As I’m sure most of our readers have at one time or another had a pedicure, there really isn’t much to say about this date so I’m going to let the pictures do the talking:

Massage chairs!

I tried to get Adam to paint his toenails too, but that’s where he sternly drew the line.

This date idea was a last minute thought that required very little planning or time on our part. While it wasn’t the most romantic thing I’ve done with Adam we did enjoy our massage chairs and we had a good laugh through it all.

Pro Tips:

• This date took A LOT of convincing, but when Adam learned about the massage chairs he was pumped. Splurging for a real spa experience might make the difference for you too.
• Pedicures can leave your feet a little tender so I wouldn’t recommend getting one if you plan on doing a lot of walking right afterwards.
• Pay cash! We were lucky enough to save $10 each by not using plastic and I’ve heard similarly stories from friends.

For anyone who doesn’t know Scotch whisky is malt whisky or grain whisky made in Scotland. First appearing as early as 1495, there are now over 125 Scotch distilleries spread throughout 6 regions in Scotland. Scotch itself is a broad term and each individual brand of Scotch can have a very distinct flavour. As a result enjoying Scotch can be a very personal experience based on your individual taste preferences. With flavours ranging from ‘Light & Floral’ to ‘Full-Bodied & Smokey’ the variety of tastes is expansive.

Photo credit: http://www.malts.com

As I mentioned, I am not particularly familiar with Scotch so I was a bit of a blank slate going into our tasting. The Scotch tasting itself consisted of 6 different brands of Scotch:

• McCallan 18 Yr. Old Single Malt
• Highland Park 18 Yr. Old Single Malt
• Highland Park 21 Yr. Old Single Malt
• Glengoyne 21 Yr. Old Single Malt
• Balvenie 21 Yr. Old Single Malt
• Johnnie Walker Blue Label

For each drink we were given a brief introduction to the brand before ‘nosing’ the drink to try and pick up on the flavours it would present. After a small mouthful we were free to add water or try a sampling of food as a possible pairing. I must say that even as a first-timer it was very interesting to pick up on the differences between each brand. I truly enjoyed trying them all. As our tasting progressed we discussed some of the other differences between the brands such as the regions they come from, the history behind some of the brands and other details to help us truly enjoy these fine Scotches.

This date was a great success. The Scotch tasting lasted just over 90 minutes and for $35.00 CDN per person we were able to take an ordinary Wednesday and spend it trying a variety of Scotches that each cost between $150 CDN and $289 CDN per bottle. We got a really good value and a really interesting experience.

Pro Tips:

• Scotch drinking depends a lot on personal preference. If you are just looking to try Scotch, start with a bottle for less than $50 as spending more doesn’t guarantee you’ll enjoy it.
• Adding a few drops of distilled (not tap!) water can really release the flavour of your Scotch. Try it with and without to see what you like best.
• It goes without saying, but please ensure you enjoy your drink responsibly.

Have you ever gone for a Scotch tasting? What about other types of alcohol? What did you enjoy the most?

photo by: evocateur

To completely counter our hectic work week, we decided to spend Sunday afternoon at much slower pace, and made an afternoon tea date at the prestigious Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

According to the Royal York, Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford is often credited with the invention of afternoon tea in the 1800’s. Traditionally dinner was not served until 8:30 or 9:00pm and the Duchess often became hungry in the afternoon. She began ordering a small meal of bread, butter, cakes, tarts, and biscuits to be brought secretly to her boudoir. When she was exposed, she was not ridiculed as she had feared, but her habit caught on and the concept of a small meal of niceties and tea became popular and eventually known as “afternoon tea”.*

As a complete Jane Austenite, I love everything to do with 19th century England. This date was perfect. We dressed up and (at least I) got to pretend we were stepping back in time to a place that seemed much simpler.

The Royal York is one of the loveliest places to enjoy afternoon tea in Toronto. The hotel is where Her Highness, Queen Elizabeth stays when she is in Toronto. The Liberty bar is the perfect setting; with mismatched flowered china, beautiful bouquets and towers stacked with sandwiches filled with smoked salmon, turkey, cucumber, and champagne goat cheese; along with strawberry tarts, and of course, scones, cream and jam. I felt like royalty! This was just the type of date we needed after a long week.

