Cooking for two...

[Andeh13]

Ok, I am cooking for myself and a friend and I have the following I was planning on doing;


Starter;

Parma Ham & Melon, arranged neatly on a plate!?

Main Course;

Cheese & Breaded chicken, crusty bread, and fresh salad (pre bought, add tomatoes to it?)

Desert:

Strawberries, strawberry yoghurt, some double cream and a spoonful of custard!



Whatcha all think? These are ideas from friends & family. I need to keep it simple because I cant cook for toffee and Id rather it being simple & successfull then fancy and risk a disaster!

Any suggestions on improving it?

Cheers guys

ps; My first post in here!

[kalniel]

I hope this is a female friend

[MadduckUK]

desert:

sounds a bit dry

I need to keep it simple because I cant cook for toffee and Id rather it being simple & successfull then fancy and risk a disaster!

Balls to that, now is the time to learn, doesn't matter if its not perfect.

[MadduckUK]

Starter:
Asparagus wrapped in Parma Ham with Hollandaise Sauce Dip.

Main:
Spag bol, with Parmesan on top, and garlic bread

Dessert:
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake with Cointreau

[razer121]

What about buyin a tikka sauce and making chicken tikka? pretty easy and just get some rice and pitta bread, that would work for a main and is pretty quick to make i dont really do starters...so i will skip that!

desert wise, something with a little tang to it maybe? like a lemon cheese cake with custurd?

[abaxas]

Why not cook what she likes, if you are trying to impress.

A badly cooked 'attempt' has more pant pulling power than a well executed unloved one.

[Lucio]

I'd honestly not worry about a starter, you're not eating in a restaurant and it's a needless waste of both Kcal's and money.

For the main, definitely cook something yourself, doesn't matter if it goes badly, you can always laugh it off and order a takeaway. Simple receipies are things like spaghetti bolanagse, or a lasange (which also has the benefit of being able to be pre-prepared) or there's a wealth of simple by tasty pasta based dishes available online. Best advice I can offer though is make sure you have a wok, makes preparing most sauce based dishes a breeze as you just chuck things in and heat.

Stick to something store-bought for desert though, I'd recomend chocolatey as it's a safe bet that most women will enjoy it. Offer a low Kcal alternative just in case she's on a diet or watching what she eats (yoghurt and a fruit salad is a good bet)


In terms of "learning" to cook a main course here's a simple recipie

Put some oil into the bottom of a wok and heat until it starts to sizzle
chuck in some sliced, diced or minced meat and move around the pan until it changes colour
throw in some vegetables, and stir for a couple of minutes. At this stage, also add any spices you want (popular ones for Italian dishes are oregano, garlic and paisley)
Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and cook until the chopped tomatoes have broken up.

At this point, taste it and decide if you want to add any flavours. If you want a stronger tomato flavour, use tomatoe puree. Worcestershire sauce and salt are also useful at this point.

[kalniel]

Oh and do a dry run or two first, obviously.

[nudda]

id give the starter a miss too