Design Tips for a Great Kids Birthday Cake


 by: Stephen Houlihan

These days, you can probably buy just about any style of child?s birthday cake already made. But there is nothing like the sense of satisfaction from making that special cake just for your child ? after all, they have each birthday only once!

There?s also the benefit of being able to control what ingredients are actually used in making the cake. Apart from producing a healthier cake, you can also cater for any allergies that your child or his/her friends may have.

Once you have decided to make the cake yourself, here are some tips to help you:

1. Don?t worry if you failed Art 101 dismally. Remember that kids don?t expect you to turn out a design worthy of da Vinci. Often they are more interested in the number (and color) of pieces of candy on top of the cake than the actual design itself.

2. In selecting a design for the cake, there are two main options: a specific design (such as a favorite character from a TV program), or a more generic theme (such as a train or an animal). Whichever you choose, remember that it will be much easier if you only cut the cake to the basic shape you want, and use the icing to create the detail of the design. Trying to make the Eiffel Tower out of cut pieces of sponge cake is a definite no-no!

3. The actual cake recipe should be kept simple, such as a basic sponge cake. Remember, the icing and candy decorations will give the cake plenty of flavor, and a plain cake recipe will appeal to a wider range of kids? tastes.

4. Be especially careful to cater for any allergies. Even if you are not aware of any allergies amongst the party attendees, it is best to avoid using any products containing nuts. Read the packages of the cake ingredients carefully.

5. It is best to make the cake the day before the party. Apart from making the day of the party less stressful, you will find that the cake will be easier to cut. If the cake is too fresh, crumbs tend to stick to the icing and can make the cut pieces look pretty messy.

6. When choosing the icing, think about how messy it will be to eat ? your friends won?t be too pleased with you if their kids end up with permanently-stained clothes from your brightly-colored strawberry icing!

7. When actually making the icing, you may have to tweak the recipe to allow for the weather. For hot climates, you may have to add more icing powder/sugar to thicken it up; for cold days, you don?t want the icing to set as hard as rock.

8. If you are going to use an icing decorating bag and tips to draw your design on the cake, have a practice first on a plate. You?ll surprise yourself with what you can do!

9. If you are totally artistically challenged, there are many companies who supply ready-made decorations that you can use on the cake. You can even buy a lot of these over the internet, and you can find a list of some major suppliers at www.cakemagician.com/suppliers.htm.

Finally, remember to HAVE FUN when you make the cake! It may seem quite a lot of effort, but the happy smile on your child?s face when they see the cake will reward you immensely.

About The Author

Stephen Houlihan is a father of three children, for whom he has made many cakes over the years. He comes from a family of cake decorators who have won many awards. Further ideas and tips can be found at http://www.cakemagician.com.



Speed up Metabolism

Speed up Metabolism


 by: P. Mehta

Metabolism is essentially the speed at which our body's motor is running. The speed at which our body burns calories is called the metabolic rate. It's how fast your "motor" is running when you're still in a reclined position or sleeping. About 60-75% of energy is expended by the body at rest in such activities.

The metabolism is based on the number of calories we burn throughout the day. Our body constantly burns calories to keep us going whether we are eating, sleeping, cleaning etc. People with a lower percentage of body fat (i.e. muscular) have a higher metabolism than others that are less muscular because muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat. Some people have a slower metabolic rate and have a harder time staying slim. Younger persons have higher (faster) metabolism because of the increased activity of cells. A slow metabolism actually causes to store fat. The slower the metabolic rate,...

Speed up Metabolism
Candy > Speed up Metabolism

7 Simple Weight Loss Feasting Tips for the Holiday Season

7 Simple Weight Loss Feasting Tips for the Holiday Season


 by: Tracy Lee

Here comes Halloween... and the start of the "season of feasting" for a lot of folks around here.

It's become a sort of time-honored "tradition" for Americans to put on weight between Halloween and New Year's Day.
Some would even say it's to be expected -- "After all, it's the holidays!", they say.

Now, I love the holidays.
And I bet you do too.
Who wouldn't love all the great treats and wonderful foods that just seem to spring up around us during the holiday season, right?

But don't you just hate it when you step on the scales after the holidays, and discover you've put on weight?

Fret not, for I'm here to show you how you can have fun during the holidays and enjoy all your favorite holiday treats, _without_ putting on any extra pounds.

Here are 7 Simple Weight Loss Feasting Tips for the Holiday Season...

