Fall Baking: Kitchen Aid and Pyrex Make Me Happy

There are a lot of things that I love in this picture.  It is important for me to "look at what I love" and my apartment counter is pretty crowded lately. When we scoured our house in Michigan, looking for duplicate items to set up an apartment in Washington, I knew it was time for my vintage Pyrex collection to step up. I needed my beloved pieces to transition out of the treasured decorative items category and back to their status as an everyday kitchen workhorse. 

I use them daily, now and they are fantastic. The white bowl in front holds the batter for some quick blueberry muffins. I like how the Pyrex looks, so I keep it stacked on the counter.

When the holidays (and my 6-month stint living in an apartment in Washington) began last October, I got really nervous about holiday baking. I love making muffins, cakes, cookies repeat. When I say I am a big holiday baker, I mean that I bake almost every day. It's relaxing. It makes the house smell good. I can give these treats away. It is a big part of my October November December.

How would I bake without a mixer in the apartment?
Should I buy a hand mixer? I don't want a hand mixer. 
Should I buy a stand mixer? I don't want a stand mixer. 
I want my white Kitchen Aid mixer that is on the counter in Michigan. Dan saw me start to twitch and suggested that my Christmas present could be a new Kitchen Aid stand mixer that just happened to arrive in October. *sigh* I love this man.

We scoured the internet for colors and options and decided, who were we kidding, I was an aqua girl, through and through. I had the Pyrex to prove it. 

Some bakers store their stand mixer because counter space is too valuable. I can't. I like to see this beauty and get inspired to bake and mix and stir. It's part of the fun of being in the kitchen. And it looks perfect with the Pyrex. Our apartment is small, but my holiday plans are big. As for my Michigan mixer, it's in a box in storage awaiting my next move.

Do you feel this way about your mixer? 

#kitchenaidmixer #baking #holidaybaking #aqua #bakersgottabake #apartmentliving #vintagepyrex 

Beyond Kitchen Aid

Don't get me wrong, I love my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer (in fact, I dream of a day when I can own many of them in different colors). But look at these beauties!

I went to a restaurant supply store (because I love this stuff) and stopped in my tracks when I saw this display. "Ohhhh...dontcha just want one?" I cooed to my husband. To give you an idea, the whisk attachment on the bottom right is larger-than-my-head. I posed with it to show you the scale, but alas, the photo didn't pass muster.

To those of you that have the coveted Kitchen Aid but never use it, I say this: Put it on the counter! I have many friends that say they never use theirs because it is too heavy to bring out all the time.

Bring out? Bring out? I use my every week for everything from box-mix brownies to appetizer cheesecakes - all because I keep it on the counter. With the holidays coming, maybe its time to re-think your counter top "real estate."

Remember, good baking might just rely on one thing:
Location, location, location.