| How to Pick a Creative Idea for a Date Posted: 22 Jun 2019 01:00 AM PDT While dinner and a movie are classic standbys, sometimes you might want something more exciting out of a date. Creative date ideas are great whether you're dating someone new or have been married for years. When picking a creative date, think about if you and your date might like to learn something new, enjoy nature together, or have a playful adventure. EditPlaying Around - Go to a trampoline park for some bouncing fun. Trampoline parks seem to be springing up everywhere, and they're not just for kids! You can bounce to your heart's content and get great exercise with your date for an hourly fee. Search "trampoline park near me" online to find your closest park.[1]
- Set up a mini-scavenger hunt. This is a great idea that you can basically do anywhere. Come up with a list of items to find or places to go in your town and give your date the list for the two of you to complete it together. You can also make a photo scavenger hunt, where you go to different places and take selfies, instead of finding actual objects.[2]
- For ideas on what to include on your list, think of a theme: some examples include bridges, churches, types of Christmas decorations during the holidays, or animals.
- Get lost in an outdoor maze. You may have to travel a bit to find one, but there are giant mazes made from corn or large shrubs in various locations year-round. Additionally, some farms have them open to the public during fall festival seasons. Search "outdoor mazes near me" to find one.[3]
- Race go-carts to test your courage. Go on a high-speed date by hitting a go-cart track. To make it extra interesting, place bets on which of you will win the most rounds.[4]
- Look up "go-carts near me" online to find a racing track in your area.
- Attend an interactive play for a dramatic date. Check out a murder mystery dinner theatre, or go to a midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. These types of events are available in many major cities, and put a unique spin on the classic show date.[5]
- Search "interactive plays," "murder mystery theatre," or "Rocky Horror Picture show" online to find locations in your area.
- Shoot hoops or hit the slopes. There are endless easy and free options for those of a more athletic nature. Grab a basketball and hit your local outdoor court or rec center for a game of 1-on-1. If you like skateboarding, take your date to a skate park and teach them some tricks you know.[6]
- If you're a winter sport person, look up your local ski resort to go skiing or snowboarding. Or go to a local pool and swim laps together in the summer.
- If you have a specific athletic skill that you'd like to share with your date, be sure they're open to trying it, and remember to keep things light and fun even if they end up not being very good at it.
EditEnjoying Nature - Try kayaking to spend some time on water. If you live near a river or lake, you may be able to rent kayaks by the hour as a fun nature date. Get a 2-person kayak to work together while you row. Search "kayaking near me" online to find local kayak rental locations.[7]
- Go horseback riding for some old-timey fun. Horseback riding allows you to spend some time outdoors, and you can see some great views on more hilly trails. Be sure to dress comfortable in clothes you don't mind getting dirty.[8]
- Look up "horseback riding near me" to find a local stable that offers public riding.
- Ride a hot-air balloon to get a bird's eye view. If heights don't bother you, a hot-air balloon ride can be a breath-taking date. Find out if there are hot-air balloon rides in your area by searching "hot-air balloon rides near me" online.[9]
- Try skinny dipping at night. Go somewhere secluded where you won't get caught, and skinny dipping can be both romantic and adventurous. It also makes for a great story later.[10]
- Drive around and look for a rope swing into a lake or river as an added bonus.
- Go hiking at a county or state park. Most areas, even urban areas, have large parks with hiking trails within a 2-hour drive. Browse "hiking trails near me" to find one in your area as a great free date.[11]
- Be sure to dress for the weather, wear comfortable shoes, and pack some snacks to have a picnic while you're out hiking.
- Find a farm and pick your own fruit in the summer or fall. If it's fruit-picking season, you can often find farms that will let you pick your own apples, berries, or other fruits or veggies. Search "pick-your-own farms near me" online to find a local farm that allows you to pick your own fruit.[12]
- You and your date can then take your fruit home and try baking a pie or making another dessert with it.
EditTrying New Experiences - Go on a ghost tour for some haunted fun. Many cities have a tour highlighting haunted houses and local ghost sightings. Search "ghost tours near me" to find your closest ghost tour.[13]
- Most of these types of tours are on a bus and make stops allowing you to go outside or sometimes inside the haunted locations. Be sure to dress for the weather for the outdoor portions.
- Get your palms read or see a psychic. Getting your fortune told can be an exciting, fun date even if you don't completely believe in psychic phenomenon. Palm-readers, tarot readers, and psychics are often located in touristy areas, near beaches, and at carnivals, but you can also find them in regular neighborhoods by looking in an online phone directory.[14]
- Search "psychics near me" to find a local fortune-teller.
