Cup Cake Jones- We make life sweet

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6 Topics of Conversation for Your Next Dinner Date

November 15, 2021November 15, 2021

I get it!

You feel nervous and anxious because you don’t know the kind of conversation to make to impress someone on your next dinner date.

That’s perfectly understandable and there are so many people in the same shoes as yours!

First off, do not overthink. Let the conversation flow naturally and you’ll be just fine.

To save you from awkwardness, here are six interesting topics of conversation during a dinner date:

#1 Favorite Movie and TV Shows

You won’t run out of things to talk about if the subject is all about movies and TV shows. With this in mind, you can both compare notes about must-see movies and TV shows. You can also discuss what’s binge-worthy or not. These types of conversations can definitely maintain the flow of conversation and will not bore the person you’re dating.

#2 Hobbies

Talking about hobbies that interest you is another interesting point of conversation. It’s also an opportunity for you to invite your date to join you in your hobby. Talking about hobbies is an effective way to get to know and connect with your date better. That said, you’ll learn about their preferences and gauge how much time they spent on their hobbies.

#3 Music

You can easily tell someone’s personality by listening to the music that they like. So, if you’re really interested in getting to know your date better, talk about music. Who knows? You might have been at the same festival a while back! Besides, it’s also an opportunity for you to expand your music repertoire.

#4 Travel

Did you just take a trip to Paris? Are you hoping to travel the world someday? Travel is one of the top topics of conversations for first dinner dates. It allows you to share stories (good and bad) and discover new places to explore. Also, while sharing travel ideas, you’ll learn about possible compatibilities with your date.

#5 Food

Food is something that you can casually bring up while having dinner. Discussing your favorite places to eat opens the possibility of second dates and so on. You can open up about your favorite restaurants in the area and the best places to grab a bite any time of the day.

#6 Ambitions

As the conversations go deeper, you can get more personal by discussing ambitions and life goals. You can candidly mention your hopes, desires, and goals over dinner. The key is to share with your date what you want to accomplish for him/her to learn about your priorities in life.

What should you not discuss during dinner dates?

Politics and religion are the top two things that you shouldn’t discuss while on a dinner date.

We all have strong beliefs and opinions about politics and religion and it’s easy to get overexcited and judgmental if it’s brought up.

Of course, you want to get to know your date better but wait, for second or third dates before opening up about your views on politics and religion.

One more thing…

If you’re into the question game, avoid the embarrassing never have I ever questions to avoid awkwardness.

Some Tips on How to Keep the Conversation Going While on a Dinner Date

Here are a few tips on how you can keep the conversation on your next dinner date:

Go for open-ended questions.
Use the Inquire Follow Relate (IFR) method.
Do not ask too many questions in a row.
Find something to talk about that interests you and your date.
Speak your mind.

Key Takeaway

There are moments when it’s really hard to calm your nerves while on a dinner due to the fear of not knowing what to talk about.

However, you shouldn’t as there are various things to talk about. All you have to do is find a mutually interesting topic for you and your date.

The most important thing is that you stay true to yourself and are honest and sincere about everything that you bring to the table.

Honesty and sincerity are two things that will definitely impress your date. Keep these two things in mind, and voila, expect more upcoming dates!

Stay calm and enjoy your dinner date!

A Guide to the Different Type of Grills Available

September 16, 2021September 13, 2021

BBQ season is coming to a close, for some of us the last BBQ season was an absolute success, but for others, we were a bit out of practice and so did not perform as well as we would have liked to. You may be thinking up a game plan for the next BBQ season, which consists of new tools, a new apron and even a brand-new grill. If you are taking this seriously, then you may be doing a lot of research into which grill will deliver the best-finished product.

We understand that BBQing can be serious business and picking the correct grill is very important. Before you can choose which grill you want to use, you first must understand the differences between all of the grills that are available to purchase. Here is a guide to the different types of grills available.

Charcoal Grills

The grill that you are probably more familiar with is the charcoal grill. This is what most people use at BBQs, and they come in many different forms. You can get them in a pit form which is one of the most classical ways of cooking your food, or you can get it in a tray form which has more equally distributed heat.

