Graduation Gifts

As graduation approached it didn't even cross my mind that people typically give graduations gifts and that I would soon be the recipient of such. Then my grandpa called me to talk to me about the gift my grandparents wanted to give me: a Kitchenaid.

So now I can certainly say I got the coolest set of graduation gifts I could have imagined. I now own a 475 watt, 5 quart Kitchenaid; the Kitchenaid grain mill attachment for grinding wheat; a 45 pound bucket of 16% protein hard red wheat; an intriguing game of skill, strategy, and magnetic fields called Jishaku; and I'll soon have the Kitchenaid food slicer attachment. Who could ask for more?

It took me a whole 15 minutes from the time my family left on Thursday (leaving me with my new toys) before I had started making a cheesecake with my new Kitchenaid. I'm really pleased with how well it worked. And the cheesecake turned out quite well, too (it deserves it's own post). I was looking through my baking cookbook last night and have lots of recipes I want to try, particularly now that I have my Kitchenaid.

The model I have is the Kitchenaid Professional HD Series. Special thanks to the many people that discussed Kitchenaid colors with me at great length. It took me days to decide on the color, but I finally settled on silver. Mine is quite a step above the base Artisan model (which is only 4 quarts with a 325 watt motor) and features a 5 quart bowl, 475 watts of power, and a solid steel drive and gear assembly. You should click on the pictures so you can see it better. Isn't it beautiful? And doesn't it look good in it's natural habitat and new home?

The Kitchenaid Grain Mill will be really cool. I technically don't have it yet (since it's still being shipped to my parents'), but should get it soon. I've wanted to delve into making homemade stone ground whole wheat bread before. The problem has always been that you need a wheat grinder in order to really do so and they're typically not too cheap. Once I get it I intend to use it promptly.

My uncle followed the theme quite well by giving me a 45 pound bucket of hard red wheat. What's more, the wheat is 16% protein (pretty high for wheat) and is free of rocks and other debris. So now I'm all set for making real whole wheat bread. At least I will be as soon as my grain mill arrives.

Finally, I also got a game called Jishaku. I've played it several times and it is quite fun. It is an interesting balance of skill and strategy. It reminds me a lot of Jenga, but it uses magnets and is much more fun. I remain undefeated so far.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go bake something with my new Kitchenaid.