Any ideas for a romantic home cooked meal?

Some kind of chicken pasta is easy. They sell frozen chicken pasta stir-frys that you just have defrost and fry in a pan. But they taste close enough to home-made that you could fib about it :)

or, stuff like this is easy-peasy: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1639,153182-232197,00.html

As for wine, if she likes Merlot, go Merlot. Or do your research and match up the wine with the entrée. Certain wines accommodate certain foods best.

Good wine stores will be able to steer you towards a good merlot in your price range.

I’m not going to be any help with recipes, but relax and have fun. The most romantic part probably won’t be what you cook, but that you put in the effort to do something special for her.

A simple meal that can be done in one pot is always my choice, then I can spend time with my guests instead of in the kitchen. I use skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut them into chunks, brown them well in a pot with olive oil, toss in garlic salt, salt and pepper, when it is good and brown add a couple of cups of chicken broth and stir the brown bits off the bottom of the pot, throw in potatos, carrots, spring onions, some peas, I often add red lentils to thicken, some sliced black olives for color and texture, chilis for a bit of a kick and maybe some red pepper for color, toss in anything that sounds good to you. simmer for about an hour and serve in a big soup plate with crusty bread and a salad. Oh yeah when you are serving, slice up some of the green tops of the spring onions and sprinkle on top, makes you look like a pro!

I am a big fan of baked chicken rubbed with italian seasoning, with two fat slices of tomato on top to preserve the moisture in the meat while it’s cooked. Put chicken on bed of rice pilaf and greens, serve with french breed oil/vinegar dipping sauce.

Supposed to pair red meat and red wine, white meat and white wine, but whatever, go with that merlot. :)

Are there any meals that you are really good at making? I know that if someone puts the thought and time into making me a romantic meal the food is less important to me than the actual gesture of wanting to do something special for me. :)

I cook a little buy an easy option is to buy some boneless skinless chicken breasts some Italian salad dressing, like the kraft brand nothing to fancy. Then you marinate the chicken in the dressing for a little while with some dried basil. Then bbq the chicken. For sides I’d go with some pasta with garlic salt butter and parm, and asparagus makes a good side just steam it and were with salt and butter. As for wine I don’t know it very well. but this meal is delicious and rather easy to make. Although kelly27 makes a good point my girlfriend loves breakfast and pancakes used to be my only real skill so for dinner I made her pancake breakfast and she loved it. Albeit not the most traditional

My father is a 5 star chef and taught at le-cordon bleu in Florida. I’ve picked up a few pointers from him. But I’ll steer clear of the recipes since there’s already plenty on here (and more than enough online). BUT I will give you some tips from my own experiences that will prove helpful.

1) KEEP IT SIMPLE. It doesn’t have to be some super exotic crazy amazing dish. You’re not a master chef, don’t try to be. You’ll be a lot more likely to mess something up (undercooked food does not make for a good date, especially with sea food). Stir Fry that you PERSONALLY make is SUPER easy, and usually impresses any date (not the out of the bag crap, like self cut veggies and meat). Plus you can use about any meat (chicken, steak, fish, shrimp, etc)

2) Ask your date what she likes (like styles of food, italian, german, mexican, etc). Specific dishes if you don’t mind ruining the surprise. If it’s supposed to be a surprise try and find out either by asking friends/family or just “bouncing” ideas off her in conversation “secretly.”

3) (and this may be most important), PRACTICE the recipe. Especially if you’re not confident in your cooking abilities. Try making the recipe a day or two before on your own. That way you know what need be done when you’re making it for an audience, and you don’t mess up on the spot.

Best of luck yo.

Chicken Marsala—always a crowd pleaser, easy to make, and romantic without going over the top.

Its def. one of my favorites for date nights :)

Italian cousine is one of the best in the world.
Not that easy though, but is simple, healthy, and quite cool.

Try seafood risotto, and lobster. (Serve it with white wine, a Tocai vintage 2003 would do it).

A romantic, homecooked meal is how I got the giant scar on my left hand, so I’m inclined to go for a romantic, homecooked SIMPLE meal these days. This is kind of my go-to, stand by meal but I’ll give a tip or two for making it nicer:

Pasta and salad and bread.

Get the salad in a box or bag and add a few things like grapefruit or apple slices to make it nicer. Heat the bread up in the oven right before serving it.

For the pasta:
Any smallish pasta you like (I use shells). Whatever veggies and meats you like. So she likes chicken? I hope you won’t be offended by what I’m about to say, but one of the best ways to make this meal is with leftovers. You get a rotisserie chicken the night before and eat your fill. Then when making the meal, you tear up the left over chicken and use it.

Since she likes mushrooms, I recommend:
pasta
mushrooms
onion or shallot
pesto
sour cream
chicken

Put the water on to boil for the pasta. While it boils, chop the mushrooms, and onion. Tear up the chicken. When the water is boiling, put the pasta in. Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a skillet and sautee the onions and mushrooms. The onions will need to cook a bit longer than the mushrooms, so start them about 4 minutes earlier. Once the veggies are cooked, toss in the chicken. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream—it’s a cheating way to make a white sauce—and 3 tablespoons of good pesto. Tada! Chicken and veggies in creamy pesto sauce. This works GREAT with fat-free sour cream. If you want to add a little zing, add the zest of one lemon.

You can put some cheese on top, but you don’t need to. Serve with salad and bread. Enjoy.

Bonus: this meal take 20 minutes max to make. So you have a quick, romantic dinner and don’t have to spend half the night making it.

It is not always the food that makes a romantic dinner. It is also the ambiance in the room such as:
dim lighting
music
table setting
and of course your own attire
I would recommend a simple meal anybody can cook

Menu”
Filet Mignon
baked potatoes
asparagus
salad
fresh french bread & butter
A nice Merlot

make salad ahead, put on salad plates, cover and refrig.
wash potatoes, dry, make small cut through skin, rub with olive oil, wrap in foil, set aside.
wash asparagus, break large ends off. Put in bowl of cold water, set in refrig.
season filets a little salt & pepper. refrig.

That will give you the rest of the day to prepare you table, lighting, music and your attire.
“make sure your bathroom is CLEAN”

1. At about 1½ hours before dinner hour:
preheat oven at 350 degrees
put your potatoes in.

At about 20 minutes before dinner, start a pot of water to boil. About 3” water. About 10 min. before dinner, drop asparagus in water, cover and turn off heat. Let asparagus cook from the hot water. Do not remove the lid.

If you are going to cook the meat on the barbeque, fire it up at least ½ hour before dinner.
If you are going to broil in the oven, it will already be 350 degrees. As potatoes are cooking. A few minutes before your guest arrives, check to see if potatoes are done. Either pinch them to see how soft they are, or stick a fork in them to see if they are soft. If done, remove from oven, leave foil and wrap in towel set aside.
When your guest arrives and you have served her a glass of wine, she can go with you into kitchen to put on the meat.
EASY, EASY, EASY
good luck and have fun