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Like a challenging bike ride, a hike up a mountain or a relaxing vacation, cooking in tandem can be a bonding experience for you and your mate. Try divvying up the kitchen tasks based on what is most comfortable for each of you. Maybe your spouse finds an escape in chopping, dicing and slicing, while you prefer to stand and stir or to set the table artfully. Creating a great meal with our husbands always gives us a shared feeling of accomplishment.

Breakfast in bed? The ideal day as a duo starts by rolling out of bed, sauntering into the kitchen in your pjs, and putting on a pot of coffee. Now get crackin'! It's just a few eggs, some pots and pans, and a little bit of blender magic. Before you know it, you'll be back in the sack, savoring your perfectly elegant Eggs Benedict. (By the way, breakfast-in-bed trays are a great item to add to your registry list.)

Romantic picnics? Each year, Mary and Jack pack a picnic lunch and revisit the spot where they go engaged -- a breathtakingly beautiful nook in the Marin Headlands, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Jack likes to make "his" pimiento cheese sandwiches, while Mary prepares their favorite Lemony-Tarragon Crab Dip, packs it on ice, and picks up a bag of salt-and-vinegar potato chips, some French bread, and a medley of seasonal fruit. Add one large blanket, a chilled bottle of bubbly and something sweet, and you've got their recipe for romance. What's yours?

Nothing feeds love's fire better than an elegant supper for two. Cooking and dining together bring the focus back to your relationship -- it's an opportunity to reconnect and recap the happenings of the day. In no time, you'll be carrying on over your earthy Wild Mushroom Risotto and a plate of beautifully dressed mixed greens. To cap off the evening, melt some chocolate (and your loved one's heart) by whipping up a sinfully delicious Chocolate Fondue.

Whether it's just the two of you, or you're in the kitchen with friends, pour some wine, turn on the tunes, add a generous dose of conversation and get cooking.

	Breakfast In Bed Eggs Benedict
	BRIDE Grab from pantry:     White Wine Vinegar     Cayenne Pepper     Sugar GROOM Grab from fridge:     Eggs     Lemon     Butter BRIDE AND GROOM Shopping list (plus anything from pantry/fridge you might be missing):     Canadian Bacon     Cream     English Muffins     Fresh Tarragon or Dill     Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice     Coffee
	BREAKFAST GAME PLAN 1.   Get the list and go shopping (preferably the night before). 2.   Back at home, assemble pantry items, and pull eggs, lemon and butter from the fridge (let stand at room temperature overnight). 3.   In the morning, put on some tunes and sip O.J. together. Put 2 plates in a 200-degree F oven. 4.   He gets the coffee brewing. 5.   She is in charge of hollandaise. She begins by heating the butter until bubbling. 6.   He gets the water simmering for the poached eggs in a medium nonstick skillet. 7.   She adds room-temperature egg yolks and cream plus kosher salt and cayenne to the blender. 8.   He puts English muffin halves in the toaster. 9.   She drizzles the hot butter into egg mixture, then seasons with lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and a pinch of sugar. 10.   He breaks an egg into a small cup and gently places it into the simmering water (or into the individual cups of an egg poacher), then repeats the process with 3 more eggs. 11.   She warms the Canadian bacon in a large nonstick skillet. 12.   He places 2 toasted English muffins halves on each of the 2 warmed plates. 13.   She puts the Canadian bacon on the muffin halves. 14.   He adds the poached eggs on top. 15.   She spoons a generous dollop of hollandaise onto and around the eggs. (She may need to warm the sauce briefly in the microwave, as it is best served very warm.) 16.   He garnishes each plate with chopped tarragon or dill. 17.   Off they go to enjoy breakfast in bed!

