How to Peel an Octopus

An octopus is an eight-legged sea mollusk with a hard beak and mouth at the center of its arms. Octopi have no internal skeletal structure. In Japan and many Mediterranean cultures, octopus is a common ingredient in food. Octopus can be prepared boiled or fried, or in other forms such as sushi. Although the skin and suckers are edible, some people choose to remove them through a process called peeling as these parts can be very chewy and hard to eat. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Fill a large cooking pot with enough water to completely cover the octopus.

Place the octopus in the cooking pot and simmer over medium heat for one to two hours. The octopus should become tender and turn bright purple.

Remove the octopus from the pot and allow it to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it cools completely.

Peel the skin and suckers from the cooled octopus by pulling on them with your fingers. The skin should slide right off of the octopus.

How to Prepare Fresh Octopus

Octopus is cephalopod, one of a group of molluscs that are highly mobile predators, with a number of dexterous gripping arms. Their flesh is very dense, and like their cousins the squid they can be cooked very briefly at high temperature, or very slowly at low temperature. Quick cooking gives a chewy but flavorful result, while slow cooking makes the octopus tender and gives it a rich mouth feel. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Place the octopus on your cutting board and cut across the tentacles where they meet the body. Set these aside.

Pull the head section gently but firmly away from the main portion of the body, or mantle. You may need to reach inside and loosen the siphon tube from the wall of the mantle. All the viscera should come away with the head.

Cut the beak from the center of the tentacles with the tip of your knife. Rinse the tentacles and mantle under cold water. The skin may be left on or peeled off, at the cook's discretion.

Quick-cook octopus by slicing it very thin and grilling, sauteeing or stir-frying it at high heat for just a minute or so. It will be chewy, but not unpleasantly so.

Slow-cook octopus in a small amount of water, broth or wine for 40 minutes to an hour, until it feels tender when tested with the tip of a sharp knife at the thickest portion of the tentacles. Drain and refrigerate, or proceed as directed in your favorite octopus recipe.

How to Make Your Food Go Farther

When hard times strike, adjustments to living standards can be helpful in reducing costs. One adjustment can be a reduction in food costs. Though food will always be a necessity, you can lower costs not just by reducing what you initially spend on it, but by changing how you use the food in general. Small alterations in meal planning and preparation can pay large dividends in reducing waste, maximizing value and making your food go farther. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Pair small portions of meat with low-cost starches. Because of the cost and effort that goes into feeding and raising animals for consumption, meat is often the most expensive food component on the plate. To continue to eat meat but still save money, serve smaller meat portions with cheap, calorie-rich accompaniments, like rice, corn or potatoes. You still get the satisfaction of eating the meat, but fill up on the cheaper options.

Let nothing go to waste. If the food has not gone bad, figure out a way to utilize it before it is no longer edible. If your milk or eggs are nearing their expiration date, make a custard. If your bread is going stale, use it as bread crumbs or mix it with the eggs and milk to make French toast. Use a tried and true recipe or make something up, but use the food while you still can.

Think of individual meals as components for future meals. Making a big meal and eating it over and over again might seem like a smart idea, but even delicious foods can become tiresome when eaten repeatedly. Instead, make one meal, then spin its components into something new. For instance, if you were to make tacos one night, you could take the leftover meat, add a few items and turn it into chili for the next night.

Eat less. Make your food last longer by simply consuming less of it. Put yourself on a diet or fast periodically. Fill up on water and consume high-fiber foods to fill up the physical space of your stomach and trick your body into believing you are full.

Freeze your leftovers. Maybe you have had a particular meal too much or you just have a taste for something else, but your leftovers are not appealing. Instead of throwing them away, put them into a freezer-safe package and freeze until you want them again.

Shop for whole, unprocessed food. It take time, effort and money to process food items into new forms, which is reflected in their costs. To make your way around this, purchase your food in whole form and process it yourself. To save even more money, buy it in bulk to lower your average cost per unit.

How to Fix Up a Plain Birthday Cake

Store-bought birthday cakes from a local grocery store are handy to pick up when you're short on time. Choices will be limited to what's available, and standard cakes often have plain frosting or colored, sugar roses. Dress up a plain confection with sugary embellishments and whimsical candles. Personalize the cake by adding the birthday person's name to the cake. By following the steps outlined below, you can fix up a plain birthday cake into something extraordinary. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Ocean Blue Cake

Take the blue cake out of the box. Use green icing to make seaweed on one side of the cake. Do this by icing on horizontal stripes.

Add gummy fish to the bottom of the cake, in and out of the seaweed design. Arrange gummy sharks on the cake. Place a tiny plastic boat on the cake.

Crush the graham crackers in a plastic bag. Sprinkle them at the top of the cake. This will look like a beach.

Poke blue birthday candles into the cake, one for each year.

Confetti Cake

Sprinkle the edges of the plain cake with candy confetti making a 2-inch wide border. Leave the center of the cake just plain frosting.

Arrange four mini cupcakes in the center of the cake.

Break off the end of the sparkler so that it will stand 4-inches above the cake.Poke the sprinkler in the center of the cupcakes. Light the sparkler and carry the cake into the party.

How Do I Prepare an Octopus to Make Sashimi?

If you are looking to prepare sashimi at home, octopus might be one of the dishes you are considering. Learning how to prepare octopus for sashimi requires some time and patience, but is well worth it when you are enjoying its interesting texture and delicious flavor. Sashimi is a Japanese preparation of fresh fish and seafood, usually raw, served as the first course in a traditional meal. Sashimi is served with a variety of condiments, but without rice. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Place a large pot of water on the stove and turn to medium-high heat. Add a few small pieces of kombu, which is a type of seaweed that you can buy at natural food stores. Add 2 ounces of sea salt to the pot. Bring to a boil.

Thaw octopus if it is frozen. Rinse and drain it whether it is frozen or not. Rub the octopus with a handful of grated daikon and 2 tbsp. of sea salt. This helps to clean it. Turn the octopus inside out and wash away any remaining slime or innards. Place the octopus right side out.

Pick the octopus up using tongs and place it into the boiling water. Lift it out quickly. Repeat this two or three times. Lower the temperature of the water to medium-low and place the octopus back into the water. Allow to simmer for five to 10 minutes.

Turn the heat off and cover the pot with a lid. Allow to sit on the stove for one hour until the water cools. Place the lidded pot into the refrigerator overnight.

Take the octopus out of the water and allow it to dry. Slice off the tentacles near the head. Cut the tentacles at an angle to give them the traditional frilly sashimi look. The tentacles might be hard near the head, and the head itself might be difficult to eat, so you can throw those portions away if they are too tough. Serve the sashimi with soy sauce and pickled ginger.

What Are Cake Balls?

New desserts and confections are constantly being created by inventive chefs and home cooks. One bite-sized dessert that emerged in the first decade of the 21st century is the cake ball. Cake balls only require a few simple and inexpensive ingredients. You may want to try making some yourself. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Identification

Cake balls are a confection composed of cake crumbs and frosting. Chefs mix the two together and form the mixture into balls, which they then cover in chocolate confectionery coating or almond bark. The dessert condenses the flavor and consistency of a slice of cake into a miniature, truffle-like dessert. Chefs most often make cake balls from any crumbly cake recipe -- so angel food cake and dense fruitcake would not be suitable for cake balls -- and any type of thick, creamy frosting.

Recipe

Cake balls are very simple to make. All you need are three ingredients: a box of cake mix, a small container of frosting and a package of chocolate coating. Bake the cake according to package directions, then crumble into a large bowl while still warm. Mix the cake crumbs with the entire container of frosting until thoroughly blended and solid, almost dough-like. Melt the chocolate coating in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl and stir until smooth. Use a melon-baller or small scoop to make balls from the cake mixture. Dip each ball into the coating and remove with toothpicks. Allow the balls to set on parchment until the coating hardens.

Where to Buy

If you do not want to make your own, you can also purchase cake balls at several venues. Neiman Marcus, the upscale retail chain, offers the gourmet versions of the treats at its stores across the United States. Many confection shops and candy stores in malls across the country also carry cake balls. Lastly, you can purchase them online at certain online candy shops.

Variations and Other Information

Many people also call cake balls by other names, including cake bites, cake bon-bons and cake truffles. Candy makers often decorate them with frosting, sprinkles, chopped nuts and other chopped candies. Some confectioners also place the desserts on wooden sticks to form cake pops.

How to Dye a Cake

If you want to add pizazz to your cakes, dying them with different colors may be the answer. You can use gel dyes to alter either your box or homemade cake batter. When baked, the cake will be vibrant, offering a little surprise when you cut and serve it. Depending on the event, you can dye the cake in a rainbow pattern, candy corn pattern or other fun patterns of your choosing. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Mix your cake batter according to the directions on the back of the box or your preferred recipe.

Separate your batter into as many bowls as colors you want. Add the gel coloring of choice to each set of batter. Add gel coloring a little at a time until you achieve your desired shade. Stir with a spoon to make sure the color is uniform.

