Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not a good cook. I have maybe three things I can cook well. Lucky for me I’m married to a guy that loves to try different recipes in the kitchen. Our spice cabinet is stocked! When Anthony told me not to eat before date night and that our date involved cooking I thought oh boy what am I getting myself in to.
(Photo By Ivory Door Studio)
This week’s edition of Weeknight Date was selected by Anthony and we went to Sichuan Hot Pot & Asian Cuisine. For those of you that are thinking “What the heck is hot pot” let me introduce you to the most reliable source on the planet, Wikipedia. According to Wikipedia, Hot Pot refers to several East Asian varieties of food, consisting of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table. Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, tofu, and seafood. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce. Hot pot meals are usually eaten in the winter during supper time.
When I arrived at the restaurant, Anthony was already there and he was ready to show me around (like he was way too happy to show me how to make dipping sauce). He took me over to the dipping sauce area and told me to pick a base. I went with soy sauce and then followed the directions on how to make the soy sauce based dipping sauce. The recipe was easy to follow. It told you exactly how much of each ingredient you were to use.
We got back to the table and our food was delivered. We both ordered the beef dinner. It came with not only beef, but corn, noodles, tofu, mushrooms, lettuce, eggs and broth. The waitress brought a pot and we stuck the food in a hole on the table. We then turn on the pot for it to simmer. The food began to cook right in front of us at the table. After the food was finished cooking we dipped it in the dipping sauce and enjoyed the delicious food. I’m a very picky eater, so I was honestly surprised that I liked it. Some of the textures were a little different, but overall everything was good!
We rarely have nice calm dates for date night. We’re usually doing some type of crazy activity that involves us running around or competing with one another. Calm dates are definitely needed from time to time because it gives us time to sit down and simply enjoy each other’s company and have intimate conversations. Other than taking pictures on our dates, phones aren’t allowed so we snapped a few pictures and then had time to eat, talk and LAUGH!
Anthony found a Groupon for this date. You guys already know I’m thrifty and love saving a buck so a discounted meal was right up my alley. You can click here to view the Groupon deal we used. He paid $12 for $20 worth of food at the restaurant.
Until next time loves…
