The menu is lemon chicken, rice with spinach, Grecian goddess salad and Greek yogurt with berries and mint.

One of the definitions of romantic is “imaginative.” So use your imagination to create wonderful times at the table, whether you’re eating solo or with a loved one for date night. You can tap into a romantic state of mind at the table and in your life by appealing to the senses. Use colors that appeal to you in your clothes, table décor, food and home. Be inspired by what you read, watch and listen to. Attend a great movie, restaurant and cultural events – many which are reasonably priced. Take turns creating romantic meals for each other at home. Eating together can be an intimate act that opens the heart. And a very loving way to a woman and man’s heart is through the stomach – via food. Celebrate the joy of life! Play soothing music while you eat and, most of all, consciously use positive words at the table when thinking to yourself or speaking to those you love – an important factor for romance and good digestion!

Single people often ask me how to attract romance and true love into their life. I remind them that romance and love begin with you! The way you treat yourself and kindly love yourself determines the quality of your life, your health and the people, experiences and mate you will draw to yourself. My book, Diary of A Modern-Day Goddess, asks, “Why not have a love affair with yourself?” Say nice things to yourself, make yourself a nice meal and, yes, you can even take yourself out on a date! Go somewhere special or create a special date for yourself at home. Send yourself flowers and act surprised when they arrive! Enjoy a delicious meal at home eaten on your good dishes!

I used to have regular date nights with myself even when I was single and lit candles in special candlesticks I bought for the occasion. I used my date nights as a time to appreciate and accept myself and to think about the qualities I wanted in my future mate. I would also visualize our dinner date nights using the same candlesticks. It worked, because I eventually found true love and married my husband Jim who has the qualities I wanted. Today, we light the candles in the candlesticks on our table as part of our date nights at home.

To me, a romantic table includes loving words, a sensual atmosphere and a meal fit for gods and goddesses. Check out my Goddess and Date night kits that include 2 ivy crown(s), a date night scheduler, a recipe and What I Love About You” Appreciation Cards to enhance your date nights. For singles and couples, there is my Modern Day Goddess kit that includes a crown, my book, goddess certificate and my Mediterranean Culinary Goddess kit that includes my Greek Islands Destination Cooking Class DVD, a recipe and certificate.

When I did research as to what creates a happy marriage, one of the main things was spending consistent quality time together. My husband Jim and I make sure to have quality table time together by sharing meals. With two home-based businesses, life can be very busy. So I created a date night scheduler we use and you can too. On Sundays, Jim and we look at our schedule to plan a romantic date night meal for Saturday evening and also one night during the week to watch our favorite TV show. You can choose another night if Saturday isn’t available. For couples with families have a romantic home date night after the kids go to sleep. We each take turns creating affordable romantic dates, which means home-cooked meals, made with love, are on the top of our list. This allows us to save up for special events and occasions when we want to go out to a nice restaurant or buy tickets to an event. Good health is important to us, so we also eat organic whenever possible and from our favorite California & Mediterranean cuisines. I’ve created some recipes on my site you can use for your date night meals that are healthy and delicious.

I’ve also created an acronym to help you with your date nights – using the word DATE:
D – Dinner: Make it or make a reservation.
A – Atmosphere: Create it with home candles, soothing music, a flower, some color on the table.
T – Take turns to create romantic date nights and meals. Discuss the choices.
E – Enthusiasm: Show it at the table with your efforts and words of appreciation.

Remember, food and quality spent around the table creates a sacred connection to those you love! So live joyfully, love deeply and eat healthy – to assure many more happy & loving times! If this has helped you, I’d love to hear about your happy and romantic times at the table. Feel free to write to me at Cynthia@moderndaygoddess.com.

Golden Globe® Nominated Romantic Comedy highlights Food and Romance in beautiful Santa Barbara, California.

