Homemade Tortilla Chips ~ With Recipe

Here's something that would go nicely with the spring pea guacamole (or salsa, or sour cream, or plain...): fresh tortilla chips. These are so simple to make and so worth it!

New Year's Eve "Party"

I was invited to New Year's parties, but I don't do New Year's parties. Ever. My family has a rule that you must wear stretch waist pants on New Year's Eve. We eat snacks and party food and go to bed at 12:01 (which is earlier than we normally go to bed, but that's not the point...) The point is, this year my mom, my friend Adriana, and myself stayed in and ate our way into the new year.

TARDIS Cake and Jammie Dodgers

Hi everyone. I'm Mercedes and I'm a nerd. I love Doctor Who (as you may have noticed when I dressed my yorkie up as the Doctor for Halloween). As you can imagine, I was very excited about the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who that aired last weekend. In celebration of the landmark episode I made my dog dress up again--she was not happy--and I baked quite a bit.

Sugar Dahlias

A finished dahlia.

Sugar paste dahlias, as it turns out are made with daisy cutters of varying size. They aren't terribly hard, but then again they are quite tedious. You have to work quickly but still carefully and relatively precisely when you are frilling the petals. You have to brush each layer with petal dust before you put them together and then touch up the whole thing at the end (unlike roses which are typically dusted at the end only). But they aren't as difficult as roses, since the petals are all attached to each other and you just have to put on layers of them.

In the process of making the outer petal layers.
Notice the parchment between the petals to hold them
in position as they dry.

How to Make a Wedding Cake

As I mentioned, I'm making a wedding-style cake for my cousin's anniversary party. Making a large, tiered, fondant-enrobed cake takes time and planning; the key to a successful large-scale project is making a schedule. At culinary school, we had to make schedules that accounted for every minute of class time. At home I don't get so granular, but I still need a general, but still relatively comprehensive schedule.  I personally prefer to devote large chunks of time to working on the cake with days off when needed, rather than working on it for small amounts every day. I also like using buttercream when it's freshly made (when I can, at least). Given those preferences, here's the schedule I worked out:

My final sketch

Milk Chocolate, Orange, and Mascarpone Mousse

This, like my usual chocolate mousse, is not technically mousse. But it's delicious and mousse-y, so close enough. I made this by whipping heavy cream and mascarpone to soft peaks with a bit of orange zest and extract. Then I folded in melted milk chocolate that I'd allowed to cool to about 100*F (that's basically body temperature, so if you stick your finger in and the chocolate doesn't feel warm or cold, you've got the right temperature) into cream and cheese mixture.

You can serve this right away, but it keeps perfectly in the fridge. I recommend making it before you start making the meal (it doesn't take long since you can whip the cream while the chocolate is melting--just keep an eye on the chocolate, you don't want it to burn), letting it chill, and serving it just before you eat.

To serve, I used an ice cream scoop to get nice even scoops and plopped them into tea cups. I topped the mousse with a sprig of basil--basil is a cousin of mint and is underused in sweet applications, which is a shame really as it's lovely with citrus and chocolate--and voila, a delicious, no cook, gluten free dessert.

Simple Pita Chips

In my endeavor to make non-desserts for guests, I decided to make pita chips to complement the hummus (with toasted pine nuts, yum) that my mom made. They are really very simple. Just cut a pita into wedges--the pita I was working with was on the larger side so I did eighths, but sixths or even quarters may work better if the pita is small to start. You can split the pita wedges in half or leave them like pockets, it's up to you. I left the pockets this time but splitting them would be good too. Then spread them on a parchment paper lined, lightly oiled baking sheet. Then lightly drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake until lightly browned and crispy, flipping them half way through and drizzling with a bit more olive oil. Serve warm or room temp. It's that easy!
 

Almond Joy Fudge~With Recipe

I love fudge but I don't always feel like dealing with the typical candy making exceed sizes like making cooked sugar, so I really love "fake" fudge made with a condensed milk base. I know it isn't fudge in the strictest sense, but it is close enough. I have made this fake fudge before, but this is my own recipe (based very loosely on a Nigella Lawson fudge recipe from Nigella Express, I believe.)