- Go to a weird museum to learn surprising new things. Many big cities have a museum that's different from the standard art or history museum. Examples include the Museum of Sex in New York City, the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, and the Museum of the Weird in Austin.[15]
- Search "unique museums near me" in your Internet browser to find a local non-standard museum.
- Take a class of something you've never done before. Learn some new recipes and cooking skills that you can try out later at home by taking an ethnic cooking class together. Or, take a ballroom dancing, salsa, or hip-hop class to try out a new dance style.[16]
- If cooking or dancing aren't your thing, try a painting, sculpture, or screen printing class.
- Contact local culinary schools, dance studios, or museums to sign up for a class.
- Help other people or animals by volunteering. Volunteering can be a rewarding learning experience, and can bring you and your date closer. You can volunteer through an organization or church, or simply by calling places that need volunteers, such as soup kitchens and animal shelters, to see how you can volunteer there.[17]
- Ask your date if they could volunteer anywhere, where would they choose? Do they like animals or helping the environment? Get an idea of what volunteer experience would be rewarding for both of you by talking about it beforehand.
- When you decide where you'd like to volunteer, call your local animal shelters, soup kitchens, or environmental organization to set up a schedule of when you'll go.
EditReferences
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| How to Keep an Avocado Green Posted: 21 Jun 2019 05:00 PM PDT Avocados are delicious, nutritious, and versatile, but they also spoil quickly. After they're cut, avocados turn green because the air reacts with the enzymes on the surface of the fruit. Fortunately, you can preserve cut avocado until you're ready to use it, including guacamole. Additionally, you can slow the ripening of a whole avocado to keep it green longer. EditPreserving Cut Avocado - Leave the pit in your avocado, if you can. Although the pit doesn't have any special abilities, it will keep the center of your avocado green. That's because the pit prevents air from circulating around the center of the avocado. Leaving the pit in your avocado is an easy way to keep part of the avocado green.[1]
- If you're cutting the avocado into small pieces or mashing it, then you may not be able to leave the pit in place.
- Submerge the cut avocado under water in an airtight container. Place the avocado cut-side down in an airtight container. Then, fill the container with enough water to cover the avocado. Seal the container, then store it in your refrigerator.[2]
- The water will protect your avocado from the air, keeping it green. However, some people think it makes the avocado feel slimy.
- This technique usually keeps your avocado green for about 2 days.
- Place the avocado in an airtight container with a cut red onion. You can place the onion next to the avocado or below it. The sulfur compounds in the onion act as a preservative, but the smell of the onion shouldn't alter the taste of your avocado. When you're ready to use your avocado, you can either incorporate the red onion into a recipe or scrap it.[3]
- This technique also works for guacamole! For guacamole, dice the red onion and sprinkle it on top of the guacamole. Then, serve the guacamole with the red onion as a topping, or stir it to incorporate the red onion into your recipe.
- Spritz the avocado with lemon or lime juice, then wrap it in plastic. Halve a lemon or lime, then squeeze the juice onto your avocado. Next, press the plastic wrap up against the surface of the avocado, and make sure there aren't any air pockets below the plastic.[4]
- If you don't have plastic wrap, put your avocado in an airtight container. However, the plastic wrap may work best with citrus juice.
- Brush the avocado with vegetable oil, then put it in an airtight container. Apply a light layer of vegetable oil over the avocado, or spritz it with cooking spray. Then, place your avocado in an airtight container and refrigerate it. The vegetable oil will prevent air from touching the surface of the avocado.[5]
- You might also try using avocado oil, if you have any.
- You may find that this makes your avocado feel oily. However, you can try patting it dry with a paper towel.
- Invest in an avocado keeper for an easy option. This is a kitchen gadget that allows you to easily store halved avocados in the refrigerator. To use it, simply place half an avocado, with its pit, onto the gadget. Then, use the attached strap to secure the avocado in place so that air can't circulate around the cut side. Store the avocado in the refrigerator.[6]
- Avocado keepers only work for halved avocados.
- You can find an avocado keeper online or where you buy kitchenware.
- Use water to preserve guacamole for up to 3 days. Place your guacamole into an airtight container. Then, cover the guacamole with a thin layer for fresh water. Seal up the container, then leave it in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it. Before serving, pour out the water and stir the guacamole.[7]
- The water won't alter the taste of the guacamole.
- Eat your cut avocado within 2-3 days for best taste. Your avocado will taste best in the day or 2 after you cut it. Keep in mind that it will continue to turn brown no matter what technique you use, so plan to eat them soon after you cut them.[8]
- Try out different recipes! For instance, you can use avocado in wraps or on sandwiches instead of mayo or dressing, or you can add it to smoothies.
