All posts tagged: food

New York thin pizza crust dough and tomato sauce recipe

Date Night Worthy Pizza Dough and Tomato Sauce Recipe

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It seems that everyone has a relationship with the cult classic pizza. Whether you like it thick, thin, extra cheesy or full of veggies everyone has their preference. Our resident Chef Choi came up with a date night worthy pizza recipe that is sure to delight you and your boo. Here’s what he has to say about this american institution.   I love pizza. I could probably eat pizza for the rest of my life and never get tired of it since you can make anything into a pizza. Have you ever had a taco pizza? How about a Big Mac pizza? If not, then you are missing out on a slice of hand-held, cheesy pleasure. But fear not, here is a relatively easy pizza dough recipe that will give you a great foundation to make any kind of pizza you can imagine. The possibilities are infinite and the world is your oyster, as long as you make into an oyster pizza. Thin Crust Pizza Dough Ingredients: 2.2lbs Bread Flour* 2 oz corn meal 1 …

15 ideas to honor your husband this Father's Day

15 Ideas to Honor Your Husband This Father’s Day

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Father’s Day is an occasion to show your husband, the father of your children or even future children, some hard-earned respect and care. Show the man you love how much you appreciate him. Here are some ideas to honor your husband this Father’s Day: Go fishing with him and turn it into a picnic. Bring a portable grill and plan for eating some of his hard earned catch, but make sure you have a backup just in case he gets skunked. Go to a car show! You may not care about what type of engine is in that 80’s GTO but he does. Let him tell you all about it. Take him to a concert with his favorite band. This is always location dependent but live music always makes for a good time. Book a reservation at his dream restaurant. We know there are foodies out there and this speaks to their love language. Go camping for the weekend. This takes a little planning but if your husband loves the outdoors, this is a great …

Our Top Ten 2017 Posts for Marriage Resources and Date Ideas

Our Top Ten 2017 Posts for Marriage Resources and Date Ideas

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We’ve successfully reached a second year in blogging and we have a lot to celebrate. We have an ever growing and amazing community of 5,000+ readers, we’ve written 94 posts, and have spent countless hours planning, researching, writing, photographing, and learning. We’ve even started a monthly newsletter, and have collaborated with fellow relationship bloggers and date night worthy products and services. The long hours haven’t been easy but it’s certainly been worth it! So in celebration of our two year blogiversary, here’s a round up of the top ten articles that became everyone’s favorite over the past year. If you’re not a weekly reader or if this is your first time here, this is a great way to get to know us. We invite you read and join the community. 1. 50 Questions to Really Get to Know Your Spouse Maybe you’ve been married for a while and the conversation has run dry. Maybe you’re newly married or engaged and want to know your partner on a deeper level. Or maybe you two are so …

Quick and easy ahi tuna poke recipe

Quick and Easy Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl Recipe

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Another creation out of the kitchen of Chef Choi is ready for your next date night: the simple yet delicious poke bowl. If you say poke bowl fast it sort of sounds like poke ball. Yes, this is a really nerdy comment but it made me laugh. If you are a sushi fanatic but making sushi from scratch seems like a daunting feat, then you will fall in love with this easy recipe.   Poke is a Hawaiian raw fish dish that is typically made with tuna. It’s not seared or cooked in any way nor is it “cooked” like ceviche. So, if you’re into Sashimi then this flavorful recipe is a nice change of pace. I like to devour my poke over rice so that the sauce and all the juices seep into the rice while I eat it. Poke is a relatively easy dish to make; all you need is the ingredients, a little knife work, and some patience. First you want to cut the tuna into ½” by ½” cubes. Next, take …

How to Choose a Date Night Wine Like an Expert in Under 5 Minutes

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Date night is an experience often enjoyed with a glass of fermented grape juice, also known as wine. However, how often do you find yourself staring at a huge rack of wine at your local store with no idea what to choose? Our resident aficionado Chef Choi had a few thoughts about how to make the selection process a little smoother. The first thing that might pop into your mind when deciding on the right wine is”, “What am I buying this wine for?” It could be for any of the following events: Specific dinner? Saving for later? Drinking immediately? Special occasion? Gift? This initial question can easily create a lot of pressure on a situation that really doesn’t need any. Chef Choi says, “don’t be afraid: start buying and trying wines. Wine is a very subjective commodity; there are good cheap wines and bad expensive ones. Eventually you will find the ones you like and the ones you don’t.” The perk to all of this is you will most definitely create memories along the …

