I want to cook something special for my bf. I have cooked things for him already, but I want to make him something new and different. He never likes to tell me what he wants for dinner. He just wants it to be a surprise and he says he likes everything I make (aww sweet I know lol). Anyway, I've made him a lot of pasta dishes, stir-fry's, and fajitas/tacos/enchiladas, and I'm looking to make something new and exciting.

Do you have anything special that your husband or boyfriend just loves? Any suggestions for me?

Hmm...my FI loves my balsamic-glazed pork chops (thick-cut), with homemade mashed potatoes, and haricots verts. I also make homemade ravioli stuffed with chicken, spinach and prosciutto in a parmesan sauce that he likes (but that takes about 3 hours to make).

Anything that he doesn't have to cook

But for special occasions, pasta with shrimp, lasagna or salmon with butter asparagus (our favorite!!) and a really good chocolate cake or yummy treat for desert.

I'm big on the dessert part of it. If you're making something like tacos for dinner, make a special mexican flan (sp?) or something. Doing pasta? Make a tiramisu with a kick!

If you're making a meal to "set the mood" like a date night, dont use cherries but include cinnamon.

Jasmine

I like to take a chicken breast and pound it out thin and uniform. Spread sun-dried tomato pesto on it but not all the way to the edge. Sprinkle with your favorite Italian style cheese. Roll up chicken and secure with cooking string (I sometimes use blue toothpics instead and make sure to get them all out later) You can bake this as is or do the standard breading procedure with Italian bread crumbs, get a good browning on both sides of the chicken in a hot pan with olive oil and finish baking off in the oven. Chicken is done when the temp. is 165 and holds for about 5 - 10 seconds.

I make this with oven roasted red skinned potatoes. Red skinned potatoes cleaned and quartered, tossed in olive oil to coat (not soaked though) with salt, cracked black pepper and garlic powder. Bake until slightly crispy.

I take Portabella mushrooms and take the gills out. Take a slightly damp cloth and clean off the mushroom (don't run under water or it will absorb it like a sponge) Lightly drizzle with olive oil, diced sun-dried tomato. Sprinkle with italian seasoning and italian cheese. Bake at 325 until done. (if you want you can saute some shrimp, chicken or beef and top the mushroom once done)

to heck with my dh! I'm going over to mkolmars for dinner!!

I asked my husband who is sitting beside me. His reply... a really good steak on the grill. If not, maybe ribs or a lasagna.

You all can come over to my house anytime for dinner. It's usually at 5 or 5:30.

dl5crew's DH-- a good steak hmmm. I make a steak that is porchini mushroom encrusted and then grilled. The recipe is on Epicurious. Of course, I like my steak just lightly seasoned (and I mean lightly) and then grille.

I made beer bread tonight, real easy to do (pares great with steak). 3 cups of self rising flour, 1/2 cup of sugar with one 12 oz. beer. Stir and put into a loaf pan. Cook at 350 for about 1 hour or until done. Close to the end of the cooking time I soften butter and add in honey. Let the bread sit for a little bit once out of the oven or it will tear apart. (about 10 minutes or more) Just slice and use the butter.

Sweet potato-pecan burbon mashed potatoes always taste great too.

Wow! Thanks for all the ideas guys! I feel inspired! I don't know how to make some of those things, but I will learn! Thanks so much!

My husband loves lasagna, any kind of lasagna. Sometimes I will pound out chix breasts and fill them with lasagna filling (ricotta, egg, parm cheese, mozz cheese, and chopped spinach), fold it in half, top it with marinara sauce and mozz cheese, and bake them.

Have you ever been to allrecipes.com? Check it out if you haven't. The users who have tried each recipe review them, so you know if it's "off", or how to tweak the recipe to fit your needs.

When reservations are on the menu that's my favorite meal!

I'm a caterer. That means there is no food in our house. We live on McDonald's, Wendy's and the local Chinese Buffet (carryout, of course!). Our idea of planning dinner is calling to find out "Where do you want me to stop at on the way home?"

My hubby is impressed if I even turn the stove on at home anymore.

My daughter told me one day, "Mom....you'll never believe it. My friends have this big wooden thing in their house..... they call it a .... a..... a .... table, I think. And guess what! They actuall put dishes of food on it!! And they sit around this thing and EAT TOGETHER!"

I shook my head and said, "Radical, man, radical!"

My bf loves stuffing, gravy, mashed potatos and tofurkey (I'm a vegetarian!). It's definately his favorite that I make!

