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How To Plan A Romantic Dinner At Home
You may want to prepare a romantic dinner to celebrate an anniversary, good news, a birthday, or just to show someone he or she is special. You naturally want everything to be perfect, but you may be a novice at such things. Regardless of the reason for the dinner and whether you are planning your first or your fiftieth such dinner, here are some tips that might be helpful.
Clean house early in the day. Straighten any clutter, dust, and vacuum. Several hours before your guest will arrive, spray an odor killing room freshener around liberally. If you are using a plug in type air freshener, go ahead and set it up in advance so that it has time to activate. Select some soft music you can play in the background. Instrumentals work best, since they are relaxing and not intrusive.
Straighten the kitchen to make it easier to cook the meal. Put away the clean dishes so that you can start with an empty dishwasher. Then, as you cook, load the dirty dishes so that you do not have an unsightly stack to deal with later.
Well before time to start cooking, take inventory to make sure you have everything needed for preparing and serving the dinner. For instance, if you plan to serve a green salad, make sure you have not only the vegetables but also the dressing. Compute how long you will need for each item and then estimate a starting time by working backwards.
Dress your table as elegantly as you can. For example, a black dining room set can be used as an effective backdrop for a dramatic look. White, in the form of dishes or linens, can provide a good contrast. Fresh petals from two or three red roses can be sprinkled on top of the table. Sit down to make sure your centerpiece will not obscure the view of you or your guest. If using candles, place them in holders that can capture dim light, such as polished metal or faceted cut glass.
You might choose to cook the meat course in a Camerons stovetop smoker so that you do not heat the kitchen with the oven. Use it to prepare tender steaks, chops, or chicken with less trouble than many other methods. It can also steam the vegetables you plan to serve on the side.
A hand mixer can help eliminate lumps in your mashed potatoes. If you plan to use the instant type instead of preparing them from scratch, you may wish to alter the directions on the box. Increasing the butter and milk while decreasing the water will yield a creamier dish. Shredded cheese, paprika, or bacon bits added prior to serving can make them taste and appear more special. Do not wait until the day of the dinner to begin experimenting, however. Take the time to create your personal variations once or twice first, so that you will have the recipe fine tuned before then.
If you are using a tossed salad for your first course, make it as interesting as you can. Use a combination of romaine lettuce and iceberg lettuce, then toss with some pecan pieces, olives, and cherry tomatoes. If desired, mix in diced or shredded cheese, minced gherkins, or grated carrots. Before serving, toss with dressing and croutons. You can use a purchased dressing or make one yourself. One that is extremely simply is nothing more than seasoning salt and dill seeds stirred into a mix of ketchup and mayonnaise. Just adjust ingredients to suit your own tastes, chill well, and serve.
An elaborate dessert such as cherries jubilee is always nice, but it is seldom practical and not necessary. There are simple desserts you can prepare that seem more complex than they are. Consider selections such as gingered fruit cups, a shortcake made with fresh peaches, or a decadent chocolate cake with ice cream.
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