Surprise Kiss

Posts Tagged ‘romantic dinner’

Larry and I just celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary on Sunday! Now you would think I would have planned something special but I am sorry to say we didn’t get a chance to go out of town for our romantic weekend.  We had planned on getting out of town for a 3 day weekend but my father-in-law is ill and we spent our time in the hospital with him.

Larry’s dad has been ill since Jan 4, 2012. Before Jan 4th this man was walking 2 miles a day and still driving. He had a little bit of dementia but he recognizes everyone and was just a little forgetful which is allowable considering he is 91 years old. Since Jan 4th he has survived 2 major surgeries, was in the hospital for 3 weeks. He was moved to an extended care facility to learn how to walk again and swallow but was put back into the hospital for another week. Then he was moved to another extended care home for 6 weeks and last Thursday got to spend the night in his own home. It was something to celebrate about but on Friday he was back in the hospital and he is still there.

Not only are we worrying about Larry’s dad but his mother is 90 and wants her husband home. She doesn’t understand all the medical difficulties in taking care of her husband. My husband, his sister and brother all have full time jobs and so do their respective spouses (including me). Everyone is trying to help but Larry and I are the only ones who live in town. So if someone doesn’t come up to help we can’t leave town.

Life sometimes gets complicated and we are currently in the middle of one of those times and it just happened to fall on our anniversary weekend.  We did find time to have dinner alone though. Sunday night we went out for a very special dinner and enjoyed our time with each other. We know that the difficulties will pass but right now we need to take care of family. Eventually we will be able to get away for a very special weekend.

I guess what I am trying to say  to you is life isn’t always perfect and you just need to find a way to still let each other know the other is special to you and if it means just time away for dinner then be grateful for your alone time. There are a lot of people who think our life is perfect but it isn’t we have the same trails as you do but it is the way we handle these times that keeps us together.

While we had dinner we laughed and talked about the day we got married and how his mother lent us her new car for our three day honeymoon in Solvang. (Larry’s car was too old to make the 2 hour trip from Los Angeles) We were young and in love, clueless to all the challenges life can bring.

We laughed about how he stopped in Malibu to get gas and rice poured of his suite when he stepped out of the car. The gas attended looked at him and said “You just get married?”  We were so naive about life and thought we knew it all.

We giggled about how in 1967 after 6:00 pm there was nothing to do in Solvang. No movie theatre and very few restaurants were open. Trust me we did find something to do in our hotel room but we wanted a little more action than what was offered at the time in this quaint Danish town.

Even though Larry’s dad is not well we managed to have a very special evening together.

45 years later we are a little older and wiser but still crazy in love with each other. During the good times and bad times we know we will always be there for one another. Life may not be perfect but we are perfect for each other.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2012, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

New Year’s Eve is tomorrow night! Do you have plans to go out with friends or are you staying in like we are. We have done the parties and out to dinner with friends but have discovered we enjoy ringing in the New Year at home making a romantic dinner and eating it in front of the fireplace.

Our dinner typically is lobster, salad, French bread and a good bottle of local wine. If you are planning on staying home but don’t want to cook then order Chinese take out and enjoy eating it with chopsticks right out of the box together in front of the fireplace.

Do you want to have a sexy New Year’s evening after your party plans or your private dinner? When you get home or after dinner surprise your sweetheart with a note you have written that says:

“Happy New Year’s sweetheart! Pop the top, light the candles and we will start this New Year’s off with a big bang!”

Grab your candles, your favorite music and a bottle of bubbly and have a very romantic New Year’s Eve!

Keep those sparks flying!

JoJo

© 2011, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Do you ever wish you could go to one of the top places in the world and stay at any hotel or resort you wanted to if money wasn’t an issue? Reality is most of us do not have the funds necessary to stay at these beautiful places but it is always fun to dream about. One way you can do that is to go to your local library or purchase the October issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine & watch the video below from the Today Show.

Last week the Today Show had the Senior Editor of Conde Nast Traveler magazine, Lisa Gill talk about the 2011 Reader’s Choice Award. Readers chose the top cities, hotels, resorts & airlines in the world.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

You may not think these places are attainable for you and your sweetheart but enjoy hearing what is considered the top of the top when it comes to travel. You might be surprise though to find out you it can be attainable if you plan ahead and keep your travel spot in the US at a hotel or resort nearby.

