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We have moved on from floods to snow (and I hear the think I hear the plague of locusts lining up offstage) and it seems like a perfect day to stay inside, mug of warm cider in hand, and do some shopping. Starting with this: Amazon has KitchenAid Classic mixers for only 109 bucks (and free shipping) which is a good enough deal that I almost wish I needed a new one.
How do you measure ingredients for recipes?
I have been trying to include all of the useful variations on measurements in my recipes lately but there are so many options! Did you know that there are US, Canada, and metric "cups"? How is that even supposed to work? I can't recall ever seeing "cup (Canada)" in a recipe and I used to live right next to the place. Maybe it's because there is only a smidge of difference (about a third of an ounce vs Europe which adds over an ounce and a half!) but still. (and is it a "Canada cup" or a "Canadian cup"? like the geese are Canada geese, not Canadian geese - although some of them may live there...at least in the summer.)
...but i digress...
Maybe I excite too easily, but I just noticed the coolest thing: my spatula has a hook to keep it from sliding into the bowl! I am sure they have made these for years and I've been too busy cooking to notice, but wow, what a difference this makes. The bowl the handle is leaning of the edge of in the picture is HUGE and I am always fishing spoons out of the half-made bread dough they slide down into. Ugh!
But no more! I discovered this wonderful little hooker (that'll get me google hits) and now my gooey troubles are over. Want one? Run over to Amazon and snag your very own spatula of wonder.
Next thing: can someone tell me how many years ago they started making the little tipout things on the front of the sink cabinets? You know, the ones you are supposed to store sponges and stuff in. I figured out they existed a couple of years ago and the first tow people I mentioned it to looked at me like I had been offplanet for decades. Have they always been there?
I feel so oblivious some days.
Rain sheets dance the length of the valley, sending all but the elk scurrying for cover. 'Tis a good day to be inside and dry, pulled close to the techno-fire of a glowing computer screen, still warm cookie in hand, melty chocolate chips and all. It's enough to make one grateful for online shopping.
Does 50% off Godiva sound good? How about 50% off gift certificates at Restaurant.com? Or, because I know there's a candy freak lurking out there, 40 Pounds of Lemonheads for about 50 bucks?
All that and more at dealnews.com, a site I stumbled across recently. They scan a number of online shopping sites for the best prices on a range of somewhat random, yet interesting, items. It's not comprehensive (as if anything could be) but there are probably a few things there that could part you from your credit card. Kitchen deals here, food and drink deals here.
Did I mention that their slogan is how to go broke saving money? Well, at least they warn you.
By popular request (who knew?) and with Rand's generosity, I offer more shirts and stuff.
Having fought with Cafe Press's upload system (is resumable FTP really too much to ask for?) and a flaky satellite linkfor too many hours this evening, I'm now beat and must turn in before dawn, but I do have to say one thing: I put this on a toddler shirt and it sheds a whole new light on it. A whole new light. Because most parents of an active, growing, and eternally hungry toddler would agree: More food truly does often equal less whine.
I've got a little side project that seems highly appropriate to announce right about now; so much so that I made something special just for Kalyn, Catherine, and anyone else who is feeling slighted by some guy by the initials of PW (who is not getting more publicity from me).
Seriously, even the most dedicated foodist must venture out of the kitchen every once in a while, and since you've probably got flour on your sleeve or a drip of sauce on your shirt you need a new shirt. Check out these shirts. You can even order them with your blog name added (minimum order, drop me a note if you're interested).
Bestill my baker's heart, there's a new contender for the top of my list of things I covet. Sure it's only big enough to bake one loaf at a time, but check out this baby. I've checked my pockets and between the couch cushions but I seem to be about $1287 short of the $1300 list price, darn it!
This gleaming hunk of stainless is Sharp's AX-700S Superheated Steam Oven, which is pretty and all that but has one feature that sets it high on my lust list. Steam! Steam that they say is superheated to 550 degrees. Imagine the bagels, the beautifully bloomed bread slashes, the sauna in your kitchen. Well, maybe that last isn't such a great selling point, but the steam is. No more hovering and spritzing the oven, just gorgeous bread.
Someone at Sharp needs to put "bread" in the ad copy, however, which currently reads like it's designed purely for the microwave loving crowd. And I have to wonder about presets that include "fresh vegetables, crisp" and "fresh vegetables, tender" but no differentation between types of vegetables other than potatoes, which have their own setting. Do their product designers think all other vegetables are created equal?
But who cares about advertising? Back to the bread baking.
I wonder if you can fit a pizza stone in it.
I wonder if Sharp wants a bread baking blogger to try.
Probably not, but a mage can dream, can't she?
I am not a huge fan of single-purpose kitchen tools...well, that's not exactly true...actually I'd love to have a ton of them, but I posess neither the money nor the drawer space to do so. In any case, this one may make the cut even if it only works for mangos. Although I am sure preparing a mango is a learnable skill, I haven't exactly mastered the slippery beasts. I always end up with a gooey mess and a bit that's more smooshed than sliced.
Look at this mango that's been sliced with said gizmo; It;s sort of a tropical fruit version of Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors. And, I daresay, rather lacivious.
