Tis the Season for demos

I haven't done alot of KA work lately. It's always fun to promote the things I heart!

Pasta Demo @ Dillards

Today I had a KitchenAid demonstration at Dillard's in Firewheel Mall in Garland. Here's my tiny little display in the middle of their Housewares Department.




I demoed the KitchenAid pasta roller attachment. If you have never made pasta, it is truly very easy especially when you use the KitchenAid. Normally I make the pasta from scratch but KA recently partnered up with Ecco La Pasta. Now it's even easier because as long as you follow the instructions precisely, (only add water) you really can't mess up. I highly recommend thier mixes. You can find Ecco La Pasta products at Williams Sonoma, Whole Foods and many grocery stores.

Pasta Demo @ Macy's

Macy's is having a huge sale this weekend. I was asked to go in and promote the KitchenAid attachments. Here's my little display. I made pasta using the Pasta Roller Attachment

Thanks for stopping by

Macy's Shop for a Cause Event

This weekend, Saturday, September 20th I will be promoting KitchenAid at the Shop for a Cause event at Macy's Stonebriar Centre in Frisco from 11 to 3. I will be in the housewares department demoing the Pasta Roller Attachment. If you've wondered how the attachment works, now is the time to see it LIVE! Please stop by and say hello if you are in the area.

'Tis the season....

'Tis the season.... for Bridal Shows. Close your eyes and think of the wedding march.

I've been very busy with KA. I'm scheduled to be at a bridal show just about every weekend this spring! In the last couple of weeks I've done shows at Macy's and Dillard's. The Macy's one was huge with more than 400 brides in attendance, it was the largest show I had ever worked/attended. It was fun but very hectic and it took several days for my feet to recover!

This weekend I will be at The Great Bridal Expo at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Dallas. If you're getting married and in the area, please stop by!

Building A Display...

This weekend I had to go to our Great Indoors store to redo their displays. This was a big task because TGI has ALOT of merchandise.


Here is the picture before...


And After....

Thanks for stopping by.........

Spreads for Bagels...

Here's a quick and easy recipe for a Pumpkin Spread. You can make this ahead of time and serve it with bagels for your guests over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Pumpkin Spread

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours

I love different spreads on bagels. Two other favorites are from the KitchenAid Handmixer Use & Care Guide.... Raspberry Cream Cheese Spread and Honey Walnut Cream Cheese Spread. Both are on page 15. They are always a hit at my demos!

Raspberry Spread

1 package (8 oz.) light cream cheese
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves
1⁄4 teaspoon grated orange peel

Place all ingredients in small bowl. Beat on Speed 1 about 1 minute, or until smooth and creamy,
scraping bowl once or twice. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours

Honey-Walnut Spread

1 package (8 oz.) light cream cheese
2 tablespoons honey
1⁄4 cup chopped walnuts

Place cream cheese and honey in small bowl. Beat on Speed 1 about 1 minute, or until smooth and creamy, scraping bowl once or twice. Add walnuts. Beat on Speed 1 about 20 seconds, or until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

And while were on the subject of bagels. I always toast my bagels in our KitchenAid toaster. It has extra wide slots for toasting bagels, hamburger buns and TEXAS toast. It does a beautiful job toasting just one side when you use the "bagel" button. The Toaster Use & Care Guide also has some great recipes for Flavored Butters.... Honey Orange, Lemon-Thyme and Cheesy Garlic on page 17.

Pasta anyone?

I spent the majority of Saturday at one of the local Dillard's stores demonstrating KitchenAid products.

One of the items I demoed was the pasta roller attachment for the stand mixer.

Has anyone out there ever made their own pasta? I had never made any before my KA days but it's super easy and fun and to be honest I find it therapuedic. It's a project you can involve the whole family in.

.
I typically make the dough using the Basic Egg Pasta recipe found on page 9 of the Pasta Roller & Cutter Set Use and Care Guide but recently KitchenAid partnered up with Ecco La Pasta, a company out of Wisconsin. They sell specialty mixes that are super easy and fabulous. The owner of the company Peter Robertson actually came to speak to us at one of our training sessions last year- he's like a pasta guru and very entertaining.

.

You can find Ecco La Pasta at many speciality stores or you can purchase online... their website has some great recipes, check it out.

.

You can find the Pasta Roller Attachment at most local retailers, KitchenAid.com actually sells a Pasta Culinary Kit that includes:

• KitchenAid® Pasta Roller Attachment for Stand Mixer


• KitchenAid® Fettuccine Cutter Attachment for Stand Mixer


• One Black KitchenAid® Nylon Pasta Server


• One Black KitchenAid® Nylon Slotted Spoon


• One Ecco La Pasta® Egg Pasta Mix


• One Ecco La Pasta® Spinach Pasta Mix

KitchenAid

Just in case you wonder what in the world I do when I go to stores on behalf of KitchenAid, here is a before and after of a store I reset yesterday. This is the brand new Dillard's in Stonebriar Centre in Frisco. They have one of the best selections of Artisans in the whole DFW metroplex, 11 colors in stock. Aren't they gorgeous!

Colors from Left to Right.
Top Row: Green Apple, Tangerine, White, Metalic Chrome, and Majestic Yellow.
Bottom Row: Onyx Black, Gloss Cinnamon, Bay Leaf, Chrome ($500), Empire Red, and Caviar.

Psst... Pesto anyone?

One of the perks of being a KitchenAid product specialist is getting the opportunity to try new recipes as I demonstrate the appliances. Everyone knows the KichenAid Mixer is fabulous but not many know about all the different attachmentments that are available.


.
Pesto is usually made in a food processor, but you can also use the food grinder attachment for your mixer.
.

This recipe is pretty easy and delicious. The best thing is that it does not call for pine nuts which can be a concern to folks with alergies. I got wonderful reviews when I demonstrated and served this at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Williams Sonoma and Dillards. Everyone loved it!

Pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup parsley sprigs
8 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil

Assemble food grinder using fine grinder plate and attach to mixer. Turn to speed 4 and grind basil leaves, parsley springs and garlic into mixer bowl. Add salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Attach bowl and wire whip. Turn to speed 6 and whip 1 minute. Stop and scrap bowl. Turn to Speed 8 and gradually add olive oil in thin, steady stream whipping until absorbed.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.