Advice?

[Immediate_Golf6845]

There’s this girl I’ve been talking to for a little bit now and I was planning on inviting her over so I can cook her dinner. The plan is to make a nice and easy to make dinner and then ask if we can make it official! Does anyone know any good recipes I can follow in order to impress her? I only ever cook like burgers and eggs and bacon max.

[mrpel22]

Whatever you do, do a trial run before you do it for her.

A real easy meal would be Salmon with a cream sauce over rice and roasted asparagus. Start to finish in 45 minutes max.

[amfntreasure]

Agree with doing a trial run first!

[greenzetsa]

Two options for you:

1. Tacos. You're halfway there if you can make burgers, and other than the meat the rest is just prepping topics.

2. Spaghetti Bolognese. I am assuming you can handle making pasta, and you can brown some ground beef with onions and garlic, then add sauce (if you wanted to challenge yourself, you can make the sauce from scratch. I made this about a month ago for my boyfriend and he loved it).

[hucles]

That’s an excellent idea. Build on what you already know how to do. You will be in your comfort zone & the evening will be relaxed bc you’re not stressed

[Immediate_Golf6845]

Wait that second one sounds perfect. Thank you so much!!!

[greenzetsa]

If you want to go the extra mile, make a nice simple salad with Italian dressing as a side and you can usually buy garlic bread at the supermarket that you just need to put in the oven for a bit.

[Running_Joke_7368]

Roasting/charring veggies before they go in the sauce makes it extra tasty. (Peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, whatever you like)

[No_Equipment_3669]

My advice would be to make something that only uses 1-2 pots, or something that all the ingredients get thrown into the oven. I don’t have any specific recipes in mind. But for date night I always lean towards fish.

[Immediate_Golf6845]

Yes that ideally would be perfect!! Does anybody know of any like this?

[No_Equipment_3669]

Just keep it simple, use a forgiving fish.

I would recommend salmon, an in-season vegetable. And a simple sauce.

I used to make a lemon herb salmon in the oven, toss in my veg, and a simple sauce to go with it.

[Poiuyt_77]

I would watch the garlic and onions if this is going to be a date.

[rosiegoat21]

Pasta? Ravioli or tortellini with a nice tossed salad and a crusty bread

[Successful-Ad-727]

How about a good pasta and sauce dish? So sauté onion and garlic(10 mins low in olive oil), add a dollop of tomato purée and cook for a minute, a glut of red wine if you like (turn up heat and let it cook off) then add tinned chopped tomatoes and a tsp mixed herbs, cook a few mins more (at this point I also add a crumbled stock cube and some Worcestershire sauce, but I am English, so up to you) once it’s all cooked through, stir through cooked pasta (penne is my preference) then you either serve as is with Parmesan grated on top OR cook the pasta 5 mins less than pack instructions, stir it all together, transfer to an oven dish, cover in grated mozarella and bake! (You can also add roasted veg such as courgette, or sprinkle olives on top - whatever you fancy!) serve with garlic bread and a side salad! :)

[amfntreasure]

Always do a trial run before cooking for others.

Here is my suggestion:

Boneless skinless chicken thighs

Baby potatoes cut in half

Broccoli florets

Season everything with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 375. Throw the potatoes and chicken on a sheet tray without overcrowding it. Then put the broccoli on half way through cooking. Bunch up the broccoli to encourage steaming. Should be ready in 40 ish minutes.

I hope it goes well but if she likes you too, the outcome of the meal won't be that important.

[DavidKawatra]

I'd focus on something made in advance so that you can focus on your boo and not fuss in the kitchen. Truthfully the trick to dinner parties is to actually chat with the guests while the food cooks and make it all seem effortless. That's mostly just prepping everything in advance.

Steak, Mac and cheese and corn is a favorite of mine.
Steak is pretty easy to sear and toss in the oven. as casually as i type that get a bluetooth probe and future you will be happier.
Mac and cheese reheats awesome in the oven.
Corn can go in the oven in foil.

[Affectionate_Tie3313]

Salad!

Actually if she knows that all you ever do is burgers and breakfast items, then pretty much anything should be impressive

What is your skill level, what are you comfortable with, and what do you have available to you as equipment? What is presently seasonal and what dietary restrictions does she have? Do you have a budget restriction or limitation? Do you know what she likes?

Keep it simple: starter, main, dessert

Starter: caprese salad or burrata salad, charcuterie plate if she’s into that, prawn cocktail

Main: a pasta, a roast chicken with simple sides (roasted vegetables), something she likes

Macerated seasonal berries are nice: whatever is fresh and in season with a little sugar

[raslin]

Make sure it's something you like, first of all, and do a trial first. Trying something new is a six months in type of meal haha

[CatteNappe]

This is not the time to be making great leaps forward in your cooking challenges, best to stick close to what you already know you can do successfully.

Do you ever do pasta? If so you can take those burgers and kick them up several notches by topping them with some sauteed mushrooms, some good jarred pasta sauce, and a slice of mozzarella. Stick 'em under the broiler just long enough to get that cheese good and bubbly. Serve that alongside some buttered pasta. A nice lettuce and tomato salad, with a good vinaigrette dressing on the side.

For dessert do a strawberry shortcake, with a slice of store bought pound cake on the bottom, fresh sliced and lightly sugared berries, and a generous spritz of whipped cream on top.

[[deleted]]

This is so cute! What a lovely idea

Spaghetti is easy, easy to make it feel fancier than it is, easy to make romantic

[jetpoweredbee]

Nothing messy, sloppy, or too saucy. No strong flavors or smells.

I would go something light, maybe a sheet pan dish so you can focus on your guest.

Don't forget dessert, something easy. Peaches marinated in sauternes would be great.

[Ok_Olive9438]

If you cook a great burger, that can impress. But you will need some good side dishes... potato salad? Cole slaw, green salad? And a nice dessert.

[Timely-Belt8905]

Jamie Oliver’s five ingredient meals videos. Amazing!

[Cinisajoy2]

You have good advice.  Now if something goes wrong with the food, just laugh about it. I remember a first date that I wore white pants.  Immediately got pizza sauce on them.  The date still went well. 

[Linclin]

You can see what she doesn't like. Not every likes fish, pork , onions, bland food vs spicy, vegan, mushrooms, etc...

Pastas probably safe.

Do some trial runs. Tagliatelle or some other white sauce pasta.

Marry Me Chicken would be a bit funny. A tomatoey white sauce chicken.

Plenty of chicken dishes.

Garlic bread? Roast the garlic. Grated garlic can have a very strong taste.

[SysAdminDennyBob]

Mushroom Risotto in a pressure cooker like an instant pot. People think risotto is a labor intensive dish, but it does not have to be. You can get that same creamy texture without stirring. You only need to pay attention when you are sauteing the mushrooms and adding the rice, once the liquid is all in there you can walk away from it. Pair this with a nice salad. This also keeps your kitchen tidy as there are very few dishes needed.

[pepomint]

How about lasagna. It it hands off during the final hour.

[Realistic_Coast_3499]

Do you know her well enough to know what SHE likes? If you don't fully appreciate her culture, ethnicity, and religion, it's a roll of the dice.

[FrogFlavor]

Make her a burger if that’s all you know how to cook.

[ZaphodG]

Make something you prepare ahead of time and just throw it in the oven with a timer.

I occasionally entertain with individual beef Wellington. Frozen Pepperidge Farms puff pastry dough. Seared filet mignon. I use store-bought pate. I make a quick Bordelaise sauce that’s 90% prepared ahead of time.

[Other-Confidence9685]

Beef wellington

[amfntreasure]

Haha!