While looking through the magazine see if there is a hotel or resort in a city near where you live. One of the resorts Lisa talked about is approximately 3 ½ hours away from where we live. It is the Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach.

I went on the Pelican Hill Resort website and did a little research and found out if I stayed on Sunday, Nov 13, 2011 and left on Monday, Nov 14, 2011 the price was only $385.35 and that was with tax. If I had chosen to arrive on Friday, Nov 11, and left on Saturday, Nov 12 the price would have been 434.90.

Since I have champagne taste but a beer pocketbook I decided Sunday and Monday would work for me & Larry. Plus the resort wouldn’t be as busy as the weekend.

Here is the breakdown on how much I would need to save to have a very romantic little getaway with my husband:

Pelican Hill Resort
Newport Beach, CA

Garden King Room: $350.00
Taxes:                           35.00
Total:                  $385.35

If you saved $10.00 a week for a year, 52 weeks, you would have:

$10 a week x 52 weeks = $520

$520 – $385.35 = $134.64

If you saved $520 you would have $135.64 left over for a wonderful dinner!

Too many couples just assume they can’t afford to go someplace expensive and special but if you plan ahead of time and save, you can make dreams come true.

Find a hotel or resort near you which are 4 or 5 star rated, do the math and then put the money aside to make you dreams come true for a very romantic and special getaway with your sweetheart.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2011, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Are there times when you feel like you just haven’t spent any quiet time with your sweetheart and all you want to do is spend time with them alone with no one else tagging along? Life has been just too hectic to get together and have the private time you both so desperately need.

If you go out to dinner or a movie you are always running into to people you know and the uninterrupted time you were both planning on having together isn’t going to happen. Then change it up a bit. Decide to go out of town, a half hour or one hour away from where you live where you know the chances of you running into someone you know are slim.

Do something you typically don’t do. Go wine tasting together or go get a cupcake or try that new little café you heard was good but haven’t tried yet or go to a restaurant with a view. Make it fun, new and interesting. Enjoy your couple time both of you needed so desperately.

You will be creating a special moment with your sweetheart that will help both of you get through those hectic times. Just the two of you talking, laughing, kissing and getting reconnected.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2011, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

When was the last time you went apple picking? Never or has it been so long you don’t remember? September is a great time to drive out to your local orchard for a late afternoon date with your sweetheart to go apple picking.

We have several orchard farms nearby and even a wonderful barn that sells fresh picked vegetables, fruit and they have a gourmet gift shop with ice cream and bakery.  It is called Avila Valley Barn.

Pack a picnic dinner for two and head to your favorite spot, i.e. park, beach, lake or mountain top to have after you picked your apples.

Your picnic could consist of a small salad, sandwich and a fresh apple for dessert.

Here is a simple recipe for a great sandwich to make:

Chicken-Apple Sandwich for Two

• Brie – sliced

• Green Apple – thinly sliced

• Onion – thinly sliced

• Chicken Breast – thinly sliced

• Cranberries (optional)

• Jam – your choice

• 4 Slices of Bread – white, whole wheat, whole grain with nuts, or a soft roll

Spread the jam on your bread and layer the brie, green apple, onion, chicken breast and cranberries.

Yum!

For desert hand your freshly picked apple to your sweetheart with a post-it-note on the apple (which you wrote ahead of time): “You are the apple of my eye!”

What is your favorite date in September?

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2011, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Websites to help you find travel deals and information:

SmarterTravel.com – Find low airfares, hotel specials, car rental deals

TripAdvisor.com – Price comparison and reviews by the average person

Priceline.com – Discounts on airfares, hotels, car rental & cruises

FamilyTravelForum.com – Family vacation ideas

Kayak.com – Hotel, flight and travel specials

11thHourVacations.com – Last minute cruises, hotels & flight specials

LastMinuteTravel.com – Last minute deals from travel sites

ExpertFlyer.com – Flight availability, flight upgrades, frequent flyer information

AirfareWatchDog.com – Flight deals & money-saving information from their airfare specialists

SeatGuru.com – Airplane seating, airline information & amenities

TravelZoo.com– Top 20 travel deals

UrbanSpoon.com – Restaurant menus, reviews and recommendations

Yelp.com – Individual reviews & recommendation on restaurants, shopping, nightlife, entertainment

Keep those sparks flying!