If you have never treated yourself to afternoon tea, I would highly recommend it!

Pro Tips:

• Afternoon tea is usually served at five-star hotels and posh cafes. Prices can get quite expensive so do your research before you go.
• Don’t feel like spending the money to go out for afternoon tea? Check out these afternoon tea recipes to create your own 19th century experience at home.
• Turn off your cell phone and pretend you are from a time when work couldn’t get a hold of your 24/7. Enjoy!

* Outside of the UK most people refer to afternoon tea as high tea, which technically, is incorrect. Beginning in the 1800’s afternoon tea was typically served between 2-5pm and consisted of loose tea, finger sandwiches, clotted cream and scones, and pastries. High Tea was typically consumed between 5-7pm and consisted of hot dishes such as shepards pie or fish and chips, followed by cakes, bread, butter and jam. Traditionally high tea was eaten by middle to upper class children (whose parents would have a more formal dinner later in the evening) and labourers and miners when they came home from work.

Photos taken from the Royal York website.

As you may have guessed, I am no stranger to theatre shows and I will go whenever I’m given the chance. I love the classics like Chicago (amazing choreography!) and also the movie-turned-into-theatre shows such as Dirty Dancing (it was awesome!). I’ve seen everything from Wicked to The Woman in Black and while I love both plays and musicals, if I’m being honest, I love musicals more – they are just so much fun!

If you’ve never been to a theatre show you should know that tickets aren’t inexpensive (we spent about $65 CDN each for Rock of Ages) but that you can almost always find something at a discount theatre tickets box office. Also, waiting until a show is in it’s last weeks (they usually offer discount discounts at the end) or going to your local community theatre can be less expensive options. While the price might be high, I’ve always thought the value was incredible. A performance that is put together professionally can dazzle you with incredible set designs, emotional dialog and gorgeous costumes – all in a live format! Shows usually span over 2 acts and last between 2 and 3 hours. Depending on the theatre (and the type of show) you may also be able to get drinks from the concession stands to enjoy in your seats.

Our trip to Rock of Ages was no exception to this and let me start by saying that it was amazing! The story is simple – boy meets girls type thing – but the music is all classic rock from the 1980′s including hits from Journey, Styx, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Poison, Whitesnake, Foreigner and many more! You simply can’t help but tap your feet and sing along. In addition to the incredible music, the story itself has hilarious (albeit vulgar) dialog and some very cheeky jokes. I would highly recommend it to new and seasoned theatre-goers alike, but keep in mind that this is definitely not a family friendly show!

This date night wasn’t just about seeing Rock of Ages, but spending a night on the town at a theatre. As I mentioned, this isn’t cheap and professionally done theatre shows don’t play in every major city so when you get a chance to go you might as well make the most of it. For us, theatre tickets usually show up as a birthday or anniversary gift so we can justify the cost and it also ensures that we do something memorable for a big milestone. Dinner before or after a show can be a nice touch, but even a cup of coffee afterward to talk about your favourite parts can keep your theatre date night going strong.

Do you enjoy going to the theatre? What’s your favourite show?

Pro Tips:

• Theatre performances ARE NOT concerts! Even at a show like Rock of Ages it’s important to remember the difference. Enjoy the experience but remember to be conscientious of the other people who also paid good money to be there.
• You don’t need a top and tails to attend. We enjoy dressing up a bit, but at Rock of Ages you’d fit in with a t-shirt and jeans. The subject matter of the show is usually your best clue as to how you should dress. Cut off jeans for ‘Les Miserables’ would probably be unwise.
• If you love celebrity sightings, you can often catch the stars of the show on their way out of the theatre for a quick photo or autograph.

Intrigued by a drink that is so popular in one country, but virtually unknown to the rest of the world?

The Caesar is a spicy and fun cocktail. It is similar to a Bloody Mary, but with an extra kick!

Initially invented in Calgary in 1969 by restaurateur Walter Chell to celebrate the opening of a new Italian restaurant, the Caesar’s popularity grew exponentially. It is now the most popular cocktail in Canada.

The basic ingredients include: Clamato juice, vodka, Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco, salt and pepper poured into a celery salt rimmed glass and served with a piece of celery. Clamato juice is a combination of tomato juice and clam broth – sounds kinda gross, it’s actually delicious and flavourful.