Ingredients:

• 14 oz good dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 14oz can condensed milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
• Pinch salt

Procedure:

1. Line a 9x9in pan with foil and lightly butter the foil.
2. Combine the condensed milk, butter, salt, and chopped chocolate in a saucepan. Put over low heat and warm until the chocolate and butter is melted, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula.
3. Promptly but not too vigorously, stir in the coconut and almonds.
4. Pour into the pan and even out the top.
5. Allow to set on the counter for at least 30-60 min and then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for another 2 hours or overnight.
6. Slice into one inch squares with a sharp knife and store in one layer or in multiple layers with wax paper between them in an airtight container in the fridge.

This fudge should be stored cold but it can be left out for hours, which is convenient if you want to give it as a gift. And fudge makes an excellent gift!

Apple Chamomile Bread Pudding~with recipe!

The great thing about bread pudding is that it is the perfect vehicle for whatever's you have lying around. You can use any stale bread you want: white bread, rye bread, brown bread (although probably not the grainy kind), pecan bread, croissants, etc. The custard is versatile as well. Want a coffee bread pudding? Stir in some brewed coffee or even instant espresso granules. How about vanilla or orange or cinnamon? Use extracts or scald the milk, steep with vanilla beans, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, you name it, and allow to cool before stirring in the eggs. Then you can add any number of things, from coconut to cocoa powder from raisins to fresh apple.

In this case I had a half a loaf of stale sourdough bread and a new box of chamomile, honey, vanilla tea that smells delicious but is a bit odd to drink plain. I thought it needed something to cut the sweetness of the tea and sugar so I sliced up a Granny Smith apple to mix in. Delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 loaf stale crusty white or sourdough bread
• 2 large eggs
• 1 firm, tart apple (such as Granny Smith)
• 1 cup milk (skim is fine)
• 2 camomile, vanilla, honey tea bags (or camomile tea bags, plus 1 tsp honey and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1/4 cup sugar

Method:

1. Lightly butter a loaf pan or spray lightly with cooking spray
2. Scald milk, take off heat, put in tea bags (or tea, honey, and extract), cover with plastic wrap and allow to steep for 15 min)
3. In the meantime cut bread into approx 3/4 inch cubes and place in medium bowl
4. Beat eggs lightly to break yokes and whites
5. Put bread and eggs into a bowl and mix to coat
6. Add milk and toss to coat every piece, making sure to add enough to have a bit left over in the bottom of the bowl (you may have left over flavored milk or you may need to add a bit extra milk depending on the staleness of the bread)
7. Let sit for 30 min on counter (or if you are squeamish about leaving raw egg mixture at room temperature, in the fridge for 60 min)
8. Slice the apple into very thin (approx 1/8 inch) slices, just before you are ready to use the bread/egg mixture
9. Add 1/2 the sugar and the sliced apple, toss
10. Stuff into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the rest of the sugar
11. Bake at 350 until browned and crisp on top and cooked throughout, about 25-35 min

Types of Cake

I thought it was time to impart a little more information that I learned at culinary school. Today, a briefing about different types of cakes.

There are four main types and three other, slightly less main, varieties:

1. Whole egg foam
2. Separated egg
3. Creamed butter
4. Liquid fat
5. High ratio
6. Hybrid
7. Flourless

Whole egg foam cakes use whole egg foams (like a pâte a bombe) as the main fat and form of leavening. The most common whole egg foam cake is a genoise. These tend to be light and a bit on the dry side (good for soaking).

Separated egg foam cakes, like whole egg foam cakes, use egg foam to leaven the cake. However, as the name suggests the egg yokes and whites are separated. Sometimes both the whites and yokes are used, as in biscuit à la cuillère (ladyfingers), while other times just the whites are used (typically as a meringue), as in an angel food cake. These tend to be very light cakes.

Creamed butter cakes, surprisingly, use creamed butter as the main fat and leavening ingredient. A pound cake is a good example of a creamed butter cake. Also many common white cakes are made with creamed butter. They tend to be quite moist and sweet.

Liquid fat cakes use liquid fats such as vegetable oil or sour cream as the main fat in the cake. These are typically very moist and tender. Carrot cake, the Guinness chocolate cake I have made so often, cake and chiffon cakes (like the one I made for my final exam) are made with liquid fat.

High ratio cakes tend to be made with liquid fats and/or creamed butter. They have an exceptionally high ratio of sugar to flour. They are very moist cakes with a tender dense crumb. This is a less common mixing method than the first four, but produces a delicious cake like the high ratio white cake.

