Kitchen Aid’s Pro 450 Series Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer

If you cook at all and enjoy it I’m sure or at least I hope that you have a Kitchen Aid mixer. At home myself I have the Classic Stand Mixer, the kind where the head tilts up. I want to say that while I do love it, I like the mixer pictured above better, and here’s why:

1) Cleanliness – The stand mixer with the tilting head puts the mixer right into the bowl and if anything gets thrown up, it’s right there and it’s going to get dirty. While I can’t promise perfect cleanliness with the Bowl-Lift mixer there is a better chance of it guaranteed.

 

2) Ease of Use – The head-tilting mixer is a pain when it comes to adding ingredients. Because the head is right there, you can’t just throw them in and you can’t tilt the head up for a second. You have to stop mixing, unlock the head, tilt it up, add your ingredients and then repeat the process backward. That may not sound too hard but it’s way easier to just leave your mixer on for a minute and crank your bowl down, drop the ingredients in and crank it back up. I say crank but it’s really just drop. The lever is very easy to move and takes little effort to use.

 

That’s really all, but when you cook as much as I do, after a while, you begin to wish that you had a bigger better machine and I would put money on it being the Kitchen Aid Pro 450 series Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer.

Pampered Chef’s Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer

The Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer is AMAZING! My grandmother used to make 4-6 apple pies each major holiday and this thing is still in use. She’s had it for several years and it still works perfectly. This comes with a separate stand shown in the picture but if you have a drop down counter you shouldn’t need it unless you want to get a little elevation. All in all if you like apples or cook with apples, this is an awesome gadget.

The Best Cookbook

Ok you're going to probably think that I'm not only ancient but crazy when I let you know what my favorite cookbook of all time is. I guarantee it's nothing fancy and it's definately not for those on a diet. Ok my favorite cookbook is the 1961 edition of the Betty Crocker's New Picture Cookbook. It's a great cook book for those who are just learning to cook and want to make great homemade meals but aren't sure where to begin. This is got to be the best reference of basic kitchen neccesities from tools to measurements. Nothing too fancy but everything still tastes great. I also use this cookbook even though I would no longer consider myself a beginner because the recipes are so simple that they're easy to tweak without too many bad things happening. It gives you a great model to begin any great recipe and meal.

For the Wino's

Sur La Table has a great gizmo for wine enthusiasts or for those who have wine once in a while but have a little trouble getting the bottle open. If you're not into wine on at least a semi-regular basis I wouldn't suggest this because it's a little pricey at sixty dollars and you could get a cheaper version that might not last as long under regular use but would work just as well for what you need. This item is called the Vertical Rabbit Corkscrew and works exactly as listed on the site 'Two gripping handles latch onto the top of a wine bottle, and a top handle drives the corkscrew into the cork and pops it out. With another quick movement of the top handle, the cork is automatically released from the corkscrew.'

I use this most often with the Bartenura Moscato D'asti of 2006 which I must say is my new love. This is a sweet wine that is a good start for those who may not have liked previous wines. It's not so sweet that you might think you're drinking grape juice but light and wonderful on the palate. I tried to find Bartenura's website but was unable to locate it. If you want to find this wine I suggest a google search for Bartenura Moscato.

How to whip cream

In reference to the previous post. This will help alot for those who've never whipped cream.

Peanut Butter Pie

This is my husband's favorite pie ever. To me it tastes more like a cheese cake than a pie but here goes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Chunks

1. Combine 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup butter or margarine; press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Cool.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Whip the cream, and fold into the peanut butter mixture.
3. Gently spoon filing into crust. Garnish pie with Reeses's Peanut Butter Cup chunks if desired. Refrigerate overnight.

Things to note:

Make sure that you cool the crust or the pie will not combine properly. Also make sure you combine the pie as quickly as possible for the same reason.

Williams Sonoma Flavor Injector

I've never had time to let my dinners sit and marinade for hours on end. I have two kids and a full time job. That basically means that all my dinners need to be quick to prepare and quick to make because in between getting home and getting dinner on the table I also have to keep my son and daughter content, not always the easiest task. The downside to this is no matter how many spices, marinades, rubs or sauces I put on my meats, they never hold the flavor as well as I would like. Well that changed when I started using the Williams Sonoma Flavor Injector. While this looks a little daunting, it's basically a huge needle/injector set. It's very easy to use and it marinates better than anything else I've tried yet. The last time I used this, I pumped marinade into my injector, injected the meat, cooked it immediately after and was please to announce that my meal tasted amazing. If you're pressed for time and even if you're not I would suggest using this to add any flavor into your meat.

Pampered Chef's Mini Measure-All® Cup

I first saw this little gadget at a Pampered Chef party about a month ago and was amazed at it's design. While this gizmo isn't the prettiest looking thing you may have seen it's probably the most efficient. Basically this is a one cup measuring cup that leaves no residue behind and is changable to any measurement under one cup. So if you're measuring something like ketchup for that delicious homemade barbecue sauce, you set this to the proper setting and then push the ketchup into your mixing bowl. That's it. No scraping, no leaking and no mess. It's as easy as it looks. The second best thing about this measuring cup after it's ease of use is the price. I will be the first to admit that although some gadgets can be nifty they are also usually pricey and if you buy a cheaper version, ineffective. This is six dollars, period. Check it out at a Pampered Chef party or online here, www.pamperedchef.com