Mama's Bitchin' Kitchen

I realize that I haven't written in forever. So I started reading some of my old posts and came to an alarming conclusion: I never blog about my cooking. Those of you that know me know that I am all about cooking and baking. And if I do say so myself, I'm pretty damn good at it. Cooking and baking are basics to learn, and with time, focus, and patience (trust me, I have none); anyone can master it. Baking scares a lot of people, and that makes me sad. Baking is so much fun, and there's nothing better than showing up to an event with some freshly baked goodness and having people ooh and aah over how good they came out. Of course, I get a little offended sometimes when I feel like people doubt my abilities, which usually makes me flex my baking muscles. I was once told that lemon bars were impossible by someone who was a mediocre cook at best. So I went home that night and made two pans. They were fantastic, might I add...

Anywho, the point. I love to cook and bake. From scratch. I don't do box mixes or icing cans. And I've yet to come across a recipe that scares me. (Yes, there was that one mishap, but I've accepted it and moved on.) So I'll do my best to post more about the good eats here. 'Cause if it's one thing I've learned, food will bring people, whether it be to my house or to read my blog. Hey, maybe that's why I've been invited to more events lately?

So, Mama's whippin' up some chocolate, red-velvetish cupcakes. Not true red velvet, because it's too damn hard (and expensive) to find unprocessed dutch cocoa. And really, I just don't have the time. Maybe when I get an assistant, that should be their first assignment. A friend called and asked me to whip up some goodness for a bridal shower, and I was glad to step up. She's actually recommended me to bake, photograph, design, and probably organize other people's lives--so of course I obliged. Like I said, any opportunity to flex my muscles and whip out the Analon pans...

Without further adieu, I give you:

They are a red velvet-like (which is chocolate with lots of baking soda, really) with a cream cheese icing. The bride is having black, pink and white as her colors, so I happened to have these hot pink sugars for a topping. Yes, I am really that nerd that can't walk past anything related to baking without bringing something home. I don't often share all my recipes, but the goodness of this one? The icing. Brace yourself:

2 sticks of butter
8 oz (1 brick) cream cheese--I always use Neufchatel cheese
3-3.5 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

That's it. Beat the butter, beat in the cream cheese, toss in the vanilla, and slowly add in the powdered sugar. Now, I added more sugar to my recipe because I wanted it to be really firm--note the tips of the icing. I did this because the last time I used Cabot butter, it started to fall apart on me like a margarine would.

You're welcome.

Mama's Bitchin' Kitchen: A Recipe

I don't normally give out recipes, because quite honestly, I'd rather make them for you. It's a control thing. If I've taken my time to write up a recipe, I'm always worried that I'll give it out, someone will scribble it down and then mess it all up. And then that would ruin my 'rep around these parts. So hold onto your hats, this is a good one.

It's only week two of the new year, and judging by the attendance at the gym lately, people are still on this losin' weight thing for a resolution. How long until this wears off? 'Cause if I've gotta scrounge up a matching set of dumbbells again at the gym, I'm going to lose my patience.

One of the hardest things for me after a tough workout is to fight the voracious appetite that follows for the rest of the day. So I try to keep high-protein items around to keep me filled up. And I'm attempting to drink more water. Which has made me acutely aware that I need to stock up on entirely more toilet paper than I have been lately. But anyhow, one of the recipes I've worked up lately is a good granola recipe. I make a batch, and even the kidlets are crazy for this stuff. Get your pen:

 

Mama's Granola

*All of these items are from the bulk section of the grocery store. Not sure where they keep it?
Look around the organics. Or close to produce. 

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DRY INGREDIENTS:

2 c. raw rolled oats (NOT quick-cooking)

1/2 c. Almonds--slivered or whole, but if whole, use a food chopper or processor. 

1/2 c. Soy Nuts

1/4 c. Pistachios, chopped

1/3 c. coconut

Dash cinnamon

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WET INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c. honey

2-3 Tbsp. Vegetable oil

2-3 Tbsp. Molasses

1/4 c. brown sugar

pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Mix dry ingredients in a huge bowl. In a small pan, combine your wet ingredients and mix with a whisk until blended and thin, not gloppy. Add wet ingredients to dry and thoroughly coat. Spread on cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. Pull out of oven and let cool and harden before putting into a glass jar or plastic bag. Scoop out and eat! 

