Magimix by Robot-Coupe Vision Toaster Giveaway

Enzo is a toast kind of guy. He takes after his mama. Every morning he makes himself toast, and then because he's Enzo he'll go ahead and make me some too.

He likes his light. I like mine a little more brown. Lucky for us we've been gifted the first see through toaster in the world, the Magimix by Robot-Coupe Vision Toaster. Now Enzo can watch his toast and my toast and press the "stop" button just when it's ready.

Before getting the Magimix by Robot-Coupe Vision Toaster Enzo would climb on the counter and stand really close to our conventional toaster, with his face a few inches away -- looking down checking to see if his toast was ready. It used to freak me out completely and many arguments were had because of such boy-ish activities.

What can I say, Enzo is curious. The truth is it doesn't take a 5 year old to want to see what your toast or bagel looks like while it's toasting. I did too, only I was always freaked out by my toaster that got extremely hot on the outside and when the bread was ready POP (!) the toast would fly out and always catch me by surprise.

I consider the Vision Toaster my early Mother's day present.
Because it keeps my son safe.
And as a mother there is nothing I want more than safety in my kitchen.

The insulated glass never heats up. The toaster is always cool to the touch. I'm relieved to know my son won't get burnt making a simple toast.

It also doesn't spit the bread out like a weapon.

And you know what, it makes THE. PERFECT. TOAST. And yes there is such a thing as the perfect toast, as Molly Wizenberg, the famous food writer, who dedicated an entire post on toast can attest to. She didn't get over 100 comments on that post for nothing either, people are very opinionated when it comes to toast. The Magimix by Robot-Coupe Vision Toaster makes the perfect toast, where your bread is crispy on the outside, but oh so warm and chewy in the middle.

And for a mama who loves her toast I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's day present. Mother's day is in a couple of weeks and I want the winner of this giveaway to get their Magimix by Robot-Coupe Vision Toaster in celebration of Mother's day.

So today, in order to bid farewell to April and start thinking about May, the month of Mothers, Magimix and I have teamed up to give one lucky Kitchen Corners' reader a Magimix Vision Toaster.

Good luck!

{photos from Willimas-Sonoma}

The Prize: 1 Magimix by Robot-Coupe Vision Toaster (value $250-$350) Must have a U.S mailing address to be eligible.To Enter: You have to be a Kitchen Corners follower. The follow button is on the bottom of the blog. If you're already a follower leave a comment saying hi. If you're a new follower leave a comment introducing yourself and if you have a blog and would like to leave your url please do so. I enjoy meeting my readers! Please make sure your comments link back to an email address so I can contact you if you win.

+1 more comment: You can get more entries by subscribing via RSS or email to Kitchen Corner's feeds. 

+1 more comment: Follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter.

+1 more comment: Share this giveaway! Sharing buttons are right below this post. Just leave a comment telling me how you shared.

Giveaway closes: Midnight PST Thursday May 5th. The winner will be contacted via email and announced next Friday.
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post-edit: This giveaway is now closed. The winner Ashley Moffat has been notified. Thanks everyone for participating.

Blueberry Pull Apart Bread

Apparently today is blueberry pie day. I just learned this from NestleUSA's twitter stream who said to check out  Nestle Kitchens' Facebook Page for more information. The "more information" was a link to Simply Recipes' blueberry pie and now I am deathly craving blueberry pie and at the verge of convincing myself that I must consume blueberry pie today to keep with tradition, a tradition I didn't even know existed 30 minutes ago.

I am going to be strong and resist the craving. It's called practicing, because as soon as May rolls around we are going off sugar for a month. I used to pride myself that I never had sugar cravings. That was before sweet Maria was born. I am now a full blown sugar addict. This craziness has to stop. The more I eat sugar the more I crave it. It never ends. And then there is the whole Holidays and the excuses I create that as soon as Christmas is over there will be less sugar, but then Valentine's Day comes, and birthdays, and Easter, and it never really ends. Enzo went to a birthday party a week ago where he got more candy from the princess pinata then from hours of trick-or-treating on Halloween night.

So why am I going to share a recipe for the sweetest pull apart bread you have ever tasted?

