Date-worthy Dining Picnic Style
The first time I cook for a date, I always feel a little pressure. The Forest Park picnic was no exception. I wanted to impress, but not go overboard. I also think it’s better to not get too fancy as I think most guys are meat-and-potato types.
I decided on steak sandwiches for the main course. I’m not a big steak eater and have never grilled one so I was a little nervous. I foolishly bought some crappy cut of meat, and at the advice of my friend Kelly put it in the freezer and ran to Costco for some really nice, tender ribeyes. I seasoned them with steak seasoning from my neighbors (one uses Canadian, the other uses Kansas City – the ingredients looked the same to me) and grilled them to medium rare. I then thinly sliced them and refrigerated them in an airtight container with an extra sprinkle of the seasoning and their juices. Right before we left for the park, I toasted some rolls, melted a mild white cheese on one half and spread mayo mixed with a little pressed garlic on the other half. When it was time to eat, I assembled the sandwiches with the steak, plus lettuce and tomato.
I also made pasta salad. It’s the second time I’ve used the tips from this Slate article and I’ve been very pleased with the results. This time, I used rotini, Reese’s jarred grilled artichoke hearts (they are awesome!), halved grape tomatoes, quartered pitted black olives, green onion, goat cheese, garlic salt, Penzey’s California Style Seasoned Pepper (awesome stuff!), olive oil and lemon juice.
For dessert, I served strawberries and double chocolate cookies from Trader Joe’s.
For an appetizer, I made a portabella mushroom dip somewhat from scratch. I want to try to capture the recipe so I’ll share a separate post on that soon.
I thought everything turned out well, and my date was very sweetly appreciative.