When I was in college and didn't have bills to pay, my go-to-move on a first date would be taking a girl to a nice restaurant and spending what little cash I had on her coq au vin. Once I joined the real world and needed to pay bills I realized that unless I was attempting to attract a woman with never-ending salad and breadsticks, I was going to have to ditch the restaurant approach.

This is when I decided to learn to learn to entertain girls at home. Suddenly, an evening that could have cost over a hundred dollars became an affordable, romantic night that will impress her more than your “generous” 12% tip.

Follow these easy steps and you’ll have her wanting a second date.

1. Ask Her About Any Food Allergies: Assuming she knows you’re going to cook her dinner, this is a question you have to ask before she comes over. Sure that fancy meal with the black truffles and the portabellos is perfect for fine dining, but if she’s allergic to mushrooms you might end up having an emergency on your hands.

2. Don’t Get in Over Your Head: You know what sounds really good? Pan seared Fillet Mignon with grilled scallops and rosemary risotto. Do you know what’s going to happen if you try to make that?

Seriously, have you ever tried to make risotto? It’s not all that easy. If you aren’t used to cooking, don’t try to do it all your first time. All the recipes in the world can’t ensure everything is going to come out perfect. Remember, once you start cooking for her there is no time to go back unless you want to claim you actually made the pizza AND the pizza box.

3. Make Something That Has to Be Good: Now that you’re ambitious recipe for Shrimp Jumbalya has been scrapped, it’s time to think realistically. I’ve always been a fan of simple recipes for first dates, and recommend going with chicken because there are many delicious and easy to follow recipes available.

4. When In Doubt, Make a Combo Meal: Nothing says creativity and effort quite like combining two different foods into one delicious meal. Combining chicken and pasta or chicken and salad is an easy way to create a meal that looks like it was much more difficult than it actually was.

5. Everything is Better With a Drink Picking out the right wine for a meal can be crucial, but can also be bank-breaking. It's better to go with a white wine if possible, since whites tend to be easier on the palate and less objectionable. Try going with a Sauvignon Blanc since it tends to be the most drinkable of commonly found wines, especially if you end up with a date who isn’t a wine connoisseur.

6. It Doesn’t HAVE to be Wine: We’re in the middle of what is being called a “Craft-Beer” boom. Every day people are starting to choose creative craft beers to pair with dinner instead of wine.

Dogfish Head owner Sam Castiglione is quoted in the most recent issue of Draft Magazine as saying “You can go into the store with $10 dollars and come out with a world-class six-pack of beer. Try and do that with a world-class bottle of wine.” Opting for an exceptional beer is a great way to impress without breaking the bank. For a beer that goes well with a chicken dish in the summertime, I recommend any kind of Farmhouse or Summer Wheat beer, especially Southern Tier UberSun.

There is a tendency among young men to think that the more money you spend on a girl, the more she’s going to like you. The truth is, most of them are just looking for you to put the extra effort in to impress them and nothing shows greater effort than cooking a meal that will blow her away.