Grease and flour your cake pan. To do this, run a stick of butter over the insides of the pan. Sprinkle flour into the pan, and tap on the pan until the entire interior is covered in a light coating of flour.

Pour one color of batter into the pan, then follow with another color of batter and then any additional colored layers. If you are using two cake pans to create a layer cake, pour only half of the batter into the first pan. Reverse the pattern you used in the second pan. This will make your rainbow cake.

Separate the batter into three bowls for a candy corn cake. Dye one bowl orange and one bowl yellow and leave the final bowl white. Pour the entire bowl of yellow into the bottom of the first pan; pour half of the orange on top of the yellow. Pour the other half of orange into the bottom of the second pan; pour the entire bowl of white on top of the orange in the second pan. When the cakes are stacked on top of each other, the colors will mimic the iconic colors of a candy corn.

Bake the cake according to the box directions or recipe. Let the cakes cool for at least 10 minutes before taking them out of the pans.

How to Cut an Octopus

Octopus is a delicious dish that is quick and easy to prepare. You can buy cleaned octopus, or for a really fresh treat, you can clean it yourself. Octopus can be cut and cleaned with little effort. Octopus has a tendency to be tough and chewy; tenderize a fresh octopus by beating it on a rock. About 40 hits should do. If you are at home, use a meat mallet to tenderize the flesh. Scoring the surface of the flesh will also tenderize the octopus. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Tenderize the octopus by beating it on a rock or with a kitchen mallet.

Rinse the octopus body and tentacles to remove salt and sand.

Lay the octopus on your chopping board. Locate the eyes at the bottom of the head and just above the tentacles. Hold the head in one hand and cut between the eyes and the tentacles.

Cut a slice off the bottom of the head to remove the eyes. Discard the eyes.

Clean the head by slicing along the back of the head which is opposite the eyes. Use your hands to remove the dark brown innards. The innards and ink sacs are held in place with small fleshy tubes. Use your fingers to break through the fleshy tubes. Remove the innards and discard.

Rinse the head in clean water and peel the skin from the head. If you are struggling to grip the skin, sprinkle some salt on your hands. You can also parboil the body for five to 10 minutes and then peel the skin off when the head is cool enough to handle.

Locate the beak in the middle of the tentacles and push it through to remove it. You can push on either side to remove the beak. Discard the beak. If the octopus is very large, you may need to cut around the beak before pushing it through.

Cut large tentacles into rings and small tentacles into bite-sized pieces.

Tips

- Score the flesh with a knife to help with tenderizing.

- Marinating the flesh also helps with tenderizing.

How to Make Mountains on a Cake

Whether you're baking a mountain biking cake for your nine-year-old son or a skiing-themed cake for your brother, certain cake designs require mountains. Using large sections of another party-cake works for a single large mountain, but multiple mountains or a mountain range require more strategy. Artificial structures, like cardboard and tin-foil, make eating the cake awkward and cumbersome. Instead, use appropriately dense cake types for the base of your cake-top mountain range. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Remove the pound cake from its foil and cut a triangle measuring approximately half-an-inch smaller than you envision your final mountain. Pound cake is denser and crumbles less easily than standard party cakes, making it suitable for building mountains of any size.

Spread a single layer of thick frosting on the mountainous portion of the party cake before applying the mountains. The frosting helps the pound-cake mountain stick to the party-cake surface.

Spread a thin layer of frosting on the connecting side of the pound-cake mountain and place it directly onto the recently frosted portion of the party-cake. Connect the two pieces while the frosting is still wet for maximum adhesion.

Drive a toothpick through the top of the pound-cake mountain and beneath the party-cake surface to prevent movement while frosting.

Spread frosting over the pound-cake mountain sides and onto the party-cake surface with a spoon. A spoon's shape rounds the inclines and edges of a pound-cake mountain for a natural-appearing merger between the two cakes.

Tips

- Cut larger pound-cake triangles for larger mountains and smaller triangles for smaller mountains.

- Apply any animals or candy decorations while the frosting is still fresh and wet for secure placement.

Warning

- Don't use gel or writing frostings to connect the pound-cake mountains with the party-cake surface. Both frostings are too liquid and won't harden like creme frosting after drying.

How to Clean Octopus for Cooking

Octopus is a delicacy that many enjoy, but few dare to prepare in their own home. Cooking an octopus may seem intimidating, especially when purchasing a whole octopus that has not yet been cleaned. Most fish markets or butcher shops will pre-clean the octopus they sell, but if you happen to purchase an unprepared octopus, don't worry. Cleaning an octopus may not be the simplest of tasks, but it can be done with a little focus and concentration. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Rinse the octopus thoroughly in the sink to remove any sand or dirt.

Hold the octopus over the sink and turn it upside down. The beak of the octopus is located in the mouth, which can be found at the center point of the tentacles.

Push the beak through the mouth by placing your thumbs on either side and applying firm pressure. Discard the beak.

Lay the octopus on a chopping board and cut out the eyes with a pair of kitchen shears. Discard the eyes.

Hold the octopus over the sink once again and turn the head inside out. You can do this by pushing the head through the mouth. Ink and innards may spill out.

Rinse the inside of the octopus head under warm water for a few minutes.

Pull away the entrails, stomach sac and ink sac. Make sure to remove any plastic-like bones.

Trim away any connecting tissue with your kitchen shears.

Discard all of the parts that you removed.

Rinse the octopus one more time to remove loose tissue.

Turn the octopus right-side out.

Rinse eye sockets and tentacles well. Make sure to take extra care when cleaning the suckers.

Tips

- A smaller octopus can be cooked without any extensive cleaning. They can be rinsed, tenderized and cooked whole.

Warning

- Octopus ink stains, so it would be prudent to stay near a sink and wear an apron to avoid staining clothes and household items when cleaning octopus.

How Do I Decide What Diameter to Make the Tiers of My Cake?

If you're tackling baking a tiered cake for the first time, it can be difficult to know where to start in deciding the size of the cake. Inexperienced bakers often choose a recipe, select frosting and fillings, and design the cake's decorations without considering how big the cake needs to be. Fortunately, deciding what diameter to make the tiers of your cake doesn't require any special skill or knowledge. Also, it rarely impacts the cake's external decorations in any substantial way. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Estimate the number of people who will be eating the cake. You want to ensure you have enough cake for everyone, plus last-minute guests and second helpings.

Choose a serving size. Most round, tiered cakes are served in slices 4-inches high and 2-inches wide, but you may choose to serve smaller pieces, particularly if the cake is being served after a meal.

Decide how big you want the top tier of your cake to be. Then decide how many servings that tier will provide. Reference cake pan serving charts or estimate based on the size of the pan. For instance, a 6-inch round pan yields 12 two-inch slices, while an 8-inch yields 24 slices.

Determine how many tiers your cake will have by subtracting the number of servings each tier will yield from the number of servings you need, beginning with the top tier. Note that the next tier should be 3- to 4 inches larger than the one above it.

For example, if you need 100 servings of cake and your top tier is 6 inches in diameter (providing 12 servings), your next tier can be 9 inches, which is three inches larger and provides 32 servings. Subtract 12 and 32 from 100, which reveals you need another 56 servings. Since the next tier down should be 12 inches, serving 56 slices, you will have exactly 100 servings of cake.

How to Thicken Icing for Cream Horns

Cream horns are a delicate dessert consisting of a pastry shell with a sweetened cream filling. The icing inside the horns is made from either whipped cream or pastry cream. Both of these can be also used as cake icings. If either prepared product is too thin for filling the cream horns, they can be thickened by adding gelatin or draining off excess liquid. Gelatin works best with pastry cream-based icing fillings and draining should be used for whipped cream-based icing fillings. Add this to my Recipe Box.

How to Thicken Pastry Cream

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cool water and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Warm the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp. water in a microwave-safe bowl over low power for 30 seconds to slightly warm it.

Whisk the gelatin and cool water into the warmed water to dissolve the gelatin.

Beat the pastry cream with the dissolved gelatin using a hand or stand mixer until the the two are thoroughly combined and thickened. Adjust the texture of the filling by increasing or decreasing the amount of dissolved gelatin added to the pastry cream.

How to Thicken Whipped Cream Filling

Line a colander with two layers of cheesecloth.

Place the colander into a large bowl.

Pour the whipped cream icing filling into the cheesecloth-lined colander.

Set the bowl with the colander in it inside the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours to drain off excess liquid from the whipped cream. The whipped cream remaining in the colander will thicken as it drains it for filling the cream horns.

How to Mix Color Flow

Color Mix is a cake frosting product that helps to create flow-in designs with cake frosting. All you need to add is confectioner's sugar and water to create an easy to apply frosting. Each package makes ten 1 1/2 cup batches of frosting. The Color Flow mix takes the guesswork out of mixing icing and always ensures the perfect consistency. It is especially helpful for lattice or string work on cakes. Color Flow mix comes in a 4 oz. tin and is certified Kosher. Add this to my Recipe Box.

For the Outlines

Place 1/4 cup of water and 4 cups of sifted confectioner's sugar in the bowl.

Blend ingredients on low for five minutes if using an electric mixer. If using a hand mixer, blend ingredients on high for five minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp. of Color Flow to color the icing.

