A Five-Course Dinner for a Five-Star Date

It’s Date Night, and you’re bored with the usual restaurant-and-a-movie routine. If your relationship is in a rut, don’t ignore it; oftentimes, monotony can cause partners to lose that lovin’ feeling. Tonight, change things up with a candlelight dinner at home. Surprise your sweetie with tunes softly playing, conversation (and wine) flowing, and a five-course meal prepared to enjoy together. Even better, plan your romantic evening ‘just because,’ with no other reason than to express your love. The following recipes make up a delightful five-course dinner—it’s up to you, however, to make it special. Bon appétit!

Course 1: The Appetizer

Shrimp Cocktail with Lemon Seafood Sauce

Servings: 4

Ingredients

16 frozen cooked cleaned shrimp (6 oz.), thawed, drained

Lemon Seafood Sauce:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tsp. dijon mustard

1 green onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. zest and 1 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon

Directions

Mix first 5 ingredients.

Serve with shrimp.

Course 2: The Salad

Fruity Spinach Salad

Servings: 6

Ingredients

8 cups baby spinach leaves

1 cup halved seedless green grapes

1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained

1/4 cup sliced red onions

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1/3 cup Asian Toasted Sesame dressing

Directions

Combine all ingredients except dressing.

Add dressing just before serving; toss to coat.

Course 3: The Soup

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 Tbsp. butter

1 leek, sliced

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 lb. fresh asparagus spears, each cut into thirds

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) Philadelphia Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread

1/4 cup milk

Directions

Melt butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Add leeks; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add asparagus, broth and water; stir. Simmer on medium-low heat 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Stir in salt and pepper.

Mix cream cheese spread and milk until well blended.

Process asparagus mixture in food processor until smooth. Pour into 4 soup bowls. Add cream cheese mixture; swirl gently with spoon.

Course 4: The Main Entrée & Side Dish

Bacon-Covered Pork Tenderloin

Servings: 6

Ingredients

5 slices smoked uncured bacon

1 pork tenderloin (1 lb.)

1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. apple juice

1 tsp. dijon mustard

Dash ground nutmeg

Directions

Heat oven to 400ºF.

Wrap bacon around meat. Place in foil-lined pan sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with pepper.

Bake 20 minutes or until cooked to 135ºF. Meanwhile, bring remaining ingredients to boil in saucepan on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Brush meat with glaze. Bake 10 minutes or until done (145ºF); cover loosely with foil. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Balsamic Green Beans with Cranberries

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed

1/3 cup dried cranberries

2 tsp. butter

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onions

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions

Cook beans and cranberries in simmering water in skillet 4 to 5 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender. Drain; rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add onions and sugar; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add bean mixture; cook and stir 3 minutes or until heated through.

Stir in dressing; cook and stir 1 minute. Top with nuts.

Course 5: The Dessert

Easy Dark Chocolate Mousse

Servings: 6

Ingredients

4 squares Baker’s Select Bittersweet Chocolate

1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Directions

Microwave chocolate in microwave-safe bowl on high 1-1/2 minutes, stirring with whisk every 45 seconds until melted.

Add 1 cup whipped topping; stir until blended. Stir in remaining whipped topping.

Spoon into dessert dishes; top with raspberries.

Want More?

If you need additional ideas to turn up the heat in your relationship, check out these romantic activities. Remember, you don’t have to spend a fortune to make Date Night unique and memorable—show your loved one he or she is totally worth it with these simple ideas.

1. Give a Massage – Buying a gift card at the local spa is considered cheating—give your sweetheart a 30–60-minute massage, complete with fragrant oils, lotions and soft music. Then, finish it with a hot bubble bath prepared for him or her (champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries will win you extra points!).
2. Watch the Sun Set – There is something incredibly calming about watching the sun set, and you and your lover can enjoy this lovely moment together. Keep the chatter at a minimum—just relish each other’s company and the beauty before your eyes.
3. Make S’mores – Sometimes a romantic gesture can involve embracing the little child within. Build a cozy fire for your darling and make s’mores together. Get even more creative by pouring a glass of milk in a wine glass—it shows him or her that you’re playful and fun!

