Mario's Pitas

Hi Vanilla Lovers!

Mario decided he wanted to make pita bread for dinner but he had a problem..., he did not not how! so, I guided him through the ingredients and technique. Since I eye-bowl everything, I'll try my best to approximate the amounts used. :-)

1 lb all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup warm milk (+ if needed)
1 1/2 tbs butter
1 tsp active-dry yiest

Mix all of the ingredients and knead for about 3 minutes until dough is firm. Cover the dough with non stick oil, then with plastic and let it rest for 1 hour. The dough should double up. Cut the dough in small pieces (like rolls) and roll them up. Cover them again with plastic wrap and let them rest for about 30 minutes. Spray the baking sheet and stretch the rolls with a flour-dusted rolling pin until 1/4" thick. Place the pitas in the baking sheet and cover it with plastic to avoid drying out. Let pitas rest for about 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to a broiler. Once the oven is ready, cook the pitas for 2 1/2 minutes. Watch them puff and enjoy them while still warm! YUM!

Visit our Facebook page to see pictures of the steps... http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Arizona-Vanilla-Company/245295161266

French Vanilla Valentines Day Cake

French Vanilla Valentines Day Cake


Ingredients

• 2 boxed French vanilla cakes mixes
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon of Madagascar Vanilla extract

Butter cream icing

• 1 cup Crisco butter flavor shortening
• 1 Tablespoon deluxe white vanilla
• 5 teaspoons milk
• 1 pound pure cane confectioners’ sugar
• 1 Tablespoon meringue powder

Filling

• 1 jar of your favorite fruit jam

Decoration

• Roses and other edible decorations can be bought at your local Michaels Store


Directions

 Preheat the oven to 350
 Spray the 2 cake pans with nonstick spray
 Pour both of the cakes mixes into a mixer and follow the directions
 Once mixed thoroughly pour into the cake pans and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes
 While the cake is baking add the Crisco shortening into a mixer and cream it with the sugar and the meringue on low speed to avoid a mess
 Once fully incorporated add the vanilla and milk and mix a little at a time on medium speed
 Once fully incorporated and no more dry or wet areas take out and put into a bowl with plastic wrap over it to prevent it from hardening or drying
 Once the cakes are cook to perfection take them out and let them cool for about 15-20 minutes
 Fill a piping bag with your plain white buttercream
 Pipe around the top of your bottom cake about 1/4 inches away from the edge
 Add the filling of your choice into the middle of the buttercream barrier you have made
 Make sure not to pour too much where it overflows over the buttercream*
 Gently and slowly add the top cake onto it and press gently the 2 pieces together so that the buttercream in a way glues them together
 Use your piping bag to pipe more buttercream around the edges where you can see the gap between the two cakes so that they are sealed
 Grab your buttercream and an angled spatula and gently and carefully spread it all over the top of your cake
 Using the buttercream spread it on the sides of the cake and smooth away any lumps and also on the top.
 Let it sit for about 15-30 minutes so that the buttercream can harden a little
 When you can gently touch the cake and it is hardened then you can finish it with your own designs

***Design ideas are also at: http://www.wilton.com/decorating/cake-decorating/
To have colored frosting you would use buttercream and icing coloring and with a toothpick dip into the coloring and put it into your buttercream.
A little goes a long way***

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate Covered Strawberries


Ingredients

• 15 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 30 ounces white chocolate chips
• Wilton no taste red icing coloring
• 2 baskets of fresh strawberries


Directions

 Add the chocolate chips into a bowl and melt in the microwave for approximately 25-35 seconds
 Once melted dip the strawberries one at a time and make sure to get them fully covered and then place them gently on a cooling rack to harden
 Add the white chocolate to a bowl and microwave it for approximately 40 seconds to a minute taking it out and stirring every 15 seconds
 Take half of the melted white chocolate and add about 1 teaspoon of the no taste red into it and mix to create your pink coloring
 Dip your strawberries into the white chocolate and fully cover then place on the cooling rack
 Do the same for the pink colored white chocolate
 Dip a spoon into the melted white chocolate and using a back and forth motion pour lightly over the chocolate and the pink white chocolate covered strawberries
 Use a new spoon and dip it into the melted chocolate and repeat the following step but ontop of the white and pink white chocolate covered strawberries
 Let sit and then plate for your audience to enjoy
***If the chocolate hardens before your able to dip your spoon into it to make the stripes then put it back into the microwave for 15 seconds***