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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I would make “Homemade Thai Curry Paste”!! You have no idea how excited i am to find a homemade version of Curry Paste and how easy and convenient it would be to just pull out the “KitchenAid 5 Speed Hand Blender” use the handy Chopper Bowl and grind it up! What a great recipe and what a great kitchen tool and most important Easy Cleanup!
The last couple of days have been a whirlwind so I could not for the life of me remember if I stopped in to congratulate you. You are amazing and such an inspiration Carolyn, in so many ways. So happy bloggy birthday. My blog wants to be like your blog when it grows up. *grins from ear to ear*
I am not entering due to being a darn Canuck, but I just had to pop in anyway. So happy to know you. xx
I’ll make everything! lol. I’ll probably whip cream, make homemade peanut/hazelenut/almond butter, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
Looks amazing. Would be so fun to try all sorts of stuff!
I love your Blog and Congrats on your anniversary! I would make all kinds of good stuff with the hand mixer….I had a cheaper one and it recently broke so I could really use this one 🙂
Love your blog, and when my basil comes back in the spring, this would work great for whipping up some quick pesto for dinner!
Carrot green pesto!
congrats with your blog!
I would make some baby food.
I would make salsa and soup.
I have wanted a kitchenaid for years 🙂
I have just started a low carb diet and I will definitely be following your blog 🙂
I’d make black bean soup!
I so recently found your blog! Thank you for all the work you put into it. Happy Blogday. I’ve already made several recipes. You have such a great thing going for so many people who can’t find foods they want and need. I have just started coaching some folks “new” to low carbing and your ideas make them glow to know they aren’t leaving all their “comfort” behind forever.
My entire kitchen is designed around Kitchenaid appliances. They are the absolute best. We selected them because they are so well designed with all the features we wanted! We cook every night at home, which is why we designed our own kitchen. We rarely eat out because of our food preferences and the fact that we simply enjoy cooking. That nifty Kitchenaid applicance would feel right at home with us and would get to make cauliflower puree (aka fauxtatoes) right off the bat – something we make at least twice a week! We love to make it with a bit of wasabi for a lamb roast….Perhaps it would like to go rving with us, too! What a versatile appliance to take on a road trip!
Mariam
I’ve been needing one of these for a while! I would definitely make a delicious custard! Thanks so much for the giveaway!
I would whip up my cauli mash, grind my almonds, hip up my quiche. This list could go on forever!
Sounds delicious! 🙂
Congrats on your anniversary! All those attachments look amazing; right now I have the most basic blender and I would love to make smoothies & pesto with it, but it just isn’t happening.