Wants: Kitchen Edition

During my time off from school this summer, I have completed many baking projects. I like whipping up muffins or brownies or any other assortment of baked goods when the mood strikes. Most of the time the ingredients are easily mixed by hand, however, some of my favorite desserts require a little extra. Sadly, I do not have an electric mixer. Instead I grab my trusty whisk and set to frothing egg whites by hand. Unsurprisingly this causes me to become weary. With each project I find myself wishing more and more that I owned the classic KitchenAid mixer.

My older sister is an amazing cook and has every kitchen gadget known to mankind, including this iconic mixer. If it wasn't so heavy, I would have stolen it and brought it along when we moved to the east coast! I'm not looking to accumulate too many kitchen tools, but this makes sense. Some things are just too hard to whisk by hand (i.e. cheesecake) and some dishes just don't turn out quite like I want. My tiramisu never quite looks like this:

I simply cannot achieve that stiffness in the mascarpone mixture that is required. Infuriating!

Paying hundreds of dollars for a mixer just isn't in the cards right now, but I think I will hold off and won't buy a cheaper one. I'd rather wait it out and then get the one I really want, which may be a year from now when I am graduated and (hopefully) have a job. Until then I suppose I will just have to buy my tiramisu, which isn't really so bad after all.

Feeling Childish or How I Miss my Mother

Most of the time I feel fairly grown-up; I pay my bills on time, I haven't lived at home for almost 9 years, I'm married.  Get me on the phone with my mama (or my dad, but it's Mother's Day...), however, and I feel like a little kid.  We live about as far apart as you can and still be in the same country.  When I hear her voice on the phone I get nostalgic and wish that my husband and I lived just down the street from her and my dad so that I could sit on the couch and put my head on her shoulder like when I was a little kid.  

When I was perusing photos for this post, I realized how few great photos I have of me and my mom together.  I chose, instead, a photo from one of my favorite childhood books.  When I see my parents next, in June for my little sister's wedding, I fully intend to remedy the situation.  My mama is incredibly camera-shy, which is part of the reason for the lack of photos, but I will force her pose even if means bribing her with the promise of a shoulder massage.  

Almost everyone out there will say the same thing, but my mom is one of the most special people in the world.  If you are lucky enough to live close enough, be sure to give your mama a big hug.  

Wishing I was here...

...on a beach in Seychelles

...wearing this Cosabella one-piece
...drinking this tasty caipirinha!

It's actually quite rare that I do put on swimwear of any kind for any reason, let alone because I am on a tropical vacation. But the next time I have the opportunity to lounge in the sun, which will likely be my classmate's roofdeck right here in the city, I will try to find a one-piece as lovely as the one above. I usually go for the two-piece option, but I find myself wanting to change it up a bit this summer.

What I won't be giving up is my favorite summer drink, the caipirinha. It is limey and refreshing and perfect for a hot day. I also adore a great sangria, red or white wine, but many places make it way too sweet. Only 4 more days until I am through with finals and can indulge without guilt!