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A few notes:

• Spray your measuring cup with nonstick spray before measuring your honey--then it won't stick. (Coat your spatula and bowl, too, if you wish)
• You can add 1 tsp. vanilla to the wet ingredients *after* you remove it from the heat. I did not, and I add vanilla to EVERYTHING. I think this is great without it. 
• On my first run, I ran out of honey. So I added a bit of Karo Light Corn Syrup to the mix. Personally, I think that batch turned out better. The Husband likes this batch with all honey. Try both, see what you like. 
• Use Vegetable oil, not olive oil. Olive oil has a lower smoking point. You can use a canola or corn oil, but I would stick with a vegetable base at least. Enova is great oil, too. 
• I added more soy nuts the second time around. The Husband first tasted them from the bag and was disgusted by them. But add them all together, and I swear it is amazing. 

Now, go forth and eat! 

A first: A FAIL in the kitchen.

So it's ridiculously hot here, we've only put air conditioning in the upstairs bedroom, so the kitchen is sweltering. Yet, I've felt the urge to bake something unconventional. While I was hovering around the interweb, I found a recipe that I thought would please the fam--fluffernutter cupcakes. I'm not a fan, it's the marshmallow icing. I really don't at all like marshmallows. The kidlets and Husband do, so this can't be that bad, right?

Well, I was first nervous about the recipe. Not knocking someone else's recipe writing skills, but 2 cups of brown sugar and only a teaspoon of baking powder? Oil, no butter? And so much cream of tartar? Now, first of all, it didn't tell me how many this recipe would yield, and I hate flying blind. I did seventeen cupcakes, and a 9 x 13 pan. So I've now used almost everything in my pantry.

As for how the cupcakes came out? They sucked. Forget rising, I think they receded. I know brown sugar can reduce, but this is terrible. It came out something like a lead-peanut butter brownie. And the texture was just awkward. I can't even describe it. Except for that I want to drink milk right out of the container, and I don't really like drinking milk at all.

And the frosting? I'm pretty sure I could do body work to the car with this stuff, it's consistency is something similar to Bondo. My stand mixer was even having a hard time with it. I can't even bring myself to think about how I am going to clean the bowl, I'll just let it soak overnight--like you do with the green bean casserole dish at Thanksgiving.

I'm really upset, because honestly, I don't often fail in the kitchen. Especially when I bake. I can't even think of the last time I did. And I really can't stand when it's a recipe that uses every stock item I have in the pantry (shh, don't tell the kidlets that I stole their peanut butter to make the recipe. What? I wasn't about to use my natural, organic peanut butter, would you?). On the bright side, I can actually see all the remaining items on my baking shelf now that there's significantly less marshmallows in there.

You know what this means, though, right? I'm going to have to come up with a fantastic recipe so I can continue to flex my baking muscles. And it's supposed to be just as hot tomorrow, too. Damn!

Too girly for my own good?

In a past life--before I was the Mama In Red, I was the college girl in adidas windpants--I used to be a bartender. Which is apparently a job you can never retire from. I highly enjoyed it. It was the perfect job for me at the time. But it made me way more picky about my drinks. I was never a martini gal, and if I was, it was dirty. Please don't bring any frou-frou concoction to me. Don't treat me like a little girl, I can lift a keg forchrisakes.

Fast forward to now. I'm still not a girly drinker. I don't consider Arbor Mist to actually be wine, my red wines aren't chilled, and please don't think I will ever order a cosmopolitan. I'm still set in my ways, I like a Bloody Mary that I can chew, I don't drink anything from the bottom shelf, and I still prefer Jack Daniels to most other liquors. However, I am a margarita girl. That is "my drink." I'm good at making it, and I can suck it down just the same. But then, tonight, I realized I had some PAMA Pomegranite liquor left over. And a bottle of vodka from the Husband's birthday party. So I decided to find from the rubble break out my martini glasses, which until now have only held strained margaritas. And how was it? Delicious. Next up on my list is a chocolate martini. But it may have to wait, I mean I am trying to be healthy and all. Just keep it our secret, kay?

Necessities in Mama's Kitchen

While I know there's a few absolute staples in the kitchen, I'll start basic. Knives. I believe that above even an amazing set of pans, you should start with a good set of knives. By "set," I mean that you really only need 2-3 knives, not that block full of knives sold in every place imaginable. Think I'm crazy? Hang on, this will be a good ride.

