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dinner
for two,
chez
vous
surviving
the
first dinner date at your place by
Patricia Virella
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continued
from page 1
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| Turn off
those glaring overhead lights, ditch the halogen, and make liberal
use of good old-fashioned candles to help set the stage for an
evening of love. To further enhance the romance factor, select
some tunes to get you two grooving and vibing together. I love
slow ambient grooves during dinner, like Portishead or Sade, maybe
even some LTJ Bukeum. You might also get a jazzy feel going by
sticking with such classics as John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme
or a collection of Billie Holiday’s sultry hits. A great tactic
is to pick tunes that the two of you have discussed in the past. A
mutual interest in a particular band or genre of music can turn
into a lovely dinner conversation piece -- and provide the perfect
segue into learning about what other interests the two of you may
share. |
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dinner for 2
Having your new sweetie over for
dinner provides the perfect opportunity to show off your amazing
culinary skills. So go for something familiar, something easy, something
you know you could make half-asleep, blindfolded, with one-hand tied
behind your back. This is an all-time rule of thumb that never fails. Do
not try and re-create the remarkable childhood memory-filled meal that
he told you his Mom made when he was little. The reason’s simple:
there is absolutely no way that your rendition of his favorite dish is
going to taste exactly like Mom’s. It might taste very good – it may
even be better than hers in many respects – but if you’re off even
off a little, he’ll be thinking "Mom’s cooking is so much
better," even as he claims to appreciate the attempt.
No, the key to success it to show him how you cook and how you
can satisfy his palate. Do not try something excruciatingly hard like
sushi or something ultra fancy like duck a l’orange, unless, of
course, you happen to be an expert sushi-maker or a brilliant French
chef. Make your favorite recipe, that signature dish that you’re known
for amongst all your friends and loved ones. For me, that’s my
ginger-citrus-cilantro salmon or chicken, served with orzo with basil and
sun-dried tomatoes. This is my favorite dish to make and the easiest
dish for me to serve up for guests. Since I’ve made it so many times
for myself and others, I have the timing down pat: I know exactly when
the salmon gets tender enough, and the exact moment to take the rice off
the stove so it can properly absorb the flavors of the basil and sun
dried tomatoes.
that's
right: there's more this way!
--------------------------->
lounge . nourish
.
host . laze
. home .
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