My New KitchenAid!

I wrote recently about the birthday dinner my siblings held for me and my brother Steven.  For my birthday gift this year, my brothers and sisters combined their generosity into one incredible package:  my new KitchenAid Artisan mixer!  My previous KitchenAid was more of a base model, and I loved it. It lasted for over two decades! When it finally bit the dust, I had to start using a hand mixer and later borrowed my daughter Meghan's basic KitchenAid that had been a Christmas gift a few years back from her Dad and me.  She and her boyfriend Mark were moving to the west coast this Christmas, and didn't have room for it in the van -- not with all their belongings, two dogs, and a cat.  She knew I was in  need so she offered hers up.  I was very happy to have it, but was still looking forward to replacing mine so she can have hers back again one day. I put such appliances to very heavy use.

I was thrilled to receive such a beautiful gift from my siblings (check out the photo above left, and disregard the photographer's reflection in the bowl! At least I was in my p.j.s, unlike that unfortunate ebay-er whose naked -- and abundant -- reflection was caught in the image of his tea kettle!). I digress...My KitchenAid is snowy white and looks great with my kitchen cabinets.  Kitchen life, for me, has come a long way.  In my old apartment, I used to bake in a tiny galley kitchen, and now I have all the space in the world, very pretty space, too (despite a bit 'o clutter).

The first year in a new home is always an adjustment.  There are kinks to work out, rooms to define, space to be lived in before it can feel like home.  My kitchen is warm and welcoming.  It is a productive yet cozy space.  It's a place where Henry, and future little kiddos, will come to help me bake, to sample cookies, and find a hug from Grandma.  When I look at the photos I've taken recently, I see that it reflects just what I hoped it would: a space that says come on in and let's spend some time together. 

Speaking of Henry, here's a picture I took recently of him slumbering in his car seat.  I would love to have just one night of such peaceful sleep! 

Thanks to Michael, Patsy and Britt, Steven, Ginny, Danny and Suzette, and Anne and John for my beautiful new KitchenAid.  I promise you years and years of rewarding gratitude in the form of baked goods!

Beet, Walnut, and Gorgonzola Salad

My daughter Meghan waited tables for a while at Eartha’s Restaurant, a long-time Saratoga Springs eatery (formerly Eartha's Kitchen) that closed its doors for the final time a couple of years ago. On occasional cold winter nights, I’d briskly walk from my apartment on Franklin Street, down Broadway and through Congress Park to the warmth of the small but elegant restaurant on Court Street. Hesitant to go back out into the cold, I would sit for a while, order my favorites from the appetizer menu, and visit with Meghan while she worked. Eartha’s menu was lovely, and I especially enjoyed the pureed red pepper soup. For dessert, the crème brulee was outstanding. My favorite appetizer there, though, was a beautiful salad of beets, gorgonzola, and toasted walnuts on a bed of spring greens. Eartha’s dressed the salad in a beet vinaigrette, something I’d never had before, but loved. The crunch of the walnuts, the cool creaminess of the cheese, and the sweet and sour of the beets with their vinaigrette all harmonized so beautifully that I can’t tell you what part of the salad I liked best – it was a whole, happy salad experience!

In searching for a recipe for this special salad’s communion of flavors, I found a great example at bigoven.com. Big Oven is a terrific site, which seems to cater to professional chefs, but the enthusiastic amateur cook (like me) can find plenty of inspiration as well. It’s my new favorite web wonderland of food exploration!

Click on the icon below to discover Big Oven’s recipe for Beet, Walnut, and Gorgonzola Salad:




Photo credit: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.vancouverseedbank.ca/catalog/images/chioggia_beets.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.vancouverseedbank.ca/catalog/index.php%3Fmanufacturers_id%3D25&usg=__YLEhfwOxL8FK-TvsjX0arkVgZP4=&h=374&w=397&sz=54&hl=en&start=15&tbnid=6WrdjO9l7fY3dM:&tbnh=117&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbeets%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG