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Liver and onions. Okay, maybe my husband is crazy, but he was head-over-heels the first time I made liver and onions for him. He'd never had it made where it wasn't like shoe leather, and when I served it and he could cut it with a fork, he was mightily impressed. Either that, or he thought I knew some sort of evil magic, and he was afraid to thwart me.

In either case, that and spaghetti and meatloaf...not all at once, but those were all pretty impressive to him back then.

@Deeberry,

If I were inviting you over you over for Sunday dinner I'd fix roast beef, freshly baked bread and a peach cobbler with the best ice cream I could lay my hands on. Alternatively, green beans with new potatoes, a tomato based salad, fried chicken, fresh bread and cherry pie.

If I knew you better, I might try something a bit fancier, but just about anyone can appreciate country cooking when it is done right.

Oh I agree we call it "sealing the deal" around these parts. I would like to say that it really depends on the man. It really is all about finding his button and knowing how to push it. Some of that is fact finding. Ask questions, not direct ones, more like wow look at this picture of a chocolate cake then wait to see it thats a pro or con. Most men love steak, chili and anything bbq.

Maybe if you have a signature dish?

I also agree with the red meat + starch + beer + dessert combo.

I read somewhere once that if a woman invites a man over for dinner 9 out of 10 times she will make spaghetti, because it makes the house smell good.

A few of my thoughts on the subject:

The most heart winning meal I've ever had cooked for me had very little to do with the food(though it was a pretty decent spinich manicotti dish) and everything to do with the sincerity with which it was made and served.

I've almost fallen in love with a girl just because she was better at making my grandmother's best dishes than my grandmother was...thats some seriously comforting food right there.

The meal to my heart...give me seafood...think french techniques and southern italian feeling...fresh herbs...something with a sauce...fruit if its in season...pairs well with wine. make it healthy (or appear to be healthy). make it feminine and classy and adventurous...thats how I'll think of you for making it.

Please only do this if you have kitchen skills...otherwise just attempt to make something from scratch for a change and I'll truly appreciate the effort and that you stepped out of your comfort zone just for me.

@dbcurrie -- so that's where hubbie is hiding out, at your place! No, seriously, I used the same sauteed liver entre, with mashed potatoes & steamed broccoli.

Then I got him going on fish, which Momma never made ' cuz it was stinky. All about the fish monger.

@everyone

heh .. thanks for all the suggestions. There is no man yet, but hopefully there will be soon, and i can dazzle him with my domestic skills.

i am 21 and VERY focused on my schooling, but i graduate IN 2 WEEKS! so i will finally have time to try to find a boyfriend :)

my only hang up is that i tend to cook super healthy (but still tasty, everything in moderation) using as many fresh, local, and whole ingredients as possible (which isnt hard because i live in an town surrounded my orchards and forest) hopefully i can find a man that will appreciate that kind of cooking! (too many of my guy friends just want everything heavily salted and fried until you cant taste the actual ingredient any more haha)

i guess it will just depend on the guy! until then, i will continue to cook for family and friends, testing out different recipes on them haha, i am sure they will not mind :p

any more meal suggestions appreciated, i am definitely looking into all of your suggestions :D

@sailor

yeah, i would not be cooking spaghetti for a first meal haha, unless maybe it was some seafood pasta dish with fresh herbs and veggies and white wine sauce or something

im not a huge fan of spaghetti to begin with, i wouldnt cook it for myself anyways ... and i am a poor college student! haha

i shutter at the image of having a boy over and plopping down a plate of spaghetti saying with a smile "look honey! i cooked!" hahaha

I once had a bf who would do a little dance every time I told him it was "chicken picartie" night. It's pretty similar to the chix picatta recipe above, but I added some quartered artichoke hearts with the capers (save yourself a lot of trouble and buy them frozen). You can't have too much sauce; spoon it over the chicken and some rice or man-pleasin' mashed potatoes. Pound the chicken breasts to 1/4"-1/3" thick so they cook evenly. The ex liked it so much I would make 6 breasts at a time and that was just enough to get us through dinner that night and his lunch the next day. Yeah, he would would eat 2 or 2 1/2 at a time.

