The burning smell and puffs of gray smoke coming from my hand mixer over the last month clued me in to the fact that it would soon be trash. My last batch of buttercream icing whipped that beater.
Because over the last several years I’ve spent a sizable amount of dough on my mixers, I decided that this time I’d wait until after Christmas and purchase a hand mixer with some fight. I borrowed my neighbor’s Kitchen Aide to make FringeKid’s birthday cake and I felt like women must have when they first used a washing machine.
I searched high and low for a durable hand mixer. By durable I mean that I’d like it to mix a triple batch of cookie dough, knead a loaf of bread, and whip six sticks of butter with four pounds of sugar. Is that too much to ask of a hand mixer?
Apparently the sale’s woman in the fourth store I visited thought my expectations were a little high…even for a Kitchen Aide or Cuisinart hand mixer. I was torn. Do I spend lots of money on a hand mixer I’m sure will die by the year’s end?
It’s not as if I’m using my mixer to stir concrete or anything! I did ask FringeMan if there were any way I could attach a whisk to his hand drill. I figured I’d finally found a motor that could handle my cakes.
It was after the saleswoman had already finished my purchase that an idea struck her. Very excitedly she hurried around the counter telling me that she had the perfect item for me at a reasonable price. Filled with doubt, I watched as she scurried through the store and came back lugging a giant box.
“It’s our last one and it hasn’t even been put out yet.” She told us as she plopped the box down with a giant thud.
The box looked as if it could have housed a baby elephant. I figured it was just what I needed. The long nose could stir while the feet stomped and mashed. Problem solved! Won’t FringeBoy be excited to pooper-scoop for another animal.
The saleswoman waved aside my elephant guess and told me it was a Kitchen Aide whose color was discontinued. Because they soon wouldn’t be allowed to sell it, they marked it down $150 off the original price. Wow! She told me the price would be roughly double the hand mixer I’d just purchased. A little investment, but one well worth it since I was already anticipating needing a new hand-held mixer by June.
All the way home, I doubted the size of this mixer. I’d just never EVER seen one so cheap.
I consider this a direct gift from God. I’ve dreamed of a red (this exact color) Kitchen Aide mixer for a very long time. Some girls desire diamonds, some houses, and others gold, but for me it was a mixer minus puffs of black smoke and screams of pain.
All night long I thought of things to make in this lovely new mixer. I decided to make cinnamon rolls. Mmmmm…it was well worth the extra inch on each of my thighs. FringeKid and I named this powerful red beauty Fiona.
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Cinnamon Roll Recipe
I will now share Fiona’s cinnamon roll recipe. It came straight out of the Kitchen Aide direction booklet.
Dough: 3/4 c. low-fat milk, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 c. butter, 2 packs active dry yeast, 1/3 c. warm water, 5 1/2 – 6 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, 3 eggs
Heat milk, sugar, salt & butter in small pan until butter and sugar are melted. Cool to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed bowl. Add milk mixture, eggs, & 5 c. flour. Mix, mix, mix…
Add remaining flour slowly until dough clings to hook and cleans the side of the bowl. I only used 5 1/2 c. flour for this to happen. Knead by hand or in mixer. Place dough in greased bowl and let rise for an hour. Punch down and roll into a giant rectangle.
Cinnamon mixture: 1 c. brown sugar, 1 c. sugar, 1/2 c. butter, 1/4 c. all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tbls cinnamon (chopped walnuts or pecans optional)
Beat all ingredients together till well mixed. Spread over dough and roll tightly. Cut into 24 one inch rounds and place in two buttered 9×13 pans. Let rise for 45 min. – 1 hour. Bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven.
Pre-cooked rolls
Enjoy! They’d be great with a little icing on top too. You may as well!
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I almost feel bad having such a beautiful machine. It’s so much more than I ever expected. Fiona and I will work well together. She will knead; I will feed.
HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!
