One of the biggest perks of a traditional date night, has to be the fun and fancy food! Even though we may not be dining in right now, that's no reason why we can't enjoy finer tastes. One of our teams favourite date night splurges are jam packed charcuterie boards! Fancy cheeses paired with delicate meats and accoutrements, all beautifully displayed on a board or fancy plate, will make you feel like you're out for a night on the town! You might just have to squint a bit...
Here's a small list of items we love to include on our boards!
- Cured meats (salami, calabrese, pepperoni, prosciutto)
- Cheeses (it's good to switch up your cheese! Try one hard, like a cheddar or aged manchego, a soft cheese like brie or Boursin, and a goat milk cheese for variety!)
- Olives (whichever flavour or style is your fave!)
- Nuts (try a spicy almost or tried and true pistachios)
- Fruit (apples, apricots or dried fruit are great options)
- Crackers, toasted baguettes, pretzels or crunchy breadsticks
- Honey, jams or other fruit preserves to finish it all of
Date night can't be date night without cocktails! Whether yours include alcohol or not, a fancy drink can really set the tone for the experience. Bust out the your stemware and garnishes to take it up a notch! Here's a few of our favourite at home drink recipes!
Moscow Mule
What you'll need:
1.5 oz Vodka
Lime juice
1/2 Cup Ginger beer
- Combine Vodka, lime juice and Ginger beer together over crushed ice in a glass
- Garnish with a lime and enjoy!
Candy Cane Mocktail Martini
What you'll need:
1 Cup heavy cream
12 oz Cream Soda
2 teaspooons simple syrup (just boil equal parts sugar and water until reduced)
2-4 drops peppermint extract
For garnish:
candy canes
2 teaspoons simple syrup
- Crush up the candy canes into small, dusty pieces. Rim your glass using 2 teaspoons simple syrup, and dip into crushed candies.
- In your cocktail shaker, combine the heavy cream, cream soda, 2 teaspoons simple syrup and peppermint extract together well with ice.
- Strain and pour drink into your rimmed glass and enjoy!
Usually when we go out to a bar or restaurant for date night, conversations revolve around the ambience and people watching. It can be tricky to not talk about the house, kids or work when the environment is at home instead. To kick start the conversation, why not try a fun game to explore topics you may not normally chat about together! We love The Art of Conversation, which has over 300 fascinating conversation building questions to get to know one another even better. You can check it out here.
To finish off the night of great food, drinks and conversation, why not indulge in a sweet treat! Save yourself the trouble, and order in from your favourite restaurant or bakery for this one. You've earned it!!
