Delicious Strawberry Cake

When there is an occasion, one of the foods that one should not go without is the cake. Everybody loves cake. However, each of us has his own preference on what cake do we want. Most love chocolate cakes, others prefer fruit cakes like strawberry, and even others chose to be vegetarian like a carrot cake. If you love cakes, you should also want to learn how to bake it. Baking cake can be frightening at the first, however, when you thought about eating your most favorite and learning how to bake it, it can be an exciting and thrilling activity. If you are still afraid yet and want to learn baking, you can still bake cake at cooking games. Prepare your spatula, cooking oven and creams!

Cooking games can be very exciting once you put your heart into it. Aside from baking your favorite cake, you can also learn how to cook burger, garnish salad, and make lasagna and other recipes. Now let us decide on what cake would you like to bake. Let us try the classy and sophisticated strawberry cake. Savor the creamy and fruity cake and feel the delight with every bite!

The key to a delicious cake is the softness of the cake and the sweetness of the frosting. Before we start with the cake, let us make the whipped strawberry butter. Place one cup butter and 1/3 cup of strawberry jam in a bowl. Add some salt and one teaspoon orange zest. Whip all the ingredients until it is light and fluffy. Set aside.

Prepare two cups of white sugar, 1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin, 1 cup butter, softened, 4 eggs (room temperature), 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup whole milk, room temperature, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and 1/2 cup strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries.

For the directions, you should preheat the oven into 350 degree Fahrenheit. While waiting, grease and flour the round cake pans. After it, mix together in a large bowl the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Then beat the eggs and mix well. Pour the flour and baking powder and stir into the batter with the milk. Mix in vanilla and strawberry puree and place in the baking pan. It is then the time that you bake it at the preheated oven.

In the real kitchen, you have to prepare the cake for 10 minutes, bake the cake for 30 minutes and give cooling time. At cooking games, you can bake the cake in just a few seconds and you will have the cake that you want. Add some frosting to the cake after you cook it. You can decorate it with other confectionaries or put some fresh strawberries on top of it. Be healthy and find excitement while baking your cake online.

by Rowenavic Lopez

Caramel Streusel Topped Apple Pie With Flaky Pie Crust

There may be nothing more American than apple pie but you just haven't had apple pie until you've tried this Caramel Streusel Topped Apple Pie. If you love caramel apples, you just have to try this pie! We have also included a recipe for a flaky crust that is easy and stays flaky. Yes, you, too, can make a good flaky pie crust. Don't let the long name of this delicious pie put you off--it is not hard to make, in fact it is easy.

FLAKY PIE CRUST:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup solid vegetable shortening
4 to 6 tbsp ice water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or two butter knives. Add ice water, tossing with a fork, until mixture comes together; form into a bowl. On a floured surface, roll dough into a 13-inch circle. Place in a 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim the overhang to 1-inch and fold under. Flute the edge. Use with the following pie.

CARAMEL STREUSEL TOPPING:
9 tbsp butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup toffee bits

APPLE FILLING:
6 or 7 Golden Delicious apples
3/4 cup toffee bits
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To make the topping combine butter, flour, sugar, and toffee bits. Form mixture into two balls; refrigerate.

Filling: Cut each of the apples into quarters. Peel and core each quarter, then cut each in half. Toss the apples with the toffee chips, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Spoon the mixture into the crust. Dot with the butter. Remove the topping from the refrigerator and break into pieces over the apples. Bake for 20 minutes. Loosely cover pie with a tent of foil with a quarter-sized hole in the center to allow steam to escape. Bake for 1 hour or until bubbly and crust is golden at 400 degrees.

English Tea - Origin of a Winning Tradition

Whether you are looking forward to a serving of tea at afternoon tea, using English tea can be an fantastically pleasing addition to your party or in some instances even the party itself. Some individuals might think that these two occasions are both one and the same, but as a matter of fact, afternoon tea and high tea rituals are most certainly not the same thing and originate from totally different origins.

In this article we will explore the differences between each kind of traditional English tea ceremony and discuss their origin, traditions, typical time of occasion and original purposes.

Afternoon Tea

The English tea ceremony tradition goes back to the 19th century England and was began by the Duchess of Bedford. These tea times were the first kind of conventional afternoon English tea rituals that actually started as an in-between occasion when lunch was over but dinner still felt like it was a long way off, and there was a desire for something in-between.

