PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

All of us remember the golden adage from our parent’s generation, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. However in today’s world the likelihood that any of us managed to graduate with a credit from the fine art of home economics is rare. Chances are we never learned how to perfect a meal that would effectively woo.

With most of our modern single men going the way of the metrosexual, the fear may be that what men expect are low fat, no calorie, low taste and pesticide free. Suddenly the idea of preparing a meal for your sweetie, or hopefully soon to be sweetie, is a horror. If you are the type of girl that likes some meat with her potatoes (heck, even if you are a girl that actually eats potatoes) odds are if your dreamboat of a date won’t eat foods that are white, he is not the guy for you.

Think about the meals that wowed you from your childhood. Perhaps you have a favorite dish that your Mother prepared for you, something hearty with lots of pasta and cheese. It’s what you crave when you think of home – something made with love (and sauce). There is a nice probability that your guy developed a hankering for home cooked meals as well.

Consider giving your Mom a call to get some familiar recipes. She’ll be happy to help and may ease up on you about your dating status if she knows you care enough about a guy to cook for him. The meals that you prepare aren’t just savory dishes, now they are catalysts to conversations about childhood memories.

If your Mother’s blue plate special still seems over your head, there are easy options for your candlelit dinner. For starters, there is the “home cooked meal” that somebody else makes for you. Your local deli section will have a great variety of fresh meats and cheeses. Something as basic as a sandwich can still impress if you use the best ingredients. Your meager ham and cheese can instantly transform into a wow if you swap out cheap cold cuts for fine, delicate slices of honey smoked ham and imported Swiss cheese.

Another option to consider when planning on preparing a meal for your date is how inclusive you want to be. For some reason, many men love the blaze of an open grill. Purchase a couple of expertly cut steaks from your butcher and let your date’s inner cave man come out. Besides, grilling at your place still makes it seem like you prepared the meal.

Take out is another alternative to the phobic chef. Everything from Chicken Chow Mien to a fully loaded pizza is just a phone call away. To spruce up the seemingly ordinary all you need to do is set the table with fancy linens and a chilled bottle of wine. The benefits to eating in and eating at your place are that you two can visualize a taste of the domestic life, and that is always fun.