Feasting Friday- Love American Style

Chickens, I’m in love. Again.


My faithful readers know that last Fall the Universe, whom I had asked most specifically to step up the pace on sending me a sweetie, obliged in the best possible way with the miraculous appearance of my Charming Suitor. A girl is never too old or jaded to be swept off her feet, and as I have mentioned now and again, I am floating these days in something of a lovebliss cloud. (Hopefully I am not overly sappy about it, I never wanted to be one of those girls who finds The One and spends all her time waxing poetical about snuggling and bringing up rainbows for no apparent reason…a girl still needs to get her snark on.)

However, this morning, totally unexpectedly, I fell in love all over again. And my Charming Suitor will have to forgive me.

Today I’m gonna talk about a hand mixer.

And don’t go all red in the face, I’m not working blue…that’s no euphemism. I mean an actual hand mixer.

Look at it.

Sigh.

Isn’t it dreamy?

This, my Chickens, is my new love, all shiny and sparkly. The Cuisinart 9 speed hand mixer with three types of attachments and a handy snap-on storage case. Boo-yah! Be still my beating heart.

When I was in college I invested a whopping $16 in a Sunbeam six speed hand mixer. When I got married back in the Stone Age, the Wasband and I registered for a Cuisinart hand mixer, but no one bought it. And since the old Sunbeam, somewhat spattered with the kind of stuff that never really comes off, still worked, so we didn’t replace it. And as a single girl on a tight budget, in all these years, I couldn’t justify replacing an appliance that still worked.

(I could justify the acquisition of NEW appliances like an ice cream maker and a cotton candy machine, but not replacing perfectly adequate old ones…I’m complex.)

As you know, often companies send me products to try out in hopes I will write about them here. And I am all for that, since I love to bring you info about cool stuff, and sadly do not have the financial wherewithal to just go around purchasing things willy nilly. They don’t pay me, just send me review items, some of which I have to send back and some of which I get to keep. And sometimes they give me stuff to giveaway to you, which we love! (And I can guarantee you that for every product I have received for free and raved about here, there is at least one I got and tested and am not recommending to you because it was not up to my standards.)

This is a long way of saying that when the people over at Cuisinart thought I might like to try out their snazzy hand mixer and popped one in the mail to me, I was over the moon delighted to receive it, and am now all doe-eyed and sparkly. (and the trusty Sunbeam is being donated to another household as we speak!)

I’ve actually been a pretty loyal paying Cusinart customer over the years. I have both their Mini-Prep chopper, (which I got in college and still works perfectly some 20 years later), and a commercial quality 14 c food processor with all the bells and whistles, which is the workhorse of my kitchen, especially at holiday time. A couple years back I got a gift certificate to a local kitchen store for my birthday and indulged in their ice cream maker, which is about the easiest thing I ever used, dangerously so! (My new favorite recipe of this summer is a sweet corn sorbet.) So when the hand mixer arrived, I didn’t think for a moment that it would be anything less than great.

I did not anticipate dreamy.

Like, Nathan Fillion carrying a French Silk Pie dreamy. 

thanks recipeshapsody.com

Like, George Clooney feeding you spaghetti Carbonara in bed in Italy dreamy.

thanks bbcgoodfood.com

Like Jennifer Aniston wanting to option your book and star in the movie and maybe become one of your besties dreamy.

Like finding your own Charming Suitor dreamy.

Sorry, I digress.  Let us get back to this miracle of modern technology....

First off, it has three kinds of attachments…the standard mixers, a whisk, and dough hooks! I had never seen a hand mixer with this option, and I’m not much of a bread baker, but I can tell you that CS is very excited about whipping up his famous yeast rolls with it. All of the attachments, plus a handy little spatula, fit in a plastic container which snaps onto the bottom of the mixer for easy storage and excellent portability. It has nine speeds, the lowest of which is barely gently mixing, and the highest of which seems to be enough to power a small helicopter.

This morning, prepping for my appearance next Tuesday on the WGN Noon news (set your DVRs!) I needed to whip up a batch of my healthier chocolate chip cookies. So I pulled out the new mixer, and went to work.

Oh.

Oh my.

It went through butter I wasn’t quite patient enough to let soften completely like, well, butter! Still almost slightly frozen in the middle, and yet, in just a few seconds, light and fluffy and creamed with the sugar. The egg blended in the amount of time it took to turn it on and off again. The extra slow start speed meant that when I added the flour, it did not shower me with a poof, dusting me and the whole kitchen, but lovingly folded the dry ingredients in with nary an explosion. This is a dough that gets a little thick, especially after you add the oats, but the mixer blended with ease. Barely broke a sweat. And neither did I.

It’s a good thing they don’t expect me to send it back, because this baby isn’t leaving my side. I’m already dreaming up more excuses to use it…there will be new recipes coming your way soon!

So, if it is time to replace an old mixer, or to give a gift to your favorite cook, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Buy one now.

Just be careful. You’re likely to fall in love.

Don’t forget there is still time to enter to win lunch with me and Jen Lancaster in your hometown, you have through 11:59pm on Monday! Click here for deets.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. And here is that cookie recipe…an almost guiltless pleasure!  I'll be back on Tuesday to announce the winner of the Stennifer Lunchtastic Tour contest...

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
½ t salt
¼ t nutmeg
¼ t cinnamon
½ c butter, softened
¾ c organic brown sugar
1 egg
¼ c skim milk
5 oz. dark chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate chips
½ c rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients with a whisk to combine. In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and milk and combine well. Mix in dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips and oats. Drop rounded teaspoons on greased cookie sheets, and press down lightly. Bake for 12-14 minutes until browned around the edges. Cool on a rack.

Yours in Good Taste,
The Polymath