Lay a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper on a baking sheet. Print off a page of snowflake designs or a single large snowflake that you like and slide the print underneath the waxed paper or parchment paper. You should be able to see the snowflake designs through the paper. If you're comfortable with piping, you could pipe the snowflakes without using printed designs. Just pipe the snowflakes directly onto the parchment or waxed paper. Get out a 7 ounce (200 g) block of high-quality white chocolate.Chop the chocolate into small chunks. Place the chunks or chips in a small saucepan and that can fit on top of a larger saucepan. Pour an inch of water in the larger saucepan and heat it until it simmers. Set the smaller saucepan with chocolate over the water and stir it until the chocolate melts.  If you don't want to chop the chocolate, you can use white chocolate chips instead of the block. Choose a high-quality white chocolate that lists cocoa butter in the ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to scoop the melted chocolate into a piping bag. You can use any tip you like although the melted chocolate won't show great detail once it's piped. If you don't have a piping bag, you can use a plastic food storage bag. Just snip one corner of the bag so you can squeeze the chocolate out. It may help to place the bag inside a large bowl or tall glass while you fill it with chocolate. Tuck the edges of the bag over the sides of the bowl or glass so they don't fall down with the weight of the chocolate. Gently squeeze the piping bag or plastic bag so that the white chocolate slowly comes out of the tip or corner of the bag. Use the melted chocolate to trace along the snowflake designs. If too much melted chocolate comes out of the bag, you may need to use a smaller tip or make larger snowflakes. You can set a silver cachou in the middle of each snowflake or use them to decorate each tip of the snowflake. You could also sprinkle the snowflakes with edible glitter for extra shine. Decorate the snowflakes while the chocolate is still soft. Set the snowflakes aside to harden. You can refrigerate the white chocolate snowflakes in an airtight container until you're ready to use them.

Summary: Arrange snowflake patterns under waxed paper. Chop and melt the white chocolate. Fill a piping bag with the melted chocolate. Pipe the white chocolate over the snowflake designs. Decorate the snowflakes and let them harden. Finished.


Your veterinarian will be able to advise you as to which diseases are prevalent in the area, and which it is necessary to vaccinate against. Some states also require all pets to be vaccinated against rabies, in which case you must comply. Take your veterinarian's advice on preventative healthcare such as heartworm, and regular worming treatments and use them regularly. If your dog is a pet and not intended for breeding, then speak to your vet about desexing. This helps reduce antisocial behaviors, such as territory marking in the male. It also reduces the risk of certain diseases in the female, such as mammary cancer (if done before the second season) and pyometra (womb infection). This is a permanent way of identifying the dog as yours. Should it escape or be stolen, the ID chip allows you to prove ownership, and will help someone who finds your dog locate you (vets can read the chip and find you through the registry).

Summary: Take your Maltese for annual vaccinations. Have your dog spayed or neutered but wait until he or she is at least five months old (preferably nine months). Consider getting your pet microchipped.


Spoon 1 to 2 tsp (5 to 10 ml) of refried beans into each sope, then use the back of the spoon to smooth the beans into an even layer. While sope toppings typically vary by personal preference, including an initial layer of refried beans is common among many traditional recipes. Take a handful of romaine, iceberg, or green leaf lettuce and shred the leaves into thin strips. Spread a layer of the shredded lettuce over the refried beans. Lettuce is another traditional component of sope toppings, but it can also be skipped if you have an aversion to it or don't have any presently available. Nearly any shredded or cubed meat would work. Spoon a layer of the meat into the center of each sope, directly on top of the bed of lettuce.  Any prepared taco meat would be one option worth considering, especially if you have some leftover from another meal. You could also add chopped cooked chorizo, albondigas meatballs, or seasoned shrimp. Omit the meat if you'd prefer serving vegetarian sopes. After layering on the meat, you can add your favorite chopped vegetables, cheeses, and creams.  Some popular vegetable options include diced onion, diced avocado, diced bell pepper, diced chile pepper, and diced tomato. Similarly, you could add your favorite commercial salsa or homemade pico de gallo. Crumbled queso fresco is the most conventional choice of cheese, but if you can't find it, mild feta cheese is a good substitute. If you don't like the taste of these cheeses, shredded cheddar or a shredded Mexican-style cheese blend are other options worth considering. Similarly, Mexican crema is a type of heavy cream used as a garnish for many Mexican dishes, but if you don't have any, you could use sour cream instead. Once you've finished filling and garnishing the sopes, they're ready to eat. They don't store well, so you should enjoy them while they're warm and fresh.
Summary: Spread the refried beans. Layer the lettuce. Add the meat, if desired. Top with your favorite garnishes. Enjoy.