A Romantic Dinner at Home | Life Love and Hiccups: A Romantic Dinner at Home
Life Love and HiccupsLife Love and HiccupsLife Love and HiccupsLife Love and Hiccups

Sunday 30 June 2013

A Romantic Dinner at Home

Pin It
This post is brought to you by Target

I have a confession to make (yes, yet another). My husband and I are such homebodies that we rarely ever go out in winter unless we have to. And by have to I really mean you have buckleys of getting me out unless you drag me kicking and screaming.

It's too bloody cold for starters and sadly Ugg boots and fleecy PJs haven't yet made it onto the acceptable dress codes for most restaurants.

So if we want to have a date night / time to ourselves, it generally involves a home cooked meal and a movie on the couch.

Although I am too lazy to actually venture outside of the house, I am not opposed to making a little effort to make sure that our dinner has enough style and ambiance to warrant it being called a romantic evening and this meal is a sure fire winner in the sexy food stakes (apparently that is a thing).























































Garlic Seared Salmon 
With Wilted Greens and Creamy Mustard and Wine Sauce.

Ingredients
2 fresh salmon portions
4 sea scallops
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup chicken stock
2 spring onions
2 tablespoons white wine
115g butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup of cream
1/2 teaspoon of hot English mustard
Spinach Leaves
Baby Bok Choy
Olive Oil

Sauce
1. Melt the butter and saute with the garlic and spring onions in a fry pan
2. Add the flour, whisk gently until combined.and then remove from the stove top.
3. Slowly add the cream, wine and chicken stock and stir until it is all combined.
4. Put the pan back onto the heat and stir until your sauce thickens.
5. Add your mustard and stir in.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Salmon and Scallops
In a separate pan sear your salmon and scallops until you get a crispy glaze. Both the fish and the scallops cook very quickly so don't leave them for too long or the scallops will go rubbery and your fish will be dry.
You want the fish to be slightly underdone in the centre.

Wilted Greens
Gently wilt some Baby Bok Choy and Spinach leaves in olive oil.

To Serve
Simply drizzle the sauce over the fish, scallops and greens and serve with a little bowl of rice. (we add extra sauce to the rice too!)

An absolute must to ensure the night is a success is to either;
a) completely wear the kids out so that they are exhausted and flake out early
b) distract them with a really good movie in another room (yeah good luck with that one)
c) lock them in their bedrooms and pretend you can't find the key.

Just joking with option c ... although I have been tempted.


Cue the mellow music, light those sweet smelling candles and you have yourselves one romantic dinner for two.

Just a word of warning - decide on your movie choice BEFORE you start dinner as arguments over whether to watch This is Forty or Skyfall can kind of put a dampener on the mood.

Our romantic dinner table for two was dressed with homewares I sourced from Target. Some of the products I sourced are available in store and some of them you can get online as well. Below is a list of links to the actual or similar products.

1: White Dinner Set, 2: Linen look napkins, 3: Pumpkin Maple Tart Soy Wax Candles, 4: Chicago Cutlery Set, 5: Printed Tea Towels, 6: Red Placemats, 7: Crystal Look Glasses (available in store only)

Are you a homebody too or do you brave the winter chill for some alone time with your partner?