I Knew It Was Harder Than It Looked

To be honest, I was a little afraid of it. I was thrilled when my mother-in-law offered to give it to me, but I still feared it a bit when it came to live at my house. I mean, would I be able to use it, or would I make a fool of myself? So, I simply let it sit there and every once in a very long while, I dusted it.


It turns out my fears were not unfounded. Today, I decided to brave using my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. For the last month, it has sat proudly on my counter serving only to make me look like a serious cook or baker.


Then, for some reason, tonight, after a long day that included a play date, a trip to the pediatrician, grocery shopping, and some serious cleaning, I decided it was time. Apparently, I've lost all common sense, because not only did I decide to make something with an appliance I'd never used, I also decided to try a cookie recipe that calls for both blended oatmeal and a grated chocolate bar. As if mastering the stand mixer wasn't enough, I decided I better get the blender in on the deal and why not make another mess with some melts-in-your-hand- before-you-can-grate-it chocolate?


So, now, my kitchen looks like, well, someone who used a mixer for the first time, decided to make a recipe that yields say 200 cookies. That, of course, means that the mixing bowl was overflowing, or some might say spewing dough into my kitchen. Anyways, I expected the mess. It was the embarrassing phone call to my neighbor that I hadn't anticipated. I actually had to call my neighbor to come over and help me get the mixing bowl off of the stand. In my defense, it took both of us to get the silly bowl off the stand, but seriously, it is no wonder I was afraid the thing.


Now that the moment is over, at least I have some warm cookies and milk with which to drown my embarrassment, oh, but wait, I don't. After wrestling with the mixer, I decided I'd had enough and would rather not hover near the oven all evening in order to make more than a dozen batches of cookies. So, I'm freezing it all. At least I'll look like I'm prepared when family starts visiting us later this month. Nothing says welcome like freshly baked cookies. And, if I'm lucky, the kitchen will show no signs of the battle waged tonight, the one I lost. I will, however, triumph. I will learn how to use that mixer yet, just maybe not until next year. Until then, I'll be trusting my loyal little hand mixer complete with it's motor that tends to overheat and send a sweet burning fragrance into the kitchen.