18 Nov 2021
We hire our Genies based on a “Tasting Day,” in which they prepare each dish live & we taste it to ensure that our users are getting the best food possible. You can rest easy knowing that—before you taste our creations—we try them and make sure they’re of the highest quality.
11 Jul 2022
Winter is the perfect time to create moments that will keep your memories warm forever. The amalgamation of long nights, cool breeze, low humidity, and quiet weather set up the perfect scene and mood for couples of all ages. While in wintertime, even a hot cup of coffee with your significant other at home can be as romantic as being on a date in a plush restaurant or a foreign destination, such experiences tend to lose their luster when they become recurring each year. So, if you have decided to keep the intimacy UP this winter while the temperature DIPS, here are some unique dating ideas that will help you kill the chill.
Whether you are going out on a date or trying to make the day special at home, it can’t be complete without food. While for outdoor dates, you save yourself from cooking efforts, but what if you and your partner are an “indoorsy” kind of couple? Would you like to cook every time (or order online) you host a special night?
You may answer Yes; But what if we say there is a service – “CookinGenie” that provides delicious and healthy home-cooked meals within a few taps on your smartphone? You would prefer this over the previous options.
The thing that makes CookinGenie stand apart from regular food delivery providers is that the dish is prepared right in your kitchen by a certified chef (we call them Genies). From buying groceries to cooking, and cleaning afterward, everything is handled by your Genie only. All you need to do is relax and spend quality time with your S.O. to make the date memorable.
You can visit us online at CookinGenie.com, select your dish and preferred time. The appointed Genie will be there with all the required groceries and start cooking for you.
Watching a movie in a drive-in theater can be the most effortless yet full-of-romance date that you can take your partner to. No need to dress up. Just take your car keys and drive to the nearest open-air theater. Park the car, blow some hot air, and pull back the seats. You are all set to make the night special.
No! You don’t have to be a pro to go for an Ice-Skating Date. In fact, as newbies, no matter if you glide, fall, or try holding on to each other, you will have nothing but just pure fun. The cooperation in incoordination will make the date a beautiful remembrance forever.
If you have been together for years, you must have been on dinner and movie outings to death. It is time to break the monotony and add some punches of LOLs and ROFLs to your life. The ideal source for such memorable laughs can be built on a Comedy Show date. So, either visit a nearby joint to get entertained by your favorite comedian or stream the top stand-up specials on Netflix or Prime Video from the warm comfort of your home.
So what if you had to cancel your vacation plan for this winter? A staycation date might make up for it. Even though you could be living in the same city for years, there must be a couple of places that you can explore with your partner like a tourist. Book a hotel in the vicinity for a few days and visit the places you always wanted to explore around. Such little breaks from your everyday winter life minuses the personal and professional hassles while letting you have more valuable time with your spouse.
If you and your partner are outdoor people, a winter hike can be an ideal date for both of you. Exploring new things together will help you strengthen your bonding. If you both have just started together, you would find each other communicating better compared to those awkward dinner date silences. Also, you would love the physical contact when crossing a stream or helping each other climb over a log.
Be it winter or any other season, sporting events have been a proven way for couples to get close to each other. Buy tickets for a live event near you or cheer for a local team on TV. Even if it’s not your favorite team playing, choose a side and shout out loud to show your support. You will find it hard not to have fun while cheering, chatting, and chowing with your date.
As per experts, couples who involve in physical activity together are much happier and share a stronger emotional bond. That’s why a Couple Yoga could be a great idea to make you and your S.O. emotive for a winter date. Interlinked couples’ poses will help you get to know your partner’s body better. However, if you are both novices, simple guided asanas should suffice.
Have a chess board at home? Why not use it for your date night? Board Games, when combined with good food and small conversations, can be as fun as your outing dates. It helps you reconnect with your spouse, especially, when you haven’t spent much time together alone in a while. So, break the ice with chess or any board game you like and make your winter warmer. Who knows that Board Games might become your favorite way to spend time together.
If you don’t like board games and don’t even want to go out, try having a Power Outage date. While power outages can be frustrating, they can provide you with an ideal romantic atmosphere. No problem if there is no TV, no Phones, no Lights, and no Electricity. You and your partner can turn the power outage “frustration” into “fun” together. Have a candlelight dinner, take turns telling a ghost story, dress up with glow stick jewelry, create shadow puppets on the wall, and do a lot more exciting things to make the time cherished forever.
It doesn’t have to be food, outing, or movies as your dating options all the time. A relaxing spa with your honey can also be quite pampering and rejuvenating. Get some face masks, aroma oils, and a mani-pedi kit. Create a romantic ambiance by lighting some candles and playing a soothing music. Put on your robes and begin your home spa date. Within a few minutes, your body and mind will be tranquilized, making you forget the wintry chills.
