"What should I cook for a first date at home?"

Pasta is your friend - impressive but hard to mess up. I'd go with a simple aglio e olio or a creamy lemon chicken pasta. Prep your mise en place before they arrive so you're not stressed. Have a good wine open, some music playing, and maybe a simple appetizer (cheese board, bruschetta) so they're not watching you cook hungry. Skip anything too garlicky (you'll thank me later), skip the super spicy stuff unless you know they're into it, and for the love of god, test the recipe once before the actual date. Dessert? Buy something good from a bakery. No shame in that.