I can’t remember the last time Adam and I went out for a “date night.”
I am racking my brain to try to recall… Hmm. It might have been when we went to St. Elmo in Indianapolis last January.
Geesh. Sounds like a long time ago…
But, even though that was almost a year ago, I don’t think we feel like we are due for a night out to dinner. We do “date night” at home instead.
And, I actually prefer date night at home.
Okay, okay. Depends on where we are going. You can take me to St. Elmo whenever, love.
But other than that, I enjoy our weekend dates at home a lot.
Adam and I have talked about it and he agrees.
We both are pretty decent cooks and, outside of sushi, we can cook, if not better, on par with almost any restaurant we would go to.
Not to mention, with our at home dates, we avoid sixteen year old valets trying to park Adam’s big truck in parking garages that are too small and 50% mark ups on bottles of wine…
So our blue house out in the field has become the steak house, the seafood restaurant and we have even given sushi a try!
For date nights, we like to try new recipes and learn to love them so much that our past date night meals tend to become our week night meals.
In fact, Adam recently looked up from a Tuesday night dinner plate as we sat down at the table and said, “If someone didn’t know us any better, they would probably think that we are really fancy for a Tuesday.”
I look at the plate. I had roasted everything in the oven. The thyme carrots, rosemary beets and even the Dijon chicken.
“Really?” I asked. Everything excluding the Dijon had come from the backyard… maybe he is thinking from the trendy Farm to Table perspective?
Beets growing this summer.
“Yeah. People would think a meal like this is fancy because it looks like it took a lot of effort to cook.”
Really…? My oven did all the work. Boxed Mac and Cheese is more hands on than this meal.
Roasting vegetables is still something I do for date night but it is so easy that it can be done for a week night without much fuss. Roasting vegetables is also one of my go-to’s when entertaining thanks to how hands off it really is.
By roasting vegetables, like beets, carrots, asparagus or Brussels sprouts, you can amplify the natural flavors and sweetness. There are also different ways to add unique flavors to dress it up or use what you have in your pantry.
All you have to do is toss the peeled and cut vegetables with a little oil, herbs and/or spices, then spread them on a pan and check them occasionally as they roast.
This year, Adam and I grew beets for the first time. We loved having homegrown beets so much this summer that we planted a second crop for this fall and it seems like we roast a bunch once a week.
Roasted beets make a great side dish but are also fabulous on top of a salad with a little goat cheese and nuts. Try them at your next “Date Night.”
- 1 Bunch Roasted Beets, peeled and cut in consistent sized pieces
- 1 large sprig rosemary, chopped
- 1 TBS Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.
- Spread all ingredients out on a foil lined baking sheet.
- Toss all ingredients together until beets are well coated.
- Fold up the sides of the foil to make a pouch leaving a hole to vent.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until beets are tender.
- We sometimes top these with lemon juice and goat cheese which really compliments the natural sweetness of the beets.