I've also never met a boy who didn't swoon over a perfect mac 'n cheese. Especially if you bake it in individual ramekins, (the meal-sized ones), so he gets a whole one for himself.

If you have a grill make some steaks, veggies, and potatoes. Most men are impressed with a girl who plays with fire. Plus if you grill, you can enjoy the evening with your man instead of spending it doing dishes.

I have an Italian-stuffed flank steak recipe that makes everyone weak in the knees, but I'm getting a little long-winded. If you want the recipe let me know and I'll post it.

But the most important thing is to prep everything you can before he arrives. Mise en place can be a life saver when cooking for company, especially if you are a little jittery. And he'll be impressed that you thought ahead and wanted everything to be just right for him.

And have some little nibbles to keep his blood sugar from plummeting while you prepare dinner.

For bonus points, make extras and send him home with leftovers so he'll think about you at lunch the next day.

@professor

wow i like the leftovers idea!!

wow, i so want to graduate already so i can get home and start really cooking!!

college has put a cramp in my culinary style! I am dying to use the grill / a fully stocked and equipt kitchen!

T-bone steak with a thin, homemade sauce not unlike BBQ. Not too much, though, as not to drown out the flavors of the anus beef.

Mashed potatoes, oh how I love thee. Boiled with rosemary and whole cloves, then mashed with sour cream, butter, and real parm cheese. Mmmm. Use red potatoes, unpeeled. Delicious.

And for the veggie: broiled asparagus.

I'm drooling here a little, and forgot what we were talking about, so I'll just hit "Post a Comment" and leave it at that...

One last thought, if you have the kitchen space for it (and this isn't a first date). Have your mis en place ready, and have him help prepare the meal with you--now that's my idea of a good date.

huneybumper brings up a good point: make sure he watches you doing at least part of it. nothing melts a man's heart like watching a woman cook for him, at least in my experience.

My boyfriend and I have been doing the long distance thing for a while now and I have to say, I think the planning of meals really brings us closer when we do spend time together. Before I fly out we talk about what he wants me to make and then we go grocery shopping together once I'm there and then we cook together, or rather he stands around and watches me cook. The point is that I really do think a home cooked meal can get you far with a guy.

It's been my experience that meat and potatoes or pasta always works. I think my guy really fell for me when I made him fettucini with homemade alfredo sauce and shrimp, as well as homemade bread. Steak and roasted rosemary potatoes, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and black eyed peas, beef stew and homemade bread or crackers. Guys seem to like hearty food and those are all dishes that have worked for me in the past. Good luck! This is a really exciting time in your life; you've finished school and you can begin dating. You have so much to look forward to!

@pete: wow those mashed taters sound AMAZING. i am not a huge fan of potatoes, but i will have to give that a try ... i love me some rosemary and fresh parm! if i don't end up cooking that for a date, i am sure it will make its way to my family's table!

@fischer: lots of good advice, especially the keep it simple thing ... that can tend to be lost with me sometimes ... i get so excited, and want to do way to much! but i would rather have one amazing meal than lots of decent stuff!

@pumpkin bear: thanks for the advice and well wishes! i really appreciate it! i also agree a home cooked meal goes a long way, i especially love including others in making the meal, i think its funner for most to eat the finished product that way, even if they just mince some garlic haha

@huney: oh man, a cooking date would be so out of this world fun! its one of my ideas of a perfect date! but it would have to depend on the guy, i wouldnt want to force someone to cook who didnt like to do it haha.

i know in the SE world that is completely hard to image! (those crazos!)

keep it simple. he'll have fun an appreciate the food more if you are relaxed and can interact with him while you cook.