People tend to love this form of grill due to the flavor that it adds to the food that everyone associated with BBQs. However, these grills have started to fall out of fashion due to the damage that burning coal can cause to the environment. Cooking on a coal grill can also mean that you are breathing in a lot of smoke, which can make you feel very unwell.

Gas Grills

Gas grills are growing in popularity due to how affordable they are to run. Gas grills can be run by simply using a propane tank or another source of natural gas, depending on what you favor. Many people love to use gas grills due to how clean the cooking process is in comparison to coal grills. Gas grills don’t make a lot of the nasty smoke that everyone hates, and you also do not need to clean up burned coals after you have used them.

They are also very easy to light, which you may be looking for if you are sick of trying to get your coals lit, only to have to wait over ten minutes for your coals to turn white. Gas grills are also a lot better for the environment, which makes them appealing to those who care about doing their part for the planet.

Electric Grills

Electric grills have a big fan base due to how convenient they are. You don’t have to worry about waiting for your grill to heat up and you also don’t need to do anything more than switch it on.

Some people do not enjoy using electric grills as it does not have the authentic taste that you expect when you are eating a BBQ. These BBQs are also much more susceptible to rain damage during the other months of the year, which can be annoying if you have nowhere that you can store your BBQ.

Hybrid

If you are someone that loves the authentic taste that you can get from using charcoal to cook your food and you adore the convenience of a propane grill, then you must invest in a hybrid grill. A hybrid grill gets its name because it is designed to use bother charcoal and propane.

Charcoal grilling can be great for anyone that loves the taste of flame-grilled food but does not always have charcoal within the home. Sometimes it is nice to have a last-minute BBQ when you are cooking up a meal for your loved ones. However, it can be difficult to be spontaneous when you are so dependent on using charcoal, which is why being able to flip on your gas grill is so convenient.

Owning a hybrid grill can make your life a lot easier and it adds to the convenience of cooking. Now that you know all of the benefits of using a hybrid grill, then you may be wondering whether or not you should get one for yourself. There are plenty of reviews that you can use online that will help you determine which hybrid grill you should choose and so you will have no excuse not to be ready for the next BBQ season.

7 Interesting Ways to Spice up your Recipes

September 2, 2021

If you are someone that is well into adulthood, then you may have noticed that you have picked up a couple of habits when it comes to the foods that you cook. It is often hard to think of new meals to make and so you end up in a cycle of making the same dishes that are tried and tested. If you are someone that has noticed that you tend to reach for the same meals quite often, then you may be looking for ways to spice up the way you eat. Here are 7 ways you can spice up your recipes.

Mix Salty and Sweet

If you are wanting to change up the way you cook, one of the best recommendations that we could make for you is to try and mix up salty and sweet to make a delicious dish. Many people choose to leave the two foods separately, but mixing salty and sweet can actually make some pretty tasty meals. We recommend putting together some bacon pancakes, as they are the best example of a salty and sweet flavor combination.

Introduce CBD to your meals

If you are someone that has a particularly high-paced life and you want a meal that will relax you and settle you in for the night, we recommend that you try and add cbd oil into the meals that you know and love. CBD oil has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety while giving none of the negative side effects associated with THC. Nothing sounds better than a tasty meal that can also help manage any stress that you may be feeling, so be sure to give it a try.

Have country-themed nights

If you are someone that is struggling to think up meal ideas during the week, we recommend that you set aside days that are dedicated to a certain country’s cuisine. This is a great way to think up some meals that you may not have eaten before and also try some food that you may not have tried before. If you go to your local supermarket, it is usually split up by aisles based on a particular nation’s food.

Buy a spice rack

If you feel like the food that you regularly make food that has a particular taste, then we recommend purchasing a spice rack. Having access to a selection of different spices can completely transform your meals and you can use your spice rack to improve the flavor of meals that you know and love, so even if you don’t feel like trying anything new, you will have a bit of selection.

Try vegan/ vegetarian night

A great way to really test out your culinary skills is by challenging yourself to make a meal without any meat in it. It can be easy to get lazy and depend on meat to put together a full meal. Trying to make a meal without any meat will make you challenge yourself and allow you to discover what flavors you can produce from using ingredients that you may not usually make the focus of your meals. Eating food without meat may also mean you can eat a bit healthier, which is always good.

