Heaven is....new kitchen toy and new magazines

What could possibly be better. It's a gorgeous day (so I can sit outside with a great cup of coffee and pore through my latest stash of my favorite magazines....BBC Good Food (the strawberry & pistachio tart on the cover made me moan at the store - too bad they don't have a website though), fine Cooking (focus on spice rubs & salsas - it is BBQ season after all), Cook's Illustrated ( which interestingly enough rates blenders - the one I bought in the fall only got "recommended with reservations" - DOHH!!! and as a further digression - I was hunting through old issues to check on ratings for immersion blenders - I never did find it, but more about that later), Martha Stewart Living (because who could resist a BBQ at Martha's? To say nothing about those gorgeous looking drinks!), and my favorite - Bon Appetit (finally the BBQ issue I've been dreaming about for 2 months now!).

Speaking of which (Bon Appetit Magazine - try to keep up with me, please). Yesterday I got a request from someone looking for a specific recipe (caramel apple tart) from the January 2006 issue. She's away from home and is eager to make her favorite dish. Unfortunately she doesn't have the recipe with her and her daughter (like me) collects and keeps all her old magazines, but she didn't have the January issue. So R emailed me. It seems like a simple request and I love to help out whenever I can. Unbelievable but true - even though I've been collecting (some would say hoarding, but they'd be wrong) since the mid '90's, I'm missing my January 2006 issue too.

So if you do have the January 2006 issue - the tart is on the cover, and can find the caramel apple tart recipe (it's not on the Epicurious website - we both tried that) please email me at ruth AT 4everykitchen DOT com and I'll reproduce it here for everyone to share.

Okay, back to why I'm in Heaven....I just bought a new Cuisinart Immersion Blender with whisk and chopper and all I can say is "WOW!!!" I used to have a Braun but it never really did the trick for me and I usually ended up using my blender anyway, so when my daughter moved into her own apartment a couple of years ago, I gave it to her. But recently I've noticed that every chef I admire on TV has one. And naturally, I had to have one too. It actually sat in the box on the hall table for a week calling out to me. I like to read the instruction pamphlet before I use any new toy - er - tool. This one still has me stumped about the chopper attachment, though. There is a blade with a sharp edge and a blunt edge. The manual says to check the food prep section to determine which you use when....except it never does tell. So I guess I'll just have to make some dishes this weekend that include chopping to find out.

But I digress. I tested and photographed my second to last recipe (not forever, just for the cookbook - Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories - Recipes to Warm the Heart) it's a spicy, creamy pasta dish with shrimps and mushrooms and hot sausages and I had to blend the sauce (first you roast whole shallots and garlic cloves and then puree them with the cream, etc.) It took so little time and effort to blend with my newest kitchen friend (and now favorite - don't tell my other toys). I love it.

So now that I've shared my piece of kitchen heaven - I'd love to hear about yours.

Related links: Food and Drink