Applying the kitchen

Today is cooking day. I'll try and keep you posted on what comes out of Lurkitty Kitchen. So far it's Brussel Sprout Curry Soup:

2 cups water
2 cups brussels sprouts, steamed
1 leek, steamed
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp sweet basil
2 tsp salt (to taste)
1 cup milk or half and half

Saute garlic in butter. Place it along with all ingredients except milk (or half and half) in blender. Liquify. Makes approx, 4 cups soup.

I did this in my Vita Mix. I am unashamed to say I spent $400 on a blender. It was worth it. it cooks soup with friction. Geek out. I consider it an essential kitchen appliance. That, along with my breadmaker. The purists out there are cringing. I own a bread machine dammit! Deal with it! I have arthritis, okay?
It's a Zojirushi, just like my rice cooker. I have fine tuned my recipes! I even bake spelt bread in it.
I'm making my famous cinnamon rolls in it right now. I start with a plain, non sweet, pizza dough with cinnamon added, made in the bread machine. Then the fun begins. I take a pound of butter and spread it into a 1foot square and freeze it. When the dough is ready, I roll it out, place the square on half and fold the other half on top. I turn the dough and roll it, fold it, turn it, fold it, you get it, like I'm making croissant. I stop and put it in the fridge when it gets warm and go at it again when its cold. When I go to roll the croissant, I spread OG brown sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg on it. Cinnamon roll croissant. Then I drizzle powdered sugar frosting on them. Fat city. But I do them once a year.

So far then I have used:
electric steamer,
Bread Machine
and Vita Mix.
My Rice Cooker and Microwave are two more essentials.

What are your essential kitchen appliances?

Progress

Four pie crusts, two filled with sweet potato filling and baked, the first rollings of the croissant/cinnamon rolls, one batch of eggs boiled for devilled eggs, the soup completed and my back hurts. I am currently waiting for the pumpkin to cool so I can peel it and make the filling for the other two pies. Wait, hold on, you said peel the pumpkin? Yes. I don't make pumpkin pie from a can. Nor do I use evaporated milk. Half and half. Like the music says, I'm crazy.

The sweet potato pie has butter and cream. It was another thing my Dad asked for. I'm not too worried about his arteries hardening anymore. I want him to have all the tastes he remembers. I'm getting up early to make the Parker House Rolls tomorrow. I won't be using my bread machine. This is my finest roll recipe. It calls for compressed yeast. I went to two different stores to find it ( the first was out). There is a subtle difference in the flavour of compressed yeast vs. conventional dry vs rapidrise dry. Compressed has the most "yeasty" or homestyle taste. Another difference is that you don't have to put any water in the recipe. You can use milk or buttermilk for all the liquid (I'll be using buttermilk).

There were moments of grave consternation, bordering on rending of garments and gnashing of teeth, when I thought I had burned out the Vita Mix. Turned out it only overheated....whew!

Still lots to do!