tombstones, owls and a belly

it occured to me that ive done a few cakes in the past couple of weeks and i hadnt showed ya'll yet....sorry about that.  about a week or so ago (halloween) i made a birthday cake for the lovely miss. shelby, a halloween baby.  she requested a halloween themed birthday cake for her costume party.  so i decided to make a tombstone and grave cake.  i think it turned out pretty cool....she loved it!

the cake was a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, then coated in oreo cookie "dirt."  the tombstone was a giant rice crispy/crunch berries treat, that i carved to look like a tombstone, and then covered in a marbled fondant.  and of course,you cant have a grave cake with out a skeleton hand coming out.....shelby totally dug it....she was comparing her hand to it to see if it was accurate....so funny.

next up was my good friend erica's family baby shower cake/cupcakes.  they wanted a smallish preggy belly cake and cupcakes with an owl theme.  so this is what i came up with.

Mocha cake with sweet cream filling
Photo courtesy of Sara Van Buskirk

gumpaste tulips turned into owls (hey you gotta make due with what you got sometimes)



Gumpaste owls and leaves, hand piped with royal icing
Photo courtesy of Sara Van Buskirk

 

I think everything turned out ok....what do you think? ive been pretty busy with cakes recently, which from a business standpoint is great, but at the same time I have a full time job in addition to my cakes and its tiring.  I love making cakes...each cake is unique and different and presents new challenges.....which is one of the main reasons i am drawn to do them.  if you haven't checked out my website already i would love to have you visit http://www.littlegreenboxshoppe.com/ or click on the portfolio tab at the top. If you live in the Houston area and are interested give me a call!

xoxo

-e

yummy homemade white pizza

i like to make pizza at home....it ends up being cheaper and healthier....and yummy'er.  so i thought i would share one of my pizza receipes with you. 

i call this my "Stinky Breath White Pizza" (because it will make it so)

for the pizza crust:
3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope active dry yeast

2 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

crust directions:
-dissolve the yeast in the water and let it sit for a couple of minutes
-sift all of your dry ingredients together and add your EVOO (olive oil)
-knead the dough together....dont be a sissy use your hands (take your rings off if you dont want to be picking dough out of the nooks and crannies for a week afterwards)
-coat the dough ball in a little olive oil and set in a warmish/breezeless area for about an hour, or until it rises (i stick it in my microwave)

while your dough is rising get your pizza fixins' together....oh and get your oven preheated...i think i put it on 400 or 425)

for the pizza:
-red onion (about 1/3 of the onion sliced thin)
-fresh baby spinach
-pesto
-alfredo sauce of choice (i used classico, but you can make your own)
-a couple cloves of garlic sliced thin
-pizza cheese of choice (and yes the "pizza" shreeded cheese blend does just fine)

assembly and baking:
-once your dough has risen to your liking (i get impatient and use it before it has completely risen...dont worry...its ok to do this) divide it up into 2 dough balls
-roll, press, toss....whichever you like....1 dough ball onto your pizza stone or cookie sheet.  dont forget to put down a layer of corn meal so your crust doesnt stick during the baking process.  also dont worry if its not perfectly round
-i like my crust thin so i mush it pretty thin and then stab it with a fork all over so it wont puff up in spots
-bake the crust alone on 400-425 for about 5-10 min? (i bake it until it starts to get a gold brown on top) this will differ with your oven.  this is called "par-baking" your crust.  it helps the crust actually cook.....if you bake it, toppings and all, it doesnt cook all the way and will be doughy and soggy.

-pull it out and slather the crust with pesto and alittle alfredo sauce
-sprinkle your sliced garlic all over
-sprinkle a couple healthy handfulls of cheese
-add onion and spinach to your liking
-put back in oven til cheese is melted and slightly toasted/onions cooked/spinach wilted.

Eat and Enjoy!!  This is a pretty basic pizza.  You can add ingredients if you want.....like blackend chicken, mushrooms, feta, whatever.  all i know is that i make this pizza alot and its super yummy...dave likes it too.

xoxo

-erin-