Cooking for Two

Whether you are cooking for two out of a sense of romance or necessity you will find that there are many resources online and off when it comes to finding the perfect combinations for those terrific twosomes. One thing to keep in mind however is that when cooking for two, it is sometimes best if two are doing the cooking. This gives cooking an opportunity to become a communication event rather than a chore.

Despite the fact that there are many resources and recipes available to those that are cooking for two there are also equal occasions to take traditional recipes that are designed to feed four and make them an opportunity to stretch your food dollars even further. By cooking traditional meals for four and feeding a portion you have managed to cook two meals for the time investment of one. It’s a good deal for many, particularly those that do not relish the idea of cooking at all, much less of cooking for two.

Young couples and older couples alike often find that it is easier and almost as inexpensive to hit the fast food or other casual dining establishments than it is to prepare a nice healthy meal for two at home. The one thing they often forget is that cooking for two can be an interesting way to bring a little romance into the evening when done right of course.

Cooking is an art that most people have forgotten as it is also a necessary act unless you wish to live on sushi and raw vegetables. Even in these situations however there is typically some degree of preparation that is involved in the process. Food is beautiful and can be beautifully arranged if you are of the mind to do so. This means that you can spend a great deal of time not only creating new and delicious foods, but also visually appealing food combinations as well.

When cooking for two you will have the most opportunity for experimentation when it comes to food as any other time in your life. You have the option of trying great new cuisines and the knowledge that if you do not like the food, you are not wasting multiple servings. You can try to mix and match flavors and textures. You can make works of art on your plate or go for the guts, gore, and eyeballs galore. Cooking for two opens doors that aren’t necessarily available when cooking for larger crowds with more limiting tastes.

Cooking for two is a great way to get your partner involved in the cooking process as well. When cooking for two you can discover the many great things that you both enjoy and those that aren’t so appealing to one or the other of you. Make sure that when you are cooking for two that you invite an open and honest dialog about the things that you like and dislike about the meals being prepared. This will help you discover things to add to your regular menu as well as things to avoid making a part of your dinner rotation.

Perhaps the greatest thing about cooking for two is the fact that you can afford to enjoy special occasion cuisine more often when you are only feeding two than when you are feeding larger crowds. Bring on the steaks and lobster tail. Learn how to make shrimp scampi and filet mignon. Take the time, when cooking for two, to prepare those dishes that you love most. After all, it is really living when you live to dine rather than when you dine to live.

Cooking for two is so much more than a clich. It is a great way to explore the culinary universe while exposing your palates to some wonderful surprises along the way. The Internet, bookstores, and libraries are filled with books about cooking for two. Take advantage of the opportunity to do just that and you’ll be amazed at the world of flavors you’ve invited into your kitchen.

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Creative Cake Decorating For A Kid’s Birthday

Below are a few birthday cake decorating ideas that will help make your child’s birthday a very memorable occasion.

– Candy Land Cake: Make a standard sheet cake in your child’s favorite flavor, in a rectangular pan. When it is cool, frost it with buttercream frosting in your child’s favorite color. If you can get your hands on a Candy Land game board, you will be able to fashion the cake decorating to resemble the board. You can also go to Candyland.com to see a game board.

The Candy Land game features peppermints, iced gingerbread men, colored gumdrops, licorice sticks, chocolate candies, and circus peanuts. If you can’t find some of these items, You can use construction paper to make them, staple or tape them to a popsicle stick to stand it up in the cake.

– Race car cake: Bake two cakes, one in a loaf cake pan and one in a rectangular pan. Allow the cakes to cool thoroughly. Remove them from the pans, cut the loaf cake in an arch, like the shape of the top of the car. Frost the sheet cake and place the cut loaf cake in the middle, centered to give the cake balance.

Ice the car with a different color icing than you did the cake, red or blue are good racing colors. You should be able to find decorations in the store for this cake. Use your imagination, many times craft stores have some nice decorations. You can either use icing to outline the doors and windows, or string licorice works well for this. Small chocolate doughnuts make a good tires for your race car.

– The Doll Cake: This cake is very popular with young girls who still love to play with dolls. Bake a cake in a metal, oven safe, bowl. When the cake has cooled, turn the cake out, centered, onto a prepared cake board. The widest part of the cake should be on the board.

Use a butter knife to hollow out a spot in the top of the cake for the doll’s legs. Once the doll is inserted, the cake becomes a dress for the doll. Make sure the doll is clean and undressed. Wrap the legs in plastic wrap before placing the doll into the cake, up to her waist. Ice the cake and the top of the doll to make it appear that the doll is fully dressed. You can purchase accents at the supermarket to jazz up the dress.

These cakes are a great idea for children who love different themes, and you have a fondness for cake decorating, These are basic, simple ideas, for a children’s theme party too. You can use the doll cake and have a Barbie theme party, the race car cake to have a Car’s theme party, and of course, you can decorate for the Candy Land party with huge gumdrops and gingerbread men made of construction paper to hang or affix to the walls.