I make chicken alfredo all the time, Its one of my DH's favorites. But I am always looking for new ideas also.. I get tired of cooking the same things. but i have a hard time getting something everyone in my family will like. I have picky people..

My hubby really likes when I make my homemade pasta sauce with meatballs. I have a pasta machine, so dinner turns into something extra special when I make the pasta fresh.

Also, he especially enjoys one of my chicken dishes. In a nutshell, I bread chicken breasts in seasoned crumbs (add whatever you like!). I cook them in a fry pan, adding mushrooms, onion and garlic. Reduced chicken stock and some fresh lemon juice makes a delicious sauce. Add some capers for another flavor dimension. It's very versatile, because you can serve it over pasta, rice, spinach, broccoli...

But honestly? He loves when I just make his favorite flavor J-E-L-L-O!!!

My husband is happy with a medium steak, baked potato and salad.

I asked my FI and he immediately said lemon-pepper tilapia with wild rice and a salad. That is SO easy to make! Just take your tilapia filets and sprinkle (or in my FI's case, POUR) on the lemon-pepper, on both sides. Saute in butter and a little white wine until it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Wild rice, just cheat and buy a box, I use the Near East brand...

I have several pork chop recipes that he really likes, one is rather spicy and cooks on the stovetop and the other is pork chops with scalloped potatoes, in fact, I made it last night. here is the recipe for it:

Peel and slice your potatoes thin and chop about 1/2 of onion. Layer potatoes and onions and salt and pepper, then do another layer. Mix together cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup sour cream and spread that on top. Cover and put in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. In the mean time, brown your boneless chops (3/4 - 1" thick) on the stovetop on each side. It usually takes around 30 min. to get them a good brown. Put them on top of the potatoes and cook for another 45 minutes, uncovering the dish in the last 15 minutes. My hubby loves it and it takes care of 2 dishes.

Lasagne is always special since it takes to long to make.

Hello Guys

My DH LOVES chicken cutlets pounded thin.. sauted in butter/olive oil with garlic... added aritchoke hearts/marinated, lemon juice and white whin served over a bed of spicy linguine (linguine cooked till aldente then sauted in pan with garlic, olive oil and crushed red pepper .. shewww sorry about the run one sentance!!!

Thanks for all the inspiration guys! (and keep it coming if you have more ideas ). Last night I made him a broiled steak with baked potatoes stuffed with cheese, bacon, and sour cream, corn on the cob, honey-glazed carrots, and for desert, I made a coconut banana cake. He was happy Thanks again!

LOL oops I had a spelling opsie LOL .. wine not whin??? Where was I at? LOL

I know you wanted specific recipes but hope this list will help you too. This is a list of some of the websites that I keep in my favorites. Pretty much any brand item that you use in cooking, they have recipes in their websites. Most of them let you save the recipes too in their site, plus if you subscribe, they will send you recipes every month or so. Enjoy.

http://www.copykat.com
http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/recipes/
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/
http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/recipes.html
http://www.recipehound.com/
http://www.everyrecipe.info/mexican


marthastewart.com
williams-sonoma.com click on recipes
mazola.com
VERYBESTBAKING.COM
KRAFTFOODS.COM
NUTELLAUSA.COM
EAGLEBRAND.COM
GUIRARDELLI.COM
TARGET.COM CLICK ON RECIPES
HERSHEYS.COM
CRISCO.COM
DRINKMIXER.COM
LANDOLAKES.COM
AUNTJEMIMA.COM
SIMPLEANDDELICIOUS.COM
MCCORMICK.COM
FOODTV.COM OR FOODNETWORK.COM

Sorry, is drinksmixer.com ( is missing the s)

My husband could probably eat Mexican food every day of his life and not mind. I make carne guisada, picadillo, chicken fajitas (in the Foreman grill) and sometimes just bean and cheese. A lot of the time I make rice on the side, using morelos rice and the Fiesta rice seasoning. I make my own tortillas for it too. When I started doing that, everyone got a lot more excited about having tacos. My husband bought me a comal for Christmas (the man is so cheap that was an everyday item, not a gift ) and the tortillas come out just right on it.

I also make lots of other fattening things...chicken fried steak, twice baked potatoes, homemade macaroni and cheese, pigs in a blanket, honey sesame chicken, lemon chicken (with tempura batter and deep fried, I know it's terrible for us), chicken pie, brisket in the crock pot, pizza, etc...

We never go to restaurants because we like my cooking more.

OOh, I LOVE www.Kraftfoods.com
The dishes are simple to make and there's always new ideas!