The assortment of tea was typically served with a very small meal of bread and butter, and if it wasn't for this afternoon meal, the Duchess along with her high society of lady friends would have had to wait until well after nightfall for the next meal and this little feast satisfied that hungry space in-between.

Since that time and up until this day, the afternoon English tea ritual has truly progressed to incorporate numerous other foods such as pastries and scones, however the timing of the event has consistently remained much the same.

High Tea

The event of a high tea is very often referred to as a similar event just like afternoon tea is, nevertheless they are very different indeed. It's possible high tea sounds like a more proper term, yet this traditional English tea ceremony is in reality the one that was practiced and was started by the common folk back in 19th century England.

The tradition of afternoon tea was already very popular, however the less fortunate people also required a tradition to accompany their tea time. In place of an earlier tea time schedule, their tea time was set aside to happen closer to dinner or sometimes even in place of dinner. In fact, such was the actual origin of the ceremony itself.

This tradition of English tea was somewhat established so that it could take the place of the rather boring and typical meal with an event of celebration as well as enjoyment of tea, and different than the afternoon tea time of the rich, this event happened around dusk and incorporated much more filling foods such as cheese, meat, eggs and similar items. Additionally, both male and female were included in this meal unlike the afternoon tea ceremony.

by: Korbin Newlyn

All About Pizza

The term pizza covers a lot of territory. If you want to learn all about pizzas, then you should have a bit of a background on pizzas: specifically the history of pizza, pizza origin, pizza facts, and even pizza trivia such as who invented pizza. The subject also delves into the different types and styles of pizzas. The varieties currently existing defy any attempts at enumeration. Thus, most people who attempt such a task stop at a broad categorization of pizza types according to certain attributes such as crust thickness, crust elasticity, crust baking and cooking procedures, toppings, etc. Aside from general, historical or trivial information, other things are of interest to the pizza lovers. For instance, homemade pizza enthusiasts would like to know certain tips and tricks for making pizza. This includes pizza making techniques, the best pizza crust recipes, pizza toppings, homemade pizza sauce, etc. Some other interesting topics will be frozen pizza dough and where best to attain them, what are the criteria for choosing the, what are the methods for preparing them, etc.

It must be obvious that this article is a mite ambitious for wishing to tackle something entitled "all about pizza." However, an attempt is definitely warranted, so here goes.

Some pizza facts and trivia

Accounts of pizza history always begin with the origin of pizza. This one might as well follow the same tack. We have to thank any civilization or race that baked flat bread on hot stones or stone ovens for pizza, for almost certainly, bread like the focaccia was the "mother of the pizza crust." However, the invention of the pizza is more properly attributed to the Neapolitans - the people of Naples, Italy who were baking and making pizza crust topped with tomatoes, oil, and Italian herbs, and spices. This rudimentary and traditional Italian pizza was common peasant fare in Naples. If you want an individual originator and inventor of pizzas, however, then you won't be wrong if you cite Rafaelle Esposito - a native of Naples; he modified the basic Neapolitan pizza recipe and came up with three variants that added mozzarella cheese to the rudimentary Italian pizza toppings.

Now, if you are looking for some topics for small conversation, then you must remember the following trivia. One note of caution, though; you shouldn't blurt these out just to anybody or you'll sound decidedly corny and geeky. Make sure you're talking to someone interested in pizzas before you use the following trivia as conversational gambits.

" Most people in the United States love pepperoni; the least liked toppings are anchovies.

" Pizza was called (and is still called) tomato pie and pizza pie in certain parts of the States.

" The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in New York.

" The pizza industry is worth more than 30 billion dollars in the United States alone and Americans consume around three billion units of pizza every year.

" New York pizza is traditionally plain. Supposedly, New York pizza is unique because of the acidity and hardness of the water in New York. New Yorkers therefore claim that only in New York can you make real New York Pizza.

(New Yorkers must admit, however, that if water is the unique characteristic of New York pizzas, one who uses water adjusted for hardness and acidity to reflect New York water conditions, adds all the usual New York pizza ingredients and toppings, follows all the procedures strictly but makes the pizza in New Jersey can conceivably make an authentic, New York style pizza. But such an assertion, some would say, is just plain cheek.)

Pizza types and pizza styles

The first step to a great homemade pizza is determining what type of pizza you wish to make. After all, different types of pizza have different attributes and thus call for different types of pizza base, pizza toppings and cooking techniques. Would you like to make an authentic Italian pizza, a New York style pizza, a California style pizza, or a Chicago style pizza?

