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.
Stacy @Stacy Makes Cents says
I would make homemade mayo!
Cathy says
My old emmersion blender used to be the most used appliance in my kitchen. Miss it. Would love to win this Kitchen Aid. With an autoimmune disease I have lots of digestive issues so pureeing/blending my foods really helps. Love your blog!!
Biggi says
I was wondering if you can make it without the Fish Sauce? I am allergic to Fish and am not able to use fish sauce, but would LOVE to try the curry paste. what kind of flavour would you use instead? or simply nothing???
Carolyn says
You can skip it but I’d add a bit of salt in it’s place. Maybe 1/2 tsp?
Biggi says
sounds grea, thanks Carolyn!
And if i would win your immersion blender, i would make soups, and dips, and mayo and a LOT of things… i bet it can also make flaxseed meal!?
Happy B’day wonderful blog! You’re an inspiration to many Carolyn!
Tonnia Williams says
I have always wanted a hand held immersion blender. Would love to win one that does so many jobs in the kitchen.
Ouida Lampert says
Mayonnaise!
evelinruns says
I’ve been wanting to make some nice smoothies and creamy soups. Probably would make an avocado soup as soon as the fruit tree is ready to get harvested!
Kyndra Holley says
I would make a lot of dressings, dips, sauces, soups and smoothies. Thanks for the awesome givveaway
Gwen says
creamed soups!
Carolyn G says
Some creamy pea soup
Judy says
I would use the blender for all things cauliflower — purees, mash, rice…. Looks awesome!
Jane says
My old stick blender died years ago. I miss it for pureeing soups in the pot and chopping the odd herb or garlic mixture.
I enjoy your blog and look forward to your recipes. I’m always happy to see you come up on my newsfeed.
Liz Blunt says
This would be perfect for blending hot & cold soups!!
Edith Patchan says
Today I made a coconut impossibly easy pie using carbquik (not bisquick) in my food processor. Came out perfect! A hand blender would have made it even better!!
Alisa Smith-Anderson says
I would make some soups and sauces
Michelle says
My immersion blender is the orginal one “as seen on tv” I got about 25 years ago, the duct tape is holding it together, I could really use a new one 🙂
Melanie says
Done done done done done! I would love to have this for soup! I will let my husband use the food processor for his stuff and I will hide this away! 🙂
Deborah says
I’ve been making lots of soup lately, and this would make the prep so much easier!
Alice B. says
Congratulations and Happy Blog-birthday, Carolyn and ADIDAF!! I’m so happy you began this adventure three years ago. I LOVE LOVE LOVE ADL!! Thank you for letting us all be along for the ride!
Alice
Alicia S says
I can think of all kinds of things! I’ve been wanting to try making a smoothie in the morning but had to think of leaving a blender full of gunk all day, this might be just what I need! Love your blog, so glad I found it!
Susan Christy says
I would make mayonnaise.