A hybrid cake is a cake that use two or more mixing methods. For example the olive oil cakes have a creamed butter base with liquid fat (olive oil) added in. The white cake I used for my wedding cake and devil's food cake are also hybrid cakes.

Flourless cakes are, as the name suggests, cakes made without flour. Flourless chocolate cakes and cheesecakes are the most common examples.

These types are not set in stone, but by knowing the different methods and the types of cakes they produce will help you look at a recipe and decide to make it or not. Also, knowing an egg foam cake is light and dryer than a liquid fat cake also tells you that the former will not last quite as long and will lend itself to different applications than the latter. I hope this sheds some light on cake types and mixing methods. Happy baking!

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

While not my favorite cookies, I like snickerdoodles. There is something comforting about the warmth of the cinnamon and the brown butter that these call for enhance that feeling. The brown butter, which is not nearly as daunting to make as it would seem, is warm and slightly nutty and adds a subtle complexity to the flavor of the cookie. The texture was lovely and chewy, with a fine crust of sugar. Delicious! (The recipe is from Baked's new cookbook, which I just bought and am quite happy with.)

A quick note on brown butter: it can seem intimidating to make--at least I used to find it intimidating. But really it isn't hard to make at all. Basically it's burnt butter, and really how hard it is to burn something? Seriously, all you do is put butter in a pot and melt it over a medium heat. Instead of taking it off the heat once it's all liquid, leave it on and the mill solids will eventually separate out and some will fall to the bottom. This is what will burn and turn brown and start to smell warm and slightly nutty. I assume that the French name for brown butter, beurre noisette (noisette meaning nut or hazelnut, if my French serves me), is a tribute to the nutty flavor and aroma. At this point, swirl it a bit to distribute the burnt bits and bring some unburnt solids to the bottom. At this point it's up to you if you want to make it pale or dark. I prefer it on the darker side, but that's just me. For the snickerdoodles, and other recipes I suppose, you also have the choice of straining out the burnt solids or not. Either way you have the nice flavor, but it's obviously stronger if you don't strain it. Also if you don't strain it you end up with little dark flecks in your butter and, therefore, your dough. I think that is quite pretty (it's similar to the effect you get when you use vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract--pretty black flecks of flavor in whatever you are making) but I suppose the pristine, dark tan dough without the bits of burnt milk solids has a beauty to it as well. Sorry, I lied. This was not a quick note at all. Ah well, I hope it was helpful even if it wasn't brief.

Brownies--a serving suggestion

So you made brownies but you want them to look special. Brownie squares are delicious and a classic, but they are a little boring. Why not make brownie circles? All you need is a biscuit cutter. Just try to space them a close together as possible so you get a bunch of them. The exact same brownie but a slightly classier look that makes them appropriate to serve at, for example, dinner parties. They also make a nice gift stacked and wrapped in cellophane.

Obviously you'll have brownie scraps left over. If you don't end up eating them right out of the pan, I recommend putting them in a ziploc and shove them in your freezer. That way when you really want something chocolate but all you have for dessert is a pint of vanilla frozen yogurt, you now have a pint of vanilla frozen yogurt with brownie crumble topping! Yum!

Peach Icebox Pie Recipe

The icebox pie before I put the peaches on top.

As promised, here is the recipe for my peach icebox pie. It's quite easy to make and can be made and almost fully assembled a day in advance. Enjoy!

Crust:

• Aprox 1/2 box graham crackers, finely crushed
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2-1 stick butter, melted
• 1 tbsp cinnamon (optional)

Filling:

• 8oz cream cheese
• 8oz mascarpone
• 8oz greek yogurt
• 1/4-1/2 cup superfine sugar (or to taste)
• 1 vanilla bean scraped or one 2tsp vanilla bean paste (note: if you have neither, you can use 1tbsp  vanilla extract, but you won't have the lovely flecks of vanilla bean)

Topping:

• 2 cans peach slices in fruit juice
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp peach schnapps (optional)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

To make the crust, mix the graham cracker crumbs, the pecans, the brown sugar, and the cinnamon (if you are using it) together. Mix in 1/2-1 cups melted butter, until the mixture comes together. Press the crumb mixture about 1/4 inch thick into a lightly buttered 9-in pie plate. If you have extra (I did) press it into the bottom of a few ramekins. Bake at 350* until golden and somewhat dry, about 10-15 min for the pie. Let cool.