Date Night Worthy Mac and Cheese

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It’s that time again where our resident chef at Tonight’s Better Together, Chef Choi, has come up with a recipe made just for you. Mac and cheese is a relatively simple dish but a crowd pleaser. Who doesn’t like abundant rich cheese and pasta? We thought it deserved a place in the ever growing Tonight’s Better Together cook book.   I love Mac and Cheese. I love all variations from the store bought box mac and cheese to mac and cheese made from scratch. Here is a simple and basic mac and cheese recipe with some added spices and flavors. Ingredients 8-10oz Dry Macaroni Pasta (Penne works well too) 3 Tbs Unsalted Butter ¼ c AP Flour ½ tsp salt 2 ½ c Milk 3 c Mild Cheddar (or your favorite cheese or cheese mix)  (Optional) ½ tsp Dry Mustard 1/8 tsp Smoked Paprika First you want to get a large pot filled with water. Rule of thumb is to use a pot that will give the pasta enough room to move around and not …

Valentine's Day ideas: Re-create your very first date night

Valentine’s Day Ideas: Re-Create Your First Date

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Recreating your very first date night is the perfect date night for a special occasion, anniversary, or Valentine’s Day. Reminisce about funny memories, simpler times, memorable moments, and how far you’ve come over the years. Bring back those feelings of excitement – minus the awkwardness, uncertainty, and nervousness – and spend a night walking down memory lane together. Here are a few things to think about as you go about re-planning your first date night: What time of the day was it? Was it in the morning, afternoon, or night? Try to plan it around the same time. What were you wearing? How did you do your hair? Don’t do the ultimate tbt and bring back fashion that should remain in the past but do find something similar. Were you wearing a summer dress? Casual? Dressy? Where did you go? Plan ahead and make reservations. What did you do? Think back to every detail of that night and how you can replicate it. Were there flowers, chocolates, or other small gifts? What conversations did you …

Christmas Recipes: Grandma’s Gingerbread Cookies

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The best part of marriage is creating Christmas traditions together. In a world of Christmas cookies, there are so many options to choose from. How can we possibly make a decision? We default to what we know and trust; family traditions. One of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes is my grandmother’s soft and chewy gingerbread cookies. It’s time to break out the Kitchenaid! Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.  If you are using metal cookie sheets, line with parchment paper. A candy thermometer would be useful but we have never used one. Baking is all about the love, right? Ingredients: 1 cup dark molasses ½ cup light brown sugar ½ cup white granulated sugar 4 teaspoons ground ginger 4 teaspoons ground ,cinnamon ¾ tablespoon baking soda 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temp (We’ve used salted butter with no problem) 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 6 cups sifted all-purpose flour Place the molasses, sugars, ginger and cinnamon in a double boiler over medium heat. We actually don’t own a double boiler so …

Homemade Spiced Apple Cider Recipe

Homemade Apple Cider Recipe to Spice Up Your Date Night

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Get into the holiday mood with this delicious (and easy) spiced apple cider recipe. Why make it a date night activity? It takes 10 minutes to prep and while it’s cooking for three hours, you can enjoy dinner and a movie on the couch while the smells of spiced apples and oranges fill your house. More of the outdoorsy type? Go apple picking and use the apples you gather for the recipe. Homemade Apple Cider Recipe 12 cups of water 10 apples of the sweet variety (Fuji or Gala apples are great choices) 7 cinnamon sticks 1 orange 1/2 cup of maple syrup 1 tablespoon of whole all spice 1 tablespoon of whole cloves 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar 1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder A package of cheese cloth to help strain the apple mixture Wash and cut your apples into eighths and cut the orange into fourths. It’s fine to keep the skin on both fruits as you will be boiling, straining, and discarding them . Put all of your sliced apples, apple …

Salem, MA Must Try Restaurants: Opus Review

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If you have been following our adventures here at Tonight’s Better Together, you know we took a trip to Salem, MA. While on said adventure, we happened upon the restaurant Opus. This restaurant is a mash-up of cuisines; however, it all somehow works together. When you enter Opus, you are transported into multicolor décor accented by local art. At the time of our dining experience, they happened to feature nothing but Beetlejuice inspired art. If you love Beetlejuice, then this is the place for you! So other than the peculiar décor, this restaurant is best enjoyed in leisure attire. The place kind of sprawls so this is not an intimate experience but a great choice for a Friday or Saturday night out. There is a basement level that hosts live music, a separate bar, and arcade so there is always something going on to shake up your evening. The great thing about Opus is that they can pretty much cater to any craving you might be having. After a long day of walking and exploring …

