I'm not one of those girls that needs a designated "date night." We're one of those really obnoxious couples who finds a way to work romance and togetherness into random everyday occasions. Spur of the moment picnic lunches, surprise yogurt deliveries, and one of my faves - wine and movie nights. Those are the nights when we open a bottle of to die for wine, close our computers, curl up on our gigantic couch (10 people - right L?) and put on a movie we both want to see. (and we have VASTLY different taste in movies, so this in itself is usually the cause for the occasion.
I like to make us something that is both decadent and snacky on those nights and perfectly complements the wine. This usually means an appetizer for dinner, which is always a favorite. Especially when it blends sweet and spicy - which you MUST know by now is one of my favorite combinations. The spice in this totally takes you by surprise, in fact, after his first bite, Thatboy turned to me and asked "what makes this spicy? Isn't it fruit and honey?" So then I confided in him the secret ingredient - crushed red pepper flakes.
We're big red wine drinkers, and we paired this with one of our new favorites - Hartford Family Wineries Land's Edge Pinot Noir. The creaminess of the cheese, sweetness of the fruit, and spiciness of the pepper perfectly complement this complex wine
I like to make us something that is both decadent and snacky on those nights and perfectly complements the wine. This usually means an appetizer for dinner, which is always a favorite. Especially when it blends sweet and spicy - which you MUST know by now is one of my favorite combinations. The spice in this totally takes you by surprise, in fact, after his first bite, Thatboy turned to me and asked "what makes this spicy? Isn't it fruit and honey?" So then I confided in him the secret ingredient - crushed red pepper flakes.
We're big red wine drinkers, and we paired this with one of our new favorites - Hartford Family Wineries Land's Edge Pinot Noir. The creaminess of the cheese, sweetness of the fruit, and spiciness of the pepper perfectly complement this complex wine
Sweet and Spicy Cream Cheese Dip
- 1/4 cup Light Corn Syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup raisins, dried cranberries, and chopped dried apricots
- 1/8 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 oz cream cheese
- Mix syrup, salt, cranberries, raisins, apricots, almonds and crushed red pepper in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Heat to simmer, stirring to blend all ingredients. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature.
- Place cream cheese on serving plate. Top with fruit mixture.
we don't do "date nights" either. we just go out and have fun whenever we damn well feel like it!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have date nights, either. I do love those times where we curl up on the couch with a bottle of wine and some good food, though, which we do quite often.
ReplyDeleteAny night can be date night as long as you're spending some time. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds fun! I love spicy stuff on top of cream cheese. I have a salsa guy that make the most amazing hot salsa and we put it on cream cheese all the time.
ReplyDeleteooh a new wine rec! yay! and yes, 10 people for sure.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm...appetizers and wine are fabulous!! I admit, we do have date nights, but we also love doing at-home romantic things, too :)
ReplyDeletethis reminds me of our dinners where i put several fancy cheeses on a platter w/some fruit, cold cuts and crackers, we pop open a bottle of wine and call it a night. ;)
ReplyDelete