In case you are an indoor person, especially when it’s a cold season, you can show your love for each other by cooking a meal. Either refer to Gordon Ramsay’s classic recipes or invent a new dish. You might not like the food that much, but you will surely love and remember the time spent in the kitchen for winters to come.
Playing along with a Game show can be a fun date to have with your beloved while staying warm in bed. Just get a pen and paper and assume yourself as a contestant. Note down the points you both earn and by the end of the show, you should know who the champ in the house is.
Lost the Game Show bet? Why not try to make it even with a video game date? Such a fun time together can be a great aphrodisiac. To make the date even more fun and celebrating, you can host a double or a group date. Some of the best video games for couples include – Don’t Starve Together, Rayman Legends, Portal 2, Overcooked, Mario Party, and Minecraft.
If you have a home close to the coast, consider spending a day at the beach with your love. The landscapes in wintry weather along with the ocean breeze put the mind completely at ease. Add the midday sunshine and there you have a perfect backdrop for long, deep conversations and a few hours of siesta.
If you wish to experience something different than a regular dinner-and-a-movie date, go see a play. The experience of Live Theater is something that every couple should have. Theater artists possess extraordinary skills; and watching them live in one-take-action is overwhelming. No matter if everything proceeds by the book or goes haywire, your theater date will certainly be memorable.
The first (and might be the only) thing that you and your S.O. may have in common is your love for the music. Your genre preferences could be different, but music is music. So, instead of making your winter dinner dates limited to a typical restaurants, add some magic of live music to it. And, of course, a live concert can also be ideal if you both love being in crowds.
Retail therapy is a perfect way to beat the winter blues. If your relationship has just started, you would love to know the fashion sense of your partner. However, if it’s been time, you know where to find the right fit for him/her. So, get yourselves spoilt at a nearby mall or shopping district like Chicago’s Magnificent Mile to get the best deals on your favorite brands. Done shopping? Make sure to complete the brief tour with a hot beverage on your way back.
Any mutual activity you do as a couple is surely going to make the moment memorable. Jigsaw puzzles are one such way to spend fun time together, especially when the winter begins to make you feel bored and sluggish. Order a puzzle board or mat and start working as a team. Don’t need to rush and complete it in one go. Let the fun last longer.
If you have enough outdoor space around your home, this surely calls for a camping date. All you need to do is set up a tent, put some blankets, and build a fire pit to stay warm and enjoy the wintry night. Soft background music with some hot chocolate or any food/beverage of your choice will compel you to have more such dates together.
To summarize, be it winter or any other time of the year, it’s all about spending quality time together. So, no matter if you find the above-mentioned date ideas for your winter worth experiencing, or have something else in mind, just remember – love knows no season. Moreover, if you’ll see winter not as a season but as a celebration, you will know how one romantic date can warm your three months of winter.
25 Nov 2020
When thinking about famous foods from around the world, some key dishes come to mind. We’re willing to bet Mexican cuisine ranks high on many people’s lists, with tacos at the top. But, have you ever stopped to wonder how the tasty taco came to be?
It turns out, the history of the taco is as colorful and varied as the taco fillings themselves.
Tacos as we know them today were believed to have started in the 1800s as the humble lunch of Mexican silver miners. The word “taco” translates to “plug” or “wad” – reflecting the small sticks of dynamite used in the mines.
There is evidence, however, that the taco’s origins began much earlier.
It is believed that the Aztecs invented tortillas using masa cooked on hot stones. The Aztec emperor, Montezuma, used the tortillas like a spoon to scoop or hold food such as cochineal, beans, and chiles. The word “taco” stems from the Nahuatl word “tlahco,” meaning “half” or “in the middle” in reference to how it is formed.
(Also Read – Made to Cook: The Cooking Hypothesis)
Early taco fillings were simple and reflected what was available, such as fish, cooked organs, small insects, ants, locusts, and snails. It wasn’t until the 1500s, when Spanish soldiers arrived in Mexico with pigs from Cuba, that pork was introduced as a filling and served at large banquets (the first “taco parties” as documented in 1520 by Bernal Diaz del Castillo, a Spanish soldier sailing with Hernan Cortes). From here, the taco spread across the “New World” as a staple food.
Whether crediting the Aztecs or silver miners, the taco is a dish woven through the fabric of Mexican cuisine.
Portable and easy to eat, tacos became a primary meal of the working class. In time, street food vendors filled soft corn tortillas with a simple, spicy filling to offer workers on their breaks. Around 1905, this delicious and practical meal crossed the border into the United States when Mexican laborers moved north to work on the railroads.
It wasn’t until the 1920s that the traditional filling of organs was replaced by beef and chicken. In addition, lettuce, tomato, and cheddar cheese became standard fillings in America – this fusion brought forth by the availability of American ingredients and a more subtle palate.
