Kitchenaid Makeover - Vinyl Decals

I recently painted my kitchen.  We changed from a light spring green, to a beautiful aqua color called "Hawaiian Sky".  I absolutely LOVE it.  It's so peaceful and calming.  

"Hawaiian Sky" paint color is a Dutch Boy paint color, and I found it at Fred Meyer

Of course, as home improvement chain reactions go, I am now on the lookout for a few teal accent pieces to help tie the colors in the kitchen together and give some pop to the room.  Most everything in the kitchen is white (cupboards, appliances), including my Kitchenaid Mixer.  I thought, hey, maybe I can gussy this thing up!

Plain, white, kitchenaid mixer. I'll now call this "the before"

I have long admired some of the Food Network gals and their fancy hand-painted mixers, but the lofty price tag kept me at bay.  I went over to Etsy just to see what was available, and found some gals that make vinyl decals specifically for your Kitchenaid... and I decided I would TRY IT!  There were many styles to choose from, but since I like swirly, and filigree designs, I went for a shop called "Good Golly Graphics" because they could do the cool design I really liked, in the exact turquoise color that would go with my kitchen.

Fast forward a few days later, and I was so excited to get this little package in the mail.  It contained tons of decals, a page of detailed instructions on how to do this project, and bonus - some links to some YouTube videos for the visual learners like me.

Vinyl decals for my kitchenaid by Good Golly Graphics

I decided to lay the designs all out to see what I had:  The nerdy symmetrical side of me was immediately giddy to see that each design had a matching set on another page, only the opposite direction, which would end up giving you more variety in the long run on which way you wanted the design to go.

There were a ton of decals in the pack.  Very nice!

The first step was to clean your kitchenaid mixer.  Let's just say it had been a while. Who knew flour could get way back there?? I got out my trusty degreaser spray and scrubbed that baby until she shone like the top of the of the Chrysler building (random Annie reference for your amusement).  After you have a clean, smooth surface, you can begin to place the decals on the mixer.  Being a perfectionist, and nervous, I watch the link to the YouTube instructional a few times to get the gist of things.  I waited til the kids went to bed (no interruptions) , and then I excitedly started my project with the perfect amount of peace and quiet to think about my masterpiece! The first step is to cut out the designs, very close to the decal.

Individual vinyl decals for the kitchenaid

The trick with the kitchenaid, is that it is curvy in spots.  Okay, all spots.  Let's just say I don't think there is a truly flat, flat spot on the whole thing. Not only should you cut the designs out close to the vinyl, but if there are any leaves or swirls that go into the design itself, to clip down between the shapes (white sections of the design) and make some snips so that your design would be able to bend around curves.

The next step is to get some blue painter's tape (hey, I JUST happened to have that, I just painted my kitchen, how did you KNOW!?) and tape your selected shape at the top and press firmly a few times, making a flap of sorts.

My first decal.  I was so nervous and wanted to get it right the FIRST time.

So now that the tape is at the top, it will act like a "hinge".  Flip up the design and take off the stiff backing while basically holding it upside down.  The vinyl will stay on the bendable top layer.  Once the backing is totally off, the painter tape has kept your design exactly where you want it without shifting. 

The painter tape acts as a "hinge" so your decal stays in place while it's all sticky and vulnerable

Then you slowly roll the vinyl shape down over the mixer's curved surface, smoothing as you go down (no picture of this, I need both hands on the decal). Once in place, rub gently over the whole shape to help seal it to the mixer.  Then take the blue tape off (it comes right off, I used the same piece again and again).  Now you can pull off the top backing layer of the vinyl decal.  The trick is to pull steadily at a 45º angle with even pressure.

The more flexible backing side comes right off and the design is now firmly on your mixer

This works out pretty fabulously!  Once you get the hang of it, this painter tape hinge thing is awesome for the bigger pieces with many small curls and swirls. Matter of fact, I thought for sure that the tiny little end pieces of the intricate designs might rip up when I removed the final backing, but to my surprise, even the smallest of tiny swirls stayed in place.  Moving up the side of the mixer, every time I picked a decal, I would find it's opposite design on the other sheet, cut it out, and set it aside for the other side of the mixer (so both would match and also so I wouldn't accidentally use that piece somewhere else)

Four pieces down - no turning back now!