As the drink’s popularity grew, so did its variations. One of the fun things about Caesars is the variety of garnishes you can include to customize your cocktail and make it unique. For example some restaurants serve a Caesar with pickles, olives, jalapeno peppers, spicy beans, and/or pickled asparagus. Many places double and triple up on garnishes creating your own little buffet on top of your drink.

Other variations include adding different spices to the cocktail including horseradish and wasabi.

The 43rd anniversary of the Caesar is on May 13th. Why not make a date night out of trying one? Hopefully after one taste you’ll see what all the fuss is about.

Below is a recipe for a traditional Caesar, or if you are feeling creative – add a little variation to make it your own. We’re Canadian – we don’t judge.

Cheers “eh”

Classic Caesar Recipe:

1. Rim a pint glass with celery salt
2. Fill the glass with ice
3. Pour Worcestershire sauce into glass (about three shakes)
4. Add Tabasco to taste
5. Add 1-2 ounces of vodka (or no vodka for virgin Caesar)
6. Top with Clamato juice
7. Garnish with celery stalk and lime wedge (or dill pickle, pickled bean or asparagus)
8. Enjoy!

Often times we take cultural staples such as the Caesar for granted. Does your province/state/country have culture that you love to celebrate? Tell us about it in the comments!

photos by: barry.pousman & randomlife

It’s said that when you dine in the complete darkness your other senses, including taste, are heightened allowing you enjoy your food at a new level. Awesome! The downside? It turns out, trying to get to your house in complete darkness is a whole other story. Even though the sun had set and I closed all of the blinds, it was amazing how much light could still get into the kitchen. Street lights, other house lights, even lights from the electronics in our house, all prevented me from achieving complete darkness. Instead of fighting it, I decided to use blindfolds to achieve total darkness.

Ashley enjoying some sushi – in the dark.

Our dinner consisted of:

• sushi to start
• a selection of olives
• chicken and steak skewers with peppers and onions
• grilled pineapple
• wine

I chose the skewers because I thought the less we would have to use a knife and fork, the better (and boy was I right!). I thought the sushi was a good idea because we could use our fingers to eat it (there was no was I was going to attempt to use chop sticks in the dark). I bought a variety of stuffed olives to try because I thought it would be fun to try and guess which ones we were eating.

I set the table, Adam BBQ’d the skewers and pineapple and when everything was laid out, we blindfolded each other and started! At first, it was really difficult to get your bearings and I could see why someone might panic a little bit. We started feeling around – touching our wine glass, our plate, the olive bowl, each other, until we got a sense of where everything was. Once my brain and eyes adjusted to the complete darkness, I began to relax and embraced the situation. Finding my food on the plate and successfully picking it up with my fork turned out to be quite a challenge. As the evening progressed, I started relying more and more on my hands and less and less on my fork.

Dinner was interesting! By touching the food, we could tell if we were eating a piece of meat (although I couldn’t always tell if it was chicken or beef), peppers, onions, or pineapple, before we tasted it. The best part was eating the olives. You had no idea what kind of olive you were going to get until you bit into it! We even took turns feeding the other person olives (we’d have to feel around for the person’s mouth and then pop in the olive). Groping around in the dark for the other person’s face was hilarious. The whole experience was so much fun

Adam struggling with his fork – in the dark.

I found it interesting that I when I couldn’t see how much food was left on my plate I became full faster than I thought. There was still quite a bit of food on my plate when I was done.

After we finished dinner we took off the blindfolds, cleaned up, lit some candles and enjoyed a romantic dessert together. While I’m not sure Adam is ready to go to a restaurant completely in the dark, we had a lot of fun in our own house. Because we couldn’t see anything, we had to rely on our other senses to know what was going on – touching the table and our food, the smells and flavours of the food, even the sounds and conversations seemed heightened. It was an experience I will never forget.

Have you ever tried dinner in the dark?