- Puree, preserve, and freeze cut avocado to make it last longer. Chop the leftover avocado into small pieces, then add of lemon juice for each avocado. Blend the avocado and lemon juice until it's smooth, then place it in an airtight container. Leave about at the top of the container, then store the avocado in the freezer.[9]
- Your cut avocado should last for 4-5 months. Then, you can add it to recipes or smooth it onto your sandwiches.
EditStoring Whole Avocados - Buy avocados at different stages of ripening. This is an easy way to keep some of your avocados green throughout your week. Buy ripe avocados for the next day or 2, and fresh, unripe avocados for later in the week. Store your avocados in different places, as ripening avocados will give off an enzyme that may speed up the ripening process for your fresh avocados.[10]
- Selecting your avocados individually is the best way to do this, but you may be able to find bagged avocados that are in different stages of ripening. If you do, make sure you take them out of the bag so the ripe fruit don't make the unripe fruit turn brown.
- Put whole avocados in the refrigerator to slow the ripening process. Cool temperatures slow down how quickly your avocado will ripen. This can keep an avocado green for longer. Place your avocados on the top shelf of your refrigerator or in your crisper, then remove them a day or 2 before you plan to use them.[11]
- Your avocados will still continue ripening while they're in the refrigerator. The process will just be slower. Be sure to check on your avocados every day or so. If they feel ripe, go ahead and eat them.
- If you want to eat your avocados soon, leave them on your kitchen counter.
- Let avocados sit out on the counter for 1-2 days to ripen. When you're ready to eat a avocado, take it out of the refrigerator and place it on your counter. Allow the avocado to sit in place for 1 to 2 days, then check it for ripeness. Unless it's very fresh, it should be ripe after a day or 2.[12]
- If you've been storing avocados in your refrigerator, they'll likely be ready to eat after sitting out for 1-2 days.
- Speed up ripening by placing an avocado in a brown paper bag. Add an apple or banana to the bag to speed up the process. Let the bag sit at room temperature for at least a day, then check the avocado for ripeness. If for some reason it's not ripe yet, you can return it to the paper bag until it does feel ripe.[13]
- This technique should work in 1 day, unless your avocado is very fresh. This works best if your avocado is almost ripe.
- The paper bag works by trapping the ethylene gas avocados and other fruits naturally release as they ripen. The trapped gas will help the avocado ripen faster.
- Adding a banana or apple can speed up the ripening process. However, keep in mind that this fruit will also ripen quicker.
- You can usually slow the browning process, but it will still happen eventually.
- If your avocado turns brown anyway, you can cut away the brown part and eat the rest.
- Avocados that have turned brown aren't bad for you, so it's okay to eat them.
EditReferences EditQuick Summary
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| How to Make Hummus Posted: 21 Jun 2019 09:00 AM PDT Hummus is a classic Middle Eastern dip that's enjoying renewed popularity. If you'd like to make your own, decide if you have time to soak and boil dried chickpeas. To make the hummus from scratch, blend your soaked chickpeas with garlic, tahini, and seasonings. For a quicker version, drain canned chickpeas and blend them with the garlic, tahini, and lemon juice. Drizzle your hummus with olive oil and serve it with pita or raw vegetables. EditIngredients EditHummus from Scratch[1] - 1 cup (200 g) of dried chickpeas
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) of baking soda
- Water, as needed
- 1 medium clove garlic
- 1/2 cup (112 g) of tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) of kosher salt, or more as needed
- of fresh lemon juice, or more as needed
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
- Ground sumac or paprika, for serving
Makes 2 1/2 cups (615 g) of hummus - 1 15-ounce (425 g) can of chickpeas
- of extra-virgin olive oil
- of tahini
- of lemon juice, plus more as needed
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon (5.5 g) of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) of finely ground black pepper
Makes 1 1/3 cups (327 g) of hummus EditHummus from Scratch - Cover the chickpeas with 2 in (5 cm) of water and soak them overnight. Put 1 cup (200 g) of dried chickpeas into a large bowl and pour in enough water to cover them by at least . Keep the chickpeas out and room temperature overnight to soak.
- If you're short on time, put the chickpeas in pot and cover them with boiling water. Soak the chickpeas in the hot water for 1 hour.
- Drain and dry the chickpeas. Put a colander in the sink and pour the soaked chickpeas into it. Then use paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to pat the chickpeas dry.
