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.
Homemade Thai Curry Paste
Ingredients
- ¼ to ½ ounce red chilies, fresh or dried
- ½ stalk lemongrass, minced OR 2 tbsp bottled lemongrass (I used Gourmet Garden)
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, I used frozen cubes
- 1 tbsp grated ginger OR galangal root, I have no idea where to get galangal so I used ginger
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¾ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Congratulation Carolyn, I have enjoyed your blog for almost all the three years and you have made many things possible and expanded horizons!! You rock and I am very grateful for your intrepid, adventurous nature. I really think you should go to this http://www.foodbloggerconnect.com/category/register/. Hope to enjoy you and your blog for many years to come. Sincerely, Karen
Love your blog and the healthy food inspiration! I would have to try the new Thai Chili recipe if I won the blender!!
I’ve been making mayo a lot with my stick blender. I love the thought of all the different attachments. It would be nice to not have to pull out the stand mixer or the food processor for small jobs.
Can’t wait to try the wings…they sound delicious!
As you now know, the contest entry thing isn’t working, sooo… First, congratulations on your Third Anniversary! Your recipes, experimentation, and instruction (thinking of that great post about almond flour) are terrific! And your blog is really nicely done. It is inspirational to know that you went from zero to the present state in three years! That being said, I would love to be entered into the drawing for this nifty-sounding blender. Thanks!
I currently use my DYING stick blender to make mayo…so I’d start there…and experiment with other things! Congrats on 3 years!
I would love to have this blender; I saw it linked once, and couldn’t find it to purchase. we seem to have bad luck with hand held blenders!
Congratulations Carolyn! It sounds like your blog has come a long way in 3 short years! I’ve only found you in the last 2 months or so but keep recommending your site to my friends – I love it!!
Need this hand blender! I am sooo new to cooking in general. At age 62 you would think I should be at least a good cook but alas I was a frozen dinner, microwave it, or eat out mom and wife.
Things have changed in my life, losing weight (56 lbs down and counting) and eating healthy are now my number one goals.
Tried to make a simple Spinach soup with coconut milk the other night and my current Hamilton Beach hand blender let me down! It just would not purée the soup. It still tasted good but not really a soup consistency. Hubby said it did taste good but looked at the green globs kind of funny and passed on having some :0( Can you help a new cook, old girl out??
Hi Carolyn! I would use the chopper attachment to make by homemade sunflower seed/parmesean crackers. I would also use the immersion piece to make homemade mayo and dressings. Question about the recipe- I’ve never worked with red chilies before, but have always wanted to make my own curry paste – I LOVE Thai! Are the chilies chopped up with the seeds or do you remove the seeds? Thanks, Kelly
I’d love one of these. I’d use it for my morning smoothie….it’ll be so much easier!
Congrats on three years Carolyn! You’re an inspiration to the rest of us! Looking forward to seeing what you’re up to in your fourth year! 🙂
I love KitchenAid products. I would love one of these handy little gadgets!! I can only imagine all of the wonderful things this would help me make.
Thanks for the chance Carolyn! Love your blog and your recipes. Im a huge KitchenAid fan. I have their knives, mixer(17 years and still strong!) and I had their 9 speed mixer(no longer available 🙁 that just stopped working. I would be so happy to win this new one!
Only 3 years? I would have thought alot longer. Congratulations on your blogs 3rd birthday!
Happy Anniversary! I heard about you through Maria’s site! I love your blog too! I use a kitchen aid mixer and would love to win the give away! Thank you for the opportunity!!
If I am the blessed winner I think I would make some homemade mayo and whipped cream!
Looks yummy!