Grow your own ingredients

We recommend that you try growing your own ingredients. This will mean that you have a source of fresh produce, which means that you will be eating much healthier. It also feels much more rewarding to eat food that you have grown by yourself and so all of the meals that you eat will feel more exciting to create, as you have created it from something that you have put the work into growing.

Buy a cookbook

The best way to spice up the way that you are eating is by buying a cookbook. It can be difficult to think up brand new recipes and sometimes we all need a little inspiration in order to help us decide what to cook. You can buy a cookbook from several places and they are very easy to source online. If you are looking for a specific type of cuisine to cook, you will be glad to know that you can purchase cookbooks under specific recipes. If you have no idea what you want to cook, you can also get books that are full of random recipes.

Opening Night: How to Host the Perfect Restaurant Grand-Opening

July 12, 2021

If you are someone that has been planning the opening of your restaurant for some time, you may be overwhelmed. Opening up a restaurant takes a lot of intense planning and sometimes it is easy to forget that in order to truly introduce your restaurant to the world, you need to host a grand opening.

Though you may feel confident when it comes to operating your restaurant, hosting a grand opening event is a brand new ordeal altogether. Hosting a successful restaurant grand opening requires intense planning, so there is no wonder why the prospect of doing so is so intimidating.

If you have found yourself in a situation where you have an upcoming grand opening and you are not quite sure whether or not you are properly prepared, here is our advice on how to host the perfect restaurant grand opening.

Make sure that you have guests

A very common mistake that people make when hosting their first restaurant grand opening is not inviting guests. People tend to think that they can advertise the grand opening and people will just come, but that really isn’t the case. If you don’t have an established business, then it is likely that you will not have a large following and so the likelihood of getting a good turnout from a general advertisement is very slim.

The best way to ensure that your restaurant’s grand opening has a lot of guests is by personally inviting people. If you really want to bring some attention to your opening, you could even invite some local celebrities or the mayor of your town. However, if you don’t have the desire to have celebrities at your event, then you could invite friends or local business owners.

Inviting local business owners means that you can get to know the competition and even make some friends, as you never know when you may need to borrow something or ask for a favor.

Get some publicity

What is the point in having a grand opening if it is not going to get any attention? We recommend that you contact your local newspaper or even buy exclusive leads on local bloggers that can document your grand opening. Having some publicity will make people want to visit your restaurant once it is officially open. If you get the right publicity, you can also let people know what you may be selling and what atmosphere you have to offer. This is something that people are not usually aware of until they actually get to your restaurant, so being able to inform them of this information beforehand will only benefit your business.

Make sure that your staff are properly trained

Your restaurant grand opening is the first chance that you get to make a real impression on potential customers. For this reason, it is essential to make sure that your staff is properly trained before your opening event.

We recommend that you employ staff that has at least two years of restaurant experience, this way you will not have to worry too much about them making mistakes and you can instead focus on ensuring that the rest of your opening goes to plan. If you are someone that is new to the restaurant world, then having workers with a lot of experience will also make sure that you feel comfortable.

Offer an opening event deal

If you are worried about your opening event not having enough attention, then we recommend that you offer a one-time deal. Offering a great opening deal will make people much more likely to come and try out your food. Though you will not be making as much money, this will really give you the chance to get your brand out there and even pick up customers that will keep coming back if they like what you have to offer.

When offering a grand opening deal, be sure to check that you are not underselling yourself as you still need to make some sort of profit in order to be successful. Be sure to work out all of your finances before you advertise the deal, just to ensure that you are not losing money.

Food Art: The Restaurants Changing your Ideas on what Food Is

May 7, 2021May 10, 2021

Going out to a restaurant to eat is one of the most popular social times worldwide. Many people hate having to come home and cook one of the same meals that they eat almost every day, eating alone and then having to do their dishes. This is why going out for meals is so popular as not only does it allow you to see loved ones, if you have a busy schedule, you can easily fit it in at your normal dinner time and you know that it’ll taste much nicer than anything you could have made. Food also goes well with drinking, most people who go out for drinks also get food to help line their stomach and it makes the evening more enjoyable. Not only is it the perfect social occasion and pairs perfectly with drinking, but it also pairs perfectly with smoking weed. Most people who smoke weed often will take a hit before their meal as it’ll make their meals taste even more delicious. If people are going to smoke before eating at a restaurant, they usually want to get quite high so they can enjoy the meal as much as possible, however, some people as they’re in public only want to feel a small buzz, to help decide what would be best for you to smoke you can find out if delta 8 thc gets you as high as delta 9 here. Some restaurants take amazing food to a whole new level with food art, it’s changed the game of the food industry and is changing people’s ideas on what food is.

