A blender is an appliance that a lot of us have, but that a lot of us take for granted. Most of the time, it is used for making drinks and smoothies, although it can be used to puree just about anything and can actually take on many of the functions of a food processor. I know that I never used any of my blenders to their full potential and it was only when I started making Blender Waffle Batter on a regular basis that I started to see how great a blender could be. When my last blender bit the dust, I waited quite a while before replacing it because I wanted to make sure that I got a good one. The Blendtec Designer Series Blender was on my short list because I knew it was a powerful machine and I figured that it was time for an upgrade, even though my blending isn’t as intense as the hilarious and fun Will it Blend? video series that Blendtec puts out, but before I could make the final purchase, Blendtec actually offered me a blender to test out and review. And I have to say that it just might be the best blender I’ve ever had.
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Cold winter weather prompts many of us to spend extra time in the kitchen cooking and baking, but the springtime might be even better baking weather. As things warm up, all kinds of things come in to season and that makes me want to bake even more. If you’ve been experimenting with some springtime recipes, you should consider entering your creations in Rodelle’s Spring Sweepstakes. This contest is sponsored by Rodelle – my favorite producer of vanilla, as well as other amazing baking ingredients – and by KitchenAid. The grand prize winner will receive a KitchenAid® 5-qt. Stand Mixer & an incredible gift set of Rodelle’s gourmet baking ingredients.
I’m extra excited about the contest because everyone who enters will get access to Baking’s Best Basics, a great recipe app that I worked with Rodelle and KitchenAid to create! The app should work on any mobile device and features lots of go-to recipes for everyday baking, putting great basics at your fingertips for every occasion. I can’t wait for all of you to try out those recipes for yourselves – but entering the contest is the only way to access the download at the moment, so submit those spring recipes!
The contest runs until May 31st, and you can enter via the entry form on Rodelle’s site, where you can also get the full rules for the contest. Unlike some other contests, this one encourages photos and videos of entries, so don’t forget to snap a picture of your creation.
If you’ve brought your tablet into the kitchen, chances are good that you’ve gotten a smudge of batter, a bit of dough or a dusting of flour on it. I recently picked up a nifty Belkin Cabinet Tablet Mount and found that keeping my iPad up off the counter keeps it much cleaner – and it is much easier to read when it is up at eye level. Since I know that I’m not the only who likes to keep my tablet handy in the kitchen, I decided to give away a Belkin Cabinet Tablet Mount! The easy-to-use mount adjusts to fit just about any kitchen cabinet set up and it folds flat for easy storage. I use mine with an iPad, but the mount will fit a variety of different tablet sizes and styles. It will even work with a case in place (unless your case is extra thick), which means that you don’t need to do anything special to use this in your kitchen.
To enter the contest, just leave a comment below telling me what you use your tablet for – or what you would like to use it for – in the kitchen. I use mine to make it easy to reference recipes from my favorite food blogs and flip through digital cookbooks, but you could use it to watch tv shows or even cat videos on YouTube while you’re doing some baking. The possibilities are endless! The contest ends Friday night at midnight (a.k.a. 12:01am on 03/02/2013) and one winner will be randomly selected from the entries. Don’t forget to fill in your e-mail on the comment form (it will not be made public), as that is how I will contact the winner, and good luck!
Update: This contest is now closed. The winner will be announced shortly. Thanks to everyone for participating!
It is handy to have your tablet – whether it is an iPad, a Kindle Fire or something else – readily available in the kitchen. You can easily search through your favorite food blogs and browse recipes while you’re cooking. It can be difficult to find a good place to put it, however. You could prop it up against a wall or some cookbooks, or buy a stand that allows you to stand it up at an angle. But with each of these options, it can be difficult to see the screen because it isn’t at eye-level and difficult to use the touch screen the tablet, since these options aren’t exactly secure and the tablet can be easily knocked over. A better option is an under cabinet mount, which will hold your tablet securely at about eye level, making it easy to use and read.
I never gave to much thought to getting and under-cabinet mount, because I didn’t want something hanging down over my counter all the time, but when I saw the Belkin Tablet Cabinet Mount, I jumped at the chance to pick one up. This tool is a removable cabinet mount that will allow you to secure your tablet to just about any kitchen cabinet.
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When I was starting to cook back in high school, I had a handful of cookbooks and a few recipe cards from my mom and my grandparents where they had jotted down some family favorites. The cookbooks were reliable, but the family recipes often left out crucial things, such as the cooking time or temperature. They were still great resources, but they left a lot to be desired when I compare my experience of using them to all the resources that I have at my fingertips today. Even though I may not have a “smart range” that can predict exactly how long to bake my cakes and a refrigerator that knows how long to defrost anything I might want to cook for dinner (yet), my kitchen is becoming very “smart” when I compare it to my kitchen of just a few years ago. And that isn’t just because I’ve done a little bit of remodeling between then and now.
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