The Mixer of My Dreams

I've been putting off writing this post…  Not procrastinating because it was difficult, because I didn't have a NAME for it! It needs a name… RIGHT?  Came to me making a double-batch of chocolate chip gluten free Nestle Toll-house cookies day before yesterday.

Yes, Ok. It's a bloomin' stand mixer. Alton Brown would probably laugh…or not. Wade Chi has a great photo of AB and his "Fireball" on his Blog post Tyrannosaurus Mixer?

I didn't do any real research before Orangey arrived.  I just knew I didn't want a cheap, disposable ornament in my kitchen. And yeah, I wanted a lift-bowl  Kitchenaid. In hindsight, the flip top wouldn't have been bad either.  I know, I know, brandname hype - right? We didn't have a big-name mixer when I was growing up. I'm thinking my mom might still have that old Braun kicking around.  It was a versatile workhorse.

If you want to do some research, this page has some good info for you.
The Only Stand Mixer You'll Ever Need | Reluctant Gourmet

I'm quite glad I didn't have to pick a colour, that was the lucky lot of the handsome Christmas fairy.  There are (at least!!) 25 colours, check it out!

With this much choice, I would have been paralyzed standing in front of the colour book, but sometimes, the universe makes the choice for you. Don't mess with Karma. Tangerine it is!

I admired Alton's Fireball for years on Good Eats - if you haven't seen the show, you should. He mixes great cooking with interesting delivery, recipes, common sense, facts, history (mostly American), and costumes.

So, I guess I should tell you a bit about this new family member.  In lieu of a name, "Orangey" seemed appropriate. It's the 4KB25G1X, Deluxe 5 Edition Mixer. 450 Watts of power (but if you read the article above, the watts aren't the whole story), the box says it has "Flour Power". Well, that was a giggle. If you know me, I've eaten gluten-free for 20+ years, so "Flour Power"… a bit of a misnomer for me, but some of the doughs I've made have been…strong.  6 3/4 loaves of bread, 1 dozen cookies, or 7 pounds of mashed potatoes! Accompanied with a "wide-chute" pouring shield (splash guard), a flat beater (which you'll see isn't getting used), a wire whip, and a dough hook.

One of the first things I bought Orangey was a flex-edge spatula blade so I didn't have to scrape the bowl down every couple of minutes.  67-point planetary mixing is all fine and well, but… the reviews on the internet (and the manual), still involved scraping the bowl.  I did a bit of research on the internet and found out that there are Kitchenaid accessories, and third-party ones that "might" void your warranty! YIKES!  Bed Bath and Beyond was my first stop, their website advertised they had them, but apparently none in stock. They had the third party model…I wasn't buying that. Then, checking out the website, Sears is a good place to shop for Kitchenaid accessories. Although not always the best prices online, check in the store.  Amazon is another good source online to check for comparison shopping. (Although I admit, I prefer the .com to the .ca site for pricing.)

Soooooo, I've been putting Orangey to work these past few weeks, but… it still didn't have a name. Until I made those cookies. Are you excited yet? Drumroll…

Roadrunner!!  

Meep Meep! Orange like the Roadrunner's legs, AND it makes a sound like running, running, running, running when it's under the load of a double-batch of cookies!

My latest accessory acquisition for Roadrunner is a Mixer Attachment Pack.  There was a great sale at Sears online that caught my eye, I thought they had a good price, until I checked Amazon.com, $104US - which somehow works out to $107.10 Cdn! Shipping was $29, and an import fee of $6.96 on the whole order (I'm guessing GST), not bad!  The parcel arrived at work last week while I was under the weather, so I just got it home yesterday, and I haven't opened it yet. Perhaps on Saturday I can try out the meat grinder, sausage stuffer, grater, slicer, strainer attachment so I can purée some tomatoes and apples. Riiiiiiight. That's optimistic.  I might grind some meat…

This countertop wonder is quite the workhorse. I expect many years of service from it - heavy, so it won't walk around on it's own, sturdy, metal gears, and accessories out the wazoo, (there's even an ice cream maker… but I already have one - and he's handsome too). ;-x

Although, I still have my mom's 30+ year old Sears hand mixer (successfully patched back together after it's "episode") for the small jobs…tucked in it's little case in the drawer, but haven't had call for it yet.

