Thanks to Covid-19 most of us have been spending a lot of time indoors- miserably so. We’ve all had to cancel vacations, parties, postpone events and in doing so many of us start to miss and crave all the pieces of our old lives. I miss my friends, I miss getting dressed up for date night, or just being able to go grab a bite to eat and get fresh air. Well, I’m not about to let this thing take away ALL of my joy and so I’m sharing a little spread I created for my husband’s birthday last week when we canceled our plans for a staycation in NYC and decided to have little happy hour at home. I didn’t want to spend all day slaving away for dinner (I do that every night anyway) so instead, I decided to make a spread of some of his favorite foods! Personally I would’ve loved to make a Pinterest perfect cheeseboard but he’s not a fan of cheese. What he does like however is- SAMOSAS! And I mean who can be mad at samosas? I made a little snack board with just one of my favorite cheeses for myself and the rest of the snacks all revolved around his flavor profile and preferences! We had so much fun just picking at the food all evening, relaxing, and feeling like we did something special together. Whether you have a birthday, anniversary, or another milestone you’re celebrating, don’t let the current pandemic steal your joy- you can still have fun responsibly- indoors. Dress up, call it a date, and if you’re like us- play your favorite Conan O’ Brien episodes in the background for some laughs.
Deets on The Spread:
Samosa: I used frozen Deep Indian Kitchen samosa that I baked in the oven and served with my Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce.
Grapes, Crackers, Crostini & Cheese! I love taking some brie, popping it in the microwave, and serving it with some delicious jam on a piece of toasted baguette!
Curry Cashews– the perfect snack for wine or a cocktail
Hakka Noodles– You can make these a day ahead!
Roasted Cauliflower with Chimichurri – Add any other veggies you have on hand! Tastes great on top of a scoop of hummus!
How to Make Your Time Together Extra Special:
- Send your significant other a little calendar invite for date night at “La Casa” and send a text to remind them too!
- It’s totally ok to get dressed up and have nowhere to go! Sometimes just washing your hair and putting on a dab of lip gloss is all you need to feel better and more like yourself. Show up to impress! (or have a pajama party- do you boo boo!)
- Make a cocktail together, pour wine, or try a new recipe for a mocktail! Make a game out of it and each person has only 10 minutes to come up with a drink- the tastiest drink maker gets to pick the movie for the night!
- Set everything up so it’s ready to go and you don’t have to spend time in the kitchen. The entire point is to relax so it’s totally ok to rely on pre-cooked or frozen prepared items! Ice cream sundaes for dinner, anyone?
- Take turns! This is a great opportunity for each of you to put in a little effort. Set dates to cook for each other, or one of you makes dinner and the other make dessert! #balance
- Say a toast! We have a rule that each of us always has to say a meaningful toast before we have our first sip!
- Log off. Put your phones to the side, agree to avoid any stressful topics, and take a breather!