To make the filling, whip everything together until it reaches soft peaks. You will have leftover, fill the ramekins if you have any, if not just put it in a tupperware and serve it with fresh berries when you've finished up the pie. Spread it into the cool pie crust and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. 

To make the topping, drain the peaches and mix them with the other ingredients. Put in a covered container and allow to chill until you are ready to serve the pie. 

To serve, either top the entire pie with the peaches or slice then top each slice (the best bet if you don't plan on serving the whole pie in one night, since it can make the pie a bit soggy if it sits too long.) To slice the pie, run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe with a towel, and cut. This allows you to have nice clean slices through the semi-soft filling. 

Tempering Chocolate

Tempering chocolate is an intimidating procedure, but once you get the hang of it, it isn't bad at all. I spent the entire first chocolate unit and half of the second unit struggling to temper chocolate--it was stressful and difficult. Happily, at some point it just clicked and by the time we got to the last plated dessert unit I actually volunteered to make decorations that used tempered chocolate.

Basically, tempering chocolate is a process of heating, cooling, and agitating chocolate over a period of time. The reason to do this is to encourage the cocoa butter to crystalize in a certain way. When a liquid solidifies it crystalizes (think of water forming ice crystals); cocoa butter is no different. Certain types of cocoa butter crystals (beta crystals) are more stable than others. If you have a more stable crystal the chocolate will have a nicer appearance and texture. By melting the chocolate fully--by heating it to a maximum of 122*F for dark chocolate--you melt out all types of crystals. Then by lowering the temperature (to the holding range of 86-90*F for dark chocolate) in a controlled manner you encourage the formation of beta crystals. There are three main methods of lowering the temperature--tabling, seeding, and using an ice bath. Each method has its supporters. I prefer seeding, but in a pinch I'll use an ice bath. Tabling is too messy in my opinion and is seldom used, however it is the classic method for tempering so it bears mentioning. I will discuss each of these three methods in subsequent posts. Here, I will discuss some basics you will need to know for all three.

First, you must always remember that water is the enemy of chocolate! It will cause chocolate to seize and become too thick to work with. It will also cause unsightly sugar bloom. If your chocolate has sugar bloom you cannot temper it. The best thing you can do with chocolate that has been exposed to water is make brownies or hot chocolate or otherwise use it in a baked good.

Second, it is useful to know about the two types of bloom and how to identify them. They are fat bloom and the aforementioned sugar bloom. Fat bloom comes from improperly tempered chocolate. When the chocolate is not properly mixed and agitated, streaks of cocoa butter can (in essence) separate from the cocoa solids forming swirls and streaks of pale cocoa butter in your hardened chocolate. That's okay, it just means you have to re-temper the chocolate and try again. Sugar bloom, as I mentioned, is a sign of water damage and means you can't re-temper the chocolate. It is easily distinguished from fat bloom; rather than looking like streaks they look like white patches and often appear to be tiny rings (most likely left behind by evaporated water droplets). When in doubt, just use the chocolate for baking and not tempering. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to temper a batch of chocolate only to realize that it just won't go no matter how hard you work at it.

Third, the most important thing you can have when you learn to temper chocolate is a well-calibrated infrared thermometer. A no-contact thermometer is key to checking the temperature because you don't have to worry about contaminating the chocolate or having the chocolate harden on the probe making the readings come out wrong. It is important that it's well-calibrated since the holding range is only a small range of four degrees Fahrenheit.

Fourth, you will also need a clean and dry rubber spatula, a double boiler (or a bowl over a pot of water), dry towels or a pot holder or two (to rest the bowl on in order to insulate it and slow the cooling once you are in the holding range or to keep it from over-heating if you have the next item), and, if you are lucky enough to have it, a warm surface (such as a griddle placed over a pilot light) to keep the chocolate warm and, therefore, in the holding range indefinitely.

Fifth, you may hear people say that you can only temper couverture chocolate. (In case you were wondering, couverture chocolate has extra cocoa butter which makes it more fluid when it is melted and, if tempered properly, harder when it's solid.) That is not true; you can temper any type of chocolate you want. You can temper a Hersey's bar if you have the desire. The reason you typically use couvature chocolate for tempering is that most of the times you use chocolate that is in temper you want to be using couvature chocolate. The reason is simple: because couverture chocolate is more fluid it is ideal for covering candies/truffles/etc and pouring for showpieces and these uses require tempered chocolate. For both uses the appearance of the chocolate is an important part of the final product, therefore you want the chocolate to be in temper (since, as discussed above, tempered chocolate is prettier than untempered chocolate). Also, it hardens harder so it gives candies a nicer snap and showpieces more strength.