Apparently for my BF it was my risotto (unfortunately I don't have a recipe- kinda made it up).

red meat and brown whiskey.

Just cook what you like to make (taking into account the possibility of food allergies). If your date really likes you , it won't matter what you're making as much as it's you who is making it.

I won my husband's heart with roast chicken and mashed potatoes -- we'd been dating just a few months at the time -- I make my roast chicken w/ mustard, garlic and lemon juice -- it makes the most amazing gravy that is divine over mashed potatoes, or sopped up with fresh Italian bread. It is super easy (mince up a head of garlic, mix together with 1/2 cup dijon and 1/2 cup yellow mustard, and salt and pepper -- smear all over chicken; juice a lemon all over and stick in the oven until done). It also makes great leftover sandwiches on fresh bread w/ some cheese and thousand island dressing ...

I have won hearts with drunken Thai noodles and steamed broccoli with yuzu and garlic.

Lots of good advice here already... I would only add that you should bake something (bread, dinner rolls, even just simple drop-biscuits, something along those lines - they seem really impressive to people who don't know any better, and make the house smell good, even if you bake it a couple hours in advance, though warm out of the oven is really best) and that you should end with some sort of a warm, homey dessert. My hub jokes that I made a different apple dessert the first five times he came over (apple crisp, apple impromptu, two kinds of apple cake, chunky pink apple sauce). But hey - it worked! And do make something you're comfortable with, not anything overly complicated - no use worrying if the caramel sauce is the right color in addition to how your hair looks!

i cook a lot, and no matter what i make my boy will pretty much eat it and sing its praises, but the clear boy-tummy/heart winners are things he will bring leftovers of to work/school to show off:

- rotini with spicy vodka sauce (lotsa browned butter, onion, a little garlic, pancetta, vodka, cream, tomato sauce, pecorino, black pepper, and cayenne)

- big, chewy chocolate chip cookies

- car-bomb cupcakes -- guinness chocolate cake, chocolate-vanilla-whiskey ganache filling, and baileys frosting. these have actually won me multiple confessions of love and requests for the recipe from dudes i don't even know, let alone date.

i've also had success with puckerworthy balsamic vinaigrette (makes carnivorous boy request salad pretty much daily) and fresh asparagus roasted with a little olive oil, lemon and garlic.

also, eat whatever you cook, and enjoy it. that helps lots with the heart-winnins, i think.

Anything with beef, bacon and carbs will make my bf happy. However, his number one most favorite meal of all time is...breakfast for dinner. Yes, brinner. All guys love pancakes, bacon, sausage, home fries, eggs, biscuits, etc. and to serve this for dinner just blows their little minds.

Try this website for lots of "manly" meals (if he's into that sort of food).
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/category/man_pleasers/

In reality, whatever I make my guy will eat. They're human garbage disposals.

Foods that dont make you fart. Unless he's into that. Then, anything goes.

keep it simple and fresh. most people your age just appreciate a nice home cooked meal! I know at that age, I was eating mostly takeout or "make at home" processed foods (tacos, rice a roni etc). 2 great ideas - you can buy parbaked rolls or bread. There is NOTHING like fresh warm bread out of the oven. If you can't make it yourself, parbaked will still wow. Make sure to have good quality butter on hand to slap on it (and if you are adventurous you can make a compound butter). Number 2 - pick one flavor of good quality ice cream or gelato, throw some berries on the side and call it dessert. Frees you up to focus on the entree and is still a luxurious delicious dessert. good luck

Somehow I'm always around women who either can't cook or don't want to. This works out pretty well for me, as I'm the exact opposite. Unless you're pretty confident in your cooking ability and know the kitchen/equipment well, cooking on a first date can be a disaster, and simple mistakes can snowball into a full-blown fiasco. At this point if I burn myself or screw up a sauce I can laugh it off, but if you're nervous or anxious already and don't have a backup plan, it can be embarrassing.

