Thursday, June 11, 2015

Date Night: Wine and Cheese at Home

When I say "date night,"  it could mean the traditional date night with your spouse or significant other.  It could also mean a night out with friends. It might even be something fun to do alone as "me time."  If you are married or in a committed relationship, I am an absolute advocate for nourishing it, and  making that relationship a priority.  It's also important to honor yourself and your friendships, though.  I hope you'll find some inspiration for fun ways to do all three!

Taking care of yourself is an excellent way to be prepared to take great care of the other people in your life.  This extends from yourself as a single person to nurturing the important relationships in your life.

One of the date nights my husband and I enjoy is sharing dinner together after the boys are in bed.  It's a chance for us to spend time together, eat a meal uninterrupted (hopefully), and it doesn't require getting a sitter!


One dinner that we go back to time and time again for this date night is a wine and cheese plate.  Now....we are far from being connoisseurs in any of these areas.  We just pick a few things we know we like or look fun to try and go with it. We also put red wine in glasses meant for white.  It was nothing fancy, but it was a tasty date night!

On this particular night, we tried:





1. Mini Beef links
2. Pepperoni
3. Summer Sausage
4. Peppered Salami
5. White Cheddar
6. Havarti
7. Bruchetta Jack









We had a few different kinds of crackers and made a honey mustard sauce out of
yellow mustard and agave.

All of that was paired with a red wine we had on hand.


We put our spread on a wooden cutting board, grabbed a couple of plates, and had a picnic on the floor.  With no toddlers around, we were much less concerned about spills.  We did set our glasses on a nearby end-table though, just to be safe.  Red wine stains on our year-old carpet would have ruined the night.

All in all, it was a nice relaxing dinner and a nice chance to spend a little time together.  Next time, though I'm definitely making sure the only thing that was missing gets addressed - a rich chocolate dessert!

30 comments:

  1. We do this a lot at home, too! Heck, sometimes I make a huge cheese, sausage and fruit spread and take a plate into the bathroom and enjoy a bubble bath while I munch on it and drink a glass of wine! I love at home date nights. I recently did a chocolate tasting for one!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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    1. I love your bubble bath idea! My love of chocolate far surpasses my husband's...but he'll usually humor me. Any greats we have to try? Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. The best date night ideas include wine and cheese :D love it!

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    1. Absolutely, that's how it was at the top of the list :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. I love this. We often do this too, it is a cheaper and more relaxing way to spend a nice evening together. I bought a pretty cutting board with a handle at Homegoods and everything feels a little more special when I present it like that rather than dumping it on a plate. Nice to meet you via the Leisure Link! Michele

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! There are definititely some little and inexpensive things we can do to make "normal" things feel more speical. We love going out, but struggle to find sitters - and dinner in comfy PJs is sometimes as fun as getting all dressed up.

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  4. We have date nights on the regular, and I love finding new (and delicious!) ideas :) Thanks for sharing on Tuesday Talk!

    Katie @ Sweet Little Ones

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Katie. We've started doing this more frequently, and have picked an Indian recipe to try out next time. You'll have to let us know if you find something great!

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  5. What a simple romantic idea! Thanks!

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    1. I think the simplicity makes it even better - no stress with prep or trying to find a sitter, leave with kids who want to tag along, etc. Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. So fun! This is a great at home date night, which is always welcome after the kids go to bed :)

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    1. Just eating dinner together without having to fuss at anyone is great. We'll be doing this more often, for sure. Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. What a great time! We usually do date nights in, when we have them. Saves money and it's just often times easier. Reminds me I need to put date night on the calendar soon! :-)

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    1. I've tried to be more mindful of doing something more frequently - it makes such a difference in our relationship! We love going out, but know so few sitters, so we often do the best we can on our own, and it always comes out great. Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. This is such a great idea! Once our girls are in bed we usually just plop down on the couch and watch TV. This would be a fun way to try something a little different without having to spring for a babysitter!

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    1. That's normally how we operate too, but it makes such a difference in our relationship when we take time out to do something a little different, and not having to figure out a sitter is a definite plus! Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. I'm with you on the chocolate! So glad you had time for a date night, so important for our marriages! stopping by from Reflect.

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    1. I absolutely agree. I've been trying to be more mindful to schedule something, or at least have plenty of things on hand to do something spontaneous....it really does make a difference! Thanks for visiting.

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  10. I love date nights in... so much less stressful than searching for a sitter and spending a ton of money! Yours sounds like a great night. Thanks for sharing at the Manic Mondays blog hop!

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    1. This was a fun night, and way less stressful than going out, for sure! In fact, it was such a success I've got another planned for Father's Day - Indian Curry this time! Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. Hi Steph!! Stopping by to say hello and thank you for linking up with my NO RULES Weekend Blog Party!!

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  12. Thanks for hosing a great gathering, and for stopping by to visit!

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  13. What a great idea, thank you for sharing this with us at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings

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    1. We love this one - planning on doing this but making Indian curry soon. Thanks for stopping by!

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  14. I especially love your first paragraph by the way. We need to nourish all our relationships! This looks so fun and easy. I really should try this with my husband. But just add the chocolate dessert like you said! haha Thanks for linking up with us for Tuesday Talk! -Jess (I see my sis Katie already commented above!)
    Sweet Little Ones

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    1. Thanks....that's something my mom always told me, but I'm really starting to see the difference it makes in my own home! You should give it a try - we sometimes change what we eat, but it's always a pretty low stress way to spend time together...and no need to hire a sitter makes it even better. Thanks for stopping by!

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  15. My husband would love this idea! I don't drink wine but I love good cheese and I'm sure it would go with tea :) Thank you so much for linking up at my new link-up, Faithful at Home Fridays, you blessed me!

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    1. That's one of the best parts of this kind of date night - anything goes. We certainly wouldn't measure up by gourmet standards I'm sure, but we love it none the less! Thanks for hosting a great link-up and for taking time to stop by!

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  16. My hubby and I haven't done a date night in a really long time. A simple night like this sounds like fun.

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    1. Date night is so important to our marriage - I can tell it's been much too long since we've had one! The simplicity of this one is all part of the charm! Thanks for stopping by!

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