At Home: A Romantic Dinner For Two

Clams Oreganata
Spinach and Mushroom Ravioli
Individual Strawberry Trifles

Risotto with Wild Mushrooms and Scallops
Molten Chocolate Espresso

Pan Seared T-bone Steak
Sara's Gruyere Potato Gratin
Bobby's Winter Green Salad and Green Apple Vinaigrette
Nigella's Cold Zabaglione

Turn your night into a mini-vacation by matching the menu to the movie:
Kung fu action flick? Order some spicy noodles at your local Chinese restaurant. French film noir? Hit the nearest bistro. Italian family drama? Share a big bowl of spaghetti.

Try brunch and a matinee: Your neighborhood's fancier restaurants are way more affordable (and just as delicious) in the daytime hours.

Find a restaurant with a dance floor.
Even if you've got less coordination than a Dancing With the Stars early round reject, you can still hold each other close and sway to the beat.

Create your own "drive-in" experience.
If you have a laptop with a DVD drive, take it out with you. Rent or download a movie you never got around to seeing, order something simple at a dimly lit bistro, find a love seat to cuddle up in, and watch.

Go for an all day hike!
Check out trails.com for a listing of nearby treks and get lost in the woods together.

Visit the museum.
Museumstuff.com has links to thousands of art institutions in America and abroad; the Art Museum Network at amn.org lists links to the Websites and exhibition calendars of the world's leading art museums; and galleryguide.org will help you easily locate an art venue near you. If art really isn't your (or his) thing, don't overlook other kinds of exhibits, such as the history of hockey, or even surgical equipment! One good source for the weird and wild: museumspot.com.

Give in to the undeniably romantic allure of watching the sun go down.
Head to the highest point in town, and when the light is romance perfect for enhancing your sensuous mood, turn the scenic view into a background for a make out session.

Have a picture perfect night.
Take a camera with you and at different points on your night out, ask people to take your photo (make it a point to lock lips for some of the snaps). On your next date, flip through the photos together - or make a collage or slide show. You can also create great memories by making a date with a photographer for a fancy shot of the two of you in a tight clinch. Or simply head into a photo booth. "We always take goofy photo booth pictures when we go out," says one woman. "It's fun, and sometimes illuminating, to look back over them. For instance, the snap we took a few months after our son was born - I remember feeling like we weren't communicating well, but then I'll look at that date photo and it shows how much joy and love we were also feeling."

Create your own private blackout.
There's something cinematically sexy and romantic about a blackout, but you don't have to wait for the electric company to put you in the dark. Just forbid all use of electricity (yes, that includes the cell phone and computer) and close all the curtains. Light some candles, and see what happens!

Meet for a midnight snack.
Nibble on whatever sweet thing is on hand or have a s'mores tent party (after the kids are in bed). Hook up a makeshift tent with a rope and a blanket, then roast a couple of marshmallows in the toaster oven and sandwich them with chocolate graham crackers.

Feed each other.
Cut up an assortment of sexy juicy fruits: mangoes, papayas, raspberries, and strawberries. Don't refrigerate, as fruit at room temperature has the most pungent aroma and releases the most flavor when placed on the tongue.

Don't own any special occassion silver, dinner or glassware?
Try your local antique or thift shops, and mix and match different designs. It's addictive, and you can have an attractive setting in no time!

Hate wasting money on cut flowers that fade and end up in the trash?
Buy a LIVE flowering plant or bulbs, like tulips, that can be transplanted later, and be remembered for a long time to come.

Not a lot of cash? What about little things like candles, or other gift items?
My favorite stores in the WHOLE world are the Dollar Tree, 99 Cents Store and so on. You can buy candles of all shapes, sizes and colors, spa supplies, and all other manner of little gifty things. AND a cute gift bag to put it all in ...

Can't find or afford a sitter for the kids?
Make them their own special meal (pizza or mac & cheese is always a hit with my kids!), get them off to bed early or set them up with a movie or two in their rooms while you and your sweetie enjoy an intimate, child-free meal.

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