I felt it was logical to do some of the largest pieces first, to make sure they would fit, especially up the sides and over the top, then I would go back and fill in with some of the smaller swirls.  I'm not gonna lie, I was a little stressed at making sure the design wasn't going to be too busy, that it had enough visual white space, and that the pieces looked like they went together. Taking your time and planning ahead are key. Luckily, the decals are kind of see through, so you could lay them out and see how they would fit with the one next to it.  The hardest part I think was the back rounded end of the mixer at the top. It was the most curvy and the trickiest to make sure the vinyl went down flat.

Holy cow, it's turning out so cute!!!

When I was totally done, I stood back and admired my handiwork. Hey, that turned out even better than I thought it would! I went paparazzi mode and took pictures from each angle. First side:

 Other side:

 Top:

Front:

Back:

 
I decided to put the Kitchenaid back on the counter, with the silver bowl back in place for the full effect.  You can see that I decided to leave the center part where the bowl sits white (I thought that gave it a nice contrast) and I can't believe how NICE it looks with my new aqua walls!  My hubby came home and was actually impressed.  He said it gave it "personality".

A designer look at a bargain price!

By they way, they have easier designs that you don't have to think too much about.  I saw a leopard print that had larger pieces that covered larger areas of the mixer all at once.  I think mine took longer to do because there were so many ways the pieces could go together, and it was all up to ME on how they looked...

So if you have an older mixer (before all the snazzy colors came out), or even if you have one of those newfangled colors, you can get some awesome decals for under $20 and try out a cool design that matches your kitchen.  Check out Good Golly Graphics because, not only can she customize the shown design into a ton of specialized colors (even silver and white), I found out she's an Army wife and doing this as home business while her hubby is deployed and she's keeping down the fort at home, so it's a great way to support the troops too. By the way, the exact design I picked is called "Flourish kitchen mixer swirl decal" and you can find it by clicking here.  She had a ton of colors to choose from.

Before                                                                                        After

I just love how it went from plain Jane to designer awesome in one evening.  The best part is, if I ever change my mind, the vinyl is removable and I can go back to plain white, or change it up with a new masterpiece if I wish. Plus, you don't have to go girly or swirly.  I saw designs on Etsy for every taste.  There were flame decals, nerd decals like turning your kitchenaid into a tribute to R2D2 or the TARDUS, fruits, tropical flowers, cherry blossoms, polka dots, Disney fun, animal prints - really you are only limited by imagination. Now get out there and gussy up your Kitchenaid mixer, stat!

Great Way to Shred Chicken

Just wanted to pass along a neat little trick I learned the other day.  Many recipes call for shredded chicken: enchiladas, tacos, pulled BBQ, soups, and casseroles.  Though I love all these recipes, my least favorite part is boiling the chicken and shredding it with two forks.  I was surfing the interwebs (as I like to call them) when I came across a way I had not thought of and I wanted to try it.  Did you know you can shred chicken in your KitchenAid stand mixer?

It's sitting there right on my counter, why had this not crossed my mind before? Genius

Why yes, yes you can!  I just proved it 2 days ago.  First boil some chicken in a big pot.  I start with Costco chicken breasts (still frozen) which are just enormous (those must be some big busted chickens down at the Dolly Parton ranch).  I put 4 -6 breasts in the pot of water and let it come to a boil for about 20-30 minutes.  While still warm I take them out of the water and placed them on a cutting board.  Now I guess most people would just toss the breasts whole right into the mixer, which you can do, but I wanted to get off all the fat clumps and get rid of some of the main veins and "undesirables", so I chopped them into big chunks of just pure chicken meat.  Plus I wasn't sure this was going to work so I wanted smaller pieces in there the first time around.

The key to this is making sure the chicken is still very warm, to make it easier on your mixer.  Cold or refrigerated chicken will not work as well.  I locked down my mixer and decided to go slow, at the lower setting and kind of pulsed it, to make sure chicken wasn't going to explode all over the kitchen.

After a few pulses I realized it was going to work, and increased the speed a little bit.

Shredded chicken in the KitchenAid mixer... hey that worked pretty good!

After a very short amount of time, I had beautiful shredded chicken!

It was a bit finer than if I had done it by hand.  More like what a professional restaurant might use.   Now it is ready to use in whatever recipe you want!  I happened to use this in my chicken enchilada recipe, which I will post about very soon.  Thanks and enjoy!

