Now, about my birthday

Honestly I’m a bit in shock that so many friends & family remembered me. I was almost feeling a little like I was in the twilight zone and 16 again when phone calls were a near hourly occurrence. Thank you for your emails & calls & silly e-cards & prezzies.

I’ve been putting off talking about my new mixer & other birthday prezzies. I guess I just didn’t want to be like the kid you see at the birthday party, holding up his prized gizmo 2 inches from your nose shouting at eardrum piercing decibels, “Heeeey, YOU GUYS, YOU GUYS, LOOK what I GOOOOOOOOOOOT”. We all know what it’s like to dutifully have to produce an “oooh" or unenthusiastic "cool” to help fuel their moment of sheer euphoria as you painfully watch them run to the next poor guy & repeat the same process again & again and again.

Well…..see I don’t want to be that kid. So I’m trying to be calm about it. But really I almost feel a little horrible for having put up all those pics of things I’d like for my birthday, as people seemed to have taken me seriously and gotten me them. (Thank God I decided against putting up a picture of that Lactating female buffalo)

Thanks, Nina, for the Pears. I wish I could say I was moderate & reserved in my consumption….but…yea….you know how it goes. I just scarfed those down at night, when the kids were in bed. (No, not all in one night, two nights at least!)

Thanks for the wooden spoon, Daddyo! I don’t know what I’ve been doing without one. I don’t know about you but some things are just meant to be cooked with a wooden spoon. Soups, sauces, cereals & custards to name a few.

Thanks soooo much for the sharpening stone, Vesna! Gosh golly, my 100Y store stone hit the trash can instantly. Yours was the first Birthday present of the day and at 6:45, when Josh gave it to me I was in the kitchen, in my (now non-flammable) bathrobe sharpening my knives. And….you wouldn’t believe how sharp they were!!! I could literally cut a tomato by dropping the knife on it. Hee!

And thanks, Dear Husband of Love, (who never hearkens this blog's doorstep) for the mixer. I honest to God never thought you’d ever do anything like that. I still see that thing on the counter top & feel so happy about it, that I have to go run (hoisting it, heavy as it is) to everyone over at the breakfast table, screaming, “Hey, YOU GUYS…..LOOKIE WHAT I GOOOOOT????”.

Ungodly long PS:

Now about that mixer, a few ppl have asked me what I use it for & I did want to say a little some-some about it. I know I’ve survived cooking without one and could've continued just fine. I guess the truth is that the hours spent, kneading dough, mixing cake batter, beating egg whites, mashing potatoes, whipping cream, blending hamburger meat, & mixing cookie dough ---do seem to add up. I’m not a stranger to using whisks, I’ve always preferred whipping cream & meringue by hand but these days it’s become a matter of time. But esp. when catering or preparing for dinner parties or other events it sure is nice to have something that can do the heavy work for you. While you work on something else.

Now about the kneading.....I really truly love to make bread. I have always been a traditionalist when it comes to kneading. I'm the dork extolingthe bread making experinece & the virtues of kneading by hand. I love the feel of dough in my hands & the slowly changing texture from gooey to elasticity. I love the smell & everything else about it. But I’ve found that I make bread less & less these days, mainly because I can’t seem to find a good 10 minute slot of time to get my hands & counter top dirty. There’s always some huge “kid-related” emergency to attend to. That's one of the main things that really was appealing about the Kitchenaid mixer.

And yes, I made my first loaf of bread in it a few days ago. Welsh Caraway Bread, and lookie!
For real! It’s a LOAF OF BREAD! I know it sounds retarded but I haven’t had the greatest luck with breads in a loaf pan the last few times I’ve made it. I hadn't used my bread pan in ages. I think it was the "Curse of the Jamaican Dumpling" or something. But this baby was gorgeous!

And, I did the dishes while the mixer kneaded away for 10 minutes. That just really warmed my heart, in a big way. We’re hoping to get a big old 30 kg. bag of whole wheat & make our own bread more regularly.

Well, don’t get me started on bread. I got a lot of foodies I want to post about but not much time. I’m thinking to just post more links & less yappity yap. So, Till next time, Ciao!