The wine really makes the sauce, btw. Get enough to drink with your gf. Burgundy works; so does merlot. Actually, any wine will work, but use a kind you are willing to drink. The fun of spaghetti on a date is some goes into the sauce, some goes into the chef, some goes into the guest. By the time you're done, you'll be laughing your butts off.
Just helpful hints. You have plenty of recipes of goodies you use. boedicca's looks good.
Add a small can of sliced black olives. I use 3/8 slices of my onions, and also Bell pepper (about a 1/2 of one). Not sure if she mentioned garlic "powder." Not granuals. Or cut a clove of garlic up & cook with the meat. That way if she doesn't want onions/bells, they are big enough to set aside.
I use a couple splashes of olive oil with cooking the meat (50% mild sausage/50% lean hamburger mixed by hand first, with basil & oregano do in prep-bowl) in a large fry pan, and never drain off the oil. It comes to the top during cooking and you skim it off then if you chose. I just leave it in as the olive oil enhances the Italian taste.
I never add the wine until the very last thing (5-10 min.), as that thins your sauce. You don't need a whole of wine, just a 1/4 of cup sprinkled around, and then stir it in.
Try keeping your sauce thick by draining off the mushroom water, add the tomato water, or put into a cup and add as needed during the simmering. I leave my lid on the pan, and heat below a boil. No pops. And stir occassionally.
I add about 1/4 cup of olive oil (cooking oil/ or butter) to my spaghetti water, with a table spoon of salt to help get a rapid boil. Stir the spaghetti and lift up on it out of the water to let the oil coat it. This will help prevent it sticking after you drain it.
Drain your pan of spaghetti into a strainer in the sink, toss the strainer lightly to remove the moisture, and then just set the strainer with spaghetti back on the pot to serve from.