Silpat Mat - Genius invention

I received a wonderful gift from my hubby last year, and it's one of those things that after you have it, you wonder how you ever lived without it.  It has a crazy  name, it's from France, it makes cooking and baking a breeze, and I've only just begun to scratch the surface on all the things this thing can do! Yes, look no further, it's the wondrous Silpat Mat.

I know it looks like they jumbled up the letters, like it should say "slip mat" or sometimes I even see "splat" when I glance at it.  It was invented by a French chemist and it's made of a glass fiber weave that is reinforced with silicone.  Together they make an amazing non stick surface that REPLACES foil, cooking spray, and/or parchment paper.

As you might of gathered, I am a big (almost card-carrying) fan of the food network.  My favorite shows are Chopped, The Pioneer Woman, and Iron Chef, who tend to use the silpat mats in their shows. Hubby, the thoughtful guy he is, has been on a quest to gift me with food network inspired kitchen gadgets for birthdays and holidays.  I've often said the perfect place to live on this earth would be neighbors with Pat and Gina Neely on one side, Ina Garten on the other, and Ree Drummond across the street.  The Neelys because they are almost always making scrumptious down home BBQ grub and are down right adorable and fun, Ina Garten because she spends a LOT of her time making wonderful food, then giving it away to her neighbors (aka ME), and Ree for her charming family friendly recipes and wit.  Let's visualize what that would look like now:

Sigh... Beautiful!  (Why yes, in my head, all the food network stars live next door to each other, throw fabulous progressive dinner parties, borrow cups of sugar across the fence, and dine together each night on one giant table, thanks for asking).

Ok, back to the silpat mats.  They are a dream.  Nothing sticks to them!!  First, I decided to try the most basic of things to make on a cookie sheet... wait for it... gasp... it's cookies.

Flash forward to 12 minutes later, and voila, you've got a little bit of heaven on a pan

Mmmmm warm and chocolatey, can you smell them???

These cookies, by the way, practically flew off the pan and landed on the cooling rack all by themselves!  (Ok I did use a spatula, but I can attest they came off with the greatest of ease.

Plus, these bad boys are not just for cookies, oh no!  You can make candy, brittle, almond macarons, pastries, cheese crisps (going to try that), breads, pizza, cinnamon rolls or sticky buns turned out onto it, roasted veggies... the list goes on and on.  And cleanup?  A breeze.  It's recommended just to wipe it down or rinse it with some warm water.  I got a tip from another blogger that the best way to dry them is to roll them into a large tube and lean up tall to let both sides air dry at the same time.

So there you have it!  If you haven't got around to trying one of these, you should really try one sometime.  My birthday is next week and I'm hoping I'll get one more as a present (hint hint), so BOTH my half baking sheets will have a silpat friend.

Big Blue Mama

I just realized I've been a little remiss in introducing one of my most favored, most loved, and one of the newest kitchen gadgets in my cooking arsenal.  I guess you haven't been formally introduced yet, but I'd like to take the time to introduce you to someone whom I affectionately call "Big Blue Mama".  

"Hello, " says Big Blue Mama, "nice you meet you."

Isn't she a beauty?  I bought her about 6 months ago as a nod to my increasing love of the Pioneer Woman's cookbook and she has quickly turned into my go-to pot for many a recipe.  This particular pot here is a Lodge 7.5 quart dutch oven in Caribbean blue, and I took the advice of many Amazon reviewers and opted to also buy the stainless steel Le Creuset replacement knob, because she originally came with a plastic knob that was rumored not to stand up to high oven temperatures.  Le Creuset, by the way, is the much fancier, Frencher, (MUCH more expensive), version of this same pot, sold in the $240 range. (Not to mention use of a fancy French pot requires you to use a long cigarette holder, look down your nose a lot, and mumble "oh la la" and oui" as you simmer your soups).  My Big Blue Mama here on the other hand is still a high quality kitchen tool, and an excellent investment at a much more reasonable price of $73.  Sometimes you can find a great sale and get one in the $50 range.