My main knife is a 6" Calphalon forged Stainless Chef's knife (purchased from the outlet with a 10% off sticker and on sale, I paid $11.99 for it. And I swear I didn't have to rob anyone or whip out my ghat). It's big enough for most anything, yet small enough that I'm not worried it's getting away from me. I also have a 5" Pampered Chef Utility knife, which is like a small version of my main knife. I bought this one first, but when the Husband started hanging out in the kitchen more, we needed a second knife. I must impart the importance of a forged, weighted, stainless steel knife. Those knives that come in the block, even the $150 set are crap. You'll know just how crappy once you use a real knife. And half of those knives are just filler. Sure, it's nice to have a nice just for boning, but most people don't even know the proper way to use it or how to even bone poultry or fish. And seriously, those are so flimsy that I've felt like the bone is going to win every time I used one. I feel much more confident with a real knife.

I also have a forged stainless paring knife, which I pull out to do things like peek kiwi, but it doesn't come out that often. (It's too damn small and I lose it, really). I recently bought a new bread knife, and I'll get into that one later. And I think that's honestly all you really need.

With these knives, you must care for them. I bought a fine sharpener with mine, so I sharpen it about every 3 times I use it. You probably should sharpen it each time, but seriously, I forget to put on socks some days. And despite what some Calphalon "Knife Gurus" may tell you, have it professionally sharpened about once a year. Yes, the guy at the Calphalon store told me I would "spend hundreds of dollars in sharpening, you should just replace them instead." Well, I wasn't sure what it would cost me to have them sharpened, so I embarked.

Now, I am lucky to live up here in Hockey Country, and not too far from me is Mount Saint Charles Academy. They turn out professional hockey players like Virginia Tech turns out criminals. So to my luck, LeMays Sharpening is a Pop-And-Son operation out of Pop's house. Everyone in the area recommends LeMays, so I entered their address into the navigation and set on my way.

I found the house, tucked away on a quiet street a snowball's throw away from Mount and went in the side door. Where Son was working and sharpened my knife as I waited. I thanked him and paid... wait for it... $3! Yes, THREE DOLLARS! I can't imagine going broke on knife sharpening at $3 a pop. And let me just tell you how S.H.A.R.P. this knife now is. Wow. I thought that $12 was the best I ever spent on a knife, but this $3 is a close second (only since I'd need to purchase it before I sharpen it, right?). If you're local and looking, they sharpen ice skates for $5, but they'll sharpen anything that can be sharpened. HIGHLY recommended.

So, run out and get you a real knife for everyday use in the kitchen. Seriously, it'll make a difference in the way you cook. I think I'm taking mine with me next time I travel to my mom's. Hopefully airport security won't oblige.

Oh Dear, I'm afraid Fall has passed me right by!

Okay, so life has been at a running pace lately, and I'm just trying to keep up. There's so much goin' on 'round these parts, I don't even know where to begin. So how 'bout some pics?

First, Fall came:

This was the first image I took with my Series E 50mm lens. It's a manual focus lens, I love old school stuff. My old SLR was a fully manual camera, oh how I miss it. I sold it to finance my DSLR, and there's not a day that goes by when I'm out shooting that I don't miss it. DSLRs just have so many options, and I don't know how to change them all. Crazy, I know. But I knew my old machine inside and out. And I shot infrared, which I miss dearly. I can do a conversion, but it's pricey. I may look into it, that was really my niche. Anywho, this photo wicked grainy, but I love it. It may end up being a Christmas present for someone. We'll see.

I had my first ever week-off vacation. Only it wasn't really a vacation. It was an insanely busy week, which should be no surprise. First, Columbus day, the Daughter was in a parade. Here's her with two other girls on her Cheerleading team.

Yes, she has her tongue out. And being the great photographer mother I am, I didn't get any good photos of the actual float, because I was too busy looking for her on it. (Hey, they all look the same in their uniforms!) Anyway, they won "Most Beautiful in Parade" I cried, of course.

That Friday, the Daughter turned 6. I can't believe it either. I made my first cake with fondant icing. In an insanely annoying pink. (Hey, the coloring stickers were WAYYYY lighter, so this was a bit unexpected, but she loved it just the same.)

What, you didn't get your name written in Helvetica on your birthday cakes? Well, I guess that's the upside to your baker being a graphic designer. She was very excited about it. Although, I did flavor the icing with an orange flavor, and I didn't care for that, but homemade fondant is awesome. It's pretty good and so much cheaper.