While some may prefer more traditional preparation, today, tacos in America include a vibrant blend of traditional Mexican flavors combined with new ingredients and influences from around the globe – a fusion of flavors to satiate a wide variety of tastes.
Need further evidence of the taco’s cult-like following? In 2019, Netflix released the first season of Taco Chronicles, a docuseries that explores the rich histories of popular taco styles. From barbacoa to carnitas, cochinita to birria, and many others, watch this mouth-watering series on your next taco night.
Whatever fillings you like, tacos are arguably one of the most-loved foods in the world. Whether you prefer vegetarian sweet potato and black bean, or chicken, pork or beef, CookinGenie offers fresh, authentic home-cooked Mexican-styled tacos to make every night taco night. We cook from scratch with wholesome ingredients, right in your kitchen. Whether meal prepping or organizing a small dinner party, our Genies can help create a taco bar like no other, connecting you back to hundreds of years of tradition and fusion of cultures through food.
Sources
21 Sep 2022
When pregnant, you may worry about a million things, such as your health, your baby’s health, what you should be eating, what you shouldn’t be eating, and on and on. It can feel like there’s never enough time or energy to get everything done.
One thing that you don’t need to worry about is dinner; as for that, you can depend on a personal chef. Hiring a personal chef can help save you from the stress of meal planning and preparation, giving you more time to focus on your baby’s impending arrival. A personal chef will work with you to create a menu that fits your needs and dietary restrictions and prepare meals accordingly. You’ll never have to worry about what’s for dinner again!
Expecting a baby is an exciting time, but it can also be a bit overwhelming. In addition to all the usual preparations, you both have to think about how you will keep up with your routine while taking care of your upcoming baby. One way to ease the transition into parenthood is to hire a personal chef. A personal chef can take care of meal planning and preparation, giving you one less thing to worry about. And because they can customize their menu to meet your dietary needs, there’s no need to fret about whether you’ll enjoy the food or not. With a personal chef on hand, you can easily focus on taking care of yourself and your new bundle of joy.
As an expectant mother, you know pregnancy is a time of intense physical and emotional changes. In addition, it can also be a time of upheaval when it comes to mealtime routines. With morning sickness, food cravings, and a constantly changing body, it can be challenging to cook meals for oneself, let alone for a family. In such situations, a personal chef can be a great help. By preparing meals in advance, a personal chef can take the stress out of mealtime for you. In addition, he can also customize menus to meet the unique needs of you and your family. From Salmon Salad to Chicken Soup, a personal chef can help ensure that your family is eating well during this particular time.
Along with all the joys of parenting comes a lot of extra work, including meal planning and cooking. In these instances, a personal chef can be a real lifesaver. By cooking meals in advance and freezing them, a personal chef can help you save both time and money. Having a stash of homemade meals in the freezer means you can reheat and serve without spending precious time in the kitchen. And because the chef prepares meals using fresh ingredients, the food is healthier and more affordable than takeout or frozen dinners. A personal chef is an invaluable asset for busy parents like you, especially when expecting a baby.
A personal chef is an excellent option if you have specific dietary needs or preferences. A personal chef can cater to your particular needs, whether you have food allergies, follow a religious diet, or are choosy about what you eat. A personal chef can create menus everyone will enjoy by working with you to understand your family’s likes and dislikes. And because they do all the shopping and cooking, you’ll have more time to spend with your loved ones – something that’s priceless.
Also Read: 10 Time-Saving Services That Every Busy Mom Should Use
The arrival of a new baby is an exciting time, but it can also be chaotic and stressful, full of new challenges and responsibilities. Although a personal chef can take care of meal planning and preparation, helping you de-stress a bit, with so many chefs to choose from, it can be challenging to know which one is right for you. Here are five questions to ask when interviewing personal chefs and making the right choice:
By asking these questions, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices and find the personal chef that’s right for you and your family.
When hiring a personal chef for the first time, you may be eager to convey your dietary needs. One way to do this is to be proactive about communicating any dietary changes or preferences to the chef. Of course, you don’t want to be a picky eater, but you must let the chef know if you have any food allergies or specialties. This information will help them to create meals that are both tasty and safe for you to eat. In addition, sharing your dietary preferences with the chef shows that you are considerate of their time and effort.
Overall, as an expectant parent, you have a lot to think about, and meal time can be one of the last things on your mind. However, hiring a personal chef can take some of the stress out of meal planning and provide you with the peace of mind that comes with knowing your family is eating healthy, homemade meals. In addition, personal chefs can tailor their menus to meet your unique needs, whether accommodating dietary restrictions or simply preparing your favorite dishes. So hiring a personal chef may be the answer if you’re looking for a way to make mealtime easier when expecting a baby.
