Ingredients:
* 1 pizza crust
* 8 ounces tomato sauce
* 30 ounces black beans — rinsed and drained
* 8 ounces crushed pineapple — drained
* 4 teaspoons lime juice
* 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro — chopped
* 6 ounces mozzarella cheese — shredded
Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F. Bake crust for 5 minutes. Spread tomato sauce over partially baked crust.
Top with the black beans and pineapple. Drizzle the lime juice over the top. Evenly sprinkle the
cilantro and mozzarella cheese on top. Return to the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes or until
edges of crust are turning golden and cheese is melted in the center.
You can make your own crust, use the refrigerated dough, or a pre-made crust like Boboli for this
recipe. If using pre-made, you do not need to partially bake it first unless you want a firmer crust.

 

 

Cake decorating Equipment: When you are decorating for birthdays and the holidays, you don’t need every cake decorating tool out there, but you do need a few basics. The following are a must for cake decorating.

- Rubber Spatulas: These spatulas are made of flexible material and they are the best for scraping cake and frosting bowls.

- Metal Spatulas: Every cake decorator needs one large and one small angled spatula to spread and smooth frosting on your cake. To keep your cake from crumbling, use the small metal spatula to carefully spread a thin layer of frosting on the cake. This is followed by a normal layer of frosting.

- Piping Bags: You can purchase reusable 8 inch, 12 inch, and 18 inch bags, or disposable plastic bags, for cake decorating. Zip-lock bags will work in a pinch.

- Couplers: Coupling nozzles are needed to hold the icing tips in the bag. They allow you to change tips when you need to.

- Food coloring paste, gel, or powder: These food colorings are more concentrated than liquid, and they will not thin the icing.

Important tips for cake decorating

1. All ingredients should be at room temperature, as they will mix much better than when they are cold.

2. Always use and electric beater when mixing the cake. You will have less lumps than if you beat it by hand.

3. You really need a wire rack to invert and cool your cakes.

4. Trim your cake so it will sit flat. Never use this part of the cake as the top, always use the smoother side of the cake to decorate with icing.

5. To reduce crumbling, bake your cake the day before you will be decorating it and place it in the freezer until you are ready to frost it. When you take it out frost it right away.

6. You can purchase cake boards from any hobby or cake decorating shop. You can also cover a large piece of stiff cardboard with colored foil and use that instead.

7. A great icing for cake decorating is Butter Cream, especially for a child’s birthday cake.

8. Cut strips of waxed paper and place them under the unfrosted cake. When you are done with your cake decorating they will pull out easily and the cake board will not be smeared.

These are the basic tools that everyone needs for cake decorating. The tips given are meant to make it a bit easier to ice your child’s birthday cake. It doesn’t matter whether you have decorated a cake before, there are many sites on the internet that will give you ideas for cake decorating. And others that will take you step-by-step through the decorating project.

My advice is to gather as many useful tips that you can and keep them in a little booklet. When you run into a problem, you can consult the book. I know that anyone who has a desire to learn cake decoration, can do so just by visiting the various sites that are available to show you how to go about cake decorating.

There are thousands of options available to you when you are purchasing your first grill. It may seem overwhelming, but knowing the difference it each type of grill will help you may an easier decision.

Charcoal Grills

 

Charcoal requires you to buy charcoal and lighter fluid each time you cook with it. It must also be cleaned out each time.

Propane Grills

Propane grills use propane gas to cook your food. If you want to quickly cook foods while still maintaining a grilled flavor, you may want to consider Propane grills.

Natural gas grills are a little more complicated then smaller grills, so they require more room. Natural gas grills are meant to hook up directly to your home’s natural gas line, and can cook meat in record time.

Smoker Grills are used when flavor is the number one priority. Smoker grills use wood to slow cook your meat. Flavor can be controlled by using different types of woods.
Things To Consider When Purchasing Your First Grill

Cost

If you are looking for a cheaper grill, then you should probably consider a charcoal grill.  While larger charcoal grills are available, smaller grills can be purchased for as little as $10 to $15 at your local department store. Propane grills are slightly more expensive, starting around $100 dollars. A smoker grill is slightly more expensive then a propane grill at about $130 each. Natural gas grills on the higher end of cost. Typically these types of grills start at about $300. Multiple fuel grills are the most expensive at about $450 and up. Multiple fuel grills allow you to grill using one or a combination of fuels.

