Kitchen Bitchin’

Instadate

These days, the Kitchen Bitch and NFL Guy are in the throes of last-minute wedding details.

One minute, we’re wondering why we didn’t elope (oh, hey, that pesky Catholic thing), and the next we’re tempted to throw ourselves in front of a streetcar.

What we have learned, though, is that having romantical alone time is critical to maintain perspective in the face of all of this madness about favors and other sundry bullshit.

And yes, you, too, can create a gourmet instadate(tm) night in under an hour.

First of all, set the mood. 

Turn off your cell phones. Turn off your laptops.

Light some candles (but try to avoid the ones that claim to be all sensual and in reality smell like a whorehouse dumped in an AirWick commercial). 

Looking for inspiration? Try this.

Turn off the lights (Al Gore will thank you, lambs).

Throw on some St. Germain.  Another option is a great mix like this.

For your second bit o’ genius, add in the right food.

Like a praline-topped brie, for example?

Praline-topped Brie

Ingredients

• 1 wheel of brie
• 2 tsbp butter
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp Mexican vanilla extract
• 1 cup pecan halves, chopped
• flatbread crackers
• fresh fruit

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Place brie on a baking sheet. Bake until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add brown sugar and vanilla and stir until dissolved. Stir in pecans. Place brie on a serving tray and pour pecan mixture over, letting it dribble over sides. Serve surrounded by crackers and fresh fruit such as sliced apples and pears, strawberries and grapes.

It’s all in the details

Definitely go with a dry wine or sparkling wine for date night – a cava like a Segura Viudas Cava Brut Reserva, which retails for around $8.99 a pop, is an excellent choice.

The rest, lambs, is up to you.