Ok, so I'm a late bloomer

I've been baking for years..... by hand, hand mixer that is. I don't know why but the results were always very good. 4 years ago my wife surprises me, for no reason, with a gift of a top of the line, Kitchen Aid stand mixer along with the grinder attachment. I was joyus, surprised and stowed it away in one of our pantrys until......yesterday! I can't explain why, probably some underlying fear of cooking gadgets. So I buckled down and put my stand mixer phobia in it's place, pulled out the mixer and promptly made 9 pound cakes and ground 3 lbs of ground beef and 2 lbs of pork for meatballs. Do I need help?

Drew

Welcome to the club, Drew.

I purchased a Kitchen Aide Pro for myself as a Christmas gift 5 years ago. My baking game kicked up 5 notches. This year I purchased the grinder attachment. I know the reward and the feeling of stupidity for waiting so long!

[Jenise]

Drew, you're too funny! Avoid that beautiful gift like the plague and then turn into a maniac to make up for lost time. I take it you're going to send those pound cakes to your friends on FLDG? Hmmmm?

I usually make 20 at Christmas for gifts. My mother's recipe...it's the best.

RCP: Drew's Mother's Pound Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbl vanilla extract
juice and zest from 1/2 lemon
2 sticks unsalted butter
6 eggs

cream sugar and butter, add eggs, lemon and vanilla.
combine with flour and pour into loaf pan lined with parchment.
bake at 325 for 1 1/2 hours.

Sometimes after the cake has cooled I'll punch a lot of holes in the top with a skewer and drizzle "Navan" which is a
vanilla cognac...wow is that good.

Drew

Sometimes after the cake has cooled I'll punch a lot of holes in the top with a skewer and drizzle "Navan" which is a vanilla cognac...wow is that good. Drew

Instead of punching holes try this: Bake cake in a bundt pan. When done hang it on an old wine bottle. The top of the cake should be rough, and you can slowly pour in as much Navan as you want; without punching holes.

OK guys, just add the pasta attachment to the list .....I hand cranked for years and when making a seafood ravioli for a large party this summer I asked to borrow my friends Kitchen Aid pasta attachment......the rest of the story is more of the same as above....gang busters on making pasta. I got an attachment of my own for a summer birthday and make pasta now almost weekly.
I disdain gadgets as well but this and the grinder are the best gadgets in my kitchen. I regret not getting one sooner

Sometimes after the cake has cooled I'll punch a lot of holes in the top with a skewer and drizzle "Navan" which is a vanilla cognac...wow is that good. Drew

Instead of punching holes try this: Bake cake in a bundt pan. When done hang it on an old wine bottle. The top of the cake should be rough, and you can slowly pour in as much Navan as you want; without punching holes.

Carl. the beauty of this cake is the crust that forms on the top. You shouldn't use this recipe in a bundt pan.

Drew