Spoon icing into icing bag and go over the outline of your design.

For the Filling

Put 1/4 cup of water and 4 cups of sifted confectioner's sugar in a bowl.

Blend for five minutes. Use a low setting for an electric mixer and a high setting for a hand mixer.

Add 2 tbsp. of Color Flow and 1 tsp. of water to thin the icing. Fill in the design between the outlines.

Tips

- The icing crusts quickly, so cover it with a damp cloth while you are frosting your cake.

Technique for Dipping Cake Balls in Candy

Cake balls are tiny little balls of cake and frosting. They can be made in any flavor and served off a platter or made into a cake pop on a stick. These desserts are popular for holidays and birthday parties because they can be decorated to match any theme. These bite-sized creations are distributed through companies online, at bakeries and even at some high-end stores, but making cake balls at home is easy and inexpensive. After mixing the ingredients together, the balls are dipped in chocolate to lock in the cake and prevent crumbling. They can then be rolled in candy bits such as sprinkles, crushed candy bars, miniature candies, crushed peppermint or tiny candy flakes. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Refrigerate the mixture

When the cake and the frosting have been well blended, it is important to refrigerate the mixture for at least two hours before forming the cake balls. Refrigeration will make the balls easier to handle and prevent the warmth of your hands from making them crumble. After the balls are formed, you can refrigerate them again for an hour so that they are nice and firm when you dip them in the melting chocolate. Again, this will make the balls easier to work with and prevent them from falling apart when they are exposed to the heated chocolate.

Set Up

It is a good idea to have all of your candies laid out and ready to go prior to coating the balls in melting chocolate. Arrange the candies on a plate and set them near the melting pot so they are immediately available when you are ready for them. When working with melting chocolate, you have to move quickly because it does not take long for the chocolate to harden. It may take a minute to completely coat a cake ball in chocolate, not leaving much time for you to dip the ball in candy before the chocolate hardens. The trick is to make sure the chocolate is at the right consistency before transferring it to the plate of candy. The chocolate must be starting to set, but not yet completely hardened. It may take a few tries before you get it right.

Dipping with Tongs

Some people prefer to use tiny baking tongs to dip the cake balls in candy bits. Although a bit trickier than using your hands, this method generally makes less of a mess because the tongs control the cake ball, preventing it from rolling or falling. Tongs also prevent finger marks from appearing on the finished ball. When using tongs to dip the cake balls in candy, maintain a light grip to prevent the tongs from digging into the cake balls and puncturing the chocolate coating.

Hand Rolling

Many chefs prefer using their hands when cooking or baking rather than using kitchen utensils. Using your hands to dip cake balls in candy allows you to maintain control and not have to worry about using too much force. Drop the cake ball on the plate with the candy pieces and use the palm of your hand to roll the ball around until is evenly coated. To prevent the candy from sticking to your hands as you work, put on a pair of thin cooking gloves. This method can be messy because the rolling motion tends to spread tiny pieces of candy off the plate, but the end result is an even, all-over candy coating.

Crazy Styles on Birthday Cakes

Crazy styles on birthday cakes can make a celebration an event to remember. As the central focus of most birthday parties, birthday cakes can represent the special interests of the birthday celebrant or tie in to the theme of the birthday party itself. Consider unusual shapes, like burgers or mountains or go wild with designs like zebra stripes and cheetah spots. You can even add edible figurines or special finishing touches by air-brushing. Before settling on a theme and design, take into consideration how many people the cake should serve, the location of the party and whether or not the cake will need to be transported. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Burger and Fries

Suitable for kids and adults alike, a "burger and fries" cake has a whimsical feel and room for representing a variety of flavors. Begin with a yellow or white sponge cake for the burger "buns," domed at the top and then covered with cream-colored fondant or frosted white and airbrushed with graduated shades of light brown food coloring. Top with sesame seeds. For the meat patty, use a chocolate, devil's food or spice cake layer piped with dark chocolate frosting. For toppings, use yellow rolled fondant squares for cheese and ruffle-sliced green fondant for pickle slices. For fries, slice pound cake into slivers and situate beside a puddle of strawberry jam "ketchup."

Big Belly

Perfect for the birthday of a mother-to-be, a big belly makes for a fun and unusual crazy style on a birthday cake. Start with two frosted round cake layers with the top layer sporting a domed top. Situate two extra large frosted cupcakes at the front of the "belly" portion of the cake and drape all three cakes with a layer of pastel fondant to represent a maternity dress. Cut the fondant to shape and add a neckline, if desired. Embellish the dress with edible nonpareils or a fondant ribbon. This same technique can be modified into a "beer belly" cake for a brew-loving guy.

Topsy Turvey

An eclectic abstract cake, a topsy-turvy cake is a compilation of multiple cake layers set at odd angles on a multi-tiered cake stand. If you can't find an adjustable tier to create the angles for you, simply slice the cake layers at angles, frost and cover with fondant or modeling chocolate. This cake takes on an extra crazy style when each cake layer features a different color or pattern. Consider animal prints made from fondant, airbrushed tie-dye colors or large fondant polka dots in contrasting shades.

Jungle Paradise

For an extra wild party theme, take cake decorating to the jungle by creating a four-tiered frosted cake in your choice of flavors. Allow the frosted cake to sit in the freezer for an hour and then carefully "carve" out the front center section of the cake. Cover the entire cake in green fondant and then add a ribbon of blue fondant down the center of the carved section to create a jungle mountain waterfall. Add candy rocks to the bottom of the falls and add modeling chocolate-carved jungle animals, or plastic figurine animals, to the various tiers. Purchase paper palm trees and add for a finishing touch.

How to Decorate With Stabilized Whipped Cream Icing

Professionals have a wide range of toppings at their disposal for decorating a cake. Buttercream comes in a variety of textures for different purposes, fondant can be used to make a perfectly flat, smooth surface, and royal icing makes hard, almost indestructible decorations. One of the simplest cake toppings for cake is whipped cream, stabilized by the addition of ingredients such as confectioner's sugar, cream of tartar or gelatin. Stabilized whipped cream has the consistency of a meringue-type buttercream, but is quicker to make and easier to work with. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Pipe a decorative perimeter of stabilized whipped cream around the top of a cake that will be decorated with fresh or preserved fruit. This will help prevent fruit or fruit juice from leaking down the sides of the cake.

Fashion a small pillow of stabilized whipped cream on each slice of a cake and use it as a base for fresh fruit garnishes such as strawberries. The sweetened whipped cream complements the berry flavor and absorbs any juices before they can discolor the cake's icing.

Use soft, easily-piped whipped cream to make decorations or borders around your cake. It is easier to work with than buttercream and easier to scoop from the cake if you make a mistake.

Fill between layers of a cake with stabilized whipped cream, to add richness and moisture with less fat than a buttercream. The whipped cream can also be used as a border to keep pastry cream or fruit filling from sliding out of the cake.

Ice an entire cake with stabilized whipped cream, in the same way you'd use boiled icing or a similar meringue-based buttercream. The whipped cream can easily be smoothed to a professional-looking surface or left in rustic, homestyle tufts and swirls.

Tips

- Cakes iced with whipped cream must be kept refrigerated until they are served, to prevent loss of quality. They should be eaten on the day they are made.

- Whipped cream icing is not suitable for use on very hot, humid days, as it will break down quickly once it is taken from the refrigerator.

Instructions for Cupcake Paper Wrappers

Cupcakes are a source of endless delight. Mini-cakes, they have enjoyed steady popularity among children and adults since at least the early 20th century. Today, cupcakes are baked in tins that include six or 12 cups each. Of course, the ability to remove the cakes easily from the cups is key. The invention of the cupcake liner, or wrapper, made this task easier. The lightweight, pleated paper cups, sold in boxed stacks, save bakers the time and trouble of greasing or flouring a cup for each individual cake. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Remove as many wrappers from the box as you need.

Settle a wrapper into each cup of the cupcake tin.

Pour the cake batter into each lined cup. Place the tin in the preheated oven to bake, according to recipe directions, then remove.

Make sure the cupcakes have cooled for about five minutes before removing the paper-wrapped cakes from the tin.

Place the cupcakes on a cake rack to cool for at least another 15 minutes. If you plan to frost or fill them, let them cool to room temperature.

Frost the cupcakes as desired, then peel off the paper cup and devour.

How to Make a Fireman Cake

If your child loves all things firefighter, consider baking him or her a fireman cake for a birthday or as part of a firefighter birthday party. Fireman cakes may also be created to honor firefighters at your fire house, to be entered in cake decorating competitions and for other events. Make cakes in the shape of firefighters or utilize your children's fire trucks and firefighter figurines to decorate your cake. Fondant may also be used to create firefighter figures or other decorations. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Bake a 10-inch round cake and an 8-inch round cake. Set the smaller cake on top of the larger cake with buttercream icing as your "glue." Place the cakes on a cake platter. Frost both cakes entirely with green buttercream icing.