For the next day, the party, I did a cupcake tower. The kids were so excited! The Daughter didn't see the cupcakes until right when I had them on the tower, she was delighted. The kids couldn't wait to devour them. And those, were GOOD. Had I not caught my nephew eating three of them, I'd probably have one left. But I had none. Seriously.

I fabricated the stand out of a ginormous box my mother sent birthday gifts in. Approximately 14.2 minutes before people started showing up at my house. So I didn't get to cover the risers in foil. Oh well, it looked great and the kids were excited. The Husband had to work that day, so yes, I had something like 18 kids and their entire families in the downstairs of my small half-duplex. I was okay until the neighbor's kids came uninvited and began yelling at my Daughter on the steps. Yes, I kicked her out. Ugh.

Then came Halloween. Let me preface this. I hate Halloween.  This holiday could just go away, and I'd be thrilled. First of all, there's no real cheap way to get out of Halloween. My kids aren't really into being "characters," so it's up to me. I waited, hoping it would be terrible weather so we could just have a movie night at home. But that wasn't the case, so the day before, we went to iparty. The Daughter picked out an "Asian Princess" costume. She called herself a Karate Princess. I was better with that, since the Husband thought she was a "Geisha" (read: escort). Whatever. It was cute. The Son wanted to be Superman. And there were no Superman costumes to be found. So I whipped out the Threadbanger.

So I found the Superman logo online and printed it out, cut it out of red and then again in yellow and sewed it all together. Then I made the cape. I also made a mask that he's wearing. And I then printed the logo out on some screen-print iron-on paper. Only, then, he had only one clean blue shirts, so I turned one inside out and ironed on the chest logo. He was so excited.

In the end, it wasn't that bad, they got us some good candy and they wore out around 7:30. Then we had to visit the fam and all that stuff. So it was a tiring Halloween. Though, I'd be super happy for Halloween to be on a Saturday forever.

Moving on to November, I was able to photograph the Joey Fund Film Premiere. My work had a small part in the event, we did all the banners and posters. We also do the tshirts and the bags every year, so it was quite nice to see everything come together at the event. Here's my favorite shot:

I love the Bokeh. We didn't do the table tents, but we did do the logo on them. =)

So, that's been my past few months. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Daughter who has had a 102 fever for two days and I need to get to the grocery store to purchase the Thanksgiving Day shenanigans. And yes, T-Day is two days away. And I've decided to do everything homemade, from the stuffing to the gravy to the green beans with toasted almonds. Even though I reallllllly love Stove top stuffing. Oh well. I'm most excited about the homemade cranberry sauce and the pumpkin cheesecake. So I need to get on with roasting my sugar pumpkins so I can create this divine masterpiece that calls for four (yes, 4!) bricks of cream cheese.

Alright, until next time!

Recovering from September.

September has been a crazy busy month for us. Everything has come up, from the first day of school ever (well, she went to preschool, but still), cheerleading, swimming lessons, mental preparation for a breakdown at swimming lessons, family birthday parties, and beginning holiday planning, to the weekend where we had two weddings, one Red Sox game, one Fashion Show and two friends visiting from out of town. I still feel like I need recovery, since I've also been stuck in laundry hell for the past two weeks.

Fall is my favorite season, it's like spring with less rain. And I have learned in the three (!) years we've lived in Massachusetts, there is no fall like a New England fall. The colors are beautiful, the apples are, well... available. I'm not a huge apple fan, but suddenly I have more apples than I know what to do with. I've even made my first pass at canning this past month. It was a little messy, and I learned that when the instructions say leave 1" at the top, they mean it. Oh well, what can you do? I guess I'll be safe in that the cans of pie filling that I made will be stuck to the shelf they're on and won't fall off at least. It's something I will definitely be doing in the future, when I find the time.

Summer and fall are also my busiest times with freelance work. The company I do a bulk of my freelance for is a book publisher, and there's always the fiscal year push followed by the end-of-year push. It's nice, but combined with all the other things already on the schedule, I'd really just like to clone myself.

What else has gone on? Well, to start with, right when we fired up the deep freezer for the winter and loaded it, the condenser died. And subsequently leaked two gallons of homemade chicken stock all over the basement floor. For four days. Oh, and there were three whole chickens in there that I got on a really good sale. Figures, right? Then, the receiver for the television died it's slow and painful death. And now the plasma tv is on the fritz and the Husband is about to have a fit. (I swear, I have nothing to do with this. Other than it lives in my house, and you know how we've discussed how electronics run screaming from me.) And now we have a resident skunk living somewhere in the vicinity of our shed, which is located roughly 20 feet from our back door. And is smelly.