	Romantic Picnic Pimiento Cheese Mini-Sandwiches Lemony-Tarragon Crab Dip With Salt-And-Vinegar Potato Chips Seasonal Fresh Fruit
	BRIDE Grab from pantry:     Jar of Pimientos     Picante Sauce     Green Olives (optional)     Sugar GROOM Grab from fridge:     Mayonnaise     Lemon BRIDE AND GROOM Shopping list (plus anything from pantry/fridge you might be missing):     8 Ounces Extra-Sharp White Cheddar Cheese     8 Ounces Extra-Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cheese     1 Yellow Onion     Fresh Parsley     Small Dinner Rolls or Mini French Breads     Assortment of Seasonal Fruit     Cream Cheese     1 Red Onion     Fresh Tarragon     Fresh Dill     8 Ounces Fresh Crabmeat     1 Cucumber     Salt-and-Vinegar Potato Chips
	LUNCH GAME PLAN 1.   Get the list and go shopping. 2.   Back at home, assemble pantry items. 3.   Pop in a favorite CD. 4.   Each grabs a medium bowl and a cutting board. 5.   She grates the Cheddar cheeses into her bowl. 6.   He chops the red onion and fresh herbs. 7.   She chops the pimientos, parsley and olives, if desired, and grates the yellow onion. 8.   He combines the cream cheese, red onion, mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, and chopped herbs in his bowl. 9.   She adds the mayonnaise, pimientos, onion, sugar, pepper, picante sauce, parsley and olives, if desired, to the cheeses in her bowl and blends well. 10.   He picks over the crab, removing any bits of shell and adds it to his bowl. 11.   She refrigerates the pimiento cheese, slices the rolls or bread, and cuts the fresh fruit, if necessary. 12.   He chops the cucumber and adds it to his bowl with some kosher salt, pepper and additional lemon juice. 13.   She gets out the picnic basket and fills it with bread, fruit and beverage of choice. 14.   He refrigerates the crab dip and adds the chips to the picnic basket. 15.   They pick a picnic spot, pull the spread and dip out of the fridge, transfer them to sealed plastic containers (taking only what is needed) and go!

	Elegant Supper For Two Wild Mushroom Risotto Mixed Green Salad Chocolate Fondue
	BRIDE Grab from pantry:     Can of Low-Sodium Chicken Broth     Olive Oil     Abborio rice     Balsamic Vinegar     Bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips     Brandy or Grand Marnier GROOM Grab from fridge:     Butter     Bag of Mixed Greens BRIDE AND GROOM Shopping list (plus anything from pantry/fridge you might be missing):     1 Small Yellow Onion     8 Ounces Shiitake Mushrooms     1 Head of Garlic     Bottle of Dry White Wine     Chunk of Parmesan Cheese,         (preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano)     Fresh Thyme     Truffle Oil (optional)     Fresh Chives or Flat-Leaf Parsley     1 Pint Heavy Cream     1 Pint Strawberries
	DINNER GAME PLAN REMAINING RESPONSIBILITIES 1.   Get the list and go shopping. 2.   Back at home, assemble pantry items. 3.   Pour 2 glasses of white wine (the wine being used for the risotto). 4.   Pop in a favorite CD. 5.   She brings the chicken broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. 6.   He chops the onion and the garlic and puts the onion in a large saucepan with hot oil. 7.   She slices the mushrooms and adds them to the large pan, then adds the garlic. 8.   He adds the rice and begins stirring. 9.   She adds the wine and takes at turn at stirring. 10.  He adds some broth and takes over stirring. 11.  She adds some broth and stirs…and so on and so on... until all the broth has been used and the risotto is done. 12.   Grate the Parmesan cheese. 13.   Chop the herbs. 14.   Place the salad greens on small plates. 15.   Whisk together the balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste, season with kosher salt and pepper to taste (1 part vinegar to 4 parts oil), and pour over the greens. 16.   Add the cheese, thyme and butter to the risotto, season with kosher salt and pepper, and divide between 2 bowls. Garnish with truffle oil, if desired, cheese and chives, then sit down to dinner for two! 17.   After dinner, he heats the cream in a small saucepan. 18.   She removes the saucepan from the heat, adds the chocolate chips, a pinch of kosher salt and a dash of brandy. 19.   He pours the warm chocolate mixture into a small bowl and puts the strawberries in a bowl. 20.   They share chocolate fondue for two.

Excerpted from the Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford (Chronicle Books, 2003). Available at Williams-Sonoma.