Melt almond bark candy in a microwave for about 15 to 30 seconds to create "flames." Paint the flames red with food coloring, though do not blend it in fully to give the flames a streaky, realistic appearance. Spread the bark thinly on a piece of parchment paper and shape it to resemble fire. Allow it to harden and place it on a top corner of your cake using buttercream frosting as your glue.

Use fondant to make pieces for decorating the sides of the cake. This can include roads, ladders, grass, automobiles and stop signs. The pieces should be thin and therefore easy to glue to the sides of the cake using buttercream frosting.

Set toy fire trucks, cars and fireman figurines on and around the cake as desired to complete your fireman cake.

Tips

- Additional ideas for firefighter cakes include those in the shape of firefighters. Cake pans in such shapes are available through dessert product websites. Other options include cakes in the shape of fireman hats, burning buildings and fire trucks.

How to Make a Casino Themed Cake

A casino cake is a good idea if you are throwing a Las Vegas-themed or casino-themed party. Rather than simply creating a plain sheet cake, make a cake that looks like something that most people associate with casinos. For example, slot machines are one of the most common features in casinos. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Frost your rectangular cake with white frosting.

Fill a pastry bag with chocolate frosting. Pipe a rectangular box onto the center of the cake. Pipe two vertical lines inside the box, separating it into three sections. Add another rectangular box at the bottom of the cake. Do not pipe lines inside that box.

Clean out the pastry bag and fill it with red frosting. Pipe a border around the edges of the cake with red frosting. Pipe a heart inside each section of the first rectangular box you created so that it looks like someone just pulled the slot machine's lever and won.

Remove the chocolate coins from their foil wrappers and place them inside the box at the bottom of the cake.

Pipe the name of the slot machine onto the top section of the cake that is still blank. If you are creating the cake for someone, consider tailoring it to them, such as "Mark's Mega Millions."

Cover the foam bar and foam ball with white frosting. Place the bar with the ball on top of it beside the cake so that it looks like the slot machine's lever.

Step-by-Step to Design a Bible Cake

Serving a Bible cake at a gathering that celebrates a religious event is perfect for reinforcing the spiritual theme of the occasion. Serve a Bible cake at a church youth group party, a birthday party for a clergy member, or for any occasion that has a religious meaning behind it. To construct a Bible cake, you can use a book-shaped cake pan or, if you don't have one, you can fashion the cake from two 9-inch by 13-inch cakes. Frost your Bible cake with fluffy white icing and pipe a meaningful message on it in gold, and you will create a dessert that will delight its recipient. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Place two 9-inch by 13-inch rectangular cakes side-by-side on a large cake platter.

Use a serrated knife to shape the two cakes so that they look like a book. Cut the tops of both cakes so that they curve downward on the sides. The two cakes should connect in the middle, but slope downward toward each other as if the center is the binding of a book. The outer sides should slope as well, but not as severely as the inner edges.

Use a clean cloth to clear the cake you removed off of the cake platter.

Frost the cake using white frosting.

Apply gold sanding sugar to the sides of the cake. This will make it look like the pages of many Bibles, which are edged with metallic paint. You can find gold sanding sugar at specialty baking shops and many grocery stores.

Place gold frosting inside a pastry bag and use the bag to pipe a message onto the cake. For example, pipe a Bible verse that relates to the occasion you are celebrating.

How to Make a Fake Birthday Cake

What fake birthday cakes lack in fat and calories, they make up for in personality and longevity. Serve a fake cake to an unsuspecting person on his birthday, complete with fake candles. Or, give your child a fake cake along with a collection of felt decorations, including icing layers and letters, to provide her with hours of entertainment. You can customize this cake by changing the color of the felt, such as red for red velvet cake or yellow for lemon cake. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Place an 8-by-4-inch round foam cake on a yard of felt according to the "flavor" of birthday cake you want to make, such as white for vanilla or brown for chocolate.

Squirt a liberal amount of hot glue using a low-heat, hot-glue gun over the top of the foam cake. Pull the felt up around the foam and gather the felt at the middle of the top of the foam; pull the felt taut as you do this. Press the felt against the hot glue.

Cut off the excess felt from the center of the foam. Add hot glue to the cut-off portion of the felt and press it against the foam. Flip the covered round over.

Choose a color of felt that you want to use for the icing of the cake. Cut out a 1-by-25 1/2-inch strip of the desired color of felt using a pair of scalloped or pinking scissors. Press the felt icing strip around the top of the side of the cake with the straight edge facing up.

Draw the words "Happy Birthday" in 2-inch-tall block or bubble letters on a sheet of felt in any color. Trim the letters out and press them onto the top of the cake in the appropriate order.

Cut out 12 circles that are 1/2-inch to 2-inch circles from assorted colors of felt. Apply the dots randomly over the top and sides of the cake.

Cut a 4-by-4-inch piece of felt; choose the color according to the color of candles you want for the cake. Place a toothpick along one side of the felt and roll the felt around the toothpick into a tight tube. Apply hot glue to the open edge and press against the tube.

Cut a 1-inch-long teardrop from yellow felt and hot-glue the round end to one end of the felt tube so that the teardrop stands up for the flame. Repeat this process to make as many birthday candles as you need for your cake. Attach the candles to the top of the cake using hot glue.

Tips

- Add more glue around the base of the candles for support, as needed.

How to Make Champagne Food Coloring

Champagne colored icing gives a subtle hint of elegance to any occasion, like a wedding or anniversary party. Your guests will be wowed by the beautiful color that you can achieve with a simple recipe. Most of the ingredients you probably have in your cabinets and, for the items you don't have, you can go to your local craft store or food supply store. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Mix shortening and butter on medium speed with a mixer. Add vanilla and milk and blend together thoroughly until mixture is fluffy.

Sift powdered sugar twice in a bowl. Add about 1 cup of powdered sugar to the fluffy mixture. Mix together thoroughly. Continue until all powdered sugar is in the mixture.

Take a toothpick and dip into the ivory food coloring paste. Add the paste on the toothpick to the icing and blend together.

Dip a new toothpick into the tan coloring paste about half way. Add the paste to the icing. Blend together thoroughly. Keep adding the tan paste until desired color is reached.

How to Carve a Pumpkin Cake

Carving a pumpkin cake is more efficient when bundt cakes are used because they are similar to a pumpkin shape. Pumpkin cakes can be elegantly placed as a centerpiece for autumn-themed desserts or they can be made into a casual and fun project. The bundt cakes create a more realistic look because they are rounded on the top and bottom and have ridges, similar to a pumpkin. Once you have carved the pumpkin cake, add as much detail as you like to the cake, such as leaves and vines, for a classy autumn theme. You can also add dripping blood and fangs for a scary Halloween theme. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Turn the two bundt cakes so that the flat bottom of the cake is facing up, just as they are before they are removed from the pan. Use a bread knife to remove any uneven surface from the flat side of the cake. Make the cakes as level as possible when they are stacked on one another.

Lay one 9-inch round cake on the flat surface and trim any uneven areas on both sides to make the top and bottom sides flat. To trim, run the bread knife horizontally across the top and bottom of the round cake. The cake may have a domed top from baking. The cake should be flat on both sides when you have finished trimming it. Cut a hole in the center of the cake using the cookie cutter.

Place the flattened 9-inch round cake on top of one of the bundt cakes so that the holes in the center match up. Turn the other bundt cake over on top of the other two cakes so that the rounded side is facing up. You should now have a stack of a bunt cake with the rounded side down, a flat 9-inch round and a bunt cake with the rounded side facing up so that they make a rounded cake with ridges.

Carve the face in the pumpkin by first cutting the eyes. Cut two right triangles with the acute angle facing up. Cut the triangles about 3 inches apart with the pairing knife by inserting the knife in the cake and slicing into the cake about 1 inch and gently removing each after it is cut. Cut a mouth about 4-inches wide below the eyes in a location proportionate to the size of the cake.

Push the pairing knife along the cut into each shape on the face. This will extend the opening of the cut to the hollow center of the cake. Cut each shape gradually, carving out about an inch at a time until you reach the center of the cake. Angle the cuts towards the center of the shape to make them gradually smaller as you cut through to the center opening.

Cover the cake in orange buttercream and leave the holes for the face and the hole in the top uncovered in icing. Coat the icing in all of the ridges on the cake to give it the texture of a pumpkin.

Spread icing along the inside of the face carving with black buttercream icing. Only spread icing in the first inch or less of the hole so that you cannot see cake exposed inside the hole. Do not ice so far that you block the hole to the center of the cake with icing.

Crack the glow stick so that it glows and place it inside the center of the cake. This will show through the carved face in a dark room.

Make the stem on the top of the pumpkin cake to cover the hole in the center. Cut a round piece of cake out of the other 9-inch round cake with the cookie cutter, about three to four inches in diameter. Stick four to five toothpicks in the round piece, evenly spaced. Cut five more round pieces out of the cake and stick them on top of the round piece with the toothpicks. When you reach the top of the toothpicks, stick four or five more toothpicks in the tops of the round pieces and build them up about six pieces tall.

