I’ll tell you up front. I had a dose of writers block today and didn’t have anything to write. I’ve got a few reviews and giveaways in the pipeline, but none of them are fully functional – meaning they are no where near ready for publishing. I started off planning on making this post a post about random thoughts in general, but then a thought occurred to me (yes…I do have thoughts!)
You know how sometimes when you’re sitting and folding laundry, you can get a craving for something sweet? I was pretending to be healthy during my last trip to the grocery store and only bought one bag of cookies – which lasted about five days. But I was hungry and wanted something sugary…then I remembered my latest gift to myself.
A few weeks ago I posted about my search for a new (and actually my very first) mixer. Well, after much pondering and researching, I finally settled on this beauty – the KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer:
As of tonight I’ve used it twice (once to make chocolate chip cookies and tonight to make pound cake) and I am totally in love with it. I’ve had some cool kitchen appliances before, but this thing ROCKS. Do you know how easy it is to mix things now? It’s as easy as flipping a switch. What a relief! My arms aren’t tired from mixing anymore. WAHOO! I’ve got to say, this thing is a TANK too. It isn’t at all like the cheap-o mixer I had before. It’s sturdy, durable, and its mere presence makes me look like a serious chef. SERIOUS! Grrrr.
I think I got a pretty good deal on it too. The Chrome color is selling for quite a bit less than the other colors on Amazon – just $227.94. PLUS, there is a rebate of $30 which includes a free subscription to Martha Stewart Living or Everyday Food. But wait! Since I’m not a big magazine reader, I can also get a $14.95 rebate instead of the magazine subscription. That works out to $44.95 in rebates which brings my grand total for a brand new KitchenAid Artisan Mixer to…..(drumroll please…thumpeedeethumpeeedeethump…..) $182.99! That includes free shipping from Amazon!
So if you’re in the market for a new kitchen mixer, based on my two recent baking experiences, I think that the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer is a solid choice. It comes in a bunch of different colors, but some colors are cheaper than others. Why Chrome is the cheapest – I have no idea.
But getting back to where I started – once I remembered the mixer, I started pondering what I could bake. Due to limited supplies of key baking ingredients (I only had 3/4 cup of milk) my options were slim. I finally decided to bake my first every pound cake (as I mentioned before.) And here it is….
TADA! It took a little longer than expected to cook. I had no idea it takes over 90 minutes for pound cake to bake. But it was well worth the wait. It is totally delicious and hit that sweet tooth just right.
The End.
Denise says
March 18, 2011 at 3:32 pmYahoo! I’m glad you bit the bullet and bought the creme de la creme of mixers! What an amazing deal, too! Make some yeast rolls and watch that machine got to work mixing and kneading the dough!
Miriam T. says
March 18, 2011 at 4:00 pmYup – I think this was a great decision and I’m so glad I finally bought one. I feel like such an uber baker now. I was thinking about attempting bread next – I just gotta get some yeast.
Tamara says
March 22, 2011 at 10:59 pmI got mine for a wedding gift and I LOVE it! You should check out the grater attachment too. Makes quick work out of a giant block of cheese! 😉 Oh, or carrots for carrot cake… mmmm.
admin says
March 23, 2011 at 1:31 amOh wow. I never even considered using it as a grater. (OK, I didn’t even know that was possible!) I’ll check it out! Thanks for the tip.
Shasta Walton says
March 22, 2011 at 10:57 pmI WANT ONE!
Virginia from That Bald Chick says
March 23, 2011 at 12:16 amI love my Artisan, and have had it for over 5 years. It was a wedding gift, and frankly, my favorite one!
admin says
March 23, 2011 at 1:32 amWow. 5 years and still going? Makes me feel like I made a wise choice. 🙂