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.
——————————————————————————————————————
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!
—————————————————————————————————————————
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!
Tags: cinnamon rolls, cooking, Food, Kitchen Aide mixers, recipes, sale merchandise
SOOO jealous! I too lust over a Kitchenaid but I sucked it up and bought a Wolfgang Puck 2 years ago (for about 1/3 the price of a KA) and it’s amazing, so I guess I should stop complaining already.
Also? I’m baking a cake for my little girl when she comes home this weekend. And I’m using your buttercream recipe. I’m sure it will be delicious.
WOW!!!! She’s BEAUTIFUL!!!! Congrats on the new addition
Have fun!
Oh, I have a white one of these and I LOVE it! It was my Christmas present 2 years ago and I have never looked back!! By far my favorite thing in my kitchen!!
Happy Mixing!!
Wonderful! And I love the color! IT Guy bought me a white one several years ago when he realized a friend’s best dessert couldn’t be made by a cheaper model. It was a win-win situation for us both!
The Texas Woman
I LOVE, LOVE what you wrote at my place about your Grandfather and time. I was saying, YA! Right on grandpa, that’s what it’s all about! as I was reading it. I think your grandfather and I could have had some good times together.
And now on to read about your gorgeous Kitchen Aid!
Your life will never be the same again, but in a good way! And I love her name…….a red head needs a name like Feona.
OK, that was definately devine intervention there and that red is exactly my happy red. How wonderful! And see, another sign. My old hand mixer just about gave up the ghost today. It only works on high which sends my butter flying and big blobs of flying butter aren’t yummy, they’re slippery! And then half way through shortbread cookies today the on/off button fell off. Oh, ya, I rigged something up, a wire attached to my cow and when I prod Nessy she ambles off and activates my machine but I’m thinking this is ANOTHER sign from God and I should just get one. What do you think?
Erin, your comment made me laugh! Yes, by all means, go get one!!!
I’m super jealous at your baking ability. And, yes, she is beautiful. Mine’s silver and an older version that got discontinued because the top part does not go back. Does that make sense?
WOW! IF I used a mixer that much, that would be one I’d get. It is so worth the investment. I’ve thought a lot like you about hand mixers and just haven’t bitten the bullet on it. What a deal you got though!
Ohhhhh! Hurray for you! It does seem like a gift from God!
We got a KitchenAid for my chef husband a few years ago. He uses it for fayncy stuff like grinding meat. (Yeah. You heard me.) I discovered its amazing prowess on buttercream frosting and cookie dough. The best part? You can get it going and WALK AWAY!
Yes, you and Feona will get along very well.
Oh my goodness! You are big time, my FringeGirl friend! Fancy and RED! Yee haw! ~Mindy
Congratulations on your excellent purchase!
I love my KA mixer so much, that when I’m using it I feel like I’m cheating on Cat Daddy. He and my sister gave it to me for Christmas several years ago(red one, of course) and I have yet to have it fail me. Hand mixers would just give up the ghost after one tangle with divinity. There are needs and there are wants. These are most absolutely a need because they pay for themselves. Only drawback, they are like Elephants when you try to move them around on the counter. Debbie P.S. I sound like I’m writing an ad-maybe I should get paid for such positive feedback.
Hey, much better than a shiny, red Corvette!!! Can’t wait to eat some goodies made from this beauty.
SO NOT Fair……Your’s is a PRO!! A commercial strength mixer. I learned to cook using one of those babies!!
This is WAR!!
I’m doing a post. Taking a poll. Allowing my faithful followers (yeah right) to decide what my bad boy should be named…yep…that’s right. Mine will be named a tough guy name cause he’s dark gray.
I don’t want to be in the kitchen with a lady like Feona. She’d give me a complex. With her shiny curvy lines….the only thing Feona and I have in common is what we weight!! She’s way to gorgeous to share my kitchen. And did you say fringekid helped name her? Fringekid knows beauty when he sees it!
I am jealous, jealous, jealous!!!! (but happy for you
)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I bought a white one (huge sale) a couple of years ago!! I love it! Put ingredients in, turn it on, walk away, do other things, come back – all mixed!! Enjoy it, they are sooooooooooooooo much fun!!! You and Feona will be very happy together.
You’ll be able to pass Redheaded Feona down to Fringekid. They last forever. I’ve had mine for 16 or more years, and it still LOVES to make bread all day long. I’ve even made pasta with it, stuffed sausage, ground sausage. No cement yet, but you never know… ~PJ
Feona is FABULOUS!!!!
” She will knead; I will feed.” Love that!!!!
Well she is a beautiful addition to your kitchen. I can honestly say I have never lusted after any kitchen tool in my life…well except for a personal chef!!! But I’m glad your dream came true. I hope all your other dreams come true in 2009…HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Ok they discounted the Kitchen Aid because of the color, defiantely a Gift from the Almighty!! Happy mixing and kneeding in 2009. If i emailed ya my address could ya send me some cinnamon rolls!!
Ohhhh, I’m so jealous!! It’s beautiful! I’d love a red one too. You’re a lucky girl, especially with the amazing price. Have fun!
Feona is so so gorgeous! I bought my plain white Feona 35 yrs. ago. And she still produces the most magnificent cakes ever. Feona dressed in red will make you smile every time you pass the kitchen.
God is good! And now I am jealous!
I want/need a red one! Though I’m sure I don’t cook/bake as much as you do if yours will be dead in a year!
Sooo, let me get this straight, the red one that I have been lusting heavily after is a color that is being discontinued?!? My my my, I think I need to go check something out real quick…thanks for that heads up!
Hehe, GREAT blog! I very much enjoyed reading it!
I have the same red KitchenAid, and love it. It stands up to whatever I throw in it, and, well, it’s red! They’re not making the red anymore? What were they thinking?
Cindy
http://www.wheatlessfoodie.blogspot.com