Italian pizza is generally lean, although when you add cheese, its fat level generally rises in proportion. There are various kinds of Italian pizza, too. There are Neapolitan pizzas, of which there are two general types: the marinara and the Margherita. There are various combinations of these as well. Authentic Italian pizza, moreover, is supposedly baked on wood-fired or even coal-fired, stone ovens.

New York pizza, as abovementioned, is generally plain. The mainstay of New York pizza is mozzarella cheese - fresh mozzarella cheese to be precise. One can add garlic, different types of cheeses, anchovies, shrimp, etc but these are usually optional. The pizza dough recipe for traditional New York pizza, on the other hand, calls for high-gluten flour. The result is firm, usually thin, chewy pizza.

The California style pizza is generally known for gourmet flavors. You can say the California pizza has countless variations. The pizza crust, in this case, is light, crisp and generally well risen. The toppings can be out of this world - generally California pizza makers experiment a lot with all kinds of meat, sea food, breakfast dishes, and vegetable for the toppings.

The Chicago style pizza, on the other hand, is generally crusty and very filling. They are characterized by their raised edges; imagine a pre-baked apple pie crust where you can place the fillings on top. Chicago pizza is usually meaty (some variants come stuffed with cheeses and meat layers) and it is eaten with a knife and fork.

You can also start by deciding on the flavor you want. Do you want to make a cheese pizza, a vegetarian pizza or a fruit pizza? Perhaps you want to make a low fat pizza, a low carb pizza, a healthy pizza? Sourdough pizza is also another variant.

Take your pick among your many options. Once you have decided, choosing the recipe would be much easier. If you have decided on an Italian pizza, for instance, then find your Italian pizza crust recipe, your Italian pizza sauce recipe and the overall Italian pizza recipe that will give you a list of toppings and pizza preparation procedures for making an authentic Italian pizza. For an easier time of it, you can opt to use Italian-style frozen pizza dough then just follow the Italian pizza recipe that you've found.

Some pizza making tips and techniques

Hand tossing will help you minimize the lumps in your pizza dough. However, this should be done only after sufficient pizza dough kneading. This process lets your pizza dough develop into the right kind of consistency - that which is suitable for stretching and hand tossing. Hand tossing, however, is not advisable for thick pizza crust varieties.

If you want a crisp and firm pizza that retains its structure even when the moist toppings are added, you can bake the pizza crust before you add the toppings and the pizza sauce. However, for thin pizza crusts, baking the crust after the toppings and sauce have been added is sufficient. For uniform baking and crisping of the crust, use a pizza stone or a pizza screen.

Finally, remember that the protein content of your flour will influence the end product. High-gluten flour will lead to a crisp but chewy crust. Gluten-free flour, however, may lead to very soft dough; additives may have to be used to give the pizza dough strength.

Quick pizza crust recipes and easy homemade pizza recipes of all kinds and style are easily available online. There are tips for baking and preparing frozen pizza dough, making your own pizza dough, preparing the ingredients for the best pizza crust recipe, etc. All you need to start making your very own pizza recipe is an internet connection, a good source of basic pizza recipe, great pizza equipment, your imagination, and lots of time and resources for experimentation.

by: Sean Lannin

Traditional Italian Food

Italian cuisine goes back a long way and it has taken many centuries for it to evolve though the earliest roots go all the way back to the fourth century BC. In addition, the Greeks, Romans, Turks and the Arabs have all had a great influence on Italian cuisine. So we see that traditional Italian food is rich in history and each region of Italy has added its own signature dish. Traditional Italian food and Italian food recipes have become staples the world over for their simple yet succulent dishes that combine robust sauces, cured meats and a variety of delectable cheeses to produce exquisite and filling dishes. From Tuscany and Lombardy to the islands of Sardinia and Sicily traditional Italian food is a flavourful expression of the rich history of the country.

For most non-Italians the Italian cuisine is restricted to the few dishes that have managed to gain world wide acclaim, namely spaghetti and pizza. People tend to assume that traditional Italian food is all pretty much alike and that there is no such variety in the Italian way of cooking. The truth however is quite the contrary as Italian cuisine in its entirety is extremely diverse, rich and varied.

The multiplicity of the recipes that you find for pasta is a great example of the extensiveness of Italian cuisine. If you ask ten different people in the same region about how to make some pasta sauce you would end up with ten different recipes. First courses like spaghetti, risotto or gnocchi are very popular as they are light and easy to prepare, and offer virtually unlimited recipes for the creative cook.