Craziest first date dinner experience for me: I fixed three or four courses, wine pairings for each, and a decent dessert. All was perfect, not even the slightest mistake. As we're enjoying coffee and getting to know each other better, my dog hunched over and crapped on the carpet. I was mortified, but it ended up being a fond memory and she loved telling the story to people.

chicken marbella is a sexy dish - it's never failed me ;)

A quality natural casing frankfurter served with a premium beer. Hopefully by a full figured woman.

Good, locally-made sausages, served on mashed potatoes with home-made gravy.

A good steak, served with home-made frites.

Chili with cornbread, onions, cheese and sour cream.

Beef enchiladas with Spanish rice and frijoles, chips and salsa and fresh guacamole. Or maybe fajitas...you're both sharing from the pan, using your fingers to roll up the tortillas. It's the tactile things. I'm a firm believer (and I think this is about the eighth time I've posted this) that whole grilled asparagus, eaten with the fingers, with maybe hollandaise or aioli available for dipping, is the most romantic appetizer in the world.

Or, for fun, make a grown-up version of a school dinner. Battered fish with macaroni and cheese, hash browns or tater tots on the side.

Good luck.

I made my hubby that "sealed the deal" was lasagana, with homemade garlic bread (yep, made the bread) salad, wine, no dessert. He claims to this day he married me for my lasagana :)

Cooking is my favorite kind of date, and I think just about anything can make great date food, but, particularly for an early-on date, there are a few things that make one dish better than another:
-foods with strong odors tend to be something you want to avoid; after all, if you're going to be spending the post-dinner part of your meal in close proximity, garlic breath might not be a great idea.

-foods you can start ahead of time so you don't have to be wholly absorbed in juggling ten things at once right before you serve--this is true for any entertaining meal because it not only reduces the risk of mishaps that can ruin your evening but also allows you to be a better hostess and pay attention to your guest(s) while you're getting ready to plate. Particularly on a date, it can be awkward and uncomfortable for them to stand there and watch you work your tush off or to wait in another room for a long time. If you can't keep up a conversation while you're cooking it, it's probably to complicated for date food.

-In the same vein, I try to go for easy but impressive; something you've made before and are sure you can execute well every time will reduce the stress you feel when you're trying to express your feelings through food.

-If they're game for it, it's always more fun to prepare a meal together than to have it ready when they get there. Cooking is a sensory and relaxing experience; I can't think of a more fun date activity than making a meal together.

All that aside, I will admit to having one "aphrodisiac" cookbook that I truly love--it's called Intercourses and is sold through Passion Parties. It is full of recipes that are pretty easy to pull off and are also delicious. If nothing else, it has some of the most beautiful people-and-food photography I've ever seen. I often keep it on my coffee table just for that--raises some eyebrows but to people who know me well doesn't come as much of a surprise.

While over my GF's, the power to one half of the house went out...so she took a single electric camp grill into the bathroom and made some of the best fajitas I've ever had. I was pretty sure then we'd work out.

@BangieB,

Doin ok; 2 out of 3 ain't bad. About to have a few beers and hot dogs. Just missing............ Care to join me?

I stick with classic Italian dishes - HOMEMADE lasagna or gnocchi.

There's a great site dedicated to something well...along similar lines. It's a hilarious read, as well as fairly budget-friendly. If you find the title offending, however, it's probably best not to click through!

http://cooktobang.com/

ps. I find that the recipe titles are great "conversation" topics as well!

Grilled Bratwurst, beer, and for dessert:
15 year old scotch, neat.

@BangieB: Great! I have some natural casing dogs with a good deli mustard, German sauerkraut and homemade beer.

My wife won me over with meat loaf, twice baked potatoes and green beens. She's continued to win me over with that meal again and again for the last 15 years.

lol@gage - GAUGE

Roast chicken, every time.
Mash up some herbed potatoes, serve garlic green beans or asparagus on the side. Works, works, works...

beef.
starch.
beer.
sugar.

its whats for dinner.

