Romance on the table

I haven't mastered the art of setting a table.

Make no mistake: I know about silverware and napkins. Even centerpieces. It's the food that gives me trouble.

Dinner is perhaps the aspect of my romantic relationship that makes me feel most inadequate. It's not because I can't cook.

I can, but I haven't learned how to cook for two people in a way that's more financially advantageous than buying prepared food.

Our week usually involves an XL pizza that gets us through two, maybe three, consecutive dinners. Often, Chinese takeout is involved. The huge, inexpensive portions usually span two nights of food. Bam! Five dinners, two big purchases.

Not bad, right?

Except it is, kinda.

I basked in my inadequacy after reading this newspaper profile of one of my high school classmates, who apparently makes her boyfriend dishes like shrimp linguine and butternut squash risotto on a nightly basis.

As I type this, I'm contemplating between Zaxby's and Mexican takeout.

Weigh in: Has anyone else experienced feelings of kitchen inadequacy?