Anywho, fall is still a favorite time for me, despite its busy-ness. There's the return to the kitchen, which I really never left since we got gipped on summer. But I'll be trying my hand at homemade pasta—butternut squash ravioli to be exact. We'll have that with a smoked gouda sauce. I can't wait. And I'll be pulling out my famous fall recipes (because I like to pretend I'm up there with Alton Brown and Paula Deen), from stuffed chicken to shepherd's pie to yummy desserts. And probably a meatloaf for the Husband. Because I like to keep him happy since he cooks most nights of the week.

And looking ahead, we have the Daughter's sixth birthday in two weeks, she's decided out of her choices, she wants to go to Michael's Arts & Crafts for a party. Yay! And another family member is getting married, I'll be photographing that wedding, too. And then there's the fundraisers for cheerleading and school, get-togethers with friends, work, and soon upon us will be the holidays. I'm already tired thinking about it. Wonder if I could hire someone to come in and do my laundry and dishes? Anyone work for freshly baked apple pies? Anyone? Bueller?

Who wants to cook?

I love to cook. Growing up, my mother was always cooking on Sunday. I'm realizing, as I rush to the grocery store this morning to stock up on butter (because it's on sale for $1.66 a pound) that I am turning into her. Except that I still don't like pleated pants and on occasion, I do leave the house on Sunday. Truth be told, looking back, my mother was always more than happy to teach me about cooking, but my attention span was... well, not there. Plus, she was always cooking, so why would I need to know?

Fast forward to when I live on my own. Cooking? Somewhat of a necessity, no? I love it now. I try not to buy what I can make, and one thing I promised myself years ago was that I wouldn't return to Top Ramen unless we are destitute. And now, I'm here to Make you a cook. Check me out!

I won!

It was like Christmas at my mailbox today! Well, actually, I didn't check the mail, it was on the table. But whatever. A week or so ago, I entered a contest over on SimplySweeter and I won this fabulous cupcake cookbook! Yay! I can't wait to try some out. A quick six-degrees-of-separation: I found Anne's blog through a search for Ovations for the Cure, a non-profit you should be supporting. I thought the cakes she does are great, and her writing is hysterical, so I stuck around. Come to find out, the company I work for designed the website for David Paul Salons, where she works outside of the kitchen. How funny, right? Here's where I divulge strange information. I actually don't own that many cookbooks. Crazy, right? I am a book designer, but I just don't buy cookbooks. Truth be told, over the past year, I have been given five cookbooks—and I don't know that I would have ever bought them on my own. Why? Well, let me tell you. And have your wine ready, my stories aren't like Cliff Notes. I have one cookbook that I refer to. It's the Joy of Cooking. I'm on my second copy, as my first copy was chewed on by my dog when he was a puppy and then the spine fell apart over the years. It was my first cookbook, I bought it when I first moved out of my parents' house. I love it, because it tells you the basics. How to buy potatoes and then bake them. How to filet a fish. How to purchase produce. How to make a Hollandaise sauce. How to assemble a dinner party table. Everything. Now, I don't usually follow recipes, but it's a great guide, and helped me back when I had no idea where to start and what to do. I bought it for a few friends who were struggling with the "I just moved out, now what do I eat?" delimma. And I bought one for a friend who has lived on his own for more than 18 years and couldn't cook much more than rice. (I wasn't being mean, he met a girl and wanted to know where to start to be able to cook for her.) A friend actually said hers is riddled with notes about the recipes, and I gasped because I didn't think I could bring myself to write in a book. I replaced my copy two years ago and made myself write my notes in there. It's hard for me to do it, but just the other week, I made my first note in pen (it was on the pancake recipe, which I think is too thin and boring). However, I realize I am like my mother—I live with my recipe box. My mother never had a cookbook. And she cooks All. The. Time. My mother will clip recipes and put them in her box. She still has the Nestle Toll House wrapper from the semi-sweet morsels in her box from the first time she made them. And she pulls it out every time she makes a batch. Her box isn't organized, but these clips being on all sorts of papers is how she knows what to look for. I got her a new box a few years back, but I think she still has her red plastic one somewhere. So, back to my story. I use one cookbook. I actually have the Gourmet Magazine's cookbook, but I hate it. It's not written for the everyday cook. But I keep it because I think it's designed beautifully. And, it stands opposite Joy to hold up all my copies of Everyday Food, where most of my other recipes come from. This year, I was given I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown, whom I love; and Cookwise, an informative cookbook that I don't use, namely because I like Joy better. But they are books and I can't give them away. Perhaps when I have more than two readers I will do a giveaway. Because I am not even sure those two readers will read anytime soon. Wait, I lied. I do use another cookbook. The Donvier Ice Cream Cookbook. Most of the time, I wing it. But, the company I freelance for is the publisher. So a few years ago, when I was in the office, we did a reprint, and the manager ordered enough books for everyone in the office to have one. But again, I don't think I would buy it. I'd rather wing it. How do you cook? What books do you use?