Academy Award® nominated filmmaker Nancy Meyers (Something Gotta Give & The Holiday) brings moviegoers her latest film It’s Complicated, a sophisticated romantic comedy with an all-star cast of Meryl Streep (two-time Academy Award® winner), Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, Rita Wilson and myself, Cynthia Daddona, (two-time Telly Award winner & host of RomancingTheTable.com®) as an extra!

Cynthia Daddona with husband James Stathis in Farmer's Market scene in Santa Barbara.

I was delighted when the casting call for “It’s Complicated” took place where I live in Santa Barbara, California. My husband James and I were selected for the Farmer’s Market scene. I portrayed a shopper and James, an upscale flower vendor. In the movie, you can see me behind Meryl Streep selecting some fruit and on-screen for 4 seconds when she is on her cellphone with Alex Baldwin! We will be looking to see if James (who is also creator of CelebrateGreece.com) maybe in the bonus section of the DVD once it is released.

Santa Barbara with its gorgeous Mediterranean like atmosphere, architectural beauty, sweeping views and abundant farmers markets is highlighted beautifully in the movie, especially in the opening. Over the years, Santa Barbara has been developing into a foodie mecca and we are delighted it is now highlighted in a major motion picture. In Oct 2009, the city hosted a month long culinary festival to celebrate the delicious gastronomy and seasonal menus of our town. (Epicure.sb)

The film It’s Complicated has received three Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture for Musical or Comedy, Director/Screenwriter Nancy Meyers for Best Screenplay and Meryl Streep for Best Performance for an Actress in a Motion Picture who is also completed against herself for playing Julia Childs in Julie & Julia. Meryl does a superb job in both films.

Nancy Meyers has once again done a wonderful job with this Golden Globe nominated movie about love, divorce and everything in between.

Exes Jake (ALEC BALDWIN) and Jane (MERYL STREEP)

Meryl Streep plays Jane Aldler, a mother of three grown kids, who owns a thriving Santa Barbara bakery restaurant. She has been divorced for ten years from her ex-husband attorney Jake played by Alec Baldwin. But at their son’s graduation they share an innocent meal with a bit too much wine and you can guess the rest. Caught in the love triangle is Adam, a divorced architect hired to remodel her kitchen – played with understatement and charm by Steve Martin.

Jane (MERYL STREEP) and new love interest Adam (STEVE MARTIN) share a meal in the film.

Portraying Meryl’s closest friends and romantic advisors are Rita Wilson, Alexandra Wentworth, Nora Dunn and Mary Kay Place. It’s Complicated offers many insights into divorce, love and surviving and thriving on one’s own.

(L to R) Friends Joanne (MARY KAY PLACE), Jane (MERYL STREEP), Diane (ALEXANDRA WENTWORTH) and Trisha (RITA WILSON)

Food, love and good times at the table also play major roles in the film. I believe these elements contribute to happy relationships and are some of the reasons that I was inspired to create RomancingTheTable.com years ago. In the movie, Jane’s kids comment on how good it feels for the family to eat together again at the graduation weekend.

Jane (MERYL STREEP) and new love interest Adam (STEVE MARTIN) get to know each other better cooking chocolate croissants.

One of my favorite food scenes is when Jane (Meryl Streep) takes Adam(Steve Martin) to her upscale bakery after hours and says she will make him anything he wants on the menu. He chooses the chocolate croissant and as they cook together so does the relationship!

This film opens opened on Christmas Day 2009 and the DVD is now available. I recommend it if you’d like to enjoy a funny, insightful, smart comedy about relationships, food and love.

To view the trailer for this movie from Universal Pictures go to www.ItsComplicatedMovie.com

Outdoor whirlpool & fireplace at Hadsten House Inn & Spa

My husband James & I enjoying the Inn's outdoor fireplace

Hadsten House Spa Suite Room

Romantic Spa Suite Whirpool for Two

At the Hadsten House Inn & Spa affordable doesn’t have to mean without luxury. Whether you are a searching for an affordable staycation where you vacation locally or you are traveling from out of town to visit the beautiful Santa Barbara wine country/Santa Ynez Valley of California – The Hadsten House Inn & Spa is delightful destination/staycation.

