That Kitchen Life

It sounds extremely cliche and stereotypical that a woman's favorite room in the house besides their closet is the kitchen. This may be true for some, and it may not for others. But for me, it's completely true. The reason why I love my kitchen so much is because it gives me the ability to create beautiful (and edible) things. I'm not a creative person, and I couldn't make art to save my life. If you put an easel and a paint brush in front of me, I would just sit there for hours just trying to think of something to draw. It's different for me in the kitchen. There are many more tools and it's a lot more satisfying for others since they get to eat, too! 
Growing up, I was spoiled and I never cooked. On occasions like friend's birthdays or parties, I would bake something easy. My dad always cooked, and my mom never did. My dad also cooks for a living, but what I make, could never compare to the art that he does. When I moved out, I was worried that I would be so bad at cooking that I wouldn't ever be able to feed myself. Well, I have to say that I'm doing pretty well. I never really went through my trial and error period, but not every dish turns out perfect. While we eat most of what I make, there are one or two dishes that I end up throwing out. 
The art of cooking has a lot to do with the tools that you have. I don't have too many appliances because I don't have too much counter space, but I try to pick things that can double as others. In this post, I'm going to share what my favorite kitchen tools/appliances are.

1. The KitchenAid mixer.

I got this a couple of days ago for my birthday. It has been one of the best birthday presents that I have ever received by far. We saw this model will walking around Costco (my favorite place to be) and I initially wanted to get it as a reward for doing something good. The retail value was $460, and we got it for $280. The special thing about this Kitchenaid is that it comes with a glass mixing bowl rather than a metal bowl. The glass bowl itself is about $50-60, so that saved me a little bit. I find that with a metal bowl, it's a lot less sturdy and it holds a lot less. The glass bowl also comes with a pouring stout and a handle. I didn't have as many color options with this Kitchenaid. I originally wanted the Tiffany blue colored mixer which could be found at Target, but I'm really glad that I got this one instead. I'm ready to be the next Martha Stewart! Kind of...

2. My slow cooker.

Now, I say that this is a slow cooker because I whenever I think about the words "Crock Pot", I think of the actual brand. I don't have a Crock Pot, just a regular Bella slow cooking that we got for $12 at the Navy Exchange. There are deals for days at that place, let me tell you. I'm not too fancy in terms of slow cookers, I've always wanted one for the basic functions. I don't have a timer on mine, and all there is to it are it's 4 settings including OFF. I never really knew why they got so fancy, if it cooks, then it cooks. I love my slow cooker because I can throw things in and forget about it until it's time for me to take out the food. It also gives the house a nice aroma, too. Chicken is the main thing that I love using my slow cooker for. I just throw in a couple of thighs or breast and set it on low for 8 hours. Next thing you know, it's ready to be shredded. I also love using it for green bean casseroles, too.

3. My electric skillet.

We got this as a Christmas present and I fell in love with it. It's so much easier to use than a skillet on the stove top. It's easy to clean and it dries much quicker. It's also much easier for temperature control since the knob is easily within reach. We love making breakfast because we can place different foods on at the same time and they won't slide everywhere. It also heats up much quicker than our stove top does. 

4. My blender.

I always have these weird cravings for fruit smoothies. I have fruit cravings in general, and I love waking up and making a smoothie in the morning. The only downside to that would be that I wouldn't get my coffee fix so I would sometimes end up with a headache. Other than that, I love smoothies in the morning time. we buy those large bags of frozen fruit at Costco and blend them up with orange juice and some spinach or green smoothie mix. The other thing that I enjoy are all the settings. I can easily mince, chop, whip, ingredients using one blender. Sometimes I even use it as a food processor. 

So there you have it. I also have a list of favorite kitchen accessories that I like to use too, but that will be for another day. 

I do plan on buying a food processor one day, and a meat grinder attachment for the Kitchenaid so we can make our own sausages. I'm excited for more food adventures.