Just... Can't... Stop...

Every year around this time, I start debating whether it's time to hang up the apron for the summer. It's normally hot (which it's not right now), and incredibly muggy (which it is), and usually I can't bear to be in the kitchen for that long. But then I was somewhere in the interweb and found these: They are ginormous icing tips from BakeItPretty. These babies are the size of my palm. Now I'm going to have to go ahead and buy the large cupcake pan that I've been debating on. And they are packaged so nicely and I got free gift tags, too. I'll definitely be shopping there again. I may just have to purchase a kit for a baker-friend. I also ordered some pretty polka-dot liners and a megaphone cookie cutter to make some cheerleading cookies for her team. I can't wait to whip something up. Oh, wait, it's morbidly humid in my house. The best part, it's going to be in the high 80s and morbidly humid this weekend. And I have a TON of work to do. I can hardly wait.

There's a lot goin on around these parts...

Namely, baking. I know, it's almost summer and I've yet to shut down the oven. But I can't. I got a fabulous chocolate buttercream recipe that I could seriously make a batch just to eat it. And, next week, I start my Wilton Method classes at my local Michael's. I am well aware of how the Wilton Method is all about using Duncan Hines and such for consistency. I'm looking for techniques to make my own. Plus, course 3 is the fondant and gum paste course, those are what I am really looking forward to. While jumping around the blogosphere, I came across a divine creation—cake balls. And so I made some into cake pops. And let me tell you how divine they are indeed. I brought them to a cookout last weekend, and they were gone in minutes. Of course, if you top anything in chocolate ganache, it will likely be snarfed in record time. I had some left over and decided to use that instead. Why all the baking? A good friend and I may be starting a new venture of getting into a side business together. Doing cakes, cupcakes, chocolates and such. I am not quite sure when I'll actually have the time for this stuff, since it's the busy season for my freelance design work and I have more than I know what to do with. But I look at the cake business as something I can do for a lifetime. So right now, I'm supposed to be doing some freelance, but instead I made a batch of mini-cupcakes with dark chocolate icing. And I have a head cold that is kicking some serious arse, so I'd really like to just go back to bed. But I am reminded that I actually do have to save for school clothes and supplies this year, so I need to work instead. I guess it never really ends.

It was a great Mama Day...

Mother's Day was a nice one for us, the Husband let me sleep in (by sleep in, I mean long enough for him to corral the kids into signing their card and down some pop-tarts), I got an adorable singing Hoops and YoYo card—whom I love—and the shredder/slicer attachment to my Kitchenaid stand mixer. Now, some of the Mamas out there feel that appliances and their parts are a no-no for gift giving. Personally, I am all about praciticality. That said, a treadmill should never show up on my doorstep as a "gift." But the Husband knew I was eyeing this attachment, as I already have the ice cream maker attachment (also known as the best $60 I have spent on an appliance E.V.E.R.) So what did I use it for first? To make my own laundry detergent. Yes, you read that correctly. I made my own laundry detergent. I used my shredder to shred a bar of soap. And this excites me to no end. My cost should end up somewhere around $.03 per load for detergent. I also made felted wool dryer balls so I no longer have to use dryer sheets. I wouldn't say those are a money saver, as I spent almost $15 on the yarn (I don't have scraps of yarn laying around), but considering I think most dryer sheets are too potent, this is a great alternative. I rounded out the day by making the most divine homemade brownies ever. Oh, how I love Martha and her recipes. I made her fudgy brownies, and Oh. My. Goodness. I could have eaten the entire pan last night. Fortunately, I waited until tonight to polish them off. The kidlets were fantastic, I even got some work done and finished the laundry. It was a good day, and I hope all the other Mamas out there had a great day, too.