Bunk Beds for Teenagers

Bunk beds might seem like a great choice for younger children who love to climb and commonly share bedrooms with their siblings, but you might not think of bunk beds as an ideal option for furnishing a young adult’s bedroom. When you consider that they save space, are available in a number of styles and configurations, and tend to be highly affordable, a bunk bed set might be just the ticket for your teen. Considering several factors, such as who sleeps in the room and other ways your teen uses her bedroom or dorm room, will help you choose the best furnishings.

Futon bunk beds are practical for teens that live in a dorm or enjoy entertaining friends in their bedrooms. The lofty top bunk serves as the primary sleeping spot while the futon mattress and frame on the bottom act as both comfortable seating during the day and folds down into a second bed when friends spend the night. This option is also useful if your teen spends hours in his room playing video games or simply enjoys having his own private space.

Loft beds are another type of bunk bed that teens enjoy. Although some simply offer a single bed on a lifted frame with a ladder or steps up to it, others also provide supplementary features that are beneficial to young adults. For example, beds with a mattress on the top and a desk below make dorm living easier to handle or give a high school student a quiet place to study, do homework or journal. Similarly, loft bunk beds that include closet space and shelving on the bottom present extra space for clothing and shoes or video games and DVDs --and what teen wouldn’t love more reasons to shop?

Some futon bunk beds allow you to set them up in a number of different configurations, so that your teen can decide what works best for now and then rearrange the furniture later on. For example, you might be able to put the set together as a standard set of stacked twin beds, switch to two side-by-side twin beds down the road, change to an L-shaped arrangement at another point and even connect the two frames and mattresses to make a king sized bed in the future.

Determining what types of bunk beds might best suit your teen is a personal choice. Be sure to involve your teenager in the process so that you pick a set that works for his or her lifestyle.

Actors in Different Roles on the Same Show

I love watching TV. It is no big secret as I have talked about TV quite a bit on my blog. I sometimes notice when I am watching I get to see actors that I know from shows now, which is really cool. I have noticed some of the guest stars who are now well known actors have played different roles on the same show. I find it funny because you would think they would notice. I know it is just TV and not real but if someone who looked like my mom and was my mom showed up at the grocery store saying Winner Winner Chicken Dinner to a stranger I would notice. OK so my mom really did that.  In her defense she thought I was behind her but had wandered off somewhere else.  I would definitely notice if someone was trying to claim to be someone else, so why don’t the TV characters?

Dann Florek most known as Capitan Craggen from Law and Order guest stared on Roseanne as a couple different characters.  First he was the principal at one of the kids schools and then he was Darlene’s Doctor when she was pregnant and went in to labor.

Speaking of Law and Order SVU Diane Neal who is best known for playing ADA Casey Novak was also a guest star as a stripper that was accused of raping a man.

Jeffery Tambor has had like ten different roles on Three’s Company. No one has ever noticed that he has been two different doctors, and a stuck up real estate agent, to name a few. IMDB doesn’t have all the roles he played on Three’s Company listed.

Then you have the actors that replace another actor’s characters, like Dick Sargent replaced Dick York as Darren on Bewitched.  It also happened on Roseanne twice.  Lecy Gorgson was the original Becky, then Sarah Chalke took over her role. Later Lecy came back as Becky and the show ended as Sarah Chalke as Becky. Of course they made fun of it on the show, by asking the original Becky where she has been, and spoofing The Patty Duke Show in the end credits. This would happen all the time on soaps. You miss a couple weeks of a soap and you have no idea who the new person is supposed to be. I remember on Passions sometimes they would say the character would be played by someone else. Why can’t they just send them out if they are on maternity leave or kill off the character when they leave the show?  The weirdest thing was when I watched Passions there was a character named Timmy and he gave his heart for Charity and died on the show, the day the show aired the actor died. It was very sad.

What are some actors that play different roles in a show or an instance where they replace a character with another actor?