Carve down the side of the round pieces to make it about 1 inch in diameter at the top and tapered off to about 3 inches diameter at the bottom. Curve the pile of round pieces as you carve it to resemble a stem. Remove any toothpicks that are sticking out the side and secure the pieces with more toothpicks through the center, if needed.

Place the stem cake on top of the cake to fill the hole in the top bunt cake and cover the stem in green buttercream icing. Fade the green icing into the orange icing on top of the bunt cake in a multi-point star to make it look like a real pumpkin.

Tips

- Use a pumpkin carving kit to trace any shapes or faces on the front of the cake.

- Make thin streaks of black icing down the sides of the pumpkin and fade it into the orange to make the pumpkin look more real. Add even more black around the carved face and fade it into the orange to make the face look dark and evil.

How to Decorate a Tie-Dyed Cake

If you are looking to please a tween or a teen on their birthday, make them a tie-dyed cake that will be the center of attraction at their birthday party. Use bright colored gels to color frosting to use on the cake. Alternately, you can use cake decorating sprays in different colors to give the cake an airbrushed look. Make the cake batter in different colors so that the cake looks tie-dyed as well. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Prepare the cake batter according to the directions on the cake mix box. Divide the batter into three bowls.

Add red food color to one bowl, blue food color to the second bowl and green food color to the last bowl. You can divide the batter into more sections if you want to add more color to the cake.

Pour the batters beside each other in a round or square baking pan. Swirl the batters with a knife to give the cake a tie-dyed marbled look. Bake the cake as directed and allow it to cool completely.

Spread white frosting on the cake in a smooth and even layer, covering the top and sides well.

Using the cake decorating sprays according to their directions, spray red color in circles at 3 or 4 spots on the cake. Spray blue rings around the red circles. Finish off by spraying yellow rings around the blue rings. Make sure you cover the sides of the cake with colored sprays too.

Garnish with sprinkles and add a frosting border to the cake if desired.

Record Cake Ideas

Vinyl long-playing (LP) records are a throwback to an earlier musical era, before CDs and MP3s. Records ruled the music industry for decades and many deejays still spin LPs in this time of digital sound. Tune in to that musical nostalgia with a record-themed cake to celebrate a music-lover's birthday or a music-related event. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Traditional Vinyl Record Cake

To make a cake that looks like the traditional old-fashioned vinyl record, bake two 8- or 9-inch rounds and let them cool. Stack the two layers and frost the cake with jet black icing. You can make your own black frosting by adding black food coloring to chocolate frosting. Drag a cake decorating comb in a circle around the top of the frosted cake to create the grooves of a vinyl record. Make the record label on your computer; print it out, cut it in a circle and laminate it before placing it on the cake. You can also use a store-bought or homemade cookie for the circle. Frost it with your desired color, write a message in icing, then place it on the center of the cake.

To make a golden record, use yellow or gold icing instead of black. Add a black label in the center. Write the album title, year and its golden status on the label or on the cake box.

Turntable Cake

A turntable cake makes a fitting centerpiece for a deejay's birthday. Bake two 8-inch square cakes of any flavor and place them side by side. Frost them with white icing or another light color. Frost a circle of black icing about half an inch high in the center of each square. Use a decorating comb to create the vinyl record grooves. Create the record labels out of paper, a cookie or colored frosting. Add small silver candy balls to resemble silver dots on the side of a turntable, which indicate how fast or slow a record is playing. Use colored icing to design a power button and the handle that holds the needle.

Album Cover Cake

You can decorate a cake quickly and easily by placing an edible transfer of a favorite album cover on it. Take your idea for an album cover frosting image to a place that prints edible photos for cakes using edible printer ink and printer frosting sheets (see Resources). Prepare an image of a favorite album cover on your computer, and follow instructions from the printing company in terms of the photo's size or resolution. You can use Adobe Photoshop or another graphics editing software to add anything to the image, such as a birthday message. Bake a square cake of any flavor and place the frosting image on top of the cake after it cools.

Materials and Tips

You can use cake decorating pens to write on the record labels or add any other designs. These pens come in different thicknesses and colors. A cake decorating comb can be purchased at cake decorating supply stores; they come in different shapes and sizes but look like a regular comb used for hair. The label provides your chance to write "Happy Birthday" or any message you want on the cake. If it's your husband's 30th birthday, for example, you could write "Top 30 Hits" and his name. If it's a music-related celebration, you could put different artists' names being recognized at the party. An idea for a music lover's cake is to draw the American Idol logo on the label and write the person's name and/or a message.

How to Clean a Baby Octopus

Though the name suggests it, baby octopus are not actually the young of adult octopuses. Baby octopus are actually adults of a species called octopus aegina. The octopus aegina are nicknamed baby octopus because they are small compared to other octopus. These baby octopuses are usually smaller than the palm of your hand. Before cooking fresh baby octopus, they should be cleaned. Cleaning can be done by beginners, as it is simple and quick. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Use a knife to carefully cut out both of the eyes.

Find the mouth/beak of the octopus. It is located between the arms. Push it out and remove completely.

Use a knife to cut a slit in the head. The head is the big round area. Turn the head inside out. Gently but firmly remove the entire contents. Take care not to break the ink sac.

Rinse under clean running water.

How to Tenderize Frozen Octopus

The octopus is a boneless and fleshy mollusk cephalopod similar to the squid, oyster and snail. It is a staple in Asian and Mediterranean cuisines -- the Greeks lightly grill this seafood and serve it as part of a meze, the Japanese prepare it into sushi, while the Portuguese, Spanish and Italians add it to a variety of foods including salads, stews, pastas and risottos. Octopus contains collagen which if not cooked properly, can taste rubbery. Frozen octopus tends to soften well and tenderizes quickly when cooked correctly. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Thaw 3 pounds of frozen octopus overnight in the refrigerator. Use kitchen scissors to cut and discard its head, mouth and eyes. Rinse the octopus in plain water. Three pounds of octopus is sufficient to serve approximately five people.

Fill a stockpot with water. Add 3 tablespoons of coarse salt and 1 bay leaf. Set it on high heat and bring to a boil.

Dip the octopus into boiling water briefly. Use a fork to pierce the thawed octopus, then dip the octopus' tentacles first, followed by the rest of the body and remove. Repeat the procedure at least three times, or until the tentacles have curled up.

Add 1 tablespoon. of white vinegar to the boiling water. Immerse the octopus in it and simmer for an hour or until it becomes tender. Insert a thin-bladed kitchen knife in the thickest portion of the tentacle to test for doneness. If the knife passes through the tentacle easily, the octopus is tender and done.

Drain the octopus and cool. Use kitchen scissors to cut the body of the octopus into thick chunks and the tentacles into 1/2-inch-thick rings.

Tips

- Sprinkle olive oil and lime juice according to taste on the cooked octopus and serve.

How to Fix an Underdone Cake

On the outside, a cake may appear to be cooked, but when you slice through the center of the cake, sometimes the interior is still soggy and underbaked. Your cake is not lost. There are ways to salvage your underdone cake for serving. Keep in mind the type of cake you are making. Lava cakes and pudding cakes are designed to have a molten center and should not be cooked completely, but for most other cakes, you will need to return the cake to the oven after some slight changes. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the cake on a baking sheet and cover the cake with aluminum foil.

Transfer the cake on the baking sheet to the oven. Turn off the oven.

Residual heat from the oven will continue to slowly bake the cake without burning it.

Remove the cake after 10 to 15 minutes.

Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If if comes out clean, the cake is cooked through.

Scoop out the center of the cake with an ice cream scoop if it is still underdone and soggy or sunken.

Fill the center of the cake with berries or frost around the scooped-out portion as though frosting a tube cake.

How to Make a 3D Train Cake

A 3D train cake will make a grand entrance at your next party or dinner whether for a train-loving child or an adult leaving town by train. If making this cake for a birthday party, replace the lollipops with birthday candles. Serve the train cake along with extra servings of the edible cargo and cotton candy so everyone gets their share. Add additional train cars if making this cake for a smaller group so that each person can have her own car to enjoy. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Cut two loaves of pound cake in half across the middle. Position the cake halves as if they were still attached but spaced 3 inches apart, and in a curved line on a large cake board to form the base of the train.

Place an uncut loaf of pound cake at one end of the cake halves, which will be the train engine. Spread a liberal amount of white frosting on one of the long 1-inch wide sides of a 4-by-4-by-1-inch crisp rice bar. Press the frosted side across the top center of the whole pound cake.

Add 2 cups of white frosting to a medium bowl. Tint the frosting the color wanted for the train engine car using liquid food coloring, such as black. Cover the top and four sides of the whole loaf of pound cake and the crisp rice bar with the tinted frosting.

Add 4 cups of white frosting to a bowl. Tint the frosting the color wanted for the remaining train cars, or divide the frosting into four separate bowls if making each car a different color. Spread the frosting over the tops and sides of each of the train cars.

Press two circular-shaped gummy candies to the right and left sides of each car, near the cake board, to form the train's wheels.

