Hi there! I’m just returning from a beautiful weekend celebrating me and George’s 17th Anniversary! Yes yes, we got married on Valentine’s Day in 2004. Wow! 17 years is a long time. What’s even more shocking is that I’ve known him since the 10th grade. Any who! This year because of the pandemic we decided to stay in again but instead of hiring a chef, I did the cooking myself. I wanted to be sure I shared the great, the good and the ugly about executing date nights at home. Ultimately, I think they are wonderful opportunities to go all out especially since we’re encouraged to all stay home.

Look The Part

First things first, just because you’re staying home doesn’t mean you get to skimp on the looks department. Dress up and do your make-up. You wouldn’t believe how this will alter your mood on the expectations of the date. George and I love to throw on some fancy rags and shimmy around the house. We really don’t need a reason but our Anniversary was the perfect excuse.

George was sporting some black drawstring slacks and a red sweater. He felt the only way to truly be over the top was to add this nice coat from Macy’s. As for me, I grabbed this satin number from H&M, my new jeweled pumps by Betsy Johnson (one of my gifts), and this cool hat and veil to zhuzh my outfit up a bit.

Set The Stage

This year’s table theme was King & Queen of Hearts. For the past few years, I’ve been trying to come up with different tablescapes to make the evening more festive. Even before the pandemic, I began to grow tired of the waiting game and crowds on Valentine’s Day. So to make our home feel like we’re going out, I’ve been putting together celebratory tables. I’ve loved every moment too. This year I wanted to break away from the classic red or pink table. I added blue! The finished product was indeed a stunner.

On The Menu

This is where the fun begins. I wanted to be sure we had a fancy menu since it was our Anniversary but I also wanted to be sure the meal was pretty easy so I didn’t spend the whole day in the kitchen. I went the semi-homemade route on appetizers and dessert. We ordered some of our favorite sushi from Taca, one of our local favorites, and grabbed a Cheesecake Factory sampler from Publix. I hand dipped some strawberries myself to go with our cheesecake. These short cuts saved a lot of time.

For the next course, I decided to try a new recipe for lobster bisque. It was tasty but not what I expected. I’ll talk more about the don’ts later but as a tip, don’t try new recipes that you haven’t already tested for special dates like this. Now on to our main course, we decided on Filet Mignon cause we fancy, and roasted veggies. We opted against a starch for the main course since we loaded up on carbs with the sushi. We didn’t want to get overstuffed since you know that only leads to an early snooze.

What To Do On A Date At Home?

This part usually comes naturally for most people but if you find yourself looking for things to do to fill up your night, here are a few things you could try.

Conversation Starters

If you two love a good conversation, this intimate deck has conversation starters on a variety of topics. Perfect for when you don’t want to have to come up with things to say.

YouTube Concert

If the two of you are into music, que up a Sade or Kem concert on YouTube! They are definitely entertaining!

Erotic Bedtime Stories

Another cool option for when you’re all done with dinner and have slipped into something more comfortable. Before you jump right into the bedroom acrobatics, read him a bedtime story. Zane has several short stories that are bound to preheat your oven. LOLOLOL

What I Learned

Alright folks, now on to some tips I’ve learned about the evening. 1. Prep super early in the day so you have time to rest up and be energized for the evening. I didn’t start decorating until a few hours prior and listen, my body sure felt it. Also, I began cooking after decorating. Bad idea. I under estimated how long the decor would take so this cut into my time that was allotted for preparing our simple meal. Next time I plan to start super early so I can relax for a couple hours before I have to get dressed. 2. Never try out a new recipe the day of your date. If it goes south, you have no recovery time. The lobster bisque turned out good but the taste was totally different than what I expected. 3. Allow ample time to pamper yourself while you get dressed. It is such a mood enhancer. Take your time, sip some wine and listen to some music while you’re putting yourself together. I had no time to really spend on myself because I didn’t start my prep early enough, plus I was dog tired by the time we sat down for dinner.

I certainly learned my lesson but it was all so worth it. I hope you guys enjoy this and share some of your date night tips with me too.

Until next time,

-K