Food Plating

Some restaurants are creating amazing food art. Food art is becoming highly popular as it’s very social media friendly so many people are posting photos of the amazing food art that they’re trying, and the trend is beginning to spread. As restaurants are seeing how popular this trend is more restaurants are playing around with their food plating to try and join in too. Food plating has always been important as presentation is very important when you’re serving a dish at a restaurant, food art is basically a step up from being good at food plating.

Food Art

Food art has always been around, but it has never been as popular as it currently is. Food art can be anything and like real art, some food art is better than others. Some of the first food art dishes that went viral and started this food art trend include sushi donuts, creative coffee ideas include making a leaf out of the foam on the top of your coffee, or for a more advanced idea people made 3D animals out of the foam. The biggest food trend that spread rapidly on social media was the everything is cake trend. People worldwide were adding to this trend by making real-life-looking cakes that were anything from a pair of crocs to toilet rolls to soap, and surprising those watching when these items were cake.

Carlo’s Bakery

Carlo’s Bakery was ahead of the trend when it came to realistic cakes. Carlo’s Bakery is known for creating some amazing cakes, these cakes were so great it even got its own TV show ‘Cake Boss’. The team at Carlo’s Bakery have created some incredible cakes, some of the most popular include a 14-foot-long alligator cake that weighs over 1000 pounds, a 500-pound tank cake, an aquarium cake, a recreation of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in cake, and a realistic roulette board. All of these had in common that it was hard to believe that they were cake at all, but their best cake was their skiing cake, they created a mini mountain of cake with a working ski life, trees, people skiing and every other detail you’d expect to see at a ski slope.

Disney

If you’ve been to any of the Disneyworld’s before then you’ll know that once you step into the magical world of Disney absolutely everything there is Disney-related. The clothes are Disney, the gifts are Disney, the rides and the staff are dressed in Disney. The food here is another type of food art as it is always Disney-themed. It is expected from Disney that they will have put a lot of effort into their food art, with so many menus available in different parks and Disney restaurants and so many Disney movies to base the food off, it’s no surprise they have some of the best food art in the world. As Mickey Mouse is their poster character a lot of their food is based on him and Minnie, this includes Mickey Mouse-shaped cake pops, pizza, ice cream, and waffles. Some of their most creative food art includes their Cheshire Cat Tail and Tigger Tails.

Pokémon

Pokémon is a popular game worldwide and, in several countries, there are Pokémon stores. The biggest Pokémon store is in Tokyo, Japan, as it was created in Japan and Tokyo is their busiest city. The store is so big that it has a restaurant inside and most customers want the full experience and visit the restaurant too. To suit the theme of the store the Pokémon cafe sells amazing Pokémon food art. Their most popular dishes are the Jigglypuff musical cheesecake, the Gastly burger, and the Pikachu latte.

How a Poor Diet Adversely Affects your Skins

January 23, 2021

We spend a lot of time talking about food. We look at recipes and how to improve upon them. We discuss the hottest food trends and best restaurants. But one area we have not touched on enough is how food affects us physically. And we are talking more than just our general energy levels and body fat.

Today we want to look at how a bad diet can cause a number of issues with your skin. This might surprise you, but the food you eat is directly related to the quality and health of your skin. But how are the two connected?

Nutrients

We get most of our needed nutrients from our food. This is a basic bit of information. But it is often overlooked that these nutrients are also responsible for the health and quality of our skin.

Spots are the biggest and most obvious side effect of a poor diet. You may notice that when you start eating a lot of greasy food you tend to break out in spots. This is less to do with ingesting the grease and more to do with the fact that grease can be absorbed in your fingers and skin accidentally.

So while you are eating bits of grease may come into contact with your face and then lead to spots breaking out. Which is a massive annoyance as you all most likely know.