Pro Tips:

• Using a knife and fork is extremely difficult in the dark! I would suggest making bite-size food for your first dinner in the dark experience.
• Food choice is important. Choose a variety of foods – it’s more interesting when you have to use your other senses (especially taste) to figure out what you’re eating. If it’s all the same food you will miss out on the surprise.
• Before you start, take a minute to adjust to the darkness. Adam’s claustrophobic fear is a valid one in darkness – feel around and get your bearings before digging in.
• It’s difficult to create total darkness – my solution was blindfolds. Grab a scarf or tie and don’t worry about blocking out all of the light. You achieve the same result with less than half of the work!
• Feed each other. It sounds romantic, but it’s more hilarious trying to find your partner’s face in the darkness. It’s also really cool not to know what you are about to eat until it’s in your mouth!

The class we chose was called “Curries of the World”. Adam and I love curry, and while we order take-out a lot, it’s not something I can whip up in the kitchen. I knew I would have a lot of fun with this date idea, but I was also hoping it would help me break out of my boring cooking routine.

The class was held at our local LCBO (for those of you who do not live in Ontario – the LCBO is the Liquor Control Board of Ontario – the only place you can purchase liquor). At locations throughout the province classes such as this one are held regularly. You can check out their class list if you are interested in booking. The class description said that we would make three different kinds of curries, and wine would be paired with each.

Our cooking class was not hands-on. It felt more like being an audience member of a cooking show. That’s probably because our host, Jasit, has made several TV appearances as a chef and is currently working on her own cooking show. Jasit was amazing – she walked us through, step-by-step, how she made each dish, and even gave us some of her secret tips that were not in the instructions. Like the nerd I am, I had my ingredients list and wrote down everything she said.

We made Sri Lankan Fish Curry with Plain Rice; Chinese Kung Pao Chicken with Chow Mein; and African Motoke (plantain bananas cooked and served with peanut sauce). I was a little unsure of the African Motoke (I’m not a huge banana person), but I have to say it was my favourite! The sweetness of the bananas mixed with the onions and peanut sauce – it’s definitely something I will try to recreate.

There was also a LCBO Product Consultant who paired a wine with each meal. I have never really given much thought beyond serving red wine with red sauce and white wine with white sauce so I found this part extremely interesting. Did you know that you should serve sparkling wine with a spicy dish because it helps cleanse the palate? Neither did I! Again, I took a lot of notes.

There were supposed to be 20 people in our class, but only 10 of us showed up. Not that I’m complaining – we basically got twice the amount of food and wine to try. By the time the class was over I had eaten way too much curry, had a fair amount of wine considering it was only 12:30, and had a stack full of notes and a determination to try cooking a curry for us.

Overall this was a great date idea. While it was not hands on, our chef still interacted with us and Adam and I joked around together. The class was fairly pricey ($60 each), but you got to sample all three meals along with a small glass of wine for each meal. It’s not just the food either, you get a lot of valuable information from the class. I would recommend the class, and I would absolutely recommend purchasing the class as a gift for someone!

Pro Tips:

• Not all cooking classes are created equally so do your research. Figure out what you want to accomplish in the class (do you want to watch a cooking class, or get in on the action) and find a class that meets your needs
• Come hungry! Our class started at 10:30am. My first thought was – who wants to eat curry at 10:30 in the morning? But, as soon as Jasit started cooking, I couldn’t wait!
• As I said before, this is a great experience-type gift idea, especially for the person who already has everything!

At lunch on Friday I sent Adam an e-mail listing the top 5 reasons why I am lucky to have him. While it may have been out of the ordinary for us, I wanted to set the tone for the evening.

By the time we got home from work Adam was very curious to see what we would be up to. I showed him a quarter and told him we were going to leave our date to chance. Heads we would go out; tails we would stay in. I let him flip the coin and it landed on heads. Next I told him to pick one restaurant and I would pick another. We’d then let the lucky coin decide where we would go. I chose sushi and he chose our local pub. I flipped the coin and he called it in the air – our local pub it was!

For the rest of the evening, any decision we had to make was decided by the coin. What should we do for dessert – go for ice cream or order dessert at the restaurant? After dinner we flipped the coin to decide if we would go see a movie or go bowling. When it landed on the movies I chose Friends with Kids and he chose Safe House. We even went as far as letting the coin choose if we would order popcorn or candy.