JoJo

Need help with cooking for romance, relationship or travel ideas? Then go to my Surprise Kiss Store above and click on the tab to see the authors I like to read.

© 2011, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

What are you doing with your sweetheart this weekend? As for us it is suppose to rain on the Central Coast today and tomorrow. We might get snow as low as 500 ft, which doesn’t happen too often. It is so pretty to see our beautiful foothills blanketed in white.  So we Californians will batten down the hatch and probably say in. It won’t stop us from doing something together though. Remember we think and look at things a little different.

When people think of a date they think of going out but as you know I talk about having dates at home too. But have you ever thought of a date when there is a house project you need to get done? When we work together on something we will sometimes think of it as our project date. It makes it so much easier to get things done sometimes.

We are talking about putting up our new drapes we purchased for our formal living room and stay in for dinner. As for dinner I think we will have a roast chicken dinner. I always keep a whole chicken in the freezer and when I want to have a simple dinner with not a lot of fuss I will cook the chicken in the Crockpot. It is so easy to do.

Crockpot Chicken Dinner

Whole Chicken
Garlic Salt
Pepper

Baked Potato

2 Russet Potatoes
Olive or Vegetable Oil
Kosher Salt
Butter
Sour Cream
Chives thinly chopped
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Salad of your choice

Chicken

Defrost the chicken, wash, pat dry and season with garlic salt inside and out. Put in a Crockpot and cook on low, for 10 to 12 hours. Your house will smell wonderful! Once cooked take the chicken out of Crockpot with a large spatula. FYI, it will fall apart but it comes out so moist and delicious.

When I tell friends how I like to cook my chicken they all say “That is all you do is sprinkle garlic salt and pepper on it?” After they have tried it they will call me and say it is delicious and it will be the only way they will cook their whole chickens from now on.  They can’t believe how easy it is.

Baked Potatoes

Meanwhile scrub potatoes and dry them. Poke holes all over them with a fork. (This allows steam to escape while cooking.) Lightly coat each potato with oil and sprinkle with salt. Put in a preheated 350° oven directly on rack and bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours depending on size. They should come out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, just like you get at a restaurant.  Top baked potatoes with butter, sour cream and cheddar cheese. (A person has to splurge sometimes)

Serve chicken, potato and a small salad of your choice. Turn on the music and light the candles. Of course, wine, beer or sparkling cider goes well with this.

Not only are we completing a project we have wanted to do but we are enjoying our time together and a feeling of accomplishment. After we can sit down and enjoy our simple feast together. That is what simple dates are made of sometimes.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

Need help with cooking for romance, relationship or travel ideas? Then go to my Surprise Kiss Store above and click on the tab to see the authors I like to read.

© 2011, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

A few weeks ago I wrote about a reader’s date night with her husband and how most Friday nights they enjoy watching sci-fi movies and having pizza deliver at home.  Another reader, Maria, wrote to me about how she and her husband on Saturday nights enjoy an evening at home watching movies also but her venue is a little different.

They enjoy renting through Netflix an Australian series about daughters and friends who manage a ranch in Southern Australia. It is called McLeod’s Daughters. The series ran for about 6 years and was a hit in Australia. They started with season 1 and are working through the rest of the series every Saturday evening.

Maria and Bruce get in the kitchen together and cooked a simple meal of salmon toped with a dill sauce and a salad. She was kind enough to share her recipe and said it is delicious! I plan on trying it this weekend.

Salmon with Dill Sauce

Wild Salmon (2 servings)

Season to your liking.  They like salt/pepper/ginger/lemon.

Place aluminum foil around the Salmon and seasoning and bake at 350 degrees until desired doneness about 8 to 10 minutes.

Dill Sauce Dip

1 cup plain Greek Yogurt (Maria recommends the full strength vs. low fat for this recipe)
1 handful of fresh dill, chopped
About 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (or your taste)
Salt to taste

Mix dill until it is all incorporated. It’s more of a creamy texture than a thin texture. Then top Dill Sauce on baked salmon.