If you are concerned with flavor, you first choice should be a charcoal or smoker grill. Both of these grills allow you to replicate a true “smoked” flavor. Smokers are especially nice because you can also control the flavor by changing the type of wood or wood chips you use. This is good if you are wanting to slow cook your meat. If you are wanting to cook something a little quicker, you may want to stick with the charcoal grill. A Charcoal grill will cook quickly if you want it too, and it will still provide a good “smoked” taste. 

Space

Finally, the space you have available should be a consideration. When you grill is not in use, you must have a proper place to store it. Charcoal and Propane grills are ideal for smaller areas such as apartments and city homes. If you have a large amount of space available, then you may want to consider the larger options.

If you want to become a master at cake decorating, you will need training and practice. Once you have mastered cake decorating you could become famous in the cake making industry. If you are a creative person you could go far when it comes to cake decorating. Even a person who is new to cake decorating you want your cake to look beautiful. My mother just made a cake and frosted it, she may have added sprinkles, and she wrote a happy birthday message with icing. Those were our cakes, they may not have been well decorated, but they were tasty. This article will give you ideas and tips to make your cake look much better than Mom used to make. When you make the cake, be sure that the batter is level in the pan before you place it in the oven. Check the cake at 20 minute intervals to make sure the cake is baking evenly, if you find one side of the cake is higher than the other, you should turn the pan around so it will rise evenly. If you find that your cake baked with one side higher, use a knife to even it. You should do this while the cake is warm. The cake should be cooled for at least a day before you even think about starting any cake decorating. The outside of the cake could feel cool, but the middle of the cake may stay warm for hours.

Frosting the cake before it is completely cool can ruin your decorating. After the cake has cooled, turn it upside down on a cake board, you will have less crumbs this way. To avoid crumbs all together put a thin layer of icing on the cake. Once you have covered the cake with a thin layer of frosting, you can cover that layer with a normal layer of icing. Make sure the icing is smooth and even. You can dip your metal icing spatula in cold water and go over the icing, this will smooth the icing beautifully. Icing is the most important ingredient in cake decorating. The icing should be quite stiff, if it is too stiff to work with you can always thin it out. When you are making the frosting, make a good amount. You will need it for other decorations on the cake. Make sure you have plenty of food coloring, as you will need it to color the icing for different cake decorations. When you are ready to start decorating your cake you will need a few pieces of equipment. You will need more than one pastry bag, and the icing tips you will be using for the decorating you want to do. These items can be bought at craft stores and cake decorating supply store. To start with, choose the tip you will be using first. Hold the pastry bag with the hole down and place the tip inside, as far as possible. You should use about a cup of icing in the bag at a time, and start it out in a bowl, that way you can thin the icing with a little milk if you need to, before you put it in the icing bag. The icing should be thin enough to go through the tip, but thick enough to make the designs you choose.

If you are still a novice at cake decorating, you should practice making the decorations on waxed paper before you attempt to put them on the cake. When you are ready to ice the cake, you will need to hold the bag with both hands and apply steady pressure. Applying a steady pressure assures that the icing the icing will come out in an even strip. Unless you are making a long strip of piping, you should place the bag closely over the cake start squeezing and count to three, then stop squeezing and lift the tip up and away from the cake. If this decoration looks the way you want it to, move on to the next one, if it isn’t quite right, keep practicing until you get it. If the cake decoration stays in the shape you intended, then you have the frosting at the right consistency. If it does not hold together, the icing is too thin, and if it was hard to push it through the tip or the cake decoration cracks, the frosting is too thick. You can get a list of the equipment needed for cake decorating before you start. The list can be found in craft store or pastry supply. The basics are Several pastry bags, icing tips, a coupler to hold the tips in the bag. You will find a cake stand would be a big help, as it swivels so you can frost all sides of the cake, and bring the cake up and closer to you. You should also have several sizes of cake pans, a rubber spatula, a short and a long metal cake icing spatula, a sharp knife, and a baking tray. These are the essentials. Although cake decorating can be frustrating at times, it can also be very rewarding when you realize the beautiful cake on that stand is something that you created. With a bit of patience and a can do attitude, you will become and accomplished cake decorator.

