After years together, making dinner can start to feel like just another habit—chop, stir, eat, repeat. The same meals, the same motions, the same "What do you want for dinner?" followed by the dreaded "I don’t know, what do you want?" We love food, we love cooking, and we definitely love eating, but somewhere along the way, we realized that our dinners were missing something: adventure.
So, we decided to shake things up.
We each came up with a handful of ideas—small, intentional moments of fun that would make dinner more than just dinner. On one side of a card, we wrote a simple date-night cooking challenge. On the other, a recipe from my personal vault to go with it. Then, we shuffled the deck, picked a card at random, and let fate take the lead.
Our first card? One of my cards. An Allie card. Lemon Feta Chicken Sliders with a Greek slaw. But there was a catch (because just making the dish would be routine, and we’re not here to do that!): Becca had to be the chef, giving the directions, while I—standing behind her— was the hands. No peeking, no adjusting, just trust, teamwork, and a lot of laughter.
At first, it seemed like it was going to be a disaster. Ingredients nearly went flying, the slaw was almost mixed right off the counter, and trying to assemble sliders without sight or control? Let’s just say it was messy business. But right after forming the first couple of chicken patties, something shifted. We realized we weren’t just cooking—we were playing, laughing, figuring it out together. The food turned out amazing (surprisingly!), but the best part wasn’t the meal. It was that moment when we looked at each other, in the midst of the chaos, and saw exactly why we love doing life together.
Because the truth is, connection isn’t built in the big, profound moments—it’s in these small, silly ones. The moments where you stop overthinking so much and just be together.
So, if your dinner routine needs a little shake-up, we highly recommend pulling a card, adding a challenge, and making a little room for the unexpected. I think you’ll find along the way that sometimes, the best recipes aren’t just about the food—they’re about the memories you make while making them.
Ready to give this a try? Here are the date instructions and full recipe with grocery list! Have so much fun! :)
The date:
Stand facing the counter- taller person in front, shorter person behind. Tie one apron around both of you. Person in front? You’re the chef! You give the cooking instructions (the more detailed, the better!) but you must keep your arms behind your back. Person behind, you’re the arms and hands of this operation. Taste test before you untie the apron!
The recipe: Lemon Feta Chicken Sliders with Greek Slaw
What you’ll need:
1 lb ground chicken
1/4 crumbled feta
zest and juice of 1 lemon - pre-slice the lemon in half
3 tbsp each chopped basil and oregano
slider buns
3 cups shredded cabbage
2 tbsp chopped kalamata olives
2 tbsp chopped green onions
2 tbsp chopped dill
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp cucumber-lemon vinegar or red wine vinegar
*NOTE // pre-chop everything so you don’t need to use a knife (that’s dangerous, don’t do that.) Lay the ingredients out in individual bowls or in piles on a large cutting board. Using a bench scraper makes this much easier, but hands or a spoon will do!
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix the chicken, feta, zest of a lemon, lemon juice, basil, oregano and generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Form into 2oz patties (around the size of a golf ball.)
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. When ready, carefully slide patties in, one at a time, and cook for 4 minutes per side.
In the meantime, make the Greek slaw: mix the cabbage, kalamata olives, green onions, dill, extra virgin olive oil and vinegar in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Top the bottom of a slider bun with a chicken patty and a dollop of the slaw, then close. Enjoy!
🌷 The soundtrack :
The playlist we listened to in theme with the meal you’ll be cooking!