Salem Massachusetts

How to have the Perfect Day Adventure in Salem, MA

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For anyone looking for a wonderful day date, Salem, Massachusetts may fit the bill with its rich historical past. Much of it is related to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 – 1693, but there is so much more to the storied past of Salem. We just so happened to adventure through Salem around Halloween, which means that it is brimming with historical re-enactments, witch impersonators, and tons of other ghoulish fun. Salem is nestled just north of Boston along the coast and offers the adventuring couple many options to choose from. Here’s a list of recommended witchy and historical fun for you and your boo. 1. Hocus Pocus House You should definitely stop by the Hocus Pocus house on the way into town. This is the actual house featured in the film Hocus Pocus. It’s a little far away from the bustling downtown of Salem, so make sure to stop by on the way in or out of town. 2. Best parking in town For centrally located parking, head to the visitors center and …

Fall roasted butternut squash recipe

Fall Date Night Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

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Our resident Chef Choi is bringing you another seasonal curation for your date night pleasure. Take some time during this season to bundle up in your favorite sweaters and enjoy some delicious butternut squash soup with your special someone. This dish makes a great date night dinner on it’s own or a perfect pairing with your main course. Ingredients: 2 pounds of butternut squash 2 tablespoons of butter 1 onion 2 celery stalks 2 medium carrots 2 quarts of vegetable stock or chicken stock Ground clove, ground cinnamon and ground ginger for garnish First, slice your butternut squash in half, lengthwise. I found that the best knife to use for this is a bread knife. The serrated teeth make it easy to saw through the tough skin and flesh of the squash. Once you have the squash cut, spoon out the seeds from the bulb. Next, you want to line a baking sheet with some parchment and lay the butternut squash flat side down. Roast both halves at 450 degrees F for about 45 minutes …

Sundae Football Date Night - Over 60 Ice Cream Topping Ideas

The Ultimate Sundae Football Date Night with Over 60 Ice Cream Topping Ideas

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Sure the fall leaves are beautiful, the hot cider warms the soul and the apple cider donuts are deliciously delightful, but the best part of fall is football season! Football is a big deal in our house. Eric is from Washington so he’s a Seattle Seahawks fan and being from the golden state of California, I’m a 49er’s fan. We’re usually “that cute couple”. However, when a football game is on – especially when our teams are playing – we are (in the most loving way) a house divided. Some call it a rivalry, we call it flirting and team pride. So in celebration of fall and football season, we’ve come up with an awesome idea if you and your boo love football. Sweeten up your football date night with creative ice cream sundaes. It’s super simple and fun too! Choose any combination of the list of ice cream toppings below and enjoy with vanilla ice cream, your honey and football.  Remember to grab your toppings in your team’s colors and waffle cone bowls! Over …

Oberlin Providence, Rhode Island

Providence, RI Must Try Restaurants: Oberlin Review

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If you have ever been to downtown Providence, you know there are many restaurants to choose from. With so many choices, it’s hard to make a decision. We had heard from a friend about the restaurant Oberlin and put it on our ever growing must-try list. Do yourself a favor and put Oberlin at the top of your list. To begin, this restaurant does not take any reservations so show up at least a half hour early as you will be waiting. Even if you don’t like waiting, trust us. The food is worth it! Oberlin has a casual atmosphere and Mediterranean inspired décor. The area is small and softly lit, making it the perfect intimate place for a date night. Walking into the restaurant, there are Italian lights on the ceiling but to add a creative element, they played Quentin Tarantino’s Deathproof on the wall for those waiting. If your wait is a little long, step up to the bar where a sampling of unusual and original cocktails, amazing wine list and oddly, a …

Classic fettuccine carbonara recipe

Easy Date Night Recipe: Classic Fettuccine Carbonara

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Sometimes we just want to stay in for a date night and that means curating our own experience. If you’ve been dating for about two seconds then you are well aware of how daunting a date night in can be. We strive to bring recipes and experiences that lend themselves to low pressure date nights that foster communication and relaxation. With that, we are happy to announce that the Tonight’s Better Together team is growing! We have the distinct pleasure to announce the arrival of Chef Joseph Choi to our team. Chef Choi’s professional training and field experience will add much more depth and insight into Tonight’s Better Together’s recipe portfolio. Before we get to the recipe, let’s look a little deeper into the man, the myth, the legend: Joseph Choi. He was born and raised in Spokane,WA and began his career in the food industry at the age of 16. He initially studied Biochemistry at Washington State University while continuing to work in a kitchen in Pullman, Washington. In late 2010, he made the …