December Date Night: Frisky Fortune Cookies + Cashew Chicken Recipe

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Momma Told Me: Life can get in the way.

The holidays are in full swing (Tell me something I don't know Jenna, right?) Okay, did you know our family celebrates Christmas twice? Because half of the family lives on the East Coast, and the other half here in Southern California, we are always sure to have the tree trimmed and decorated for Thanksgiving. Since my grandparents can't take an entire month off to visit, we cram all of the Winter holidays into one in November, then do it again with local family in December. Sure, after a 'dry run' on turkey day, the real thing goes off without a hitch- but it's still a heck of a lot of planning. After all, half of our shopping and gifts have to be done before Black Friday!

I'm quite fortunate though, Jay doesn't mind hauling out boxes of decorations, assisting in the wrapping of piles of gifts, or the residual glitter from having to hang my favorite pink zebra sequined globe at the top of the tree. He's a trooper. In fact, this will be our 4th holiday season together, and we are constantly creating new traditions, while celebrating the old. However, it can be quite hard to find time for just the two of us in between his full time job, and holiday overtime, and my schedule with the blog, daycare, and holiday event planning. So, this year, I'm instituting a new tradition; December Date Night.

Few people know this, but our first official date was over lunch at a Chinese restaurant- He'll say our first date was over frozen yogurt at 11pm at night after bowling league, but I call that an impromptu hang out. So, for me, there has always been something special about returning to that ritual of sharing a good conversation, in great company, over some cashew chicken and fortune cookies. It may sound silly, and even a bit childish, but we always wrap the meal up by playing the humorous 'in bed' game with our fortunes. It's simple, add the words 'in bed' to your actual fortune cookie fortune, and see who has the more amusing twist! I don't think we haven't gotten a gem yet- and it's a great way to start a flirty dialogue with your other half over a few smiles!

This year, I'm taking time out of our busy holiday season to schedule date nights- Scheduling time with your significant other may not be the most optimal scenario, but sometimes it's a necessity. If we didn't make time to reconnect with one another an entire season would go by lacking that intimacy healthy relationships require. So, inspired by our first date, I decided to make date night more memorable with homemade slow cooker cashew chicken and Frisky Fortune Cookies.

Homemade fortune cookies may seem a bit overwhelming, but they're actually quite fun to make, and really easy to get the hang of. Best of all, they can be made with basic baking ingredients you already have on hand! 

1. Simply prepare the recipe at the bottom of this post and place the batter into a piping bag with a small corner snipped.

2. Pipe tight spiral circles onto a well greased cookie sheet to about 2"- Only pipe 2-3 cookies at a time, as the cookies will set quickly upon removal from the oven and you will need time to fold them.

3. Next, tilt the tray left right, up, and down, to coax the batter to spread and thin in a round circular shape. Once your batter circles are near 2.5-3" place the cookie sheet in a pre-heated oven and bake for 4-5MIN, or until the outer edges are golden brown (the center will remain light.)

4. Immediately move from the oven and carefully remove the cookies with a spatula. The cookies will be hot so be mindful of temperature! Place one of our Frisky Fortune strips (FREE Printable here,) in the center of the cookie and fold loosely in half.

5.Grabbing the two creased edges pull down on the corners alongside the rim of a glass to create a crescent shape. Place folded cookies in a muffin tin to cool and set.

Of course there are a few other things you will want to have on hand and prepared for a December Date Night- you can grab our Cashew Chicken recipe below too, it slow cooks in 3-4 hours so there's little fuss there. You'll also want to have a few other things sorted out, like who will be watching the kids (if you have them,) what you'll be wearing (or not wearing), and how you'll continue the mood after dinner. Since this date night is in your home, you're free to really reconnect with your partner- I've given you some breadcrumbs with my Frisky Fortunes, it's up to you to determine where they'll lead. Perhaps a pampering massage or something a little more intimate?

For us, date night is all about reconnecting and nurturing the emotional and physical bond we share so I also did a little exploring at Walmart while shopping for my date night essentials. Armed with this $2 off one K-Y® product printable coupon I made a beeline to the personal hygiene and wellness aisle where I discovered K-Y® TOUCH® 2-In-1 Massage Creme and Pleasure Gel. It's a whole new way for couples to connect and explore through touch-based connections. The non-greasy gel magnifies skin's sensetivity in a very subtle, building effect that truly enhances the sensations of massage and other passionate activities.

Half the fun in a date night is the unwinding and reconnecting that goes on between two people so committed to one another. Sometimes our commitment can be taken for granted when we get comfortable and feel as though our significant other will 'always' be there- but it's especially important during busy and hectic times such as the holiday season to make time to engage one another without all of the distractions of busy lives. We've survived our 'pre-holiday' holiday, but still have one coming up; I think another date night is in order! For more tips on increasing intimacy, no matter the time of year, check out these Intimacy Tips with Dr. Laura Berman. How do you plan on making time for romance with your partner this holiday season?

What Daughter Says: There may be a lot of awesome things going on this holiday season, but it's important that you take time out to ensure your relationship is one of them!

Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken Recipe

***Click here for printable Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken recipe

Ingredients:

3 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Cubed

1 C Salted Whole Cashews

2 TBS Honey

4 TBS Corn Starch

2/3 C Teriyaki Sauce

4 TBS Rice Wine Vinegar

2 TBS Sesame Seed Oil

4 TBS Ketchup

2 TBS Chili Sauce

1 TBS Brown Sugar

2 Cloves Minced Garlic

1 TSP Fresh Grated Ginger

1/4 TSP Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 TSP Ground Pepper

1/4 C Fresh Chopped Scallions for Garnish

Directions:

1. Combine cubed chicken, corn starch, ground pepper, and red pepper flakes in a plastic bag and shake to coat. You may wish to do this in batches to evenly coat all pieces of chicken.

2. Heat Sesame Seed Oil in a pan over medium heat and add chicken, turning just to brown all sides.

3. Place chicken in slow cooker.

4. Combine remaining ingredients, minus scallions, and pour over chicken.

5. Cook on LOW for 3-4 hours, or until chicken is tender and an even sauce has developed.

6. Serve over rice and garnish with scallions.

Homemade Fortune Cookies

***Click here for printable fortune cookies recipe.

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

1/4 TSP Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

2/3 C Unbleached Flour

1/2 C White Granulated Sugar

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 400F

1.Grease 2 cookie sheets and print or prepare fortunes.

2. Combine egg whites and vanilla until foamy, but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar and blend into the egg white mixture.

3. Pour batter into a piping bag and pipe 2 inch spirals onto greased cookie sheets- do no more than 2 or 3 at a time. Grabbing both ends of the pan tilt back and forth to spread the batter in a circular shape until 2.5"-3" in width.

4. Bake cookies for 4-5 minutes or until outer edges are browned. Remove from oven and remove cookies from sheet carefully with a spatula. 

5. Place cookie face down in the palm of your hand and place fortune text up. Fold the cookie loosely from bottom to top to create a semi-circle.

6. Pinching both ends of the cookie draw the ends down on the top of a cup rim to create a crescent shape. Place folded cookies in a muffin tin to cool and set. Store in an air tight container.