Archive for November, 2009
Who is KitchenAid?
Kitchen Aid mixers exploded in popularity during the 1920s and 1930s. Gradually, KitchenAid came to be known for its other products as well. During the 1980s, the company made a concerted effort to expand its product line, introducing their ovens and stovetops in the middle of that decade. In 1986, KitchenAid was acquired by the Whirlpool Corporation, still the largest appliance maker in the world.
The traditional KitchenAid stand mixer sold in record numbers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During the economic recessions of 1990 and 1991, KitchenAid remained profitable, continuing to gain market share due to its high-quality product and effective advertising campaign emphasizing multigenerational family reunion themes. The KitchenAid mixer–the original product from which the company name was derived–continues to flourish as well.
My Favorite Mixer
I was the baker while growing up in our family of 9 & all my Mom had was a hand mixer. I used it to make cakes, cookies, bars and anything else you would you a mixer for. At times it was a struggle to mix the dough. After I got married & knowing that my husband came from a home that his Mom always baked, he had his fresh baked goodies to take with him to work every day for his morning & afternoon snacks. I knew it would not be a problem since I love to bake.
I knew since I would be baking a lot that a hand mixer wasn’t going to make it very long no matter how expensive it was. That’s when I decided to check out the KitchenAid Stand Mixers. It has been an investment well worth it. In fact, this is my 2nd one that I’m using presently. I invested in the Professional HD Model, KG25HOXMC, with a 6 QT Bowl since I always make a triple batch of cookies at a time every time I bake cookies. Some of my recipes will fill the bowl three-fourths full. This mixer has NO PROBLEM in mixing it all together. It’s a charm to make bread because the mixer does all the work & doesn’t even grunt. I remember growing up that Mom had to knead the bread by hand which was a lot of work & time.
I do own a hand mixer but it is only used for mashing potatoes, mixing pudding and other things that don’t require much effort.
Cole’s Coffee Cake
CAKE:
2 c. Flour
1 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Baking Soda
1 t. Cinnamon
½ t. Nutmeg
1 c. Sugar
½ t. Salt
1 Egg
1 c. Milk
½ c. Oil
¼ c. Orange Juice
CRUMBLE TOP:
1 c. Brown Sugar
1 c. Chopped Nuts
½ Stick of Oleo/Butter
ICING:
¾ c. Powdered Sugar
½ t. Vanilla
1 T. Milk
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and salt. Add egg, milk, oil & orange juice. Mix with a hand held mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour into greased and floured 9 X 13” pan. Add crumble top and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Drizzle icing over cake once you have taken it out of the oven.
Julia Child’s Bible for Would-Be Chefs
For amateur and professional chefs alike, ability to prepare French cuisine is considered a hallmark of kitchen talent. French food is intricate, delicate, refined and quite frankly easy to get wrong. In her bestselling book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” Julia Child dove headlong into the often pretentious but frequently delicious culinary heritage in France. Since the 1960s, generations of would-be chefs have referred to Child’s cookbook as a veritable gospel.
As recipe books go, Child’s work stands out for being both an enjoyable read and a precise instruction manual. Beginners should work on mastering Mexican, American and Italian cuisines before graduating to French, but the important thing is that you challenge yourself. Even if you attempts at French cooking don’t turn out picture perfect on your first attempt, that’s no reason to give up.
Chopped Chocolate Made Easy
The best pastry chefs know to use fresh chocolate when making tasty treats like brownies and fudge. But, fresh chocolate comes in blocks and must be finely chopped in preparation for the melting process. Chefs hate nothing more than spending a valuable hour prepping chocolate.
Serrated kitchen knives are a pastry chef’s best friend. The grooved “teeth” on a serrated knife work perfectly to chop brittle chocolate blocks. Serrated knives also tend to be sharper than typical chef’s knives because they’re used less frequently
A Hearty Meal for Chilly Weather
With winter winds whipping at our doors and frost clinging to the windows, it’s the ideal time to transition to heartier meals. Rib-sticking main dishes are perfect for winter time, when we require more calories just to stay warm. Fresh, light garden salads won’t quite cut it – our bodies demand stew! The following beef stew recipe serves four to six people, and tastes even better the second time around. Make extra and store it in the fridge.
Ingredients:
1 pound steak
2 white onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ pint beef stock
1 can crushed tomatoes
4 russet potatoes
2 carrots
3 stalks celery
1 cup fresh peas
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Place the meat, onions, garlic, bay leaf and stock inside a Presto pressure cooker with a bit of oil. Bring it to pressure, then switch off heat and leave it on the stove with lid off. Add tomatoes, potatoes, celery and carrot.
2. Pressurize the cooker up to normal, test vegetables to see if they’re done, repressurize if necessary. Add peas and stir.