking! In the summer, I love a Mango Mojito. In the winter, it’s red wine or my husband’s favorite (very sweet) wine: Bartenura moscato.
    4. Set the mood with music! We like the Dinner Soul Radio station on Pandora.
    5. Put away your phones. 🙂

    Five menu ideas for date night in

    Seared Salmon over Asparagus Risotto on white china on a wooden table.
    Meyer Lemon & Asparagus Risotto with Seared Salmon
    Classy, elegant, and great for having two cooks in the kitchen. One partner can focus on the risotto while the other preps the salmon and a green salad for the side.

    Salmon with Mango Avocado Salsa
    Roasted Salmon with Mango & Avocado Salsa

    My brother and sister-in-law make this one frequently. It’s healthy and colorful, and the salmon pairs really nicely with rice and roasted veggies.

    You can jazz up regular rice by substituting canned coconut milk for the water. Either full fat or low fat canned coconut milk work great.

    Tip from my brother and sister-in-law: scoop up any extra salsa with pretzel snaps (the square pretzel shapes).

    Chicken Souvlaki
    Chicken Souvlaki with Golden Rice
    Classic Greek Salad
    Longe and I enjoyed souvlaki and Greek salad on our honeymoon in Greece, and so it’s fun to remember that time and enjoy the flavorful food. Everything is so colorful, and there are enough steps and ingredients that you won’t be stepping on each other’s toes in the kitchen.

    Don’t miss the tzatziki recipe that pairs with the Chicken Souvlaki!

    Skirt Steak Chimichurri
    Cuban Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
    Arroz Moro
    Church Lady Salad (or a Simple Green Salad)
    Longe and I had steak chimichurri at a Cuban restaurant called Havana in West Palm Beach, Florida. We loved it so much that I recreated it when we returned home.

    A butcher recently enlightened me about using inside skirt steak for this recipe, which is more tender than outside skirt steak. I get inside skirt steak every time now!

    Pizza made in a cast iron skillet and topped with fresh basil

    Pizza night gets an upgrade with Cast Iron Skillet Pizza! It’s a fun way to make something simple and familiar together.

    Add a leafy green salad and dinner is done!

    Date Night dessert

    Don’t forget dessert for date night at home! I’m perfectly happy relying on a bakery to make a special treat like a mini cake or tart. I prefer to focus on the dinner food itself.

    But if you’re up for making another course, Bread Pudding for Two is the perfect dessert. Or scoop up some ice cream and top it with this 2-ingredient homemade hot fudge. Yum!

    Get the recipes

    • piece of seared salmon on top of asparagus risotto in a white shallow bowl with a gold fork.
      Date Night In: Meyer Lemon and Asparagus Risotto with Seared Salmon
    • side of salmon on a white platter, topped with a mango and avocado salsa.
      Salmon with Mango Salsa
    • deep dish pizza in a cast iron skillet, topped with fresh basil
      Deep Dish Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
    • greek chicken kabobs on top of golden rice
      Greek Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki
    • sliced skirt steak on a gray plate, topped with chimichurri sauce.
      Cuban Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
    • cuban black beans and rice in a green bowl
      Arroz Moro (Cuban Black Beans and Rice)
    • green salad in a cream bowl
      Church Lady Salad (Winter Fruit Salad)
    • bread pudding on a purple patterned plate, topped with whipped cream and blueberries.
      Bread Pudding For Two
    « How to Host More Often with Less Effort
    Bread Pudding For Two »
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    kate

    About Kate

    I’m a believer, wife, mom, and big fan of old cookbooks. I live in Chicago with my husband and two young sons. I love discovering old fashioned recipes that will transport you back in time! Read more...

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    Kate from Gift of HospitalityI’m Kate. I love discovering old fashioned recipes that will transport you back in time. Learn more here
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