PLANNING THE PERFECT DATE NIGHT
Stressful reservations, grid-locked traffic, wardrobe malfunctions, and hair disasters. These are just a few of the potential headaches involved when you hope to enjoy a date night with your significant other. We all can appreciate a romantic night on the town, but you can also enjoy a simple, perfect date night at home that still delivers the romance.
Think about it, you’re in love with your beautiful new real hardwood floors, you can cook your favorite meal, pair it with your favorite wine, and dress up to the level you prefer. Need some inspiration for capturing the perfect vibe? Here are a few of our favorite tips for planning the perfect date night at home:
Make Your Home Glow: Help set the right mood by giving your home a quick clean-up and shine. Your Hearthwood engineered hardwood flooring features WetWorx™ Splatter and Spill Guard, so you can easily and quickly use Swiffer® WetJet Wood cleaning system to wet-mop your floors. Make the stunning tones and character of styles like Seismic (Dynamic Earth), Inertia (Controlled Chaos), and Petrified (Dynamic Earth) gleam and create an inviting atmosphere.
Create A Special Menu: If home-cooked meals are your love language, then plan this step with extra special care. Is there a specific dish, dessert, or glass of wine you had on a memorable, romantic date? Do you love to cook together? Put on some Nat King Cole or Frank Sinatra and prepare a menu that you will thoroughly enjoy:
- Appetizer: Plate your appetizers for snacking and conversation ahead of time. An antipasti plate with store-bought cheese and charcuterie are simple to assemble and always impress. We like to mix cured meats like salami and prosciutto with a variety of cheeses. Combine one more flavorful cheese like gouda or havarti, with one soft cheese such as brie or goat, and finish with something like Parmigiano-Reggiano that is hard and crumbly. Plate with crackers, pitted olives, and grapes, and serve during the last dinner prep stages.
- Main Course: To ensure smooth results, you can pick a recipe that can be prepared in one pot or pan and doesn’t require you to be doing active cooking once the date officially starts. Here are a few of our personal favorites for a delicious restaurant-worthy meal that can be assembled in advance, then popped in the oven at the start of the evening:
- Meat Option: Instant Pot Short Ribs – If you want to capture Italian cuisine, serve over polenta. For Southern food lovers, serve over grits. For meat & potatoes kind of folks, simply serve over homemade mashed potatoes.
- Pescatarian Option: Mediterranean Salmon – Delicious with spinach quinoa as a light side dish.
- Vegetarian Option: Best Vegetable Lasagna – Serve with a salad and bread for a cozy, soul warming meal.
- Dessert: Choose a homemade dessert like chocolate-covered strawberries that’s romantic, perfect for the occasion, and surprisingly easy to make. This recipe for Strawberry Hearts is hard to resist! In a pinch, a small decadent chocolate cake that’s readily available at your local supermarket will add that sweet, rich touch to your menu without any extra prep.
Pair Your Favorite Wine: Wine is widely regarded as the beverage of love and adds an air of romance to any meal. Like Hearthwood engineered hardwood flooring, vineyards have a legacy that spans generations and understand the importance of nuance on production quality. When it comes to selecting the perfect wine, the most important thing is to keep your partner’s preferences as the top priority. You can certainly go with an expert’s pairing and match to the meal you’re serving, or you can throw the “rules” out the window and just go with your personal favorites! Wine costs are extremely varied, which means you can find great options at any price point. But, sharing a bottle of fine wine with someone you love can be worth for a special occasion. If you’re planning a romantic evening in your beautiful home, why not treat yourself!
Add Decorative Touches: The details always make a difference and a perfect date at home is no exception. Grab some flowers during the day that remind you of a favorite restaurant or city you visited together. Light candles that you take back to a favorite getaway. Set a fancier-than-usual table setting and opt for the dining room table if you usually eat at the kitchen bar or in front of the TV.
Recapture Sentimental Moments: It’s always fun to take a sentimental stroll down memory lane and remember the butterflies you felt early on. Pull out photos, journals, and letters from when you first started dating. If you’ve tied the knot, relive your wedding day memories by looking through a wedding album or watching your wedding video. Watch one of the first romantic movies that you saw together and let the sparks fly.
There are so many great home date night ideas out there, you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home to rekindle the magic. Do your prep ahead of time and unwind into the perfect evening with the one you love.