General Question

jfos's avatar

What is something good to cook with a girlfriend?

Asked by jfos (7392points) October 16th, 2009

Well, ex-girlfriend in my case, but either way… what is a good dinner to cook with a “significant other”?

Something that takes less than 30 minutes, and is relatively inexpensive ($25 or less)...

I have access to a microwave, sink, oven, stove, (too rainy for BBQ), and a refridgerator/freezer.

And not macaroni and cheese!

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30 Answers

eponymoushipster's avatar

roasted chicken breasts with herbs, baked potatoes and some veg (i’d go with broccoli).

bpeoples's avatar

Try to find a copy of “How to Serve Man”—it should have some good tips on Girlfriend. (Ex- or otherwise)

Anyway—Eggplant Parmesan is easy & tasty and quick. Fried rice is always a hit.

jamzzy's avatar

CHICKEN FRANCESCA ITS SUPER EASY AND YOU CAN MAKE IT LOOK AMAZING.

gussnarp's avatar

Cook with? Hooboy, you are in trouble. Some say to find out how you really feel about someone you have to live with them, or travel with them, but the hardest thing to do with someone else is cook. Look for a way to clearly divide labor so you aren’t steppint on each other’s toes, especially if it’s a small kitchen. @eponymoushipster‘s suggestion is actually not bad, roasted chicken is surprisingly easy, but I would just chop up onions, carrots, and potatoes into chunks, toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and some herbs, and scatter it around the chicken in the roasting pan. For the chicken itself, you could work garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper mixed together in under the skin, but all you really need to do is rinse, remove neck and giblets, pat dry, rub with salt and brush with melted butter, then roast for about 50 minutes to an hour. Forgot oven temp (325?), look it up.

evegrimm's avatar

You could make homemade macaroni and cheese. It’s fast (not as fast as the microwave), tasty, and great “comfort food”. Tastes sooo much better than a box; you wouldn’t even guess it was related. Goes well with garlic bread + salad.

Pizza’s fun and easy, and the dough can be found in many places. (You can put whatever you want on it.) Also goes well with salad.

Do you want some recipes?

gussnarp's avatar

Add some roasted potatoes and sauteed onions to the homemade mac and cheese and call it Alplermagronen, a traditional swiss dish.

nikipedia's avatar

Pizza! It’s my favorite thing to cook with other people.

The catch is that to do it right, you need a pizza stone or an approximation of one. I got six bricks from Home Depot for like $2.00 and laid them across the bottom of the oven. Heat it up as hot as it’ll go while you make the pizza sauce, grate the cheese, and get the toppings ready. You can go simple and just do cheese (still delicious!) or go nuts—artichokes, caramelized onions, basil, mushrooms, whatever you’ve got.

It’s lots of fun and almost impossible to mess up.

whatthefluther's avatar

I would think a prior amicable break-up, would not only be good, but a must, if and when cooking with an ex-girlfriend.
See ya…Gary/wtf

doggywuv's avatar

I would advise you to cook up a sweet relationship, but that requires a lot of time and costs more than $25.

eponymoushipster's avatar

whatever you do, don’t put any buns in the oven.

whatthefluther's avatar

@eponymoushipster….but if one must, do use protection (oven mitts). See ya…..Gary/wtf

ish1212's avatar

For dessert Chocolate Creme pie. Essentially pudding + a pie crust + whipped cream (if you swing that way). Simple and awesome.

ish1212's avatar

edit: Make sure you bake the pie crust; I’ve made that mistake one too many times.

CMaz's avatar

Shrimp scampi, rice and a nice salad.
Dessert, ice cream sandwich.

ru2bz46's avatar

I like “cooking” with a girlfriend, but the last thing I want to do is produce anything.