After noticing an ad in the newspaper that the Hadsten House Inn & Spa in nearby Solvang was offering specials, I did further research. Their special one-night dinner package included lodging, dinner for two at their restaurant, wine and cheese in the afternoon and a buffet breakfast ($189 during the week and $259.00 on a weekend (double occupancy). I also discovered that the Hadsten House Inn was a former motel that underwent a year long renovation to transform it into what their website describes as a “luxury boutique lodging destination.”

Since my husband James and I had many “home dinner dates” and we had just completed major work projects, we thought an “extended date night” getaway at the Hadsten House Inn would be ideal.

My husband and I always look forward to our weekly date nights. On Sunday, we sit down for 10 minutes to discuss the activities of the upcoming week and to schedule our mid-week together time and our weekly date night. Each week, we alternate who plans the date night. The person in charge either makes dinner or makes a reservation and also selects the entertainment. We make sure to discuss the ideas with each other to make sure we’ll both enjoy the plans. Many of our date nights are home dates of a delicious home-cooked meal and movie. Staying in allows us to save up our money for dinner out and/or buy tickets to a film festival, concert, play or an overnight getaway.

We both agreed an overnight date night would be a great idea. Since it was my turn to plan, I made the reservations and we were soon in the car enjoying the thirty-mile drive from Santa Barbara to the Santa Ynez Valley – a scenic route of landscapes reminiscent of the old west.

The Hadsten House Inn & Spa is located in Solvang, which is a European Village in the heart of Santa Barbara’s wine country. The climate and location is great for outdoor activities from strolling to cycling to visiting the nearby wineries, many who offer discounts to the Hadsten House guests.

Once we arrived at the Inn, we took a tour of the property that included a day spa for massage, an indoor pool, an outdoor Jacuzzi area with cozy seating by two fireplaces and a delicious restaurant.

We were pleased with our spa suite room that included a decorative fireplace and a Sanijet Jacuzzi that had plenty of space for two (The spa suite upgrade costs an extra $50 and is well worth it.) Our European style bedroom included French furnishings, a luxurious and comfy custom bed with high thread count sheets, and a second decorative fireplace that produced glowing flames with a flick of a switch. The interior design touches also included crown molding and a stylish armoire.

Enjoying our delicious date night dinner during our stay at the Hadsten House Inn & Spa

Since James and I were in much need of some down time together, we decided to relax on site by enjoying the restaurant and in room spa. We found the in-room Jacuzzi to be a wonderful way to relax together. For our one night package, we received dining vouchers, which listed a nice selection of California-Mediterranean appetizers, entrees and desserts included in the package. You are free to substitute other entrees on the menu for an extra $10 (The menu can be viewed at www.HadstenHouse.com).

Hadsten House Restaurant

My husband enjoyed the pork chops cooked to perfection and served with an apricot and fig chutney, roasted potatoes, baby carrots and asparagus. James said the pork chops were some of the best he had ever tasted. The house salad of chopped greens, chopped tomato and cucumber with goat cheese had a delicious twist of a creamy sherry dressing. For dessert, James ordered the bananas foster which came in a puff pastry with fresh bananas and strawberries. Since I have a wheat gluten allergy, I asked for a fruit salad. The chef created a layered fruit and whipped cream parfait. James and I found both desserts to be amazing. All of our menu selections were offered in the dinner package.

Delicious Banana Foster

If you’d like more ideas on romantic getaways, tips and delicious date night recipes, sign up for my e-newsletter on the homepage of RomancingTheTable.com and you will also receive downloadable bonuses that include my date night scheduler and 12 tips for happier times at the table.

For more information on the Hadsten House Inn & Spa go to HadstenHouse.com. As of this writing the specials included our one-night dinner package, a two-night spa package, a wine country getaway and a two-night golf package. They also offer AAA & AARP midweek pricing.

–Cynthia Daddona