Mari's Cakes PIZZA

Italy has two national dishes that have become an international favorites, pasta and of course pizza. I have read that once you try a real Italian pizza you will never feel the same about this simple and delicious food again. I have had ....

the opportunity of tasting the pizzas of quite a few piazzioli who keep to their homeland traditions and I have to say that the thin and traditional New York pizza is the best, that’s outside of Italy of course!

My husband and I love to make our own pizza because the taste is delicious and incomparable. No delivery or frozen product will ever taste as good as a real homemade pizza. For those days when you are on the run a can not do your own pizza I recommend the following pizzerias which are my favorites: in Mid-Town NY Sbarro's, Lower East- side, Rosario's Pizza, in Massachusetts, Bertucci's and in the Dominican Republic the best pizza is in Pizzarelli.

Today I will share our favorite Pizza Crust Recipe.


Manny’s Herbed Crust Pizza


Ingredients:
3 ¼ cups white flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of herbes Mixture: Rosemary, Thyme, Fennel and Basil
freshly ground pepper
1 package of ¼ oz. of active dry yeast or 0.6 oz. of compressed yeast
1 ¼ cup tepid water
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup of cornmeal to prepare pizza pan

Baking sheet or pizza tray

Preparation:
1. Dried yeast: sprinkle over surface of water and whisk until dissolved
leave mix to rest in a warm place for 10 mins until frothy on surface and doubles in size. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in yeast liquid. Stir in oil.


2. Using floured hands mix together. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 mins until smooth and elastic.


3. Place in a bowl greased with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place for about 1hour or until doubled in size.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and punch down to deflate. Cut in four if making individual thick crust pizzas or roll out completely to form a crust for on large pizza.


5. Transfer prepared crust to a lightly greased and sprinkled with cornmeal baking sheet or pizza pan. Push up the edge a little to form a ridge to retain the filling. Add your pizza sauce, cheese, and favorite toppings. Today I used: corn, onions, peppers, olives, chorizo and chicken.



6. Bake at 425 F for 15 to 20 minutes. Monitor pizza crust, especially the bottom of the crust as it bakes. It will turn brown when it is done, plus the cheese will be melted and brown on top. Remove from the oven and let it cool down for at least five minutes before you attempt to slice it.








To my beloved husband Manny il mio pizzaiolo and the best husband in the whole world,

For all the love you put into making delicious pizzas for me and the girls, we love you with all our hearts. May God Bless you and guide you always.



"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh, So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Matthew 19:5-7 
by Mari Nuñez
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How to make a Basket Weave Decoration on a Cake

Thank you for taking a few moments to leave your comments and for all your compliments regarding the Basket Weave Cake. They are of great motivation for me to continue to share with you what I like and do as hobby....and that is to share my recipes in this Blog. Your visits and comments are always welcome. 


Today I would like to share in a more detailed manner the Basket Weave Technique. I hope to encourage you to do this at home. It was one of the first techniques that I learned and one that I personally love. I hope that this entry would be very helpful, and any suggestion or idea that you can contribute is more then welcome : D 


The size or shape of tips may be changed to suit the style you are trying to achieve. Keep in mind that the smaller the tip, the more work and time it will take to decorate the cake.  The following is only a guide. 

Basket Weave Decorating Tips of Ateco:  (These are double use tips, meaning that you can use either side of these tips to achieve different styles)

# 48 # 46

Note: There are bigger Basket Weave decorating tips like the # 898, # 789 and #790, but the tips I listed above and use for this post are the ones that are used most frequent. 

Start with a cake that has been crumb coated and frosted on top. You would then have to measure and mark the spaces on the cake where you want the row of basket weaves to go. This will ensure that the spacing is right and at even distance. 


You can make the markings with wooden skewer or a decorating spatula. There are no set rules for dividing your cake, do it as you please. For a tighter basket weave make your markings closer together and for a looser weave mark them farther apart. 


For a square or rectangle cake you could us a ruler to make the markings, or eyeball it. For the round cake it is easier to divide in half, then in quarter and so forth. I am sure you can come up with a right way for you. I have learned that "a good decorator makes things aesthetically pleasing and not necessarily perfect".