First of all, she is HEAVY.  You definitely need two hands to do any lifting.  Matter of fact, she's heavy with nothing in her.  This can be handy though, if you need some extra upper body strength training.  Unlike Rapunzel and her deadly fry-pans, I'm not sure how this could dissuade any home intruders, attackers or palace soldiers, well unless you dropped it directly on their toes...  The inside of her is white sealed ceramic, which has a nice smooth surface for even heat distribution, and incidentally also makes clean up a breeze.  Clean up, by the way is hand washing with warm soapy water. 

Plus, these little babies are VERSATILE.  Anything you can do in a crock pot you can do in a dutch oven.  Anything on the stove top and almost anything cooked inside the stove can be prepared in a dutch oven.  They cook soups and stews beautifully, big hunks of meat for roasts, whole chickens, hot oil for frying, desserts, you name it, Big Blue Mama can handle it.  I've heard you can even do casseroles, bacon, biscuits, pizzas, artisan crusty loaves of bread, pies and cakes.  Low and slow is the best route with these bad boys and my food has been turning out wonderful so far.  Since I'm planning on using her a lot in the near future with my new soups and recipes, I just thought I should give her a proper introduction.  Next, I might even write her a catchy theme song.

New Gadget alert! - Garlic Zoom XL

So, speaking of love and vampires (ok, I really wasn't speaking of vampires, mostly just love this week), but Vampires beware! This year has been a special year.  I know it's only a few months in to 2012 but I have fallen in love.  Yes I have fallen in love with garlic!  I used to hate the stuff, avoided it even.  Now that I am making a lot of recipes from scratch and homemade there is a lot of call for minced garlic here and there.  The key is not going bonkers and throwing a ton in... the key is a little goes a LONG way.  One day I was trying a new recipe and suddenly realized that sauteing garlic with butter gave off such a heavenly aroma! I was wishing I had a grilled artichoke heart or a lump of crab to dip and slather it in.  MAN it smells good and adds such a depth of flavor to the cooking.  So this lead me to a dilemma.  I am a novice garlic mincer, it's messy, and it can stink up your hands (and your breath).  Not to mention peeled cloves of garlic are small and therefore dangerous to chop (if you use inappropriate tools like a near by steak knife like I tend to do).  I had just bought a fancy garlic press a few weeks back, but all it seemed to do was smash the stuffing out of it, not produce much actual garlic to use, AND leave giant chunks of garlic behind I had to fish out with my finger, ug.  I was thinking there has to be an easier way!  Well thank goodness my hubby is a geek, because we get the think geek catalog and there, between the binary clock and the star trek pizza cutter was the answer to all of my prayers for $14... The Garlic Zoom XL.

The garlic zoom lx - isn't she a beaut?

Isn't is the cutest thing?!  So sweet.  My kids took one look at that and wanted to drive it around the counter, and here's the greatest part... they CAN!  Yes let me give you the exciting play by play:

toss a few cloves of garlic in the garlic zoom

So you get a few cloves of garlic.  I used three here.  Also if look closely in the back I have a jar of peeled garlic cloves (a very exciting discovery in the produce aisle with the refrigerated salad dressings.  So handy and ready to go whenever I need them).  Then close the lid and you are ready to roll.  Literally. 

Taking my garlic zoom xl for a drive around the counter

So with three cloves it feels like it's not going to roll at first, but just do a couple of back and forth rolls until the blades really start chopping and BAM, within a few seconds your garlic is being minced before your eyes.

The garlic zoom after zoomage.  Hello minced garlic I didn't have to touch

So now they say to open up the whole zoomer and take out the blade and removed the minced garlic, but I discovered that there is an easier way where you don't have to deal with super sharp blades.  With the whole thing still closed, turn it upside down and tap it into your other hand while holding a dish towel for cushion.  It will make all the garlic fall to the top of the gadget and then all you have to do is just pop open only the top lid (the one you opened to put the garlic in) and all the garlic falls out where you want it.  Note: I didn't take a picture of it, above is the first time I ever used it and was meticulously following the directions. 

perfectly minced garlic... HOORAY

Yes so just keep the thing closed, tip the whole thing over, tap it on a dish towel for cushion and pop up the lid and tap out your perfectly minced garlic. I rinsed the thing out with hot water then, get this, it's DISHWASHER SAFE to boot.  Hallelujah! I do realize Alton Brown would frown upon a "one trick wonder" gadget as he prefers multitaskers, but this one time I would say it's totally worth it!!  A garlic zoom a day keeps the vampires away!


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