After the movie we stopped at our local convenience store and tried our luck out once more. Should we buy a lottery ticket or a scratch card? We ended up with a Cash for Life scratch card and unfortunately our luck didn’t run that far – we didn’t win anything

While the date wasn’t anything different – we ended up going for dinner and a movie (which is pretty much the standard date) – the way the night unfolded was so much fun. Not knowing what was coming up next, betting against each other, and doing exactly as our coin commanded, all added to the excitement. Plus, as someone who struggles making decisions, this took all of the pressure off!

I really like this date idea because you can replicate it any way you want to. If you end up staying in, here are a few things you can bet on:

• Make dinner or order in?
• What type of food to make or order?
• What to have for dessert?
• After dinner should you go for a stroll or take turns giving each other massages?
• Watch a movie or play a board game?

The possibilities are endless. You can make it even more fun by raising the stakes and each choosing an activity that you would prefer to do. Is there a movie that you’re always bugging your partner to watch? Maybe an activity you’ve always wanted to try, but your partner hasn’t seemed as eager? Bet on it – maybe you will get lucky!

Another great aspect about this date idea is that you can try it again and again with different outcomes! On the next coin toss date night you could end up mini-putting, or playing twister. Not knowing what to expect is most of the fun.

Next time you are looking to add a little excitement to your date night or can’t agree on a date idea, why not try flipping a coin – you never know how it will land.

In our house, video games are very much ‘my thing’ and Ashley doesn’t often get involved. So even though she came up with this date idea, the details were all on me. For our tournament I decided we would compete in two different games and work together on another. Here’s how it all went down:

Wii Bowling – Best 2 out of 3 games

If you’ve never played Wii bowling before you should know that its a suitable replacement for the real thing. And as a result, it is still only as fun as actually going bowling. By the end of 3 games, we had both had our fill.

To be fair, I might be a little jaded because much to my chagrin, Ashley laid the smack-down on me. She beat me 3 games to 0 with scores of 159 – 143, 175 – 161 and 170 – 120 and loved every minute of it.

All of this isn’t to say that Wii bowling wasn’t extremely fun, because it was. The competition was fierce and, despite the fact that it meant nothing, we both enjoyed some close scores and plenty of trash-talking.

Bust a Move with ‘Just Dance 2′

Just Dance 2 is one of many dancing games now available for a variety of consoles. The idea is simple: pick a song and dance according to the directions on screen. The player who follows the directions the best wins. As simple as the concept is, this type of game is great for getting off the couch and laughing at how uncoordinated you are.

For this competition we decided on a ‘best 3 out of 5′ format. Surprisingly, no 4th game was needed. Who won? I did and by a landslide. I’m not sure whether I should boast about it or not, but after being beaten so badly at bowling, I’ll take what I can get.

Again, for the 30 minutes this competition took, we laughed a lot and really enjoyed ourselves.

Retro Fun with Super Mario World

Having grown up during the golden age of video games, our last choice was a tribute to our youth. Both of us can recall fondly playing Super Mario World with friends so we thought that after the thrill of competition we’d take it easy and enjoy some time with this classic game.

Enjoying older games doesn’t require that you dust off toys that have been in a box for the last decade either. Many of the consoles now offer downloadable versions of older games and they usually sell for between $5 and $10 each.

Although this wasn’t as much fun as competing with each other, we did enjoy relaxing with a nice distraction for an hour.

Pro Tips:

• Up the competition with a little friendly wagering. It adds to the anticipation and makes winning a little bit sweeter.
• Don’t over do it. It’s easy to get caught up in the game and, make no mistake, you can easily pull a muscle trying to beat your partner at video game bowling.
• Get creative. With so many games to choose from you can decide to enjoy whatever you please. We found that simply playing was what was enjoyable, the game itself didn’t matter.
• This idea doesn’t have to exclusively be a Nintendo Wii tournament. With so many games and consoles whatever you can get for cheap (or free) should do the trick.

Our Nintendo Wii tournament was a success! What a great way to spend time inside laughing with one another and keeping our minds off of life’s responsibilities, even if just for a little while. One of the highlights of this date was that, because video games are so prevalent, we were able to borrow whatever we needed and this date didn’t cost us a penny.

Would you have a Nintendo Wii tournament? What games would you include?