Option I Basket Weave Technique in a Cake: 
Tips: # 48 and # 46

Above: Tip # 46
Below: I mark spaces with tip # 48 to know where the next line will go.


It is pretty much the same thing over and over again, but alternating the spaces.



Option II Basket Weave Technique in a Cake:
Tips: # 48  and Round Tip # 6






  • You could use tip # 22 to do a Rope o Shell border.
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I would love to hear about your experiences in using this technique and feel free to share photos of your Basket Weave Cake in our group in Facebook. YES yours and mine.

I invite you to visit my other blog, Living in God's Grace.
 
by Mari Nuñez
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Cupcake Bouquet and Vanilla Buttercream


For a while I have wanted to share a beautiful recipe and this one is ideal for flowers lovers. Since May is the month dedicated to all mothers, I thought that it was best to share it at this time. I had a little incident with the tip and that why the roses are not as defined as I would have like them to be, but the idea and love is the same. This Cupcake Bouquet can be done with your favorite cupcake recipe and buttercream. I used light beige colored buttercream because that’s my beloved mother's favorite color in roses. I dedicate this entry to her, for being a very special role model in my life.






Mom,

For all that you have shown me and for always being there for me,

I love you with all my heart.
May God Bless you in many ways.









Recipe for Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter (227 gr)
1 cup of vegetable shortening (I use Crisco) (205 gr)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of vanilla (15 ml)
5 tablespoons ( 75 ml) of milk or cream 
8 cups of confectioners sugar (2lbs.)


Preparation:
1. Cream butter and vegetable shortening at Med-High speed until light and fluffy.

2. Add vanilla and 5 tablespoons os milk or cream.

3. Add sugar alternately on low speed until incorporated then move to high speed. Beat to a spreading consistency.

4. Add more milk or cream if needed until to desired consistency.


Variations to this Buttercream Frosting:

For a pure White  frosting, omit the butter and substitute with vegetable shortening. Use a non-color flavoring extract.

To dilute the consistency, add 2 tablespoons of syrup (light corn syrup), milk or water, and beat. Continue the process until desired consistency.

To thicken add 2 tablespoons of sifted confectioners' sugar and mix. Continue the process until desired consistency.

To make a Fruit Buttercream Frosting: add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of desired fruit chopped into small pieces and mix.

I leave you with this step by step video on how to make a vanilla Buttercream. The recipe varies a bit but the idea is the same. It has been very helpful to me. I hope it is of great help to you.

 
How to make a Cupcake Bouquet

 Materials needed:
  • Sphere of foam or oasis 
  • Pot for plant (I use one of 7 " wide) 
  • 25-30 Cupcakes Amount of cupcakes depends on the size of the sphere.
  • Bamboo sticks,  popsicle sticks broken in half or tooth picks
  • Buttercream for decorating
  • Tip #1m of Wilton or #827 of Ateco 
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks to stick the Styrofoam ball to the pot.
  • Rock or something heavy to put inside the vase and prevent it from tipping over when it is full of decorated cupcakes. 
  • Ribbons and Leaves are optional.
      Need a cupcakes recipe? Click in the Cupcakes recipe of your choice: 

      Vanilla Cupcakes, ~ Chocolate Cupcakes, ~ Red Velvet Cupcakes




      I used Kabobs bamboo sticks for the picture because that's what I had at the moment, but I recommend popsicle sticks because they provide more support.


      The entire bouquet comes out quite heavy, I recommend you assemble at the place the where the bouquet is going to stay, because it is not easy to transport. When you are ready to eat the delicious cupcakes remember to remove them from different areas so that it won't tip over. The weight of the bottom should avoid this, but it is best to be extra careful.

      Would like to see how a cupcake Rose is done?  
      See How to do a:  Cupcake Rose

       




      To all my followers who are Moms, I also dedicate this entry. May the Lord bless you in ways that would make you happy, healthy, wiser, loved and prosper.

      Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. - Titus 2:3-5

      by Mari Nuñez
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