Make Indian Food

Cost: variable, depending on how well-stocked your cupboards are
Preparation Time: variable, depending on how much ingredient shopping needs to be done

Another foodie date?  I'm afraid so.  There are definitely some foods that are simply perfect for dates, since the cooking and food preparation time required are lengthy enough to allow you an ideal opportunity to talk with your date, while working alongside them.  And if you love ethnic food, especially Indian food, there's no excuse not to get cooking.
If you're a novice to Indian cooking for the American home kitchen, it's hard to know where to start.  Many cookbooks have a staggering list of ingredients, many of which you'd be hard pressed to find at your local grocery store, let alone an ethnic foods market (think "ghee" or "coriander leaf").  A good cookbook will translate these mysterious items into butter and cilantro, and you can breathe a sigh of relief and proceed with the curry and chutney.  My favorites for simple Indian recipes that will taste just as good as food from a fine restaurant are probably available at your local library or online.  First, Pushpesh Pant's superb India: The Cookbook is an exhaustive, photo-rich collection that includes every possible dish you could dream up.  The New York Times loves it, and so do I.  Second (and perhaps less intimidating) is Mark Bittman's (The Minimalist's) The Best Recipes in the World, which includes not only Indian cuisine but a host of other delicious recipes from around the globe.  The first choice will unquestionably include whatever it is you want to make; the second is much easier if you're just starting out and you don't have an Asian market nearby.
In either case, a good recipe to try out first is samosas, whether meat or vegetarian; they're hard to mess up and don't include too many ingredients.  Another winner is naan--bread is always cheap and not too spicy (even if you stuff it to make onion kulcha, my personal favorite from Bittman's book).
Just dive in; you'll be glad you did. Happy cooking!