 

Everybody loves to Grill or Barbequing, it is a very fun way of cooking. Many people are new to grilling and find it hard to grill for the first time. Good experiences with grilling foods will surely lead to using your grill more frequently.
Here are my tips for first time grillers.

Planning Ahead

Planning ahead is a must. Perhaps one of the main memories attached to a family barbeque is what was on the menu that day.Barbequing covers a wide variations or types of foods available like fish, shrimps, pork, chicken, beef and many more. The type of foods you serve should cater the crowd depending on the event you are celebrating. With the wide range of possibilities, Surely you will at least a few items that will make your crowd happy.

When planning bear in mind the issue of weather.While you will not be able to guarantee that the weather stays nice your barbeque event, a certain amount of planning will help you avoid the days in which barbequing is not suitable for you event. Watch the weather channel or constanly check online for your weekly weather forecast.

Make sure that you prepare ahead for your barbeque this is a crucial step for those first timers. hours before begin the party, make sure to prepare all the stuffs needed to be grilled. Thaw, prepare, and marinate the meat you will be cooking. Once you have the meat stored away, soaking up the marinate, Start thinking about what types of side dishes you will adding to your barbeque. If you want a completely tradition barbeque, you may want to stick with traditional sizes. Traditional barbeque sides include potato salad, baked beans, potatoes, and coleslaw.

Maintenance

This are the items needed when it comes time to
cleaning your barbeque grill.

Brass wire grill brush
Spray cooking oil
Dry baking soda
Aluminum foil
Sponge or dishcloth
Steel wool pads, preferably that contains soap already.
Mild dish soap

The first thing that should always be done to your grill is a routine brushing. Using your brass wire grill brush, you should brush off all the surfaces. By brushing your barbeque grill, this will prevent any type of buildup. If buildup from food is left to long, it becomes difficult to remove. Once you have cleaned the surfaces of your grill, then you must focus on its racks. The racks in your grill are especially important as this is where the food touches when it is cooking. You will have to use the wire brush to remove as much buildup as possible, clean all those sticky buildup and start washing the racks with dish soap. If the racks are really dirty, you may also want to use the steel wool pads. Be sure to rinse off all soap and residue before cooking on these racks again.

This process should be completed each and every time you cook on your barbeque grill. If these steps are not taken, you may find it increasingly difficult to clean your grill, and may find that damage will occur the next time you’ll use it.

The majority of problems that arise from barbeque grills comes from lack of cleaning and maintenance. That means if you notice something does not seem quite right with your barbeque grill, chances are it can be fixed with just a simple cleaning.

Finally, one method of preventing problems with your barbeque grill is protecting it from the outdoors. Covers are available for grills in all shapes and sizes, so chances are, you will find one that fits your grill. If you have a cover for your barbeque grill, then all you will ever need to do is do the regular maintenance listed above.

And thats it. Following this simple steps will surely help you with your barbeque business. Even when your a first-timer of an expert, all you need to do is to do a regular maintenance. Did I miss something? Share your tips here.

Working from home is less hassle rather than working outside. Also, working from home is a lot more cheaper because you don’t need to commute or buy any outfit to go out into the public. The list below shows some ideas to help you start and succeed in a home based cake decorating business.

• Find a Unique Way to Sell Your Cakes - Your customer is the best priority.Think about why people should come to you for their cakes instead of going to other places like bakery. Do your cakes taste better, are they more attractive, do you offer a different style of cakes, or do you provide better service (drop off cakes on the special day)?  Once they see the beautiful work you do, they will spread the great news! that you bake the best cake in town! surely you will be able to get more business after that.

• Advertise in newspapers and shoppers - Make sure to advertise your business. You should take out a larger ad the month of May for graduation, in May and June for weddings, or when a big event is going to take place like Christmas, Halloween, Mother’s day etc. You can also place ads in the high school paper, or if you have a college nearby, you can advertise in any paper they may have and on the bulletin board in this way you will be able to advertise your business effectively to the students. Before you do think about what discounts or specials you can offer for these events. Make sure you specify that all orders need to be in by a certain date, this could prompt buyers to take action and order from you.