You may also want to include a pinata that goes along with the party theme.

Cake Decorating Themes

Everyone seems to enjoy cakes that are baked at home, it is a wonderful surprise on special occasions. When you are the one bringing the cake, you probably will want the cake decoration to stand out, and look a bit more professional than those you make for your family at home. I have put together a few ideas you may want to try.

Cake Decorating Themes

– Fun and activity: These cakes are full of color and whimsical design. The use of different shapes, Balloons, circles, stars, clouds, and other interesting designs will help to make your cake decorating the talk of the party. With the use of animal crackers, you could make a zoo or farm cake. Your imagination can take you anywhere.

– Say it With Flowers: The use of floral patterns in soft shades, are perfect for cake decorating. The addition of a few green leaves make this type of cake decoration an excellent choice for any special occasion. Flowers are great on wedding cakes, birthday cakes, mothers day cakes, and for other happy celebrations.

– A Little Romance: Romantic cake decorating is perfect for sweethearts day, valentines day, a birthday for a husband or wife, or a wedding anniversary. You can make any color frosting, including the favorite of the person or people you are baking the cake for. You can add hearts, cupids, or anything that will remind the guests what the celebration is about. Use your imagination and make it a little jazzy without going overboard. Just a bit of glitter or candies that sparkle should do the trick.

– “What’s Up Doc”: Younger children (and some that are over 90) love cartoon characters as much as they love cake. This is why it is a great idea to combine both when decorating a cake for the birthday of someone who loves these whimsical critters. You can either draw them in icing and color them in, or use molds and fondant to make the characters. After they are made, they can be colored before they are placed on the cake. So invite Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Taz, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Garfield, Donald Duck, or any of the many cartoon characters that have stolen our hearts and funny bones, and are doing the same to our children, to the party.

There are some supplies that are essential when you are thinking about cake decorating, these are:

– A professional icing smoother or thin metal spatula. This tool will help you to cover your decorated cake with an even layer of icing, and to make the frosting very smooth so that it can be decorated. This will make the cake look as if a pro did it.

– The use of decoration Molds is a very easy way to make figures and objects to use in cake decorating. You will probably want to start with the basic shapes like circles, squares, or triangles, until you are sure of how to perfect the process. You can move from that to flowers, numbers, and characters. Some molds also have text so you can add a message.

– Icing bags are an absolute essential if you want to do any type of cake decorating. Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to use it as you would an ink pen, except it is held with both hands. One hand is used to apply steady pressure on the upper part of the bag, while the other guides the tip to make the decorations.

– The use of frosting flowers that are already made for you is a less time consuming way to add beauty to your cake decorating.

– Edible glitter and colorful sprinkles are a great way to spruce up your cake decorating design. These small additions could be just the thing to give your cake that finishing touch.

– Edible color sprays are quite easy to use, especially when you are using a template. It can be the difference between a cake decoration that is blah, to one that has everyone complimenting you on your artistic ability.

– You can also print out edible photographs of the graduate, that fish that almost got away, or a wedding photo of the bride and groom, the way they looked when they were married to place on their 50th anniversary cake. The paper these edible images are printed on is also edible, so you can place the whole thing on the cake.

A cake stand will make your creation stand out, especially a glass stand.

Cake Decorating – How To Apply Edible Cake Art

There are many edible cake art images available for cake decorating, that will make your cakes stand alone in excellence. You must follow the directions carefully for best result and ease in application.

Tips to Apply Edible Cake Art:

– Make sure you have clean, dry hands before touching the image. If you are working with a frozen cake, let it thaw a bit before applying the icing. Edible Image(r) cake decorations need a bit of moisture to blend into the icing.

– If the cake is dry, spray it with a light mist of water, brush on light syrup, or add a thin layer of icing before you apply the image so it will stick to the cake. If your cake is moist, don’t add water or moisture to the cake. Too much water will cause the colors to run.

– Once the image is applied, it cannot be removed or moved. Know exactly where you plan to place the image. Using care apply the image to your cake, face up. Once the image has been applied, tap the image down gently with your fingertips. Start from the center of the image and work toward the edges.

– If the image should become moist or hard to remove from the backing, it can be placed in the freezer for a couple of minutes, the image should peel off easily.

– If the image should bubble after it is applied, gently tap and DO NOT RUB the image. If the cake is still frozen after application, it should be placed in the refrigerator to thaw slowly. Avoid exposing the image to ultraviolet light. The image may fade over time, as with any food coloring.

– If the image bubbles during freezing, again you can gently tap the image.

Handling and Storage of the Image

– Edible Image(r) decorations should be stored in the silver bag it came in, and kept in a cool, dry place.

– Make sure to reseal the original bag after you remove an image.

– You will need to use the image immediately after it is removed from the bag.

– Once you have finished decorating with Edible Image(r) decorations. You can store your product as you normally would. The images are freezer, shelf, and refrigerator friendly.