Wordless Wednesday: I spy with my little eye a lemonade cake stand that made me excited for summer

{source: lemonade cake stand by A Subtle Revelry}

Tortilla Pizza

Easter left us with leftovers -- dyed eggs, ham, potato casseroles, and a lot of chocolate. It also left us with 20 million plastic eggs that hurts to the point of taking you breath away when you accidentally step on it. Easter left us with an all around messy house, and a messy house just hurts my soul.

The rolling pin, for example, wasn't even used to roll out the pizza dough, because there was no pizza dough to roll out. The rolling pin was just there, a reminder that I need to put things away. The grapes were also just laying around but those got put away in Enzo's stomach very quickly after he ate his slice of tortilla pizza.

Speaking of Enzo and Easter can I please show you pictures of him in his green bow tie that matches his green eyes and his sister's dress AND the grass outside? If you think Enzo is handsome raise your hand. I'm raising both of them right now!

April Cook Off Winner

{photo from Experiments of a Housewife}

Mini Chocolate Burgers from Experiments of a Housewife wins this month's cook off with 54% of the votes. Success. Please take the time to look at Experiments of a Housewife, she's becoming a pro at Indian cuisine.

Thanks everyone who participated in this month's cook off by either submitting recipes of voting or both. I also want to thank this month's Sponsor, Nestle Kitchens for making this event possible.

Have a lovely Monday, eating the rest of your Easter chocolates.
See you back here tomorrow.

Sunday Will Come

It's official, we're moving because we've officially started looking for plane tickets. It's been official for 4 years. We knew this would happen. It's just that now it's in my face, time is running out, why are plane tickets outrageously expensive, official. That's all.

I am semi-terrified, not because I think I won't like it, but because I think I will love it. And then what? What will happen to my assurance that there is no better place to live than California if I learn to love a new place just as much?

I grew into myself here in California. I've never felt more at home, more comfortable in my skin than in this town where Enzo's little boy buddy goes to school dressed up as a princess, and the couple next to me at breakfast this morning passive aggressively "talked" about their wedding theme. She wants Country. He wants African.

I like the outrageousness of this place.
It makes me question myself constantly and yay(!) for that.

Brazil will be a trip. I just know it. I'm so used to being the foreigner in the relationship, now Christian will have to master that role. Enzo will do capoeira (if he wants) and so will I. We're going to live walking distance from very beautiful beaches, you know, the kind of beach where people pay a lot of money to visit. Do come visit us please. We leave in August.

I'm telling you all this in advance so that you can start looking for tickets now. And when you find that deal, pass it on to me.

In all, all seriousness, from the bottom of my heart seriousness, I want to express my gratitude for a living God. Expensive plane tickets -- whatever. My life is full of blessings.

Today was a crazy day running to and fro. I had a breakfast meeting to attend to. I made the Peeps S'mores I told you about and took them to Enzo's friends' cookie party. I got stuck in major traffic trying to take the kids to the Church's Easter egg hunt and got there just in time to see all the other kids opening up their eggs. Enzo and his friend Junie were surprisingly good attitude. I think I was more disappointed than they were. We drove back and I made fish for dinner, not because it was Good Friday but because I seriously only had fish left in my fridge. After dinner I hid 50 plastic eggs in our backyard for Enzo, Baby Maria, Junie, and sister Olive. Junie's mom brought Enzo's bow tie that she made for him to wear on Easter Sunday. Maria will also get to wear a hand sewn dress made by Junie's mom. They will look their Sunday best.

We live a full life. Obviously busy, but that's not what I am referring to. I am referring to full as in overflowing with good things. Blessings.

I am grateful for Easter because it reminds me of the resurrection and the resurrection reminds me of hope. I've had hard ass moments in my life. Now is not one of them. But around me there are friends who are going through hell. I am pleading with God that he will bring hope to those who need it the most.

Sunday will come.

Wordless Wednesday: while browsing Pinterest I discovered Peeps S'mores. And I was happy.

The sweet life of a teenager and a flan ice cream recipe that will make you love him even more.

Gabriel - "I was invited to prom, what's prom?"

My little cousin came to live with us back in February so that he could learn English. I'm not 100% sure his English is improving since we only speak to him in Portuguese but I do know he is learning a whole lot about American culture.

Prom, for example, is American culture at it's finest.

Don't worry his Brazilian suave-ness is still intact. So much so that he's already used the ice cream flan recipe his grandmother hand wrote him to impress a girl.

April Cook Off- The Voting Has begun

I want to give a shout out and a pat on the back to the lovely ladies who submitted their chocolate creations to the April Cook Off. Nice work.

