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Delicious Dates: The Perfect Recipe to Prepare with that Special Guy
SMW Women’s Vacation & Travel Resources
By Fabiana Santana, updated 8/30/2008 at 11:53:49 AM

There is some truth to the statement that girls like guys with skills. While bow hunting is not longer be a chart topper, a man who can hold his own in the kitchen is certainly a keeper.

Gone are the days when a guy could gloat about the fact that his mama has cooked every meal for him since birth. And while an expense account meal has its appeal, so does actual peeling and dicing.

True, you’ve been cooking for one since graduation, mixing and mashing as you see fit, with no one to fuss over but yourself. But being greeted with a home-cooked meal is something we should all get to experience every now and then. So why not get him to help out? Besides who knows where those extra hands in the kitchen might wind up...

So that your first co-chef opportunity won't be your last, follow these tried-and true tips, and you're sure to turn up the heat—at least, in the kitchen:

1. Stay organized.
Doubling up a recipe doesn’t mean having to double up the work, especially when your date is helping out. With a plan, there is less of a chance of a recipe fiasco. (Think Bridget Jones' blue soup!) It also allows you to "control" what he's doing, and when—which opens the door for you to create one of those “accidental” rub-by moments famous in every romantic comedy out there.

3. Know who should do what—and what you can do together.
By divvying up duties, you'll not only get the meal prepped faster, but you won't feel as rushed—and that means less chance for some sort of accident that sends one of you to the ER. Also, as you chop veggies side-by-side, you'll have time to talk, catch up, and laugh. It’s amazing what a few sips of wine and a chopped onion will reveal about a person...

2. Keep things simple and hearty.
A rustic, roasted chicken is a terrific, home-style meal that you can approach with comfort, even if you are still in culinary kindergarten. The recipe here uses an herb butter rub that will have your hands moving together in ways you never knew possible. And the side dish cheesy potatoes is plentiful, so no need for another. But if you must have your veggies, throw some frozen broccoli and lemon wedges in the microwave for a few minutes for a quick side. You can also puree the leftover veggies used to roast the chicken with 1 cup of chicken stock and a half-cup of cream for a rich, quick soup to start the meal or for lunch the next day.

Herb Roasted Chicken & Cheese Mashed Potatoes, for Two
(Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook Time: 1 hour)

For the chicken:
- 1 whole chicken (2-3 lbs)
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 onion
- 1/2 stick of butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons of poultry seasoning
- 1 packet of fresh herbs poultry herb blend (sage, thyme and rosemary – 3 branches of each of buying separately)
- 1/2 a lemon
- Salt and pepper

If making a sauce:
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 1/2 cup of chicken stock

For the potatoes:
- 3 large Idaho potatoes
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 1/4 cup of cream
- 1/4 cup of shredded white cheddar
- Salt and pepper to season

Step 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

CHEF 1:
Peel and roughly chop carrots. Place in a roasting pan.

CHEF 2:
Roughly chop celery and onion. Place in the roasting pan.

Step 2, done together:

Peel 1 1/2 potatoes each and cut into quarters. Set into a large pot filled with cold, salted water that generously covers the potatoes, and set over low/ medium heat.

Step 3:

CHEF 1: Mix poultry seasoning with softened butter in a small bowl until the butter is completely seasoned.

CHEF 2: Roughly chop half of the fresh herbs and add to Chef 1’s butter mixture.

Step 4, done together:
- Remove and discard the chicken’s giblets. Then, rinse and pat the bird dry. Loosen the skin around the entire chicken with your fingers. Start at the bottom of the breast – the skin is usually looser there. Still using your hands, place knobs of the butter mixture under the skin of the chicken, so that it sits between the skin and the meat. Continue using up to half of the butter mix. Once the chicken is seasoned, slather the rest of the butter on the outside of the chicken’s skin.

- Stuff the rest of the fresh herbs and lemon inside the chicken’s cavity.

- Season the chicken, inside and out, with salt and pepper.

- Place seasoned chicken on top of the bed of veggies. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or 20 minutes per pound, until the skin is brown and crispy (if you want to use a meat thermometer, 170 degrees is what you are looking for).

Step 5 done together, while bird is in the oven:

- Back to the potatoes. Once the water comes to a boil, cover the pot. Let boil for 15 minutes. Insert a fork into the center of a potato. If it goes in easily, the potatoes are done. Drain and then return them to the hot pot.

- Mash with a masher, or two large forks.

- Add the butter, cream and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. If you prefer them looser, add more cream. If a debate ensues, divide the potatoes in two and let the showdown begin.

- Note: If the chicken isn’t done by the time the potatoes are, before adding seasonings and separating, keep them warm over a double boiler until the chicken comes out of the oven. Then season and serve with chicken.

Step 6, done together:

Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and after about 5 minutes of resting time; see what your date knows about carving a bird. At this point you can either watch, offer advice, or prepare a quick sauce by stirring 2 tablespoons of chicken drippings (jut move the veggies to one side to gain easy access to the drippings) from the roasting pan with 2 tablespoon of flour over low heat. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock and another 1/4 cup of the drippings) or whatever is left if it is not quite a 1/4 cup). Stir together
until slightly thickened and spoon over carved chicken.

Dessert
After making an entire meal together, you may not want to start slaving away in the kitchen to prepare dessert. This is something you can do ahead, or instead prepare an easy, delicious dessert by drizzling good honey over Greek yogurt.

And if all goes really well, you will need this breakfast recipe:

Banana Pancakes
Josephine Baker made her Paris stage debut clad in nothing but a girdle of bananas. Now that’s saying something. Add the sweet, buttery fruit to basic pancake mix and breakfast is suddenly sexy.

- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- I 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. both baking powder and baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup club soda
- 1 tablespoon butter

-Sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder in a large bowl.

-Whisk together the bananas, egg, buttermilk, club soda, and butter.

- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing well. Heat a skillet, add cooking spray or additional butter to coat, and ladle large spoonfuls of the batter over the hot pan. Cook for about 2 minutes until bubbles appear on the edges, then turn over and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

- Continue with the rest of the batter.

- Transfer to a plate and serve with syrup and additional banana and strawberry slices if desired.

If he likes what he eats, you may be cooking for two, for quite some time!

Other Escapes Articles:
Armchair Travelers: Books That Take You There
Surfer Girl: How One Wave Can Change Many Lives
Why Women Should Paint

SMW’s Food Editor, Fabiana Santana, is a freelance food writer, editor, and recipe tester and developer. Articles bearing her savory stamp have appeared in based in Family Circle, Profile, Vanity Fair, Portfolio, Maxim, Stuff, Men's Health, Star, TV Guide, The Daily, and renowned chef Laurent Tourondel's BLT Living, as well as such online media outlets as Shecky's, Julib.com, Time Out NY.

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