Need to make special dinner for girlfriend...

truecrippler

Hey there,

I'm planning on making dinner for my girlfriend for a special occasion.
My budget would be about 80 euro but if I don't have to spend that much it would great.

Anything special that I can make? Something that looks and tastes great.

Also for dessert?

Thanks.

The Black Oil

What sort of food are you guys into?

These cookies are a big hit on here, pretty simple to do.

truecrippler

Hey, thanks for the reply.

Those cookies look delicious. I'll add that to the menu :P.

Well she doesn't like anything with lemon or lime and wouldn't eat Lamb but we would just about try anything. Getting it to look and taste right will be the hard part .

Spastafarian

80 euro for a home cooked meal for two??! You could literally make anything. Are you any good at cooking and what does your girlfriend like?

Thumpette

Bit more information would be good here....

What kind of food do you both like? What would you order in a resteraunt? Can you cook?

Lots of possible options- it'd be good to narrow down the choices.

deisebabe

is the 80 euros including wine? Because that is a really high budget!!!

Ok if it were me I'd probably go with a simple menu:

starter: brushetta http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/bruschetta_with_tomato_and_basil/

main:Fillet beef, garlic mash/spuds and steamed veg of choice
Or substitute beef for baked salmon with pesto on top if shes not into beef.

dessert: cheesecake - would just buy from M&S or shop in general!

For the wine I'd normally go with a pinot grigio but thats personal preference...not in any way a wine expert here!

that cookie recipe looks good. Gonna try that myself!

dlambirl

deisebabe wrote: »

is the 80 euros including wine? Because that is a really high budget!!!

Ok if it were me I'd probably go with a simple menu:

starter: brushetta http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/bruschetta_with_tomato_and_basil/

main:Fillet beef, garlic mash/spuds and steamed veg of choice
Or substitute beef for baked salmon with pesto on top if shes not into beef.

dessert: cheesecake - would just buy from M&S or shop in general!

For the wine I'd normally go with a pinot grigio but thats personal preference...not in any way a wine expert here!

that cookie recipe looks good. Gonna try that myself!

OP The menu of deisebabe's is perfect

Bruchetta - you can make the topping earlier on in the day and then its just a matter of toasting the bread and putting it together!!

Also the desert - you can buy lovely cheesecakes in shops!

rocknchef

I would start with some oysters

then a little light salad of asparagus, cherry tomato, red onion and some mixed baby lettuce leaves maybe a balsamic dressing.

main course I would stuff a chicken supreme with goats cheese mash and steamed baby veg.

dessert maybe a chocolate fondue, strawberrys, marsmallows and maybe a batch of them cookies

Faith

rocknchef wrote: »

I would start with some oysters

then a little light salad of asparagus, cherry tomato, red onion and some mixed baby lettuce leaves maybe a balsamic dressing.

main course I would stuff a chicken supreme with goats cheese mash and steamed baby veg.

dessert maybe a chocolate fondue, strawberrys, marsmallows and maybe a batch of them cookies

I'd say oysters are a huge risk. I'd gag if I even saw one, personally. Goats cheese also turns my stomach, but that's just me really. Dessert sounds awesome though!

deisebabe's menu is almost exactly what I'd do - in fact, her main is my favourite meal ever. An alternative started I'd go for would be seafood, something with crab or prawns perhaps.

rocknchef

different horses for different courses

no lemon,lime or lamb was the scope;)

Thumpette

If it's planning to be a romantic start to a romantic evening probably best to keep it as light as possible. Maybe subsitute steamed baby potatoes with a little butter and mint dressing instead of heavier mash!

you probably dont want to be falling asleep 10 mins after dinner!

truecrippler

Thanks for all the replies guys; very helpful.

Yep, 80 quid would include the wine.
I'm ok in the kitchen but this could help me try different things and help me get used to cooking different things too.

Faith wrote: »

I'd say oysters are a huge risk. I'd gag if I even saw one, personally. Goats cheese also turns my stomach, but that's just me really. Dessert sounds awesome though!

deisebabe's menu is almost exactly what I'd do - in fact, her main is my favourite meal ever. An alternative started I'd go for would be seafood, something with crab or prawns perhaps.

I'm thinking of this as a starter as she loves Avocado's and would love to try crab meat.

The Black Oil

Warm muffins with ice cream?

There are some handy recipes on Pat Kenny's radio website. http://www.rte.ie/radio1/todaywithpatkenny/1177361.html

Faith

truecrippler wrote: »

I'm thinking of this as a starter as she loves Avocado's and would love to try crab meat.

:eek:

It's like you read my mind! I had avocado in mind when I mentioned crab, and was actually looking at that recipe the other day!