Please take the time to look at the submissions.

then come back and caste your vote.
----post edit: the voting widget has been removed. The Winner has been announced.

Winner will be announced next Monday and will walk away with a basket full of goodies from this month's sponsor -- Nestle Kitchens. Lucky!

Have a lovely week everyone.

In case you were wondering, deep fryers are the bomb.

The kids were eating deep fried mandioca (yucca, cassava, manioc, tapioca root ... any other names I don't know of?) for their afternoon snack.

Have you ever had fried mandioca? If the answer is no I will gladly come to your house with some cassava root in hand and my new kitchen toy, the Breville Deep Fryer from Williams-Sonoma and I will personally make you some.

It's no secret that I've ALWAYS wanted a deep fryer. I asked Christian to get me one for our anniversary last year (romantic, no?) and when he didn't I wrote about it in the news paper which made it's way to the Family Student Housing newsletter on campus where we live. Christian was so busted.

Back then I didn't even know about the Breville deep fryer. Now I own one. Williams-Sonoma sent me one for review. When the deep fryer arrived in the mail I  turned to Christian and said "my dream came true" and he's all like, "no, my dream came true because I didn't even have to buy it for you" and then Gabriel is like "no, my dream came true because I get to eat crispy mandioca and I'm not even in Brazil."

Wordless Wednesday: I spy with my little eye ... alfajores ready to be packed up and shipped to friends

(recipe)

Rainbow Cake Recipe

Today Enzo goes in for his last dentist appointment and I'm finally getting around to posting the Rainbow Cake recipe from the post Dear Da, what inspires you? The irony of posting a tooth achingly sweet cake recipe while my son is getting cavities filled has not gone unnoticed. I hate that my 5 year old has cavities. What's even more ironic to me is that Christian ate more of this cake than anyone else, in fact he eats most of the sweets around here and he has never had a cavity in his life. Enzo certainly got Christian's hair why couldn't he also have gotten Christian's teeth. I really hope that Baby Maria has Christian's teeth because she goes to sleep with a bottle full of warm whole milk. 

Sugar is bad for you. You shouldn't make this cake. And not just because of the sugar but also because of the eggs and the fact that you practically eat your weight in butter with this recipe.

Why do we eat things that are so bad for us?
Oh I know...
because it tastes incredible.

Rainbow Cake

(printable version)

Cake Recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/3 cups sugar
4 large egg whites at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk at room temperature
Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue, food coloring, the purple and orange can be made with the primary colors.
vegetable shortening and parchment paper for preparing the pan

Buttercream and Frosting Recipe
for the filling
9 large egg whites
1 3/4 cups white granulated sugar
2 cups unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

for the frosting
4 large egg whites
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For this recipe you will need 9-inch-round cake pans. This cake has 6 layers so if you have 6 cake pans  use those otherwise re-use the same cake pan as necessary. Line the bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper and brush with vegetable shortening.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Slowly add egg whites and mix until well combined. Add vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Add flour mixture and milk in two alternating additions, beginning with the flour and ending with the milk.
4. Divide batter evenly between six medium bowls. Add enough of each color of food coloring to each bowl, whisking, until desired shade is reached.
5. Transfer each color to an individual cake pan. Transfer to oven and bake for 10-15 minutes then remove the cakes and transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
6. Make the butter cream by cooking the egg whites and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. Then transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; mix on high speed until the egg whites peak. With the mixer on medium-low, add butter, one piece at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then remove the whisk attachment and switch to the paddle attachment. Increase speed to high and beat until buttercream comes together, about 5 minutes; beat in vanilla extract.
7. Spread a scant ½-1 cup buttercream filling over the first layer of the cake with a spatula so it extends just beyond edges. Repeat process with blue, green, yellow, and orange layers.
8. Make the frosting by repeating step number 6.
9. Place the remaining red layer on top. Using an offset spatula, cover the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting. and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

Other things that inspired me to make this cake: First this short YouTube video mainly because the song is awesome and then because the comment "it's all fun and games until someone gets food poisoning on all this food coloring," had me seriously rolling on the ground. I mean seriously, did you look at the recipe? Did you see the amount of butter, sugar, and eggs that are in this baby? I don't think the food coloring is the problem.