Position an ice cream sugar cone upright on the front end of the train engine car for the smoke stack. Smear 1 teaspoon of white frosting into the top of the cone. Fluff 1/2 a cup of cotton candy and press it gently into the top of the cone using the frosting as glue to form the smoke coming out of the stack.

Insert 12 unwrapped small round lollipops into the top of the car directly behind the train engine to symbolize balloons. Add 1 cup of gummy bears to the top of the next car in line, pressing them gently into the frosting to hold them in place. Pile 1 cup of candy-coated chocolate pieces into the third car of the train. Place 1 cup of popped popcorn on the top of the last train.

Take two of the bear-shaped candies and position these in front of the crisp rice bar so the bears look like they are driving the train. Line the top edges of the three train cars holding edible cargo with black shoestring licorice to give the cars definition and help hold the food items in place.

Tips

- You can use any flavor of pound cake for this project, or replace the pound cake with devil's food cake since the latter is also a dense cake.

How to Shape a Cake Like Bacon

If you have a loved one who is crazy about bacon, make his birthday unforgettable with a bacon-shaped birthday cake. Although the cake may not taste like your friend's favorite snack, a homemade birthday cake in the shape of bacon is just strange enough to show that you care. Start with a regular sheet cake to make this wacky birthday treat. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Bake any flavored cake according to the directions on the package of cake mix in a rectangular baking pan. An 18-by-24-inch pan works best to make a cake shaped like bacon.

Stick a toothpick in the center of the cake to check if it is done. If the toothpick comes out of the cake mostly free of batter, your cake is ready. Allow the cake to cool before decorating.

Remove the cake from the pan with a spatula or by flipping the pan over onto a clean countertop.

Cut the cake in half lengthwise so you have two thin, rectangular pieces. Place the pieces end to end so they form a long, thin strip.

Cut a wavy pattern along the right side of the strip, removing as little of the cake as possible. Cut a similar pattern along the left side of the strip.

Cover the top and sides of the cake with red frosting. Fill one plastic sandwich bag halfway with orange frosting. Angle the bag so that the frosting fills one of the bottom corners of the bag. Cut a small hole in the bottom corner so you can squeeze the frosting through it. Repeat this procedure with cream-colored frosting.

Squeeze orange frosting about 1 1/2 inches in from each long side of the cake in a long, wavy line. Flatten out the frosting with a spatula to help it to blend in. Make a cream-colored wavy strip of frosting on the inside of the orange strip. Smooth it out with a spatula and blend it in.

How to Make Dora Cupcakes

A batch of Dora the Explorer cupcakes at your preschooler's party will be the hit of the occasion. Kids love to see their favorite characters appear in icing. Since Dora appeals to both girls and boys, her image is perfect for any occasion when young children will be present and looking for a treat. Dora cupcakes will make birthday parties, school parties and family get-togethers even more special. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Bake cupcakes according to cake mix package directions. Let them cool completely.

Melt chocolate in the microwave until it is smooth when stirred. Spoon the melted chocolate into a resealable bag and cut one corner off. Place the Dora cupcake template under the wax paper. Outline the template shape with the chocolate, then fill in the shape to make Dora's hair. Do one shape for each cupcake. Lay the chocolate shapes flat in the refrigerator to cool.

Place two tablespoons of the icing into a resealable bag, Keep this one white and put it aside. Put two tablespoons of the icing in a small bowl. Tint it red with the icing color and place it in a resealable bag. Put another three tablespoons of icing in a small bowl, then add enough brown icing color to make a dark brown and place it in another resealable bag. Cut one end off all of the resealable bags. In a medium sized bowl, tint the remaining icing with the skin tone icing color. Ice all the cooled cupcakes with the skin tone icing.

Remove the chocolate shapes from the refrigerator and place one at the top of every cupcake.

Make Dora's eyes by piping a circle under the hair shape. Pipe a smaller brown circle on top of the white one. Place a chocolate chip with the flat end up on top of both circles, and daub one drop of white icing on top of the chocolate chip.

Pipe a small triangle of the red icing near the bottom of the cupcake to make Dora's mouth.

Use the dark brown icing to make Dora's nose by piping a small backwards "C" shape in between the eyes and the mouth. Outline the mouth and hair with the dark brown icing.

How to Freeze Octopus

Octopus adds sweet flavor and texture to seafood dishes from around the world. Although octopi appear tough to eat due to their rough skin, octopus flesh is chewy and savory. Purchase whole clean octopus or octopus legs from a local seafood or cultural store and freeze octopus at home in the freezer. Wrap the octopus tight to protect the octopus from freezer burn. This way, you can enjoy the octopus in flavorful seafood stews and cocktails during the spring and summer months. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Lay the sheet of plastic wrap flat over a clean surface. Remove any folds present on the surface of the plastic wrap to prevent air bubbles, and set the octopus 3 inches above the lower right corner of the plastic sheet. If wrapping octopus legs, place the legs on separate plastic wrap sheets individually.

Tightly fold the right corner of the plastic sheet over the octopus or legs with both hands. Slowly wrap the octopus with the plastic wrap by rolling the octopus to the center of the plastic sheet. Upon reaching the center, fold the top and bottom ends of the plastic wrap in to seal the top and bottom sides.

Continue wrapping the octopus with the plastic wrap until completed. Place the wrapped octopus or legs inside of the zip-top freezer bag.

Run both hands gently over the exterior surface of the bag to remove air inside the bag. Seal the top of the zip-top bag and place the bag in your freezer. Store the octopus in the freezer for up two months.

Tips

- Thaw your octopus in the refrigerator. If it has a foul odor, discard it.

How to Cook Barbecued Octopus

A grilled octopus often conjures up images of summer in Greece, where the seafood is primarily cooked on a barbecue or over a fire. However, it is also enjoyed in other countries around the world, whether cooked or not. High in many nutrients, from vitamin B6 to potassium, the flesh of an octopus is extremely healthy. However, it tends to become slightly hard and chewy when cooked, so it must be prepared before heating to prevent this. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Place the octopuses in the large pot. Pour enough water over them to cover them. Agitate the water using your hand to rinse them. Pour out the water, keeping the octopus in the pot.

Pour in the wine or stock and add enough water to cover the octopus. Place the pot on the stove and turn the burner to medium-high heat.

Bring the water to a simmer and then maintain that heat, turning the burner down if necessary. Cook the octopus for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Drain off the water and peel off any skin that may be peeling off of the octopus.

Mix the olive oil, seasonings, salt and pepper together in the small bowl. Pour this mixture over top of the octopuses. Cover them all evenly with the mix, rubbing it in with your hands.

Turn the barbecue to high and allow it to preheat for 20 minutes. Place the octopuses on it evenly, spreading them around so they do not touch. Roast them for 3 minutes on one side and then flip them and roast them for 3 minutes on the other.

Remove the seafood from heat and serve right away alongside other grilled vegetables or sides.

Tips

- If using a large octopus, cut it in to sections and hit the flesh with a mallet in order to slightly tenderize it before boiling in a pot.

Trick to Dipping Cake Balls

With their precious teeny size, delicious taste and eye-catching appearances, cake balls have become the latest dessert craze. These bite-sized treats come in a variety of flavors, from simple vanilla or chocolate, to more elaborate flavors like red velvet, mint or strawberry. Along with their mouth-watering taste, cake balls are often dipped in frosting for a delightful crunch and an aesthetically pleasing finish. Add this to my Recipe Box.

The Cake

The quality and composition of cake balls greatly affects how well they stand up to being dipped. While regular cake is sure to taste great, it can be difficult to cut and shape pieces of cake into orbs. Even worse, regular cake is far too crumbly to dip into icing, chocolate or other dips. Instead, make sturdier, denser cake balls by mixing together pre-made cake with cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, butter and milk.

Refrigeration

Prepare the cake balls for their plunge into dip by storing the dough in the refrigerator until they are firm. After whipping up the dough for the cake balls, cover the bowl of dough and stick it in the refrigerator. Cooling the dough helps it to solidify and become firm. This texture is far easier for dipping and ensures that you won't lose as much cake in the dip.

Freeze

Freezing the cake balls after they have been rolled out is another trick to making sturdy balls that won't fall apart when dipped. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator. A melon baller can help make uniform sized balls. After rolling balls of the dough, place them on a baking sheet that's been lined with wax paper. Stick the baking sheet in the freezer for about twenty minutes so that the cake balls harden but are not frozen solid.

Dipping

Rather than worrying about tempering chocolate, rely on confectionary coating or almond bark which can be melted in a microwave or double boiler. For the actual dipping, many tools help make dipping cake balls less of a mess. Consider investing in a candy-dipping fork, which makes it much easier to dip the cake balls and also gives them an even coating of chocolate. For cooks hoping to use tools they already have, using a fork, spoon or some toothpicks is also helpful.

Directions for Using Color Flow Icing

Color flow icing is a fun and creative way to turn an ordinary dessert into a tasty work of art. Apply these edible decorations using either a pastry bag, decorating cone or paintbrush, then allow them to set until they are as hard as candy. The hardened icing is then easy to transfer to the dessert of your choosing. Creating with color flow icing is easy to do and can be used to enhance, or simply garnish your favorite cakes, cookies and pies. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Preparation

Print out the picture you wish to use, smooth it out and tape it to a sturdy piece of cardboard. Place an adequate piece of wax paper over the entire picture and smooth out any wrinkles. Tape the wax paper to the cardboard.

Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar. Make sure all utensils and bowls are grease-free.

Pour the sifted sugar into a glass bowl. Add 2 tbsp. of the color flow powder, as well as 1/4 cup of water.

Blend the ingredients together using an electric mixer on low speed for five to seven minutes. If you are using a hand mixer, blend the ingredients on a high speed for five to seven minutes. Cover the bowl with a clean, damp washcloth while mixing to prevent the icing from crusting.

Add the desired coloring paste to the mixture. Blend together using a spoon or spatula. This recipe will make approximately 2 cups of color flow icing.

Repeat Steps 2 through 5 in different bowls for as many colors as needed for the decoration.

Soften the filling icing by adding 1/2 tsp. of water to the icing mixture. Slowly stir the icing by hand in a figure eight motion to prevent air bubbles. Add a few drops of water at a time until you reach an optimal consistency. The filling icing requires a thinner consistency in order to fill the spaces evenly. Outline icing should retain the original thicker consistency.

Decorating Your Design

Fill a decorating cone or bag with the thicker icing. Use a No. 2 tip on the end of the bag.

Gently squeeze the icing directly onto the wax paper. Follow the outline of your printed pattern, connecting all the ends of the image to prevent the fill icing from leaking through later. Let the outline dry for one to two hours.

Fill separate parchment cones with the filling icing. Cut a tiny hole in the end of the bag. Do not use a tip, since this can break the outline. Have the bags ready before decorating; otherwise, the icing will crust before you finish your decoration.

Squeeze the bag gently and begin filling in the design. Start along the edges, then work your way out using a back and forth "coloring" motion. Work quickly to prevent crusting.

Let your completed work dry for 24 to 48 hours at room temperature. Remove the tape from the cardboard once the design is completely dry, then gently lift the wax paper with the design from the board. Carefully peel the wax paper from the back of your design, and place it on the dessert of your choosing.

Tips

- Test the consistency of the filling icing by removing, then dropping a small amount of icing into the mixture. The icing should take less than 10 seconds to "disappear" into the mixture.

- You can decrease the drying time by using a heat lamp. Position the lamp 2 feet away from your design. Allow the lamp to heat the design for two hours. Remove the lamp and let the design air dry for 12 hours.

Warning

- Do not store your design in an air-tight container. The icing must be exposed to the air in order to dry out properly.

How Long Do You Cook Octopus?

Whether it's an Italian octopus salad or a rich Spanish seafood paella, octopus is an ingredient that adds a unique texture and taste to dishes. Despite being found in a variety of recipes, many people are unfamiliar with how to cook octopi. While the length of time varies from recipe to recipe and is dependent on the technique used to cook it, there are some basic lengths of time common for cooking octopi. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Grilled

Many traditional Mediterranean recipes, such as octopus salad, call for grilled octopus. While the grilling may take just a few minutes, the entire process usually takes over three hours. Begin by simmering the octopus in red wine and water, with onions, carrots, celery, thyme and a bay leaf for about 25 minutes. After, marinate the octopus in a plastic zip-lock bag with lime juice, olive oil and garlic in the refrigerator for two hours. Then grill the octopus for about five minutes, flipping it after about two minutes.

Poached

While poaching may not be the quickest way to cook an octopus, this slow cooking method produces an octopus that is very tender and full of flavor. After filling a large pot with a gallon of water, the juice and rinds of a lemon, lime and orange, carrots and celery, merlot and a vast assortment of seasonings, bringing the liquid to a boil may take a while. Add the octopus to the boiling liquid, reduce the heat to medium-low and poach the octopus for 90 minutes.

Simmered & Stewed

Cooking octopus doesn't have to take a long time. To prepare octopus in about 25 minutes, try simmering it in a fragrant wine sauce. Cutting the octopus into smaller bite-sized pieces reduces the amount of time needed to cook it thoroughly. Begin by cooking the octopus in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes, then add slices of onion, salt and pepper and some dry white wine. Cover the pot and simmer the octopus for 15 more minutes.

Sauteed

Sautéing octopus with some flavorful ingredients gives the octopus a rich Mediterranean taste and a crispier texture. Preparing an octopus this way, however, can be time consuming and often takes about an hour and a half. Begin by adding the octopus to boiling water and simmering it for an hour. After cooling for 15 minutes, chop the tentacles into smaller bits, then saute the pieces in olive oil with some green bell peppers, tomatoes, green olives, oregano and cider vinegar for 10 minutes.

The Octopus & Cork Cooking Myth

Octopus has a soft and tender texture, but only when cooked properly. When cooked in the wrong way, the octopus becomes tough and chewy. An old wives' tale centers on the idea that cooking octopus with cork helps increase the tenderness of the meat. In a 2008 article in the New York Times, food writer Harold McGee claims that the cork cooking method is a myth, but that does not stop home cooks and professional chefs from trying the method. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Cooking Method

Chef Lidia Bastianich uses cork in her cooking water for an octopus salad. According to the chef, you add one wine cork for every 2 lbs. of octopus. If you use less octopus, then you still add one wine cork. Simmer the octopus, wine cork and water with salt, pepper and two bay leaves. Remove the pot from the stove when the octopus is cooked through, but still slightly firm, as it continues cooking in the hot liquid. The chef recommends throwing away the cork after one use.

Other Myths

According to Harold McGee, home chefs and professional chefs use other options beyond the wine cork for tender octopus. One myth claims that a small amount of vinegar added to the cooking liquid tenderizes the octopus. McGee also mentions daikon as a potential octopus helper. Supposedly adding diced daikon to the cooking liquid or rubbing the octopus with daikon before cooking helps tenderize the meat. McGee claims that neither method delivers as promised.

Expert Insight

The best method for cooking octopus, according to McGee, is in a brine solution. The author suggests adding 3 tbsp. table salt with 1 qt. warm water and soaking the octopus in the solution for several hours. Remove the octopus from the mixture and place in a stockpot or pan. Simmer the octopus over low heat until cooked through. The salty brine breaks down the connective tissues and fibers in the octopus, which results in a smoother texture. McGee also claims that blanching octopus and baking in a low oven for several hours creates a tender texture.

Considerations

McGee's method involves cooking only the tentacles or "arms" of the octopus and not the rest of the body. If you like the taste of the whole octopus, then try cooking it over low and slow heat. Simmer the octopus with water, salt, pepper and your favorite seasonings. Check the pot frequently and remove when the octopus is soft to the touch.

Is There a Way to Tenderize an Octopus That I Boiled and Is Now Chewy?

Octopus is known for being tricky to cook. It easily turns chewy if it's only slightly overcooked. This is because the animal lacks a skeleton. The muscles in the tentacles support each other with firm, tough tendons. Octopus meat is chewy to begin with; cooking will soften it, but if you overcook and it becomes chewy again, it's possible to tenderize it by simmering the meat for a little longer. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Fill a pan with stock or olive oil.

Place the octopus in the pan and on the stove. Turn the heat on to a low setting.

Simmer for roughly 30 minutes per 2 lbs. Check that the octopus is ready by sticking a sharp knife into it. If it offers little resistance, it is tender enough to eat.

Tips

- Pre-tenderize octopus before cooking for the best results. You can either freeze it, which helps to break down tough muscle tissue, or pound it with a mallet.

- Another way to eat octopus that is too chewy is to slice it very thinly and serve it in a salad. This is a popular way to eat octopus in Japan, and it is the country's favorite pizza topping.

What Can I Do With Sesame Leaves?

Sesame leaves are difficult to find in U.S. supermarkets, though they are common throughout Korea and are considered a staple. While the plant is commonly used for its oil and seed production, leaves can be harvested. Each plant produces 15,000 seeds per pound and the plant grows up to 6 feet tall with broad foliage. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Health

Koreans use sesame leaves as a part of their regular diet. The greens provide a tasty addition to meals and provides health benefits. The leaves are highly valued for their mineral density. The leaf can help treat food poisoning, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting, particularly from eating tainted seafood. Coughs, asthma and difficulty breathing are also treatable with sesame leaf. The leaf is usually reduced in hot water and then drank to treat all of these ailments. The leaf can be used to make an herbal green spicy tea.

Fragrance

The leaf is also extremely aromatic, comparable to the potency of basil and mint, but its fragrance is nutty. Scented oil is manufactured from the leaf. It is referred to in this form as perilla leaf oil. In fact, the name sesame leaf can be used interchangeably with perilla leaf. The leaf produces a medium-strength fragrant herbal oil.

Seseme Leaf Pancakes

Sesame leaves can add a healthy touch to pancakes. The leaves are used in Korean pancakes along with zucchini, chili, onions and chili paste. In Korea, the pancakes are called kkaenip jang ddeok. Sesame leaves are incorporated by slicing them thinly along with the other ingredients. The batter is combined with the chili and then the vegetables are added directly into the batter. The jang refers to sauce, which is like soy sauce, and is used for dipping.

