Yummy French Picnic

A yummy French picnic is just the thing to kick off a night of smooching. It's super easy, it won't leave green herbies in your teeth, and it's totally delicious! Start with one baguette (the fresher the better-if possible buy it on the way to pick up your date!), brie, jam (optional), and red grapes. You can complement your meal with a bottle of red wine if you are a wine drinker and if it's appropriate for the location, or you can get a yummy sparkling juice. If you go the juice route, make sure it gets properly chilled ahead of time!

Don't forget plates or a cutting board, a bread knife, a cheese knife, napkins or wet wipes, a corkscrew, cups, wine glasses, and water.

Mini Tarts

These little guys are so tasty and so fun, you and your date will have a blast chomping them down one by one! It's especially fun (and delicious!) if you go the extra mile and make a variety of fillings and toppings combinations!

Ingredients:
Fillo pastry shells
chocolate, peanut butter, vanilla mousse or whipped cream or a mix of the above
garnishes- get creative- try fruit like berries or kiwi, chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter cup or chocolate

Directions:
Fill pastry cups with mousse or whipped cream. Garnish how you like- see photo above for delicious ideas! I've gotta say I was partial to the peanut butter/chocolate mousse with peanut butter cup on top and the chocolate with raspberry. Yummm. Top with a variety of garnishes to create more excitement on your date!

Chocolate Mousse

This mousse is super easy- for reals- and so, so yummy! Creamy, peanut buttery, and light! If you love peanut butter like me, then this is heaven!

Ingredients:
2 oz semi sweet chocolate (chocolate chips or chocolate bar chopped up, just make sure it is good chocolate!)
1 1/4 c heavy whipping cream, divided
2 T powdered (confectioner's) sugar
garnish (peanut butter cup slice, crumbled peanut butter cup, chocolate cube, chopped peanuts and chocolate, etc.)

Directions:
Have a piece of saran wrap prepared to fit over your microwave safe bowl. Measure 1/4 c cream and heat in your microwave safe bowl until very hot (but not burnt!) about 2 minutes. Pour chocolate chips into bowl and cover with saran wrap. Let sit until chocolate is softened- about 3 minutes- then stir until smooth. Let sit until cooled and thickened. It may need 1/2 hour to an hour to cool sufficiently so allow time for this. It may be a good idea to do this step before your date shows up if you're making the mousse on the date so that you don't have to wait to eat up!

Measure 1 c heavy whipping cream and 2 T powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix until stiff peaks form. Once cream is whipped, scoop it into the chocolate mixture and fold carefully until well blended.

Finally, scoop it into four dishes and garnish! You can garnish however you like-use a leftover dollop of whipped cream, peanut butter cups, chocolate slices, fruit like bananas or berries, chopped peanuts and chocolate, etc. Get creative!

More ideas- use this as a filling for cupcakes, layer with vanilla or other flavored pudding, layer with peanut butter mousse (as shown in the photo above), layer between peanut butter or chocolate chip cookies, in mini tarts, etc.

If you are using this for cupcake filling, you can do one of two things: the first option is to put it in a plastic bag or frosting bag and pipe it into the hole. (See cupcake recipe for instructions on how to prep them for filling.) The second option (which is what I tried) is to spread the mousse cream in a cube shaped ice cube tray OR use a cookie scoop to do small scoops on a cookie sheet OR use another spoon/measuring spoon and scoop little dollops onto a cookie sheet. Then freeze for 1 hour. Once they are frozen, you can place them in the cupcake hole, cover with the cupcake top, and frost.

Peanut Butter Mousse

This mousse is super easy- for reals- and so, so yummy! Creamy, peanut buttery, and light! If you love peanut butter like me, then this is heaven!

Ingredients:
4 T creamy peanut butter (reduced fat is fine)
1 c heavy whipping cream, divided
2 T powdered (confectioner's) sugar
garnish (peanut butter cup slice, crumbled peanut butter cup, chocolate cube, chopped peanuts and chocolate, etc.)

Directions:
In a bowl, put 4 T of peanut butter and heat until a little bit runny- about 30 seconds. Don't let it get hot, just a little warm so that it blends better.

Then, put 1 c heavy whipping cream and 2 T powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix until stiff peaks form. Once cream is whipped, scoop it into the peanut butter and fold carefully until well blended.