• Press Releases - You should send a press release to local and nearby news papers every time you participate in nonprofit or community events in your town. You should also send a press release if you have anything happen with your business. When you do, be sure to mention everything that makes your business unique. This will be a bit of advertisement along with the announcement. Creating a buzz in the society is very effective for you business.

• Build a Website - You should create a website for your cake decorating business to advertise your business more. Make the site simple,informative and easy to navigate besides your audience are mostly women of all ages. Show samples of your cake decorating skills you may display some pictures of you finished product, and mention how unique your business is, if you are flexible, and what type of cake decorating you do. You may or may not want to put prices on your website, sometimes it is better to have them call you and you can quote them a price, according to their needs. When you advertise, including your web address in your advertising will surely help.

• Look for Distributors - One of the proven way to expand your business is to find other businesses who are willing to advertise your cake decorating business. Restaurants and coffee shops is the best choice. By doing this your business will have more exposure and maybe saving you from having to open a store of your own. In exchange for this service they would receive a commission on each order you receive from their establishment. That’s simple right?

• Offer Free Products, Make your customer happy! - free product for fund raisers, church activities, local events and festivals. Get involved in fund raising for local charities, church, school, and business events. By offering a free cake for these events, you will be gaining a great deal of advertising exposure. Make up brochures and hand them out when you are in attendance. This will boost your business awareness as well.

• Barter with local party and event planners - Having connection is a plus, You can do a bargain with local planners to show your portfolio to their customers. In exchange you can recommend or refer them to your customers. Get included in their list of vendors, and they may hire you making and decorating all of their cakes in the future.

• Referrals - Tell everyone you come into contact with about your business. Carry business cards with all of your information on it all the time. Give them 2 or 3 cards and ask them to pass them along to others who might be interested in using your talents. You should also ask customers for referrals. Offer them a discount on their next cake if they can drum up new business for you.

Working at home is really convenient and there are a lot of ways on how to be successful in running a cake decorating business at home. Do you have something to share? What are your tips?

 

3 c. sugar
2 sticks margarine
1/2 c. Crisco
6 eggs
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
4 tsp. butternut vanilla flavoring
Nuts
Cream together sugar, margarine and Crisco until very smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each. Next add flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt
alternating with 1 cup of milk, ending with flour. Fold in flavoring and nuts by hand. Pour into greased tube pan. Put in cold oven and set temperature at 325 degrees. Bake 1 hour and 45 minutes. Do not open oven door during baking. Remove from pan immediately.

 

 Here’s a simple recipe on how to make a simple Brew Burgers! enjoy.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb ground Beef
4 slices (1/2") sweet onion
4 slices (1 oz each) Swiss cheese
4 crusty white or whole wheat rolls, split
- Lettuce Brew Sauce:
- Brew Sauce:
1/4 cup beer
1/4 cup prepared steak sauce
Servings: 4
Instructions:
1. In 1-cup glass measure, combine sauce ingredients. Cover and microwave on HIGH 1 to 1-1/2
minutes or until bubbly; set aside. 2. Lightly shape ground Beef into four 3/4"-thick patties. Place
patties and onion on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, uncovered, 13 to 15 minutes or
until centers of patties are no longer pink and onions are tender, turning occasionally. Season
burgers with salt if desired, after turning. Approx. 2 minutes before burgers are done, brush
generously with sauce; top with cheese. 3. Line bottom of each roll with lettuce; top with burger,
onion and sauce. Close sandwiches.

12 slices thin bread, trimmed
and buttered
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) crabmeat
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound cheese, grated
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Place six slices bread, butter side up, in casserole. Spread crabmeat over; add 6 more slices
bread, butter side up. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Mix eggs, seasonings and milk together and
pour carefully over bread. Cover and place in refrigerator several hours or overnight. Bake 45
minutes at 325 degrees F.
Serves 8 to 10.

12 slices bread
6 slices American cheese
Butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk    

Procedure:        
Cut off crusts and spread bread with butter. Place cheese between 2 slices. Place sandwiches
side by side in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Beat eggs with milk. Pour over sandwiches and let
stand for 1 hour or overnight. Bake 1/2 hour at 350 degrees F.
Serve with cream of mushroom soup slightly diluted with milk poured over the top and warmed