1. Give...

7 Simple Weight Loss Feasting Tips for the Holiday Season
Candy > 7 Simple Weight Loss Feasting Tips for the Holiday Season

Character Building by Designing Parents

Character Building by Designing Parents


 by: Jean Tracy. MSS

Think carefully about what your child needs when you teach right from wrong. Research reveals 92% of high school students say they are satisfied with their own ethics and character, yet 1/4 admit stealing within the past year. (Josephson Institute of Ethics)

You gave your child the gift of life. Give your child character too. The method below offers you a 3-D Character Building Activity.

I remember counseling with an overworked mom who gave very little time to her daughter. The police caught 10-year old Jessica shoplifting not once but twice. Children who steal at an early age may be filling a hole in their hearts - lack of time with their parents. Find out how Jessica's mom used the Character Building Activity below to stop Jessica from becoming a habitual shoplifter.

3-D Activity:

1.Discover - Jessica's mom questioned, listened well, and discovered how Jessica...

Character Building by Designing Parents
Candy > Character Building by Designing Parents

Make Money At Home Online

Make Money At Home Online


 by: Joel Teo

Need an idea to make money from home online? Here is a list to provide you with a good place to start!

1. Try looking for a telecommute job. You may be uncomfortable with a home business, try instead bringing your job home to you. You could try asking your boss but if that doesn?t work, search online for telecommute jobs.

2. eBay is hot! Try selling some of those items you?ve collected over the years and sell them at auction and get top dollar for your products. It?s quick and easy.

3. Make a website with chat rooms. Chat rooms are popular. Niche them to make a concentrated gathering. If it?s a music chat room, you can put up affiliate programs from Amazon.com.

4. Take flour and eggs and make dog biscuits! These are a hit online as well as offline too. You could sell them wholesale to pet stores.

5. Start an online directory. People will...

Make Money At Home Online
Candy > Make Money At Home Online

Encouraging Your Children to Save Money

Encouraging Your Children to Save Money


 by: John Mussi

As a parent, you usually want your children to have the best that life has to offer. Unfortunately, you know that it can be quite difficult to get the money that you need sometimes as an adult? and you wish that there was some way that you could spare your children these same problems.

Luckily, there may actually be a way that you can help your children to prepare for the future today; by encouraging them to start saving money while they're young, you can set up habits that will follow them into adulthood and possibly even help them to build up a nest egg to help them along their way.

Children and Money

Children like money? after all, it's used to buy the things that they enjoy and it's so hard for them to get. Even small amounts of money seem huge to a small child. That said, children tend to like instant gratification of their wants and desires, so whatever toy or piece of...

Encouraging Your Children to Save Money
Candy > Encouraging Your Children to Save Money

Just How Is Chocolate Made?

Just How Is Chocolate Made?

 by: James McDonald

How is chocolate made you are wondering? Chocolate is derived from a cocoa bean removed from the pod of the cocoa tree. Cocoa trees are found growing in equatorial zones in the South America region. Once the Cocoa beans have been harvested they are then placed into large shallow pans to be heated. This is also known as the fermentation process. In some regions where the climate is warm the beans may be fermented by the sun. Throughout this fermentation workers stir them often to ensure that all the cocoa beans have been equally fermented.

One of the first things that industrial chocolate manufacturers do is dry roast the beans. The process of dry roasting helps develop the flavor into what we enjoy when eating it. The cocoa nibs, otherwise known as beans are comprised of two very important ingredients: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. The cocoa butter is basically a fat while the cocoa solids are predominantly...

Just How Is Chocolate Made?
Candy > Just How Is Chocolate Made?

razr phone Design Tips for a Great Kids Birthday Cake Candy razr phone Design Tips for a Great Kids Birthday Cake Candy

bedroom furniture bedroom furniture

contact lenses contact lenses

Online Income and Working From Home

Online Income and Working From Home

 by: Mike Freeman

There are lots of ways to make money online, i met someone last year who worked from home a few hours a week and made alot of money, ?28,000 a month just from one site. He did this because he had a site with a popular forum on one particular subject. He then charged ?2 a month subscription fee and he had 14000 members worldwide.

Thats what made me look into it and it started from there for me. I spent...

Design Tips for a Great Kids Birthday Cake Online Income and Working From Home ringtones Candy Design Tips for a Great Kids Birthday Cake Online Income and Working From Home ringtones Candy
Candy > Online Income and Working From Home

Design Tips for a Great Kids Birthday Cake online degree Candy Design Tips for a Great Kids Birthday Cake online degree Candy

home loans Design Tips for a Great Kids Birthday Cake home loans Design Tips for a Great Kids Birthday Cake

credit report credit report