Maria and Bruce have also concocted their own drink to enjoy while watching McLeod’s Daughters. This libation sounds very yummy.

Australian Tequila Sunset

1 part fresh lemon juice
1 part tequila (They use Gold Cuervo which has a light flavor vs. the oak barrel type)
4 parts soda water with ice (They use TJ’s Sparking Mineral Water)
Sugar to taste

Maria told me this has become their Saturday night tradition that they look forward to doing together. Cocktails, a gourmet dinner and a movie, a special night enjoyed together without spending a fortune. What a delight!

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

Want to go to a fancy restaurant and save money. If you make reservations with DinnerBroker.com you could save up to 30% off your bill and best of all it is free to join. You get rewarded for making reservations to eat during off-peak hours. Please read “How it works” before you decide this is something you might be interested in.

You book the reservations on-line through their website, DinnerBroker.com. In addition, you can earn points to purchase a gift certificate to the restaurants registered on their site. So when you are planning on traveling to a new city or want to go out to eat at a nice restaurant check out this website and see if there are any eateries you might be interested in trying out. You could have a nice romantic dinner at a discount.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.

A friend recently emailed me to tell me about the wonderful time she and her long time sweetheart had in Mexico. It sounded like they had a great time and she gave me the OK to share it with you. They had been planning this trip months in advance and had put enough money aside so they could enjoy themselves.

Michelle and Javier spent two romantic weeks in Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is a state of Mexico on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. Michelle said their trip was so relaxing! They rented a small palapa (a rustic tropical palm thatch structure) right on the Soliman Bay, kayaked to the reef, snorkeled and enjoyed the warm Caribbean sun. Lucky for her Javier speaks fluent Spanish.

Michelle is an accomplished artist so she brought her brushes and paints along with her and during her two weeks in Mexico she found time to paint the picturesque scenery. You should check out her paintings they are absolutely beautiful! If you are ever near Monrovia, CA there is an art gallery called Segil Fine Art. Stop by and see Claudia Michelle Betty’s paintings. Or you can go on line and view her work, segilfineart.com. Click on meet the artists; then click on Claudia Michelle Betty’s name where you can click on Look at Her Work.

Michelle said while she painted the views of the magnificent blue ocean Javier read to her “The Last Juror” by John Grisham. I absolutely love how they found time to spend together each doing the things they love.

Since Javier likes to cook he prepared dinner for them most of the time. Michelle said one of the most memorable dinners he made was with shrimp. They were kind enough to share the recipe. It sounds delicious and easy to do!

Mayan Shrimp

3 Tbs Olive Oil
3-4 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 small sweet white onion, chopped
8 extra large Shrimp, de-veined, (thawed & in the shell)
½ yellow Mango sliced
½ cup Mexican Papaya, sliced
¼ cup Tequila
¼ cup Orange Liqueur (Controy or Grand Marnier)
Box of Fried Rice (Rice a Roni)

Cook rice in a separate skillet according to package directions. While rice is cooking prepare the other ingredients.

In a large skillet, sauté garlic and onion in olive oil until lightly brown. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp looses its pink color. While cooking add tequila and orange liqueur, add papayas and mangos and stir slightly until it bubbles. Remove from heat and serve immediately with the fried rice.

Michelle said they both got along so well together, she was sad to see their dream vacation end. She had an interpreter, a cook, a fabulous lover and a great travel companion all wrapped in one! They will both treasure this trip always!

Michelle and Javier are both very busy with their lives just like everyone else but they saved and planned for their trip and made it happen. They found ways to enjoy things together and separately and isn’t that what a relationship is all about? For two weeks they got to romance each other in ways you don’t do when you are home with everyday life. They traveled to a distance place and experience things they wouldn’t do when they are home. They prepared and ate with the freshest ingredients the area had to offer.

Plan your next trip together by saving and paying ahead of time as much as you can and you will have romance, travel and food without the credit cards. Who knows you may have enough money to go to Mexico like they did. Michelle also gave me her favorite website for places to stay, locogringo.com.

Don’t forget to get the items I told you to get last Friday “Let’s Get Ready for Father’s Day.” I will be telling you what to do with it tomorrow.

Keep those sparks flying!
JoJo

© 2010, Surprise Kiss. All rights reserved.