About a year and change after our daughter was born, my husband and I started feeling itchy. Not in the way of having an allergic reaction or bed bugs in our house, but the feeling that we needed something more than what we already had.
Truth is, we had everything. I had hobbies and interests, he had hobbies and interests, we had family and friends, and of course we had our daughter. Full life equals full hearts, right?
What we failed to realize in all of this, however, was there was only one thing that was going to scratch that itch: we needed time together, just the two of us.
It seemed so simple, but why weren’t we doing it all along? Oh, that’s right! Excuses…
We can’t go out on a weeknight.
We don’t have a babysitter.
We’re too busy.
So, we brainstormed ideas of things to do to spend time together. Yes, many of them would require a little bit of extra planning, so we decided to save them for a later time. (A dating bucket list, if you will). Then we hatched the perfect plan to eliminate just about every excuse: dating at home.
At the time, we were watching the TV show “Bob’s Burgers” together. If you’ve never seen the show, it’s an animated series about a family named the Belchers who own a burger restaurant. Each episode includes a dad-joke burger of the day written on the chalkboard at the restaurant. Some of the gems include “The Final Kraut Down” burger and the “Mission A-Corn-Plished” burger. After a few seasons, the writers of the show then turned these burgers into a published cookbook, which I gifted to my husband for Christmas that year.
We decided to set aside a night every week to have a Bob’s Burgers Date Night. The premise is that we cook one burger from the cookbook, and after our daughter goes to bed, we watch the most recent episode of “Bob’s Burgers” together. It’s kind of like having dinner and a movie but in the comfort of our own home.
The anticipation leading up to the first burger night was unreal. Neither one of us thought that eating burgers at home and watching TV would cause such excitement. Simply having something to look forward to, set aside time for, and plan out has given new breath into our previously ordinary dinnertime routine.
We went a stretch of several months where every single Tuesday was Bob’s Burgers Date Night. There have been a lot of burgers we enjoyed and a few we did not. When the show went on their season break, we switched it up to Taco Tuesday, and that was a big hit, as well.
I believe there are several reasons why this has worked so well for us. First, I truly love cooking; having the chance to try new recipes has reignited my passion for being in the kitchen. Secondly, we don’t have to go anywhere. Sometimes staying at home is the best way to end a long or stressful day. Finally, this type of at-home dating combines a few of our favorite things together: eating, burgers, and comedic TV shows.
Of course I do still love to have a date night out with my husband though. I think it’s equally as important to get out of the house and find an adventure. But when we’re looking to spend some time together, just the two of us, without a whole lot of planning, Bob’s Burgers Date Night it is.
Want to start couch dating but burgers and TV are not your thing? Try some of these at home date night ideas:
- Pizza and Puzzles — call for delivery or make your own pies while you conquer a zillion piece jigsaw
- Cocktails and Cards — shake up some new drinks and go head-to-head in a game of War
- Vino and Video Games — uncork a bottle you’ve never had before and play some Mario Kart
- Meat, Cheese, and Movies — charcuterie is the perfect thing to nosh on during a film from your fave genre
- Spaghetti and Sports — whip up some noodles and cheese and watch this week’s game together
