Date Night: Mixology Class

Jonah and I had yet another date with HowAboutWe, a company with the goal of helping people fall in love and stay in love, and we chose a mixology class! Since we've made dumplings, heard Ira Glass talk and gone indoor skydiving, it seemed like a celebratory drink was in order, and the class turned out to be the perfect blend of fun and learning. You can sign up for free to browse HowAboutWe's date options, and as a bonus, use this link to get $50 off your first date! (New members only, offer expires May 31, 2014.)

The mixology class was sponsored by Tanqueray, so we learned all about the history of gin and the delicious cocktails you can make with it. For someone who has always thought that gin tastes like pine trees, I discovered I actually like a drink with gin when it's done right.

Two entertaining and knowledgeable bartenders talked us through the cocktail-making at The Royalton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, which has a great bar and huge lounge of a lobby if you're ever looking for a place to grab a drink. Jonah loved hearing about the history and science of gin, and I loved the plate of truffles and chocolate-covered strawberries we got to snack on. We each made a French 75 and an Aviation, and they were both delicious! It was a perfect way to spend a cold Saturday afternoon.

Here's the recipe for an Aviation, a gorgeous and tasty cocktail, if you're interested.

The Aviation

2 oz. gin

1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur, such as Luxardo

1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice

1/4 oz. creme de violette

Pour the gin, maraschino liqueur and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Drizzle creme de violette into glass. Garnish with lemon peel.

For our next date, I'm eyeing a movie night, this urban foraging outing and this glassblowing class. Interested in HowAboutWe? Sign up for free to browse their date options and be sure to use this link to get $50 off your first date!

Our date and this post were made possible by HowAboutWe.

Date Night: Indoor Skydiving in Seattle

While we were in Seattle for Thanksgiving, Jonah and I went on one of our date nights through HowAboutWe, a membership service that sets up dates designed to fit all sorts of interests. You just browse their site and pick the dates you like, they do the rest. So far we've made dumplings and heard Ira Glass talk, so for something completely different, we decided to give indoor skydiving a try.

First of all, I'm a scaredy-cat / major chicken, but Jonah seemed interested in the indoor skydiving date at iFly, so I decided to put on a brave face and give it go. I was anxious beforehand -- seriously, I cannot understand how people leap into the actual sky from actual planes -- but our instructor and everyone we encountered was friendly, professional and super excited, which of course, makes you feel super excited. We had a run-through on how your body should be positioned and hand signals to know so you can make adjustments, then suited up -- jumpsuit, earplugs, goggles and helmet. See how cool we look.

We each got two turns in the flight chamber. My first attempt was not the greatest. I was so concerned with my legs that I forgot to keep my chin up, which makes all the difference. I knew how to correct for my second attempt, which was much more enjoyable and awesome-looking. Random strangers even high-fived me when I was finished. We had so much fun! I can totally understand people going on repeat visits, learning more, improving and getting to do cool tricks. It was just enough adrenalin for my taste, the kind that makes you all happy and giggly. Speaking of giggly, our mid-air photos continue to be a source of amusement for everyone who sees them. I can't wait to force people to watch the DVD.




For our January date, I'm eyeing this at-home couples massage, this brewery tour and this drawing class at the Met. I can't wait for our next big night out. Interested in HowAboutWe? Sign up for free to browse their date options and be sure to use this link to get $50 off your first date!

Our date and this post were made possible by HowAboutWe.

Date Night: Live from the New York Public Library

Last week, Jonah and I headed to the New York Public Library in Bryant Park for our second date night through HowAboutWe, a membership service that sets up dates designed to fit pretty much any interest (like making dumplings) -- all you have to do is show up!

This date was of the educational sort, a Q&A with Ira Glass of This American Life fame and Nico Muhly, the youngest composer to ever have his work performed at the Metropolitan Opera House. We initially picked the date because we both love This American Life and could listen to Ira Glass talk all day long. Sometimes I make Jonah do his Ira Glass impression, and it just kills me.

The whole discussion was fascinating. It felt like a music appreciation class with bits of religion, technology and a few good laughs thrown in. I've actually never been to the opera, but the conversation piqued my interest ...maybe that should be our next date.

Bonus, we got to snack on coffee, tea and one of my favorite New York treats, cream'wiches! All in all, a pretty great Tuesday night.

Interested in HowAboutWe? Sign up for free to browse their date options and be sure to use this link to get $50 off your first date!

PS - Remember to join in on this month's date night photo project!

Our date and this post were made possible by HowAboutWe.

Date Night: Dumpling-Making

Jonah and I recently had a fun Friday night spent making dumplings. The date night was organized by HowAboutWe, a company with the goal of helping people fall in love and stay in love. It began as an online dating site but has since expanded with HowAboutWe for Couples -- a membership service that sets up dates designed to fit pretty much any interest. You just browse their site and pick the dates you like. There's hiking, massages, cooking classes, boot camps, fancy meals out, wine tastings, concerts and more to choose from. Dates are currently available in New York City and San Francisco, and they're quickly expanding to other cities. You can sign up for free to browse their date options, and as a bonus, use this link to get $50 off your first date!

We decided on a dumpling-making class for our first outing. I'm sure you're well aware that Jonah and I both love food, but we're rarely in the kitchen together. I do most of the cooking, and he has a few specialties, namely hamburgers, popcorn and chocolate chip cookies, so I thought it would be fun to learn a new kitchen skill together.

The class was held in a loft space in lower Manhattan and taught by Chef Connie Sun of Bite Size Kitchen. She led us and two other couples through the process and gave lots of helpful hints along the way. We made our own dumpling dough (just flour and water!), rolled them out, shaped them, filled them and learned two folding techniques for sealing them up. One type was filled with beef and leeks and the other with three kinds of mushrooms. Did you know dumplings are folded differently so that you can distinguish what's inside? I'd never thought of that!

After all the hard work, we fried them up in a skillet, flipped them out and went to town with chopsticks. I don't think I've ever eaten so many dumplings in one sitting. They were delicious, and it was an especially rewarding meal after learning all the steps involved and dusting off our flour-covered hands.

PS - I just found out that it's dumpling week on NPR. Long live the dumpling!

Our date and this post were made possible by HowAboutWe.