How to apply the Images to other products

– Ice Cream: To apply the image to a cake frosted with ice cream or non-dairy whipped topping, do not add any additional water. If you are applying the image directly on ice cream, you should let the ice cream melt just a bit before application. When you are working with soft serve ice cream, you will get better results if you apply the image while the ice cream is soft and then freeze it.
Buttercream icing

* Apply the image immediately after icing the cake. Buttercream will form a crust about an hour after they have been applied. If this has happened, spray the icing with a fine mist of water before you apply the image.

Frozen Cakes

– Thaw a bit before icing to avoid cracks forming in the cake, then you can apply the image. If the decorated cake is frozen, you will need to let it thaw slowly in the refrigerator, uncovered, so the cake will not sweat and the colors will stay true.

Royal Icing

– Make sure you add a good mist of water over a cake iced with royal icing before you apply the image

Non Dairy Whipped Topping

– When working with this medium, do not add any extra water before you apply the image. Keep the finished cake in the refrigerator to maintain the integrity of the image and the topping.

Rolled Fondant or Sugar Paste

– When placing an image over sugar paste or fondant, plan where you will put the image. With a small paintbrush, apply a good amount of plain water. Brush water only where the image will be. Any water outside the image will leave a mark on the fondant or sugar paste. Although you must be sure to apply enough water, or the image will not stick.

– Edges can be tapped down with a very small, slightly moist paintbrush.

Poured White Chocolate, or other poured icings

– Apply the image while the icing is wet. Be sure your cake is on a flat surface or the image may slide.
Standard Instruction for Application

– Remove the Edible Image(r) from the sheet just prior to application.

– If there are still images in the bag, reseal it immediately.

– Remove the image from the backing sheet by gently placing it on a table edge, (facing up) and rolling the backing sheet over the table edge. This will loosen the image so that it can be carefully peeled from the backing.

Tips for Choosing a Coffee Maker

Coffee makers have come a long way. From yesterday’s cowboy pots boiling coffee over the coals to today’s sleek gourmet brewers, there’s a coffee maker to fit every taste, every lifestyle, every budget and every counter space. So where do you begin finding the coffee maker of your dreams?

Before you head for the appliance aisle at your favorite store, do a little homework. Consider what kind of coffee you prefer, how often you drink coffee, how much space you have for a coffee maker, how much you can afford to spend on a coffee maker. These are the issues involved in deciding whether to purchase an espresso or a non-espresso coffee maker.
Choosing a Coffee Maker: Espresso or No Espresso

Espresso coffee makers are fancy. They cost more than other coffee makers (some cost thousands of dollars) and make a variety of coffee types including cappuccino and lattes. Espresso machines often make only one cup of coffee at a time and require cleaning after each cup. The coffee is stronger than that brewed by other means.

True coffee aficionados often prefer to use the espresso coffee maker, especially the super automated models that do everything from grinding the coffee to pouring it into the cup.

Typical coffee drinkers who prefer to have a pot of coffee available at all times and aren’t interested in lattes or other versions of coffee tend to prefer non-espresso coffee makers. Non-espresso coffee makers work well for people who like to start the coffee brewing and go on about their usual activities while it brews. They buy coffee already ground and don’t bother with beans or grinding.

For coffee drinkers needing large quantities of coffee, non-espresso is the way to go. Large percolator type coffee urns can be used to make more than a hundred cups of coffee at one time.

They also prefer returning to the coffee pot time after time and refilling their coffee cup over making only a cup at a time. Non-espresso type coffee makers are much less expensive than espresso machines.

Choosing a Coffee Maker: Non-Espresso

These coffee makers are available in drip, French press and combination models. Drip machines often make 6 to 10 cups of coffee at a time. For those who need a lesser quantity, it’s better to buy a model that makes 4 cups (or less) at a time. Drip coffee makers are inexpensive and easy to use.

There are pod coffee makers available which use single serving pods to brew coffee. Pod coffee makers can be inexpensive but the coffee itself costs more than standard cans of pre-ground coffee.
French Press coffee makers are great for a few cups of coffee at a time. Combination coffee makes featuring both espresso and non-espresso coffee makers in one machine are also available. These machines give coffee drinkers the best of both worlds.

Choosing a Coffee Maker: Espresso

Espresso coffee makers come in semi-automatic, fully automatic and super automatic models. These machines make fewer cups at a time and may require more time and attention that a standard drip coffee maker.

The more automated an espresso coffee maker is, the more features it will offer. Some take care of everything from grinding the coffee beans to filling the cup with coffee and ejecting the used coffee grounds.

The more features the espresso coffee maker offers, the higher the price tag attached to it. These coffee makers can cost anywhere from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars.

The first decision to be made in choosing a coffee maker is the need to determine whether an espresso coffee maker or a non-espresso coffee maker is needed. Coffee preferences, budget and quantity of coffee to be made are factors that affect the decision making process.