At Home Date Night Ideas are hard to come up with. We all know we want more at home date night ideas, but are there really ways to be more creative than just watching a movie? Don’t worry, I have some AWESOME at home date night ideas lined up for you, inspired by countries all over the world. Fasten your seatbelts, people: you and your partner are about to travel the world from your living room.
Young, In Love, and Dreaming of Travel
When you and your partner were falling in love, how often did you daydream of visiting exotic, romantic places together? How often did you want to run away together, living a life of excitement and love and just forgetting about all of the mundane, everyday life tasks? How often did you dream of traveling to the Tuscan countryside or New York City and experiencing the beauty that life has to offer with your favorite person by your side?
C’mon, there can’t be a single person out there that hasn’t envisioned a night under the lights of the Eiffel Tower, dreamt about enjoying pasta in a quaint restaurant in Italy, or wished for an evening alone under the Aurora Borealis in Iceland.
Unfortunately, sometimes life can get in the way…. Between full-time jobs, rent bills needing to be paid, bringing new children into the world, or literally anything else, travel dreams can fall to the wayside. As much as we want it, sometimes it’s just too hard to experience everything in the world that you want to experience.
And not only does every day life get in the way of traveling, but often times, these life-factors, can even diminish your ability to have a simple at home date night!
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The Importance of Good At Home Date Night Ideas
Date nights are so important to a relationship. Whether you’re going out to dinner, doing a fun activity out, or even just staying in to watch a movie, quality time together is vital. It’s what keeps a relationship exciting and interesting and fresh. Or maybe you just use them as a couple of hours to get away from the kids. Whatever you use date night for, you’ve gotta admit… it’s important!
So, here we are: You can’t travel as much as you want with your partner. Your dreams of travel have fallen to the wayside… sometimes, that’s just life. Not only that, you’re busy and your partner is busy, and you both want to make time for each other but you can’t figure out something fun and inexpensive to do.
It looks like maybe it’s time for a fun Date Night At Home… from “Belgium”!
Introducing: At Home Date Night Ideas from Around the World
Wait, what exactly do I mean? Well, if life is coming too fast and you can’t agree on something fun to do together… if you can’t afford to go out to a fancy meal… if you can’t explore exotic lands together like you want… my goal is to bring those places to YOU.
Introducing: The Foreign Fork At Home Date Night Ideas from Around the World. Every couple of weeks I am going to compile some quick and easy ideas for you to experience the excitement of another country from the comfort of your living room.
Foreign Fork “At Home Date Night Ideas” Posts Will Include:
These posts will feature a fun dish from the country (to cook together), a dessert to enjoy together, some music from the country to listen to while you cook, a movie from/about the country to watch together, and an activity that you can participate in that is popular in the country.
Maybe I’m a geek, but I think it sounds like fun!
So, without further ado, are you ready?
Okay, let’s start with Belgium.
What to Make for Dinner: Mussels and French Fries (Yes, really)
Moules and Belgian Frites. Moules et Frites (Mussels and Fries) from Belgium are a hugely popular mealtime combination. I know it sounds weird to serve something so fancy with french fries, but hey, that’s how they do it in Belgium. And honestly, I will never argue with an excuse to eat fries with ANYTHING.
Luckily for you, both of these are really easy to make, and you don’t need any special tools or crazy spices to make them. You can taste one of the most widely enjoyed meals in Belgium from the comfort of your own kitchen.
I was also going to recommend roasting Brussels sprouts as another side for dinner but… who knows… those cruciferous vegetables might not be the best thing for a romantic date night. Pee-yew.
Click here for the recipe for Mussels Steamed in Wine and Cream from Belgium and here for the recipe for Fries (Frites) and Andalouse Sauce from Belgium.
What to Eat for Dessert: Belgian Chocolate or Biscoff Cookies
I have a couple of options for dessert for you. So, of course, Belgian chocolate is one of the very best desserts from Belgium. The chocolate is creamy and fresh and filled with so many different, fun fillings.
You can find and order true Belgian chocolate off of Amazon and have it shipped right to your house! This is perfect for a romantic after-dinner treat. I mean, there’s a reason that chocolates are the most popular gift on Valentines Day, people… Chocolate brings out all the love in the world.
Unfortunately, some of the Belgian chocolate available for order can get REALLY pricey. If you’re working on a budget and need something that’s a little more wallet-conscious, try enjoying Biscoff Cookies.
Biscoff cookies are one of my favorite Belgian treats. They put those cookies on everything! Biscoff cookies can be found in most grocery stores… I find mine in the bakery section of Kroger. They’re thin, crunchy cookies that have a delicious cinnamon-y taste. They’re not the most elaborate or impressive of desserts, but they sure do taste yummy, and they definitely represent an evening in Belgium.
What to Drink: Beer
As you may recall from my YouTube video about Belgium, beer is a big deal in the country. Belgium actually boasts 1100 variants of beer , but their most popular is lambic. Lambic is a naturally fermenting beer that the Belgians leave in open barrels overnight and let the natural yeasts ferment the beer.
Look for any Belgian beers that are sold in America. This can include Big Bison Ale, Russian River Damnation, Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere or more.
And hey, if you don’t feel like searching all over for a Belgian beer, ANY beer will do. I’ve never known a Belgian to stick their nose up at someone that’s just trying to enjoy a good beer.
Listen to: Jacques Brel
If you want something to listen to while you are cooking or eating, I would highly recommend looking up Jacques Brel on Spotify or even listen to this Jacques Brel playlist on YouTube. Of course, he sings in a different language… but that French is romantic as heck.
Jacques Brel is one of the most famous French-speaking musicians in Europe, and he was born in Belgium! In fact, there is a statue of Brel singing in Brussels, Belgium.
What to Watch: In Bruge
I did some hard core investigations before writing this article, and, by far, the internet’s favorite movie about Belgium is In Bruges. In Bruge is a movie about two men that commit a murder for money. In order to avoid getting caught, they must lay low in Bruges, Belgium for two weeks. This is a comedic movie that is set in one of my very favorite places in Belgium, so I would highly recommend it!
One of the characters absolutely HATES Belgium, and the other loves it, so you will get to see Belgium from two completely different points of view. The movie also points out some of the most popular aspects of Belgium, including the vial of Jesus Christ’s blood that allegedly resides in The Basilica of the Holy Blood in Bruges. This movie shows you the highlights of a trip to Belgium! Plus, it will make you laugh.
I would, though, give a fair warning that this movie is rated R because there is quite a bit of swearing. If that makes you uncomfortable, this might not be the movie for you.
Luckily, In Bruges is available for rent on Amazon for $3!
What to Play: Darts
If the night isn’t over and you’re still looking for one more thing to do, try striking up a game of darts! In Belgium, the game is called Vogelpik and was very popular in Flanders around 1972.
The original game included a stuffed bird hanging from a wire on the ceiling with a needle in its mouth. The player’s goal was to swing the bird and try to spear a wooden board on the opposite wall.
These days, most Belgians just play darts. So, if you want to enjoy a Belgian style game, darts is the way to go!
Well, that’s it my friends. A night in Belgium without ever needing to leave your home. Was I able to help you find a fun way to enjoy each others’ company? I hope so! If you want to learn more about Belgium, don’t forget to check out my post about the Background and Food Culture of Belgium.
I’d love to make more At Date Nights Ideas from Around the World. What country would you want to see next? Let me know in the comments and I will put it on my list! Thanks for stopping by, friends. I will see you soon.
Make sure to check out my other At Home Date Night Ideas:
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