Date-Night In

Somewhere along the way, I got the idea for Evan and I to do a "date-night" in. Plans were hastily made at lunch and I got really excited! I randomly started looking for recipes, I wanted something a little more special than just a regular nightly cooked meal.

Breakfast began late as usual (I have a really hard time waking up, but once I am up I am up), so I opted for cold cereal having no time for stovetop oats. Peanut Butter Puffins with plain soymilk to the rescue, in a car-drink-holder-friendly glass, for breakfast on the run. Needless to say I was starving and ran home to lunch to eat frozen numblies because I was too hungry to cook. (Numblies not pictured)

When I got back to work I began to research an intruiging recipe I found: Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes. I had all of the ingredients on hand, except for the mustard and capers. Evan brought those two items after work and we set to making dinner!
First of all these cakes, or caeks as you know I like to call them, were extremely simple and quite fast to make considering the length of instructions. Evan did most of it by himself while I prepped the remoulade. We fried he caeks in canola oil, and kept them warm in the oven @ low till they were all cooked. Normally I don't fry, but this was a rare occasion. No smoke points were reached luckily, and I believe we made it through without a single burn! (Big deal for us!) Behold their numblie goodness, besides the obligatory restaurant knock-off vegan ceasar salad.

Evan's first remark was "Well, they taste nothing like crab caeks. But they're quite delicious anyway!" and I realized I hadn't even had a real crabcake EVAR in my life so I didn't really have anything to compare it too! I definitely count that as a good thing, but taste-alikes alone, these were AMAZING!!! Go make them, now, NOW I BEG OF YOU! Trust me, these caeks are NOT a lie. :)

Crispy, warm, exquisitely seasoned, complimented perfectly by the spicy smooth remoulade. This is going in "My Favorites" for ever and ever. I see these as the perfect elegant brunch or light dinner to be served at parties (yes, I dream of dinner parties, I do), especially to omnis. It's hard not to love these when they're nutritious, tasty, and filling. <3 ISA FOREVER!!! After dinner, Evan made me a souffle. Not just any souffle (and unfortunately not vegan either), but THE souffle. THE souffle he's been promising me and bragging about ever since we first started dating. THE one he has claimed for 4.5 years that he'll make for me. FINALLY he made it! (Love you Evan!)I'm not sure exactly how he did it. All I know is that when it came time to beat the egg whites he asked where was my electric mixer, one of which I do not, nor ever have, owned. It involved me in as much as I drove to 2 stores in a flurry, buying a single hand mixer at 9:30pm. The proud chef produced a small souffle in an actual souffle dish, and one in a mug of mine. Note the whipped cream bottle on sofa chair.I got the one in the actual souffle dish and pretty much ate it like this:
But then Evan did this:
And he forced me at gunpoint to join in. Gunpoint I said!
After all was said and done, I realized I don't much care for the texture of souffles. The flavor was wonderful caramel-y chocolate, but the texture threw me off, it was like eating a dish sponge. I think I've definitely lost my taste for eggs, yay for veganism and saying no-no to battery cages. Anyway, the wonderful thought and love behind it was sweet enough for me. (And corny too!)

Overall it was a successful way to end 2009 I think! I hope you get everything done before 2010 that you need to. Stay safe and warm!