Agriculture

Due to the relative unavailability of sesame leaves throughout North America, you may choose to grow your own. The production of sesame plants in the United States began in the 1950s. Since then, between 10,000 to 20,000 acres of the crop have been planted, primarily for the production of sesame oil, an oil that was used in Babylon and Assyria more than 4,000 years ago. Over 5 million acres have been designated around the world for the production of sesame plants.

How to Cook a Rainbow Layered Cake

A rainbow cake consists of seven colorful layers, stacked to create the appearance of a rainbow. Typically, white frosting holds the layers of a rainbow cake together and complements the multi-hued layers. The cake's layers are typically thinner than the layers of an ordinary cake. A rainbow cake adds a festive touch to a celebration and serves as a prefect treat during children's birthday parties, summer barbecues or rainy days. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two round cake pans with butter or oil.

Prepare two boxes of white cake mix according to the package directions.

Stir the mix thoroughly to remove any lumps. Scoop about one-sixth of the mix into a separate bowl. Scoop one-fifth of the remaining mix into a separate bowl. Divide the rest of the mix into four identical portions.

Examine the bowls of mix to be sure they each contain about one-sixth of the total mix. If one bowl contains too much mix, scoop some mix into a bowl that contains too little mix.

Squirt several drops of red food coloring in one of the bowls. Sit the batter until the food coloring blends completely.

Scoop the red batter into the cake pan.

Squirt several drops of yellow food coloring and one or two drops of red food coloring into a bowl to create orange-colored batter. Mix the batter with a clean spoon and scoop the batter into a greased pan.

Place the cake pans in the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove the two cakes from their pans and place them on a wire rack to cool.

Create the yellow and green bowls of batter. Squirt several drops of yellow into a bowl of white cake batter. Squirt several drops of yellow and one or two drops of blue into another bowl. Grease the two cake pans, scoop the batter into the pans and place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cakes for about 15 minutes. Remove the two cakes from their pans and place them on a wire rack to cool.

Mix and bake the blue and purple cakes. To create purple, mix several several drops of red food coloring with two or three drops of blue food coloring. For the blue cake layer, simply add several drops of blue food coloring into a bowl of white cake batter until the desired intensity of color is reached. After baking, remove the blue and purple cakes and allow them to cool.

Place the purple cake on a cake plate. Spread a thin layer of white icing on the cake using a knife.

Set the blue layer on top of the purple layer. Spread a thin layer of white icing onto the cake.

Add the remaining layers to the cake, in the following order: green, yellow, orange and red. Spread icing over the top of the cake and the sides of the cake.

How to Cook Octopus Tentacles

Octopus tentacles contain a network of fibrous connective tissue that provides the support the octopus needs to function but which poses a unique problem when cooking. Unlike other types of connective tissue, it does not respond well to acidic marinades, and only dissolves comprehensively when cooked between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Saltwater brines also have a tenderizing effect on octopi tentacles, but for different reasons than the low-temperature cooking; brines uncoil tightly coiled muscle fibers, similar to the effects brines have on pork and poultry. The combination of brining and poaching or slow-cooking produces tentacles free of the chewy texture improperly cooked octopi are known for. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Poaching Method

Mix together 3/4 cup of iodized salt and 1 gallon of cold water until the salt is dissolved. Place the tentacles and this brine in a food storage container and cover.

Brine the octopus tentacles for 12 hours in the refrigerator. Rinse the tentacles and place them in a sauce pot.

Attach a candy thermometer to the sauce pot. Cover the octopus in cold water and place it over medium heat until it reaches an ideal temperature range between 190 degrees Fahrenheit and 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Adjust the heat as needed to maintain the ideal range. Cook the octopus for 4 to 5 hours.

Slow-Cooked Method

Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil. Fill a food storage container with 50 percent water and 50 percent ice. Place the tentacles in the boiling water and allow it to return to a boil.

Boil the tentacles for 30 seconds after they return to a boil, then remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in the ice bath for 1 minute. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the tentacles in an oven-safe covered dish.

Bake the tentacles for 4 to 5 hours or until tender and set aside. Transfer the liquid the tentacles released during cooking to a sauce pot and bring it to a boil. Boil until reduced by half, season to taste and serve with the tentacles.

How to Make a Chocolate Monkey

One unusual culinary idea is making a chocolate monkey treat. Whether it's for a kid's zoo birthday party, a book club meeting about a simian-themed novel or a movie night "Planet of the Apes" marathon, the phrase "chocolate monkey" can be interpreted in all sorts of fun and delicious ways. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Use monkey-shaped cookie cutters to make monkey-shaped chocolate desserts. Look online or in bakery supply stores for cutters that look like monkeys. They can be the shape of either the whole animal or just its head. Use them for cutting monkeys out of chocolate cakes, then frost and serve. Bake double fudge chocolate cookies and cut out monkey shapes. Cut monkeys out of chocolate fondant and use them atop cakes or cupcakes.

Use a monkey-shaped cake pan or baking sheet. These items are also available in bakery supply stores or online. Make a chocolate monkey dessert by pouring the chocolate cake or cookie batter into molds. Bake, cool and remove from molds to reveal perfect chocolate monkeys. Complete the animals by adding all finishing touches such as different hues of fur, impishly smiling faces, clothing and whatever else you like by using colored icing and candies.

Create a three-dimensional chocolate monkey cake. Bake several chocolate cakes and allow to cool. Stack cakes as high as needed, putting a layer of icing of any flavor between each cake. Then, cut and carve the stacked cakes into the shape of a monkey. Find a cute picture of the whole animal that you like, print it out large and reference it as you work. Use icing and candies to create all the finishing touches.

Make any dessert or drink called a "chocolate monkey." This tasty and outside-of-the-box idea is sure to delight. To make Drink Mixer's screaming chocolate monkey beverage, shake coconut rum, banana syrup, chocolate syrup, and milk until well combined and pour over ice. To make chocolate monkey truffles, combine cocoa powder, coconut oil, banana powder and vanilla extract. Roll into balls. Dust with banana powder and allow to set up in the refrigerator.

What to Look for in a Beer

While wine tasting has been a popular pastime for years, many people might be surprised to learn that there is a well-established beer-tasting community with established criteria using four of the five senses. These criteria include appearance, smell, taste and mouth feel and can be useful to avid beer connoisseurs as well as the casual beer drinker trying to evaluate different options. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Appearance

When evaluating a beer, one of the first things to consider is its appearance. Generally, the appearance of a beer can be classified according to its color, ranging from pale to black, with golden, amber and brown between those two extremes. Additionally, the appearance of beer can be considered in terms of its cloudiness.

Smell

After evaluating the appearance of a beer but before tasting it, beer tasters will consider the aroma of the beverage. The two ingredients that contribute most to a beer's aroma are malt and hops. The various aromas common to beer include smoky, chocolatey, nutty, fruity, perfumey, piney and citrusy, among others.

Taste

For most beer drinkers, taste is the most important consideration in evaluating a beer. Flavors can range from bitter to sweet and include a variety of tastes such as those discussed in the smells section. Important considerations are the dominance of some flavors relative to others and the similarity between the aroma and the taste.

Mouth Feel

Mouth feel is a consideration often overlooked by the casual beer drinker; however, the texture of a beer can add or detract significantly from the drinker's overall enjoyment. The texture could be watery, heavy, thick, flat, carbonated or light, for example. Roll the beer around your mouth to feel how it sits on your tongue.

How to Tenderize Octopus in Preparation

Well prepared octopus meat can be extremely tender and tasteful. Prepared incorrectly, it is tough and bland at best. The perceived difficulty of tenderizing octopus has caused many home cooks to shy away from this unusual seafood. There are a number anecdotal instructions for tenderizing octopus, ranging from beating it on rocks to cooking it in a copper pot. In reality, tenderizing and cooking octopus is not nearly so onerous or complicated as you may perceive. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Place the octopus meat in your freezer. The cold will cause some of the fibrous tissue to break down and make for a more tender result. Do not leave the octopus in the freezer for too long, as the desirable gelatinous tissue will start to break down as well. Ideally, you should leave the octopus in the freezer for at least eight hours but less than a full day.

Boil the octopus in a large pot of water for 30 seconds. Do not boil it any longer than that, as it will destroy the flavor.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

Place the octopus in a dry, covered baking pan.

Allow the octopus to cook in the oven for four to five hours. As it cooks, its natural juices will be released and start to simmer. The slow cooking time will make for tender meat, and simmering the octopus in its natural juices will enhance the flavor.

Check on the octopus meat occasionally, using a fork to evaluate how tender it is. Once the meat is tender, remove it from the oven. Do not allow it to overcook, as this will cause the meat to be dry and tough.

Proceed with the desired recipe or flavoring. It is worth noting that the tenderizing and cooking processes for octopus are almost synonymous, so there should be little else for you to do after removing the meat from the oven.

Tips

- It is possible to grill octopus, provided that the heat is high enough to crisp the outside while leaving the interior tender and moist. This method of tenderizing and cooking is unconventional.