Second Dates

I have invited boys over to No41 for dinner on two separate occasions in the past year. It was the second date in both instances.

The first time, I made Mar-a-lago Turkey Burgers from Shauna Niequist's book Bread & Wine (a book which comes with my highest possible recommendation!). I made the patties in the morning, wrapped them up and refrigerated until dinner time. Then I threw them in a grill pan on the stovetop since No41 doesn't accommodate an outdoor grill/BBQ (not that I have a clue how to use either). We ate them over a discussion of religion and politics. If we're going with the old cliché that you never talk about those topics in polite company, we were clearly and definitively unrefined that evening. But the burgers were delicious - would definitely recommend them as crowd pleasers with just the right amount of bite.

The second time, I made two recipes that heavily involved balsamic vinegar, not thinking about the fact that it would be infused into every corner of No41 and into every pore of my body. Luckily, he was Canadian and claimed that he grew up with balsamic vinegar on everything and didn't mind a bit. Despite those reassurances, that is not a menu I will be repeating.  

Notes for future: Always think about the resulting scents of the food I prepare for guests (i.e. balsamic vinegar does not usually create the best first impression - instead go for the classic standbys of bacon or chocolate chip cookies). Do not make something that requires standing over a hot stove when I want my hair and makeup to be presentable. Don't invite boys over until the third fourth date.