I'm so very sorry! Forgive me audience, It's been 9 weeks since my last blog post.

Good grief. (accompanied by the sound of a smack to forehead with both palms)

I can't believe it's been so long.

I had no intention of forgetting you, but I guess the upside is I have a shitpile lot to write about.

For those of you tuning in-thanks for dropping by! And Happy New Year! (soon to be Chinese New Year - plenty of celebrating to be had in Edmonton!)

in the next while, I've got restaurant reviews, exciting product news from Kinnikinnick Foods, (do you follow them on Twitter? You really should @GF_Insider and @ KinninnickYEG), and plenty more. Give me a day or two… it'll be great!

XOXO
Monica

Todays gems from the web

Twitter - my love/hate relationship. The Twitter Timesucker, but information abounds… I can't stay away!

Today's gems - 2 so far,



First, Gluten Free, Casein Free, chocolate covered "Oreos" from Two Prince Bakery Theatre's blog.  Now that's really NEAT!



And second, the D-Tox e-cookbook on sale - in support of an incredible cause that just isn't widely known.  I wasn't aware that Mitochondrial Disease affects the lives of similarly as many people as Cystic Fibrosis.  With such a broad range of symptoms and impact on sufferer's lives, it's a disease that needs more attention. Read here for more details on the disease.

Click the cover below to place your order for this great book.  Christmas is coming… what a good gift idea!

Dropbox and Evernote. My technology dream team

If you don't have a Dropbox account yet, you really must get one. Click here to sign up for 2GB of storage for free.  Or copy this link http://db.tt/GPN5UHK

So why would I be so delighted with Dropbox and Evernote? They save my stuff.  And I'm not alone… Not just my things, but David Pogue and many many other people have found how wonderful it is.  David Pogue wrote in his blog at New York Times sharing how Dropbox saved his bacon book.

At first, I couldn't wrap my head around WHY I would need it, and did I really need both Dropbox AND Evernote. Really?  Now I can't imagine not having both.

Dropbox shares files between any computers I have enabled the widget and folder on, Evernote allows me to create content and share it between devices, and I use them for totally different purposes.  Dropbox, I use instead of a USB stick or CDs.  Sure, I could use Evernote similarly, but editing and file types are limited.  Dropbox doesn't edit at all.  How is this good? Well, if I am wanting to access documents or edit them, I am usually in front of a computer with the appropriate software to edit it. I can email a document from Dropbox on my iPhone, computer or internet. Yes, I can do exactly the same with Evernote, BUT! I can capture web pages, text, etc. and save it within Evernote.  I use Evernote for shopping lists, to-do's, wine tracking, recipes etc. etc.

These two technologies make document sharing, transferring and creating a breeze.  Now to see what iCloud brings to the party…

Go on… download it. Use it. See what all the fuss is about.  http://db.tt/GPN5UHK

Passing of another Icon of our time.

I owe my career (and probably my sanity) to the Macintosh computer.

I hadn't seen this video until several years ago - it was how I thought computers would be when I reached University in the late 80's. I was sorely disappointed, but little did I know someone had the dream, drive and skills to bring this almost to reality - albeit 25 years later. The new iPhone 4S is the closest device yet. http://t.co/qFTF5vLK (Apple's  Knowledge Navigator (1987))

I was so profoundly saddened by the sudden loss of Jack Layton, a much closer to home tragedy, and somehow, someone I've never met feels almost equally as large a personal loss.

I would never have guessed that the work of a couple of guys in a garage would have worked out to have shaped the last 17 years of my life. Indeed the rest of my life and career.

The world has lost one of the most influential individuals in modern time - of modern life. I write this on my umpteenth apple device.  I have little doubt there are many Apple products in some form of creation, from a germ of an idea, to refinement that were begun under the guidance of Steve Jobs that Apple will have no shortage of innovation in the future.

As said by Mr. Jobs: “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.”

Far too many young people lose their battle with Cancer. It can't be beaten too soon.

The showman with  "just one more thing".

I apologize for the repeat, but mobile readers can't see this graphic at the top of the page.


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