Suffice it to say that my blog is very special to me. It has, at times, been a source of stress, but I suppose that can be said of any relationship. More often than not, however, it is a source of great joy to me. It has brought me many, many things, including a wonderful community of friends, readers and other blog acquaintances. It has helped me hone my skills in the kitchen, with words and language and with a camera. It has opened up some amazing professional opportunities and introduced me to a great many products and ingredients I am not sure I would have discovered otherwise. And it holds me accountable to my daily diet. In short, I love the darn thing and I am very proud of it. So many happy returns of the day, dear bloggy-blog. May we get to celebrate many more together.
To help me celebrate, I enlisted the help of the good folks at KitchenAid. I could go on and on about how much I love KitchenAid products but I will try to refrain from boring you. Suffice it to say that the product we are giving away today is just as great as all their others and is a truly multi-purpose kitchen tool. Their 5-Speed Hand Blender is no simple immersion blender, my friends, and I am seriously impressed with all the functions and the power it contains. I love my big mixer and my big processor, but sometimes I hate the though of getting them dirty when I just need something quickly chopped, whipped or blended. The KitchenAid Hand Blender comes with attachments for all of that: whisk, chopper, frother/beater, and two different blades for shredding, blending and pureeing. And then all you have to do is remove the attachment portion and clean that. Easy Peasy.
I tried out every single attachment and I give them all a thumbs up. I’ve used it to make lattes, smoothies, soup, and whipped cream. And when I discovered I was out of Thai curry paste one day, I whipped some up with the chopper. I adore the chopper attachment, because the blender fits right into the top of the chopper container, keeping the mess to a minimum while still being quite powerful. I honestly think this might be one of the most versatile kitchen tools I own. And now you have a chance to own one yourself! Scroll down for the entry rules.
I’ve never thought to make my own Thai curry paste, it’s one of those things I’ve always bought at the store. But I wanted to make some Thai curry chicken wings (I will share the recipe for those in a few days, because they were amazing!) and discovered that I had only the smallest teaspoon left in my jar. I was reaching for the phone to call my husband and ask him to pick some up, when it suddenly occurred to me that I might have the right ingredients to make my own, or at least a close approximation. It took all of about 5 minutes to make, and of course I made my version without any sugar. It tastes fantastic and is a great sauce or marinade on chicken, fish and tofu. And you can adjust the heat to your own liking, which in our house means pretty darn hot indeed!
I received a 5-speed hand blender from KitchenAid to review. All opinions are my own.
Ingredients
- ¼ to ½ ounce red chilies fresh or dried
- ½ stalk lemongrass minced OR 2 tablespoon bottled lemongrass (I used Gourmet Garden)
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 shallot chopped
- 2 tablespoon cilantro leaves I used frozen cubes
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger OR galangal root I have no idea where to get galangal so I used ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in bowl/container of a food processor, blender or chopper attachment. Blend until it forms a thick paste.
- Use as a marinade for chicken, meat or seafood or as a seasoning in curries, soups and stews.
katie says
My current immersion blender is at least 18 years old. (Only know that it moved here with me 18 years ago) It is invaluable for soups, mashed potatoes, creamy things, apple butter and the like. It has no attachments and at this point looks a tad jaundiced. With my oldest aiming to move out, it would be wonderful to have a new blender and allow me to pack old faithful away and send her off with some decent tools.
Brandy M. says
I don’t have any kitchenaid gadgets but I do covet them! That thing looks like it would get loads of use here :).
Melissa says
I would use the kitchen aid tool to make faux gnocchi (which involves whipping egg/ricotta) and to shred veggies since I’m often cooking for 2 and hate pulling out my big processor for small jobs. Thanks for the opportunity to win this! I really love your blog and recipes!
Kel says
I would try blending soup – thanks!
Alexandra Cruz says
Happy Anniversary. I would the opportunity of winning this great item. I lost my home 3 yrs ago and been trying to slowly buy our kitchen items.
Marlys says
I would make salad dressings and I am sure once I had this mixer I would find many other uses for it.
Glynnis says
I would make a spinach or kale pesto and homemade mayo which I’ve never been successful making in my regular blender.
Jacquie Z says
Wow! I would love to win this! Thanks.
Kris F. says
I was wondering if this immersion blender could be a good replacement for a food processor. My food processor died and wondering if I should replace it with something more versatile.
Jen Jones Houck says
I would probably use the mixer to make Mayo and I’d love to try this curry paste.
Juliet says
I love kitchenaid products! I also would love a mixer, since I actually don’t have one yet (one of the few kitchen gadgets I lack 😉 ) Thanks!
Lisa Sedtal says
This would be great to have! Congrats on 3 years! Love your recipes!
Christina K says
I’ve been wanting to try out some smoothie recipes for a while. Thanks for a lovely giveaway!
Alisa says
Wow…that Thai Curry Paste looks wonderful! But then, there are very few recipes that you have posted that didn’t interest me ;o) You are gifted. I definitely am going to try this. ‘Happy Birthday’ with the blog, so many of us have benefited from your ‘ugly newborn’ {if there is a such thing!}. I love KitchenAid and can’t imagine living without my old professional stand mixer. It wants to die a graceful death, but I just won’t let it. This had blender would be a Blessing! I’d definitely make this Thai Curry Paste, but mainly use it to make my homemade spicy mustards/rubs.
emily says
That gadget looks amazing, would love to have one for my kitchen!
Julie says
I tried to post a comment with the contest, but whoopsie, it didn’t work! So I’m commenting here, I love your blog and am excited about your giveaway! I live in the Virgin Islands and we don’t always have access to specialty ingredients, so I frequently have to make my own. A recipe for thai curry paste is perfect, and I would use the blender too! 😀 Thank you for doing this.
Rachel says
I would make a roasted red pepper and tomato soup
mandy says
they are great for quick shakes and smoothies..
Sandi B says
Comment thingy isn’t working for some reason in the contest box… I’d use the mixer to create delicious and nutritious food for myself and family. I love KithchenAid!
Carolyn says
Hi Sandi…I think you did just fine. You leave the comment down here and then you hit the button to say you did it. I am trying out this new system so I don’t have to sift through hundreds of comments when the random winner is chosen!
Tammy says
I, too, love all of my KithenAid products. I would love to have this one, too. Love your blog!