I can hardly believe that we are already half way through January! This week I have had a bit of a setback to my baking challenge. My beloved Kenwood Chef mixer, which I blogged about so proudly last week, decided that it had mixed one cake too many and went on strike. After much fiddling with screwdrivers, trawling of the internet and muttering under his breath, DH pronounced it irreparable. This led to a bout of soul-searching - can I justify the money for another one?
I have a slightly strange relationship with money. I am very fortunate that DH brings in a good income - my role in our partnership is to manage it. I am frugal by nature and conviction and tend to overjustify every purchase. After listening patiently to my blathering for a while DH went online and found a basic model for about half price. That decided me and my new mixer is already sitting proudly on my work surface.
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| Picture from Amazon |
Rather amazingly, given that my new model is about thirty years younger than my old one, all the old attachments fit my new mixer. So I have two bowls and two beaters, which is really useful when baking in bulk.
I have still managed to produce all our baked goods despite being stupidly busy at school, (for a governor - I definitely wouldn't manage it if I was a teacher!) Surprisingly, bread has been the easiest to manage due to my breadmaker. (I feel slightly nervous praising it here in case it also decides to retire!) I have made biscuits or cakes nearly every day and frozen quite a stockpile "just in case". I found a really good recipe for chocolate chip cookies here. I've tried a few different recipes for these and this is easily the best.
I have discovered a few interesting facts this week:
- Biscuits spontaneously disappear. I have no idea where they go!
- No matter how organised your cupboard is, the bicarb is never where it should be.
- Home-baked cakes are much harder to resist than the shop-bought kind.
- However much your family love your baking, they will still crave Kit Kats!
Sorry about your mixer, but I'm glad you found a new one. It's almost like losing an old friend when a much loved appliance dies.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've done well on your baking.
I love your list....and I think those facts apply to kitchens everywhere because when I think about it those things happen here, too. :-)
Yes to all those things. [but I KNOW where the biscuits go in this house!]
ReplyDeleteMy Chef is 17 years old, and I love it - but only got a full sized liquidiser goblet last October [in a charity shop £4.50]
I admire anyone who serves as a school governor-it is blinkin' hard work. Teaching is probably harder [but at least they get paid for it]
blessings
Envious of your new model! My old one is still working though, and in my determination to be more grateful this year, I will say that I am very glad that it still works, as I am sure it is about the same age as me...I don't use it terribly often though, as I have a cheapo hand mixer that I can grab when I want to mix something up quickly. It does do great bread, though. Long live the Kenwood Chef!
ReplyDeleteI did think long and hard before replacing the mixer. I just hope this one lasts as long as the original!
ReplyDeleteAs for school governance, some of the work is because I am chair of governors in a 580 pupil primary, and some is self-inflicted. I do find it very rewarding, if not financially.