Pasta happens to be the most popular food item in Italy. Any pasta base can be accented with an unlimited number of additions including sausage, chicken, red and green peppers, mussels, clams and a wide variety of other meats and vegetables.

But Italian food doesn’t stop there. You will find antipasto (starters): Cold cuts and cheeses with fresh garden vegetables and special bread. The sweet smells of nature and sunny days of spring and summer. Superb salads, beautiful breads and sumptuous puddings, make up the rest of the gloriously fresh menus. Roast fillet of salmon wrapped in pancetta served with braised lentils, green beans & a mustard dressing; braised lamb shank served with sage potato puree in a rich tomato sauce;. Fillet of pork in a mushroom, leek, three mustard and white wine cream sauce; stuffed beef roll with Parma ham, spinach and mozzarella cheese cooked in a red wine beef stock and artichoke sauce. The list goes on. Of course there is always a vast selection of pizza and pasta specialties for every region.

Finally we should remember that Italy is the largest producer of wine in the world so naturally traditional Italian food is always accompanied with a bottle or two of vintage red or white wine. Because of Italy’s landscape scope that includes the mountainous Alps and the southern Mediterranean beaches a rich and vibrant selection of wines can be found to accompany any traditional Italian food dish.
by: Kath Ibbetson

2 Easy to Make Healthy Recipes

Cooking is not to every ones liking. There are some people who like to cook regularly. And then there are some who hate even thinking about cooking. And then there are the ones who are in the middle. Those of us, who can go for a quick recipe any time, and at the same time, do not have the patience to try out some thing, which needs a lot of preparation and time. Here are a couple of easy to make recipes for the ones in the final group of the above three.

Tuna and Vegetable Salad Ingredients 8 ribs of celery from the heart with leafy tops - chopped 6 plum tomatoes - chopped 1 fifteen-ounce can of drained chickpeas. 1 medium sized onion - chopped A handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves - coarsely chopped 1/2 cup of pitted black olives - coarsely chopped 2 six-ounce cans of drained Italian tuna 2 lemons 1/3 cup of EVO oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper as per your liking

Directions Combine celery, tomatoes, chickpeas, onions, parsley and olives in a bowl. Flake tuna and add it to the salad. Dress the salad with juice taken from 2 lemons and roughly 1/3 cup of EVO oil. Season the salad with salt and pepper as per your liking.

T-Bone Steaks with Chopped Green Garni, Broiled Tomatoes with Cheese, Olives and Herbs

Ingredients
6 one-inch-thick T-bone steaks
1/4-cup EVO oil, and some more oil for drizzling
6 vine-ripe tomatoes - tops removed - seeds scooped out
Salt and pepper as per your liking
3 slices of good quality bread, crusts trimmed and torn into pieces
1/2 cup pitted good quality olives, a couple of handfuls
3 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley tops
5 to 6 stems of fresh sage - stripped
3/4 cup of grated Romano, 3 handfuls
2 cups of arugula - chopped
1 cup or 20 leaves of shredded or torn basil
1/2 lemon for its juice

Directions
First heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat a large griddle or large skillet over high heat. Apply roughly a quarter cup of EVO oil on the meat with the help of a brush. Sear the steaks 2 minutes on each side, 3 of them at the same time. Set the steaks on a baking sheet. Once the steaks are all seared off, transfer them to oven and roast for 5 to 6 minutes to get it done medium, subtract or add 2 minutes to this time for making it medium- rare or medium-well.

Place tomatoes on a broiler pan and season them with enough salt and pepper. Combine the bread, olives, parsley, sage and Romano in the food processor and then pulse grind the mixture. Dress the mixture with some EVO oil, salt and pepper, and fill the tomatoes.

Dress chopped arugula and basil with a little lemon juice, EVO oil, salt and pepper. Remove the steaks and let them rest for a while. Switch the broiler on and broil the tomatoes for a couple of minutes until the cheese and breadcrumbs on top turns brown. Serve the steaks with greens on the top and broiled tomatoes along side.
by: Chaand Sristy

What is Iced Espresso?

