My darling boyfriend Phil got me a totally unexpected present for Christmas, a KitchenAid Mixer! In the Maurer family, KitchenAid Mixers are reserved for wedding presents, so I was prepared to wait for mine. When I opened the box I thought it was a joke, just the box, no mixer, but behold, a Professional 600 Series KitchenAid Mixer in Meringue. Capable of making 8 pounds of mashed potatoes, 13 dozen cookies, and 8 1/2 loaves of bread. As Tim the Tool Man Taylor would say, "More POWER!".
Speaking of men, as I started making my first recipe with the mixer (pizza dough) what I had suspected all along was confirmed: I'm not the only one excited about this mixer. The conversation in the Kreiglemaurer house went as follows:
Phil: Did you wash the bowl?
Amanda: Yes.
Phil: Are you using the dough hook?
Amanda: Yes.
Phil: Did you wash the dough hook?
Amanda: Yes.
Phil: Are you using the mixer yet?
Amanda: Not yet.
Phil: You know the dough hook can only go up to speed 2.
Amanda: I know.
Phil: Why is the flour on the sides like that?
Amanda: I don't know.
Phil: Do you have to scrape the sides?
Amanda: I don't know.
Phil: How long do you let it knead for?
Amanda: PHIL I'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE LEAVE ME ALONE!
At this point Phil took the hint and left the kitchen, but you better believe when this came out of the oven he came right back!
The pizza I made is a Cooking Light pizza recipe. I usually tweak and rewrite recipes but this one I wouldn't make any changes to since the ratio of the toppings is important in keeping the pizza delicious but still light. Don't worry about the lack of sauce, the caramelized onions make a delicious substitute, but they also remind me of how much I love chopping onions but hate caramelizing them. Enjoy the following eye-candy, or should I say, eye-pizza.
....and with the magic of the interwebs, it's done!
