For Christmas Cameron’s grandmother gave us a copy of our cousin, Ashley Rodriguez’, book Date Night In. When I learned that she was coming out with this book I knew I wanted a copy so it was an amazing Christmas gift to receive!
Cameron and I have two little ones. Ryan is 3 and Alicia just turned 1. On average we might go out on a date once every three months… um… that’s 4 times a year π So the idea of having an extravagant date night in, well that’s pure genius! There’s no need to worry about a babysitter, just put the kids to bed early and let the date begin. π I have no idea why I didn’t think of this before. Β In my free time I LOVE cooking and have made a few recipes off Ashleys blog (NotWithoutSalt). I’m not going to lie, the recipes are kind of elaborate and full of ingredients I’ve never heard of (star anise, what the heck is that!!) and I’ve often felt intimidated to try some of them. But once I started reading this book I fell in love with the idea going the extra mile for a special date with my husband.
When I opened the book I took a deep breath and began reading a recipe… and while a bit complicated… totally do-able! I love the layout and how it gives you a timeline for when to start your prep work and a grocery list of things you’ll need for each date. I went to the grocery store and purchased a bunch of interesting things and I’ll admit I had to ask the store clerk where some of it was located and what it might look like π
Here’s what we chose for our first date in:
On the Menu:
\Basil Mint Jubilee\
\Pickled Vegetable Salad\
\Fried Chicken Sandwiches on Black Pepper Biscuits\
\Chocolate Pecan Ice Cream Pie with Bourbon Butterscotch and Pretzel Crust\
We started with drinks since we happened to have some fresh local basil from Local Yokel.
Let me tell you, this drink is awesome!!! (WARNING: I might say that about everything)