If you do not get enough healthy food in your daily diet you may notice your skin starts to get dry and itchy. This is because the body does not have the necessary ingredients to keep your skin healthy. Did you know that a poor diet can also cause hair loss? This is because your scalp is still affected by anything that affects the skin. And sure, you can rejuvinate your scalp with pep factor or other products, but the damage can have lasting effects on your hair.

Hydration

Doctors and health experts are always banging on about staying hydrated. But that is because people don’t realize just how important it actually is to stay hydrated. Our bodies are 70% water. But this doesn’t mean our bodies produce all that water. Rather it means we need to keep putting more water into our bodies.

Water affects everything from our energy levels to, surprise surprise, our skin condition. Our skin uses the water in our bodies to stay healthy and soft. Without it the skin drys up and starts to crack.

Hydration is a great way to combat bags under your eyes as well. It is why you see people put cucumbers on their eyes. Cucumbers are mostly water. So the skin can directly absorb a lot of nutrient-rich water directly from the slices.

So, if you want to improve the quality of your skins there are a few things you need to be doing. Firstly, you need to drink more water throughout the day. Especially if you are exercising.

Secondly, you need to cut down on greasy food and get more nutrient-rich foods such as fruit, veg or super-foods such as nuts.

Cooking For Your Pets: The Newest Cooking Trend Taking the World By Storm

January 16, 2021January 22, 2021

Lockdown and isolation have done some weird things to us as humans. We have all found ourselves trying any activity to try and fill all of the free time that we now have available and some of these activities have been quite odd. During isolation, we have also had a lot of free time to hang out with those that mean the most to us, our pets.

The internet has gone absolutely crazy with thousands of different trends consisting of activities that we can do with our pets and one of the most popular ones is cooking meals for our dogs.

Now, this doesn’t just mean putting their tinned meat into the oven and adding a bit of garnish, no. Thousands of people have taken the time to make full animal-friendly meals that admittedly look a lot better than the food some of us have been eating during the lockdown.

Where did the Trend Start

Though not one person can take ownership of starting the trend as it is something that has been going on for years. However, Tiktok user MelissaDay is one of the main reasons for the trend’s recent revivals. Like many of us, Melissa was furloughed from her job in advertising and found herself with a lot of free time on her hands. Because of all of this free time and the fact that she lived alone, Melissa decided to purchase two dwarf hamsters to keep her company. She quickly fell in love with these hamsters, named Perky and Percy, and quickly dedicated all of her time to them.

On her Tiktok, Melissa documented her transition from advertiser to dedicated hamster mum. She showed herself completely decking out their cage and building various assault courses for them to compete and exercise on. After creating dozens of assault courses for them to complete, she finally decided it was time to create a treat for them. Her plan was simple, she wanted to treat herself and her hamsters to an identical three-course meal that they could all enjoy.

The product of Melissa’s venture was a lot more appetizing than you would imagine. She made a completely vegetarian three-course meal, consisting of seasoned veggies and even pancakes for dessert. She set up a mini table on top of her own and even had some candles lit for the two, along with some wine and crackers. Perky wasn’t really interested in the event and nibbled every now and again at a cracker, but luckily for Melissa, Percy was around to hoover up any food that Perky didn’t want to eat.

All in all, Melissa thought that the meal was a success and has since started to cook homemade food for her hamster more regularly, sharing her own recipes online.

Not just Hamsters

Of course, after hearing about this, other animal owners had to get involved and there has been an influx of online videos, showing animal owners preparing meals and snacks for their beloved pets.

A real community has really started to grow around the matter and if you look online, you are bound to find recipes that would even be appealing to eat for humans. With this trend, a lot of people have also come to the realization that a lot of the food that they have been feeding their pets is made of low-grade ingredients that could be leading to an increase in obesity and other health issues for the pets and have sworn off ever buying from big-name brands ever again.

There has also been an influx in the creation of companies that make gourmet meals for your pets delivered straight to your door. So, make a comfortable bed for your golden retriever, polish the silverware for your cat, and prime your guinea pig for some wining and dining.

If you want to try some recipes out but don’t like the sound of any of them, don’t worry. You can simply google ingredients that are safe to use for your animal and put your own together. Making up some tasty treats for your pets may also encourage you to get adventurous with your own cooking.