Finally, scoop it into four dishes and garnish! You can garnish however you like-use a leftover dollop of whipped cream, peanut butter cups, chocolate slices, chopped peanuts and chocolate, etc. Get creative!

More ideas- use this as a filling for cupcakes, layer with chocolate pudding or mousse (as shown in the photo above), layer between peanut butter or chocolate chip cookies, in mini tarts, etc.

If you are using this for cupcake filling, you can do one of two things: the first option is to put it in a plastic bag or frosting bag and pipe it into the hole. (See cupcake recipe for instructions on how to prep them for filling.) The second option (which is what I tried) is to spread the mousse cream in a cube shaped ice cube tray OR use a cookie scoop to do small scoops on a cookie sheet OR use another spoon/measuring spoon and scoop little dollops onto a cookie sheet. Then freeze for 1 hour. Once they are frozen, you can place them in the cupcake hole, cover with the cupcake top, and frost.

30 Kisses Invite Ideas

Ok, so it may not be the norm to ask somebody out on a date using an invite, but you bought a date box because you wanted something different, right? Everybody likes to feel that they're being spoiled with romantic thoughts and gestures, and an invitation to differentiate this date from just another hang-out session is just the way to start! Here are some fun ideas of ways you can ask your date that will surprise and intrigue them. (So what are we going to do on our date, honey?) Bonus points if you mail them. Your date will be surprised when they find a spoon with an invitation on it, but if it comes in the mail you'll never hear the end of it! (In a good way!)

Here are some great ideas to get you inspired! Don't forget to include the date, time, location, and any other pertinent details (like if pajamas are recommended!)

• Dental floss with invite and address taped to it or tucked inside (you'd have to pull out the floss and cutter to make room)
• toothbrush with invite wrapped around it and address taped to it
• Empty or full Tic Tac or breathmint container with note inside

• Pack of unopened gum with address and invite taped to it
• Toothpaste in its box with the invite inside and address on the outside
• Chapstick with the address and invite taped to it
• Wax lips in a bubble wrapped package with invite inside
• Hershey's kisses with invite written on outside of bag
• Compact mirror with kissy lips and invite written on the inside of the mirror

Scrumptious Strawberry Banana Trifle

So the standard date dessert almost always seems to include chocolate. But say you or your date don't like chocolate? Or you just want to shake it up with something unexpected? Well, this is one deliciously easy, scrumptiously tasty dessert. Here goes...

Ingredients:

15 strawberries, sliced- save 2 for garnishes! (if you cut them and put them in a bowl for a few hours ahead of time they will get a little saucy which is fabulously delicious!)
1 banana, sliced
1 angel food cake, 3/4 inch cubes (if there's a mini size available, that works, otherwise you can get a couple of those individual sized ones as well, if not you'll just have leftovers to eat or freeze)
whipped cream- a can is fine, or you can make your own
1 package instant pudding/custard mix
2 c milk (for the pudding)

Directions:

First, you need to find a bowl or glasses to make your trifle(s) in. Get creative- it just needs to be tall enough to fit 2 layers of each ingredient. It looks great if it is in clear glass, though, so you can see all the layers! I used a vase/candleholder since my sundae glasses weren't tall enough to layer in. It would be just as fun to have them in individual glasses, though- brandy snifters would work fabulously!

On the bottom, do a layer of bananas and strawberries. Follow with a layer of whipped cream. This should work its way down around the fruit and fill in some of the cracks. Next sprinkle a layer of angel food cake cubes and spoon a layer of pudding/custard over that. Repeat all layers starting with the bananas.

Once you have done two complete layers of all ingredients, top with whipped cream and garnish with strawberries. You are not going to believe how yummy these are!

Fancy Floats

Ok, so we've all had root beer floats, right? Classic. You can never go wrong with a root beer float. However, if you want to shake things up a little, try branching out with flavor combinations. Vanilla ice cream is a good pair for just about any flavor of soda- orange, cola, strawberry, pomegranate. Don't stop there, though! You can also try flavored ice creams (fruity ice cream mixes great with fruity sodas, and just about anything is delicious with cola!), sherbets, and sorbets for something a little different.

I tried mango sorbet with pomegranate soda and vanilla ice cream with orange cream soda for a little dreamsicle experience. Yummm! If you want, you can even get a few different kinds of ice cream and soda and use smaller glasses so that you can each try a few different flavor combinations. Everybody likes to experiment, right?!?