Make Date Night Pop! Five Covid Friendly Ways to Create the Best Date Ever
The trick is to do the following 5 things throughout the night for that slam dunk success! In events planning, we call it “building” or “layering” an event. It means that from the beginning to the end, memorable experiences await you. When you check out our menu. The after dinner surprise at the end of the night, a glowing heart, awaits. (that’s the “wow” factor on our list) By the end of the night, you’ve built an evening full of fun, excitement and romance. What could be better than that?!
1.It all starts with a good menu; Cook something from scratch
“ A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Cliché but as true today as it was 50 years ago. Except these days, women can also be incredibly impressed with a good meal prepared by the love of her life. So cook a favorite for the one you love and step it up a notch to make it memorable. Formalize with a menu. Make it at least three courses and have fun with it. If he loves pasta salad, make it into a heart and serve it as a first course. Include truffle potato chips with that perfect burger to dress it up. Pick up special rolls and make heart shaped butter pats to go with the delicious entree. Or add a flag pick with a simple heart .You know your loved one best, so cook up a favorite!
Could be a simple hamburger dressed up or a filet mignon. As long as you’ve put effort into creating a favorite dish, it works. For dessert, how about a favorite slice of cake…. cut into a heart shape? Maybe even drizzle a little liqueur. For something so special and easy to create, pull out your prettiest pedestal glass and go for a Rum & Berries Trifle…add a chocolate heart to personalize. So easy to create in 10 minutes (how-to video below) and he’ll love you for it! And, for the guys out there? Make this trifle and she will love you, forever and always!
2. Create a romantic nook.
Go for comfy cozy this year and stay close to home and COVID safe. Create a special nook in your home.
Scout out your home to find things you can bring together for the mood you envision. Grab the fur rug from your study and throw it near the fireplace or cozy corner. If you don’t have a fireplace, create a mock one with pillar candles. Here, we’ve simply brought an ottoman from another room, added a charger, votive, crystal holder with long stem candle and throw pillows from around the apartment.
You’d be surprised what you can pull together.
Dress up your bed or a coffee table. Cuddle in an oversized chair. Whatever area you chose, surround your nook with pillar candles you’ve collected. Candlelight always builds mood, so go for it. Toss throw pillows down for comfort! Use alluring votive candlelight here and there. Play romantic music and “serve” the meal complete with fun personalized menu! Create your special space anywhere. Then turn your nook on! Get creative…any area is nook ready; convert your pick up, garage, attic or study into a space with a romantic surprise! A most romantic, memorable experience is at your hands. And it all starts in your little nook!
3. Add something personalized -- something special -- to your dinner
Personalize. Both an invitation to the kitchen dance floor for a romantic song dedication or a chocolate heart sitting atop a delectable dessert will get rave reviews everytime. Be creative and think up that unique something. A heart sitting atop a pretty dessert can be stepped up a notch by tying on a string that your loved one will pull on to retrieve a message. We added a string tied note & chocolate heart to our Rum & Berries Trifle. So exciting whether in a trifle or a favorite ice cream sundae! What a better way to show your special human “you pull on my heartstring”. Go with a message that reflects your relationship and has special meaning to your pairing. Personalize your message. Maybe instead of “ I chose you.”; “I’ve always chosen you”. Romantic and a lot of fun! The trifle is so easy to make, we included a recipe and step by step video below. Enjoy!
TRIFLE RECIPE (for 2)
Ingredients:
1/2 C raspberries, 1/2 C blueberries (use any berries as substitutes), 1/2 C chocolate sauce, whipped cream, liqueur of your choice, 1/4 pound cake or any cake you have on hand
1. Wash berries and set each in their own bowl. To the raspberries, add 2 teaspoons sugar and 2 teaspoons water and mix well. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Break pound cake apart into bite size pieces and set 1/3rd of the cake into the bottom of two pedestal glasses.
3. Pour a little liqueur over the pound cake in each glass…enough to taste but not enough to saturate.
4. To each glass, add 1 spoon of your raspberry sauce; top with a few blueberries to cover.
5. Drizzle chocolate sauce over each glass.
6. Top each glass with ½ inch of whipped cream.
7. Repeat this process 2 more times. If your glasses are not full, add layers until full and top off with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate.
CHOCOLATE HEART & NOTE INSERT FOR THE TRIFLE
1. Print a message and cut it out to a ½ inch by 2-3 inch dimension.
2. Insert it into a fold of parchment paper or aluminum foil.
3. Roll it up and use cooking twine or other food safe string to tie around the note. Set this aside while you make the chocolate heart.
4. Make a copy of a heart onto paper and print.
5. Tape parchment paper over the heart you’ve printed.
6. Melt down ¼ cup of semi sweet chocolate chip morsels in your microwave for 20 seconds; then stir thoroughly and microwave for another 20 seconds. *do not leave out the stirring or microwave for 40 seconds at once or you will get lumpy chocolate. Stir until chocolate is smooth and silky.
7. Put chocolate in a pastry bag and use round tip 3. If you want a thicker heart, go up in tip size.
8. Slowly trace the heart shape showing through onto the parchment paper.
9. Set in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
10. Remove from refrigerator when dry and gently tie a 6 inch piece of cooking twine or food safe string onto the heart. *Be gentle, the heart will be fragile.
11. Set aside.
ASSEMBLY
1. Take the note you’ve attached to the chocolate heart and holding the note side in one hand and the chocolate heart in the other, gently insert the paper side into the middle of the trifle. Push down just below the whipped cream.
2. Gently press the bottom corner of the chocolate heart into the top of the whipped cream.
For all those bread making cooks out there, bake a little note on a string into your bread. Serve warm with heart shaped butter…voila! You’ve done it! Impressed in a big way! When it’s store bought, it’s something. When you make it, it’s a whole another something!
4. Give romantic gifts that step outside the box.
Flowers and chocolates still work, but step outside the box to really impress. For the girl that loves twinkle lights, what could be more romantic than having her step into the backyard to the flick of a switch that lights up a tree? Or how about a mini bonfire on the patio and a spiked hot chocolate with heart-shaped marshmallows for that special someone that loves bonfires? Tubs filled with rose petals are common, but how about adding rose water…so decadent and good for the skin! How about climbing onto the roof and finding blankets and take out treats laid out just for the two of you?
For a boxed gift, go for something lovely in an untraditional way. You can find these lovely gifts in our store. Because succulents are known to thrive, they send the message that love always thrives. And you can step it up a notch by having a scavenger hunt that leads to a gift! Make it creative in 2021!
5. Add a romantic “wow” moment
Top off your evening with a “wow” moment. Imagine something you can do at or around your home that would elicit a moment of awe. How about stepping out into the dark patio after a romantic dinner and have lights come on to an illuminated setting and discovering that Edison bulbs or twinkle lights have been strung just for you?
For something even more simple, how about walking into a dark room to the warm glow of votives in the shape of a heart. Or pull back curtains to find a surprise on the outdoor patio. Romantic! Think outside the box. Anyone can create a romantic “wow” moment! The lesson in 2021 is that we can “build” amazingly romantic and heartfelt celebrations that focus on romantic messaging delivered in different ways while leaving the materialism of pre-pandemic days behind us. So go forth and enjoy a date night you’ll never forget!