ChelleyD01 has it right. This is a meal for a man who will protect and provide for you. If you're trolling with wasabi encrusted talapia and brocolli rabe you'll likely catch a man who'll cry along with you watching the Sex in the City marathon on Lifetime and is quite unlikely to squish spiders and open stuck jar lids (the remaining reasons for the male of the species),

When I was in England recently, making a play for the man I'd fallen for, I insisted on making him lunch at his house: smoked haddock chowder. He loved it. I think the most successful element (other than how good it tasted) was that I sort of tossed it together instead of sweating over it for hours. He got to see how easy it was (and might be inspired to cook for himself - or for me - down the road, which is important to me!), and even pitched in a little chopping up the potatoes.

Oh, and it all worked out beautifully! Not just the chowder, but the trip. :)

(PS - smoked haddock is not so readily available here, but there are lots of similar chowders you can make, and it is highly adaptable)
(PPS - unfortunately, the silly man left the rest of the pot out on the stove, thinking he could just reheat it the next day - um, not so much! I made him toss it.)

@emilydev; as an ex-pat in the UK, I am stunned by how casual most people are about food safety. Pans of food left out overnight are casually eaten the next day. And no one rinses the dishes...they wash them, and put them straight onto the drying rack, with soap bubbles still on them.

I love making seafood chowder...we have a local fish shop, and the man who runs it will give me a bag of off-cuts on the cheap. I just take whatever I'm given. Scraps of haddock, salmon, cod, sole, pollack, whatever. I usually get a few shrimp and maybe some crab meat (if I can find it) to chuck in as well. A bit of cream, some stock, a few potatoes, whatever green vegetable is in season, some chili peppers, lashings of butter and black pepper, sauteed sweetcorn, and a crusty loaf of fresh bread on the side.

Prime rib? lasagna? meat loaf? Do you really want me thinking about my mother all night and how you can't cook as well as her?

I'd much rather have a woman cook me something new and interesting. Something with some spice.

My perfect first date dinner would start with her saying something along the lines of, "I had this once in Hong Kong/Nice/Cairo and I think I've just about got the recipe right." How's that for a conversation starter?

My advice to you is, don't try something you've never made before- practice- keep it simple, something complicated is'nt going to impress any one (unless you're are a chef). You might invite him over to help and make a pizza or spaghetti- Make it fun!

A bottle of whiskey and a can of whipped cream.

Do NOT neglect the aroma. Beef brisket cooking at a low temp all day in the oven has gotten me at least two proposals. (Decent AND in-decent).

The first romantical at home dinner I made for my man, sans all other roommates and such, I made prosciutto wrapped cod, a tomato and feta salad, spinach and some grilled bread. He was very impressed and the meal was not that tough to prepare at all. Seafood says you're fancy, salted meats say you aim to please.

Before I decided on that meal I just asked him if there was anything he wouldn't eat and based on that, planned the menu myself. If he's a good man, he'll love whatever it is you decide on and be super impressed at the effort. Apparently despite every gourmet thing I've ever made for my dude his all time fave: baked eggs for dinner. Go figure.

I know I'm late to contribute, but I wanted to share my story. When my fiance and I first started dating I won him over with leftovers! Our first date actually lasted longer than either of us had planned so I offered to make something when he said he was hungry. He said he was fine with leftovers. They happened to include Blue Cheese Macaroni and Cheese and he was smitten. Both with me and with the recipe.

The first meal he made me a week or so later on another date was amazing. Roasted Cornish Game Hens stuffed with wild rice and portobello mushrooms, mashed potatoes, perfectly sauteed green beans...it was fabulous. And he really won my heart by making an extra serving for my roomate who is a definite foody. He won her heart too and she gave me two thumbs up and told him that he had her approval. Six years later we're still cooking for eachother and together and planning a wedding!