I think that's about it. Stay tuned for how to do each of the three main tempering methods.

Philadelphia-style Orange Iced Cream~With Recipe!

A trial plate from my menu project, with the iced cream as
well as orange-basil salad and a brie, basil, and chocolate panini

Remember the panini I made for my menu project? This is the iced cream I made to go with it. I don't think this is officially Philadelphia-style ice cream, which I believe is still churned in an ice cream machine, but it is reminiscent of the icy texture and strong cream flavor. As I implied, this is not churned in an ice cream machine, which makes it slightly icy. The no-churn aspect coupled with the fact that it is cream based rather than custard based makes this very easy to make--so easy that you can make ice cream on a weeknight if you really want.

A quick suggestion, don't use extra cointreau no matter how tempting. Alcohol is an anti-freeze and if you add too much the ice cream won't set up. On the flip side, don't leave it out unless you have to--if you don't have an orange liqueur, you can use a clear liquor like vodka--because it does help keep it from getting too icy.

This is great served with a brie, basil, and chocolate panini and orange-basil salad. Or with a nice wafer cookie. Or plain. It's really good, whatever you want to do with it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Zest of one orange and one lime
Juice of one orange and two limes
1 cup 2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp orange liqueur, preferably cointreau
pinch of salt
2 ½ cups heavy cream

Instructions:
Put zest in a bowl with the sugar and salt
Add the citrus juice and liqueur and stir dissolve the sugar
Add cream and whip to a medium-soft peak
Freeze for at least 3 hours to overnight and store covered
Temper in fridge for 30 min or on the counter for 5-10 min before scooping

A Lesson in Seasonality

I mentioned seasonality when I discussed my menu project, but I'm not sure I fully explained the concept. Making a seasonal menu means using ingredients that are in season. For example, using apples in the fall. Here is a very abbreviated list of seasonal ingredients:

• Spring: 
• Rhubarb
• Fresh Herbs
• Red Berries (late spring)
• Summer:
• Stone Fruits--plums, nectarines, cherries, etc
• All Berries
• Melons
• Mango and other tropical fruit
• Fall:
• Apples
• Pears
• Blueberries (early fall)
• Winter:
• Apples
• Tangerines and other citrus

Interestingly citrus tends to be at it's peak season during the winter but, presumably because it is so refreshing, we tend to use it in summer cooking a lot. This is facilitated by the import of food from regions where growing seasons are different. Happily non-produce items, like chocolate, are good all year round!

When creating a menu, seasonality also refers to the types of dishes you put on it. For example, people are more likely to order a heavy bread pudding when it's cold outside. Conversely, people are more likely to order frozen desserts or light dessert soups during the summer. 

I think that about sums it up. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments. 

Tarte Tatin

I've never been a huge fan of tarte tatins. I mean I thought they were nice and all, but I never really thought they were that great. This was that great!  Seriously, if restaurants made tarte tatins like this, I'd order them.

Basically a tarte tatin is an upside down apple tart made with puff pastry crust. So I'm not sure why this was so much better than I'm used to. Presumably it has something to do with the fact that we made this very traditionally and most restaurants don't--while easy, the traditional method is time consuming and does not produce a terribly elegant final product.

First you sautée halved and cored apples in a pan (they should all fit when they are squeezed in next to each other) with butter until they start to get brown, add sugar, let the sugar turn to caramel, add calvados (or another liqueur), flambée them, and let them continue to cook, cut side up, until they are soft but not fully cooked through. At this point make sure all the apples are cut side up--rounded side down--in the pan. Then put a disk of puff pastry (obviously it's better with homemade puff, but defrosted store bought would work fine) on top of the apples and tuck it down the sides a bit. Put the whole pan in the oven and bake until the pastry is cooked. Unmold it as soon as it is cool enough to work with, but before it has cooled down too much. To be sure you can get the whole thing out in one try, heat the bottom of a pan over a gas burner on medium/high for 30 seconds to a minute. With a sheet pan held to the pan flip over the pan, and voila, a tarte tatin. Just slice and serve, perhaps with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Palmiers

   

These are a little burnt, so they don't look quite as pretty as they should.  Serves me right for forgetting to take a photo of the not burnt ones before I gave them all away.