ParaParaYukiko's avatar

I’m always a fan of pasta. Eggplant lasagna (or regular lasagna, if you’re a traditionalist) is a lot of fun to make together. Learning how to make something new is also a lot of fun! I had a great time with my boyfriend (and subsequently other friends) learning how to make California rolls.

poofandmook's avatar

I prefer to cook and have my boyfriend help by hugging me while I stir a pot and tell me how delicious it smells. CHRIST ON A CRACKER I can’t wait for December

That was for you, @aprilsimnel!! :D

hookecho's avatar

tacos/tortillas are cheap and easy. All you need are shells, ground beef/chicken, prepacked seasoning, the toppings like cheese, tomatoes,ect. Theres usually even instructions on how to prepare the meat on the seasoning package, it doesnt get much easier than that.

ru2bz46's avatar

@hookecho “cheap and easy” – kinda like the girls I date. Lol! (Not the ones I married, of course, in case one of them is listening in.)

mcbealer's avatar

dunno about cooking with an ex… however with an SO one of the hottest things to make is soup!!

This is because if you make it from scratch with fresh veggies for example there’s some considerable prep time…. And plenty of opportunities to hug and kiss along the way.

Also, you can get distracted and walk away and go take care of um, needs at hand. Just don’t forget to stir it ocassionally.

Soups are also awesome the next day, and freeze very well.
So I would suggest a soup + bread project. Mmmm ya got me thinking now…

skfinkel's avatar

Some kind of delicious pasta, that takes a couple of people and ends up being delectable. I think lasagna could be fun, or stuffed pasta with the good sauce, and then some salad and fresh bread. A bottle of Chianti.
Should be a lovely dinner.

ubersiren's avatar

Breakfast for dinner! Pancakes, fruit, bacon, mimosas…

PandoraBoxx's avatar

Fondue is fun. You could make a Swiss fondue, but this beer cheese fondue is awesome!

½ cup butter
½ cup flour
2 cups milk
4 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups strong ale (not dark; St. Peter’s English Ale is good.)

In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour to butter, a tablespoon at a time, stirring, to make a paste. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, to make a thick white sauce. Reduce heat to medium low. Add cheese, a cup at a time, stirring to melt and blend. Add red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cayenne and salt, stirring to blend. Gradually add 2 cups ale, stirring to blend. Sauce should be thin, and will thicken as it cools.

Serve warm with soft pretzels, breadsticks, cubed bread, fruit (apples or pears) or vegetables.

EmpressPixie's avatar

Salmon, potatoes, and asparagus. But you can replace the potatoes with rice if you like.

For the salmon, slather it with pesto and shove it in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes.
For the potatoes, cut them into cubes (little ones) and put them in a pot of water. Turn it on high. When the water starts to boil, drain them and dump them in a heated skillet with butter. Salt and pepper, toss to coat, and then leave on one side 5 minutes or until browned. Flip them. Let brown. Flip, brown, until all potatoes are cooked and mostly browned.
Asparagus: Toss with olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper. Toss in over with fish.

The potatoes will take the longest—about 20 minutes. In half an hour, FEAST.

Do not, I repeat, do NOT make rutabaga.

Psychedelic_Zebra's avatar

what wine goes with ex-girlfriend?

ubersiren's avatar

@EmpressPixie : That sounds violent, what you’re doing with the salmon! But tasty. :o)

Blondesjon's avatar

Methamphetamine.

eponymoushipster's avatar

@Psychedelic_Zebra something bitchy, with a nice bouquet….

hungryhungryhortence's avatar

1. rib eye steaks rubbed with crushed black pepper and then sprinkled with terriyaki sauce and broiled in the oven for about 4 min. on each side. Asparagus cut into thirds, discard the bottom third, saute with a tablespoon of butter, juice from half a lemon and mushroom (I add a splash of whiskey to mine to caramelize) 1 yam peeled and cut into rounds, pan fried.

2. lamb ribs rubbed with black pepper and dipped in pomegranate syrup or the syrup of jarred jam cherries or black currants, broil them in the oven and serve with a box of Rice O Roni wild rice mix (use just half of the seasoning packet) and saute whatever vegie you like.

jfos's avatar

Thanks for the good suggestions… we ended up buying Indian food after all.

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