Iced ‘Spresso brings out the new iced espresso drink, which is the perfect way to cool off on a hot summer afternoon. Coffee is a worldwide drink and it has many different varieties and flavors. Iced espresso is one of the most popular drinks in the range of coffee. The best part about this drink is that it has low carbs without any added sugar. It is a natural drink which brings out the true taste of coffee while cooling you out. It is a drink that can be used for all occasions and offers the great taste of coffee. Iced espresso is also called as specialty coffee which is based on the common espresso drinks. Iced espresso is a new combination of ice and the espresso coffee. Ice has been around since the beginning of human life and coffee is in use for more than a thousand years. Iced Espresso is a combination of the two and offers the best of both worlds. Iced espresso is a form of instant coffee which is low in calories and does not have any added sugar or preservatives.

It comes in unique varieties of flavors and brings the authenticity of an espresso. Iced ‘Spresso brings to you iced espresso which will change the way people drink coffee. Colombian coffee beans are used in the iced espresso which are whipped and used as a delicious latte. Iced espresso cools you down and you will get charged up by the strong taste of coffee. Espresso is commonly used as the basis of other coffee drinks. It is also used as a drink in itself and is a popular drink all over the world.

The iced espresso basically includes brown sugar, almond syrup and milk. Iced espresso comes in many exotic flavors that are sure to tingle your senses and take you to a different world. Iced espresso is a real treat for all coffee lovers who can enjoy the real taste of coffee without having to worry about the calorie intake. Iced espresso uses the coffee beans from Columbia and has low concentration of carbs and calories. No added sugar is present in the drink and you can have a natural experience. The iced espresso drink is said to have only 70 calories which is comparatively less for an espresso drink. It uses a robust flavor of coffee which is energizing and tasty. You can also make your orders online and purchase iced espresso in a dozen. One bottle of iced espresso will have a quantity of 281 ml. The basic ingredients of iced espresso include milk, Colombian coffee and natural flavors. No artificial ingredients are present in the drink and you can enjoy a completely natural drink. The iced espresso has an authentic taste of coffee along with the cooling of an ice. There is no fat content in the drink which helps you bother less about your waistline rather enjoy the drink. You can indulge in the drink without the feeling of guilt.

by: Sam Compton

Are You An Iced Mocha Lover?

The Iced mocha has a creamy texture which is made up of a delicious chocolate layer. It is mixed with ice and you have an Iced Mocha drink. Iced Mocha is a very refreshing drink which is completely rejuvenating especially on a hot summer afternoon. Iced Mocha also has a strong coffee flavor which makes its taste unique and delicious. The Colombian coffee beans are carefully mixed with chocolate to create a unique combination of chocolate and coffee. It is very delicious and has a low calorie concentration. It is a very pleasant drink and its flavor works well and is a great drink for all coffee and chocolate lovers. Iced Mocha has a reduced concentration of calories and is low in carbs. It has a better nutritional value compared to the drinks by other companies which is high in calories. It is best taken with crushed ice as it gives a cooling effect. The whipped cream and the coffee flavor make it a great drink.

Iced ‘Spresso tries to change the way people drink their coffee. It comes out with different coffee flavors and drinks which are different and delicious. Iced Mocha uses the Dutch processed cocoa which is among the best cocoa brands in the world. Iced ‘Spresso tries to create a combination of coffee and cocoa that creates a completely whole new level of coffee drinking. Iced Mocha takes you through new avenues and you can enjoy a drink which is neither a coffee drink nor a chocolate drink. It helps in bringing out the best of both worlds. Iced Mocha uses light latte and whipped cream which makes it low in calories. It is best served with ice and in cold form as it is known as iced mocha. It is a very tasty drink which is perfect on a hot sunny day. It is a refreshing drink that will energize and you and spurs you up when you are feeling lethargic or tired. You should definitely shake the bottle before drinking it to mix up the coffee and chocolate flavor.

Iced mocha is a very great drink for every occasion and you can serve it anytime anywhere at any time. Even though iced mocha has chocolate flavor, it does not use any added sugar or other artificial ingredients. It is considered as a natural drink with good nutritional value. Iced Mocha by Iced ‘Spresso uses pure Colombian coffee beans which brings out the true taste of coffee. You can make online purchasing of iced mocha from the website of Iced ‘Spresso. The order should be placed in a minimum of a dozen and each bottle will cost around $23.95. Anyone who drinks an iced mocha will drink it and surely love it. Each bottle has a net content of 281 ml. The basic ingredients of iced mocha include milk, Colombian coffee, Dutch process cocoa and water. Iced mocha has impressed coffee lovers all over the world as it offers something unique and different from the traditional coffee.

by: Sam Compton