Palmiers or Elephant Ears are a traditional French cookie made with puffed pastry and sugar.  I use store bought puff pastry.  I know using homemade is better, but I just can't bring myself to the trouble of making puff pastry from scratch for such an otherwise simple cookie.  If you use store bought puff pastry, they are exceptionally easy to make and produce a lovely result.  And they taste great!

I'm not going to give you a proper recipe, sorry, but here's an almost recipe:  

Basically you spread 1 cup of granulated sugar on a large, smooth, clean surface (if you have a pastry marble, this would be a good time to use it).  Then put a sheet of defrosted puff pastry on top of the sugar.  Evenly and thickly coat the pastry with another 3/4 or so cups of sugar.  Roll the pastry out into a 14- to 15-inch square (don't worry it doesn't have to be exact!)  Then fold in the left and right edges about a quarter of the way in.  Fold them over.  Fold again.  The folded rolls (for lack of a better word) should meet almost in the middle now fold them together, like closing a book.  Slice into thin pieces (I go with 3/8 of an inch).  Put on a baking sheet (far apart, they expand).  Bake on high heat (350* in a convection oven, 375* in a normal oven) until sugar starts to caramelize, about 5-8 min.  Flip them very carefully (the sugar is HOT).  Bake for another 3-6 minutes or until they are just golden but not burnt.  

For cinnamon palmiers, mix 1-2 tbsp of ground cinnamon (or to taste) to the sugar before rolling the puff pastry in it. 

It's hard to get them perfectly golden.  I tend to either have slightly under or over done palmiers.  But I don't mind, they are excellent either way!

White Chocolate Covered Apricots

    

These were really very nice.  Overall I'm not a white chocolate fan (I like it, I just don't love it the same way I love dark chocolate) but I thought the sweetness would pair nicely with the tartness of the dried apricots.  I was right!

These were incredibly easy to make.  I melted a small amount of white chocolate (in the microwave, checking every 20 seconds or so).  Then I dipped the apricots in the chocolate taking care to not make the chocolate too thick (but still trying to coat them fully).  I didn't feel like dealing with coating the whole apricot, but instead just coated about 2/3-3/4 of them so I could hold them and dip without getting too messy.  I let them harden on a Silpat, but parchment paper would work just as well.

The white chocolate didn't harden terribly well, so I ended up getting impatient and putting them in the fridge.  It worked!  (And didn't even make them streaky like it can do with untempered dark chocolate.)

Birthday Cake, step 6

  

This is the last step: decoration!  Honestly, you should feel free to do whatever you want to do at this point.  What I did, is made a new batch of buttercream and divided it up.  I put a small amount aside and dyed it yellow to make the centers of the flowers (unless you are completely covering the cake with flowers, you shouldn't need much at all).  I then took somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of what was left and dyed it green to make the leaves.  I dyed the rest a pretty pink (using red food coloring).

Now for the fun part.  I fitted one pastry bag with a large closed star tip (with six points) and filled it with pink icing.  I fitted another with a small drop flower tip (a small closed star tip would work just as well) and filled that with more pink icing.  I fitted yet another pastry bag with a leaf tip and filled it with the green icing.  Finally I fitted the last pastry bag with a small round tip (like the ones you use for writing) and filled it with the yellow icing.

The best way to fill the pastry bags is to hold it loosely in your non-dominant hand and fold the top edge down over you hand.  Using a rubber spatula or large spoon scoop icing into the bag, trying to get it right to the bottom (don't stress about it though).  Don't fill it too full or icing will ooze out the top.  Fold the top back up and twist it so it closed.  Using your dominant hand apply pressure at the top of the bag, just at the base of the twist to push the icing down into the tip (kind of like a toothpaste tube).

Applying even pressure squeeze the pastry bags to form the different size flowers, leaves and flower centers.  I piped clumps of flowers, added centers, and then finally the leaves.  You can do this in any pattern you want.  I decided to do a sort-of random pattern coming from the top right.  I used the bigger flowers around the top, and slowly switched to using the smaller ones.  As you can see here:

I hope this helped give you some guidance on how to assemble and decorate a truly impressive cake!