When we were in New York a few years ago we stumbled upon the Museum of Sex and daringly visited their OralFix cafe. Using select ingredients, their menu boasts of drinks and food that promise everything from passion and seduction to excitement and productivity. Despite the cafe being located in the museum’s basement, the experience was unique and memorable and served as the inspiration for this date night.

Epicurious.com offers videos and recipes for a few of OralFix’s aphrodisiac cocktails, and with Valentine’s Day around the corner, what could be a better date night than trying a few love potions?

For our date night we tried:

The Shanghai Rose – recipe

Made with roses and rosemary this cocktail promises the effects of seduction and devotion.

Roses are a prominent symbol of love and seduction – just think of how many women will receive roses this Valentine’s Day alone! But did you know that using roses dates back to ancient Rome when women used to anoint themselves with rose water oil? Rosemary is also a symbol of love and union. In the middle ages, rosemary branches were included in wedding ceremonies.

This cocktail was one of the more difficult to make, but definitely worth the effort! The smell was intoxicating, with a sweet, yet tart flavour. It was my favourite The recipe says to rim your glass with a mix of sugar and rosemary – while the rosemary adds a delightful scent, it doesn’t taste great raw. I would either grind it up (much finer than I did) or try to only rim part of your glass.

The Azteca – recipe

The Azteca combines chocolate, vanilla and chilli peppers to create stimulation and euphoria.

Again, chocolate has been used as a symbol of love and an aphrodisiac for thousands of years. Vanilla, despite the plain and boring references in today’s society, has quite the torrid love history. Vanilla was first discovered by the Totonac people in Mexico. According to Totonac mythology, the vanilla orchid was born when the goddess Princess Xanat, who was forbidden to marry her mortal lover, fled from her family. The couple was captured and beheaded and the vanilla orchid bloomed where the blood from the couple touched the forest floor. The warm and sensual aroma of vanilla is both capitulating and euphoric. Finally, chilli was commonly used as an aphrodisiac in the Aztec and Inca cultures for thousands of years.

This cocktail was another favourite. It had a strong chocolate taste with a spicy kick at the end. It was quite thick, so make sure you strain it before serving. Also, it says to rim the glass with sea salt and coconut– I would skip the salt altogether and just stick with the coconut.

Persephone – recipe

With pomegranate, mango and lavender, this cocktail creates an effect of productivity and passion.

Pomegranates were scared to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. From Chinese culture to Judism, the fruit symbolizes fertility, and some consider it to be the original forbidden fruit. Mangos are also a symbol of love, wealth and fertility, making this cocktail a fertility double-whammy.

The sweet flavour of mango combined with the tart flavour of pomegranate makes a delightful, fruity cocktail. This concoction was by far the easiest to make and the light fruity flavour would make it perfect for sipping on a hot summer’s day.

Lucky Devil – recipe

Combining cinnamon and cardamom this drink offers excitement and joy.

The warm and spicy flavour of cinnamon is known for its sensual appeal in almost every continent while cardamom is used as an aphrodisiac in Arabic cultures. OralFix recommends cinnamon and cardamom for stimulation and excitement respectively.

This cocktail was my least favourite. While the spicy cinnamon smell was strong and promising, the drink failed to deliver. It was a little flat and lacking compared to the other drinks and the club soda was the dominant flavour.

Over all, we had a so much fun combining elixirs and trying the different aphrodisiac drink recipes. However, this date requires quite a bit of preparation ahead of time. I found most of the ingredients at my local grocery store and the spices at a bulk food store. Preparing the elixirs was not difficult, but a bit time consuming. Most of them must be boiled for about 15 minutes. Elixirs can be made and stored up to two weeks ahead of time, so you can definitely get some of the work done in advance. Looking back, I would choose one or two cocktails to sample instead of having to prepare elixirs for four separate ones.

For your next date night, mix together a romance-inducing love potion and make a toast with your partner. Cheers!

Protips:

• This date requires planning and preparation. Make the elixirs ahead of time so you can spend the night enjoying the cocktail, and not waiting for pots to boil.
• While the drinks are tasty and the history can create conversation, you may want to add something else to the night. Keep in the theme of aphrodisiacs and prepare some oysters for dinner, or make a chocolate fondue.
• Some of these flavours are very unique. With that in mind they may not appeal to all tastes.