- Mix the chickpeas with baking soda and cook them for 3 minutes. Put the chickpeas into a large pot and scatter 1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) of baking soda over them. Stir the chickpeas so they're coated with the baking soda and turn the burner to medium. Cook the chickpeas until they're warmed through.
- The baking soda will help the skins slip from the chickpeas, which will make the hummus smooth.
- Cover the chickpeas with of water and bring it to a boil. Pour in enough water to cover the chickpeas and turn the burner up to high. Heat the chickpeas until the water begins to boil.
- Simmer the chickpeas for 45 to 60 minutes over medium-low heat. Turn the burner down so the water bubbles gently. Let the chickpeas cook uncovered until they're soft.
- Since boiling time will depend on your chickpeas, you may need to cook them longer until they're soft.
- Turn off the burner and scoop away the loose chickpea skins. Stir the chickpeas well to loosen the skins. Then use a slotted spoon to scoop away and discard the loose skins that float to the top of the water.
- You can stir the chickpeas again to get more of the skins to float to the top.
- Drain the chickpeas and reserve of the cooking water. Set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the chickpeas into it. Use your fingers to rub the chickpeas and the remaining skins. Set aside of the water in the bowl and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.
- Discard the extra cooking water.
- You should have 2 cups (400 g) of cooked chickpeas in the strainer. If you have more than this, use them in another recipe.
- Blend the garlic and chickpeas for 3 to 4 minutes. Put the drained chickpeas into a blender or food processor and add 1 clove of garlic. Place the lid on the blender and combine the ingredients until the chickpeas are smooth.
- The chickpeas should be very thick like a firm paste.
- Blend in the tahini, salt, juice, and reserved chickpea liquid. Add 1/2 cup (112 g) of tahini, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) of kosher salt, and of fresh lemon juice. Blend the hummus until it's smooth and add of the reserved chickpea liquid at time.
- The hummus should be smooth and lightened in texture.
- You may not need all of the reserved chickpea liquid.
- Taste and serve the hummus. Add more salt, pepper, and lemon juice according to your taste. Then spoon the hummus onto a serving plate and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil on top. Sprinkle a little ground sumac or paprika over the hummus and serve it with pita and raw vegetables.
- Refrigerate the leftover hummus in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
EditQuick Hummus - Drain and rinse 1 can of chickpeas. Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and open a 15-ounce (425 g) can of chickpeas. Pour the chickpeas into the strainer so the liquid drains into the bowl. Set the bowl aside and run cold water over the chickpeas to rinse them.
- Put the chickpeas in a food processor with oil, tahini, juice, and garlic. Transfer the rinsed chickpeas to a food processor and pour in of extra-virgin olive oil and of lemon juice. Add of tahini and 1 small clove of garlic.
- If you don't have cloves of garlic, substitute 1 teaspoon (3 g) of minced garlic.
- Blend the ingredients for 3 to 5 minutes. Put the lid on the food processor and blend the ingredients until they combine. Keep blending until the chickpeas become completely smooth.
- You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the food processor occasionally.
- Add the salt and pepper and taste the hummus. Add 1 teaspoon (5.5 g) of salt and 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) of finely ground black pepper. Pulse the hummus to incorporate the seasoning and then taste the hummus. Adjust the flavor and texture according to your taste.
- For example, if you want thinner hummus, add a few spoonfuls of the liquid you drained from the can of chickpeas.
- For a brighter tasting hummus, add more fresh lemon juice or blend in some chopped preserved lemons.
- Serve the quick hummus. Spoon the hummus into a serving bowl and consider drizzling the top with some extra-virgin olive oil. For a quick garnish, sprinkle a little paprika or cumin over the hummus. Set out pita bread or chips and raw vegetables to dip into the hummus.
- Cover and refrigerate leftover hummus for up to 1 week.
EditWays to Eat Hummus and Recipes - If you don't want to use tahini, substitute an equal amount of your favorite nut butter, sesame oil, or Greek yogurt.[3]
- For a flavored hummus, blend in roasted vegetables or olives.[4]
- To add a little texture, stir chopped and toasted walnuts, almonds, or pine nuts into the hummus just before serving.[5]
- Experiment with the flavors you like. Try adding cumin, sumac, harissa, or sriracha sauce.[6]
EditThings You'll Need EditHummus from Scratch - Measuring cups and spoons
- Large bowl
- Colander
- Large pot
- Spoon
- Slotted spoon
- Fine mesh strainer
- Blender or food processor
- Serving platter
EditQuick Hummus - Measuring cups and spoons
- Can opener
- Fine mesh strainer
- Bowl
- Blender
- Serving bowl
- Spoon
EditRelated wikiHows EditReferences EditQuick Summary
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