The second video is long but it's Martha Stewart (unfortunately no gem of a comment to accompany it) so it's pretty and informative and Kaitlin fron Whisk Kid is on the show. Kaitlin is cute, at the time she was a freshman in college. College students are the best that is why I should make this for my students. I'm also tempted to make this 28 layer rainbow cake before I turn 29. I'm now officially obsessed with rainbow cakes even though it will probably kill me in the long run.

April Cook Off Submissions

Hi friends.
The time has come to start posting and submitting your crazy chocolate recipes. What did you come up with? I'm curious to find out. You have one week to link up your post.  I'm going to brush up on the specifics, leave the linky tool up, and let you do the magic. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
xoxo
Da

1. Make something delicious with chocolate. Something new and creative. Something a little crazy. Post your recipe and pictures on your blog and show us what you've got by linking the url of your Cook Off post to the linky tool below. (Make sure that somewhere in your post you mention that you're submitting this to the Kitchen Corners April Cook Off and link back to this post)
2. You don't have to be a food blogger to participate. This is open to anyone who has a blog and wants in. However, the prize will only be shipped to a US mailing address. Not that your friend who lives in Kansas wouldn't like a surprise basket full of goodies from Nestle Kitchens. Bottom line is, if you're abroad and you want to participate don't let the prize restriction hold you back. 
3. Last week I posted more details on the theme and sponsor for this month. This post might answer some of your questions, but if it doesn't ask away.
4. The linky tool will be up for one week. Next week we'll vote on our favorite submissions. 
5. It's all you!

In this world there is always room for broiled grapefruit and hardships

Every morning I have tea and toast for breakfast. Lately my morning repertoire has gotten a little more classy as I've introduced broiled grapefruit to the mix.

I saw it first on my friend Kristen's blog and then I wrote about it in the news paper and now I'll give you the easiest recipe of your life

Broiled Grapefruit
(printable version)


Pink or red grapefruit, halved
1 tablespoon light brown sugar


1. With a pairing knife loosen grapefruit from segments from membranes and pith.
2. Heat broiler with rack 4 inches from heat.
3. Sprinkle grapefruit with sugar and place on a baking sheet. Broil for 5 minutes or until tops are browned.
Serve warm.

Sometimes I wish everything in life was as easy as brown sugar on top of grapefruit, broiled just so.  And sometimes I don't. Sometimes I'm thankful for things that are hard, it make me grow, it makes us grow, it makes a lot of us grow actually.

Butterflied Chicken with Lemon and Basil

No matter how much I try to improvise or be creative, I always go back to whole chickens for an easy family dinner. In my life the definition of easy is completely correlated to how much prep time a meal takes. Making a whole chicken involves little prep time. It takes a while to bake but I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about how much actual time I physically have to be in the kitchen, because the more time I am inside the kitchen the more time baby Maria is outside of the kitchen trying to open up the baby gate that separates her from the pot of boiling water on the stove, or the chicken that's inside the hot oven.

One of these days, if I give her enough time, that baby gate will swing open and Maria will demand total domination of the kitchen.

So I have to work fast.

Lately I've been using a lot of recipes from the new cook book Deliciously Organic by Carrie Vitt. I'm surprised by how little prep time her recipes involve. Carrie is a mom, so I guess that explains some (or all) of why that is. I met Carrie at Food Blogger Camp back in January and I liked her immediately. Even though she's a very strong advocate and a real life example of the benefits of using organic and unprocessed ingredients in her cooking, she is not preachy at all. At least not in the sense where you feel inadequate if you're not buying organic everything.

Organic everything is expensive, and Carrie understands that. Her philosophy is that every little bit helps. That's what I do, I buy what I can. Chicken, for example, I only buy organic. It's an expense I'm willing to fork out for my own mental sanity. I hate thinking about excessive hormones in meat. Yuck!

A couple weeks ago I made a variation of Carrie's butterflied chicken.
Mine had a lemony-basil kick to it.

Wordless Wednesday: Just a baby and her popsicle

,

Food is Fun {Activity book by Anorak}

Once upon a time there was a quiet afternoon, in which the baby slept and Junie, the neighbor came over to play. And the mail man dropped off a book.

All about food.

It's called Food is Fun. I had to share this book with you. I just had to. I wanted to immediately frame every single page. Junie wanted to read every single page. Junie is a super reader. She's 4. Amazing right?!

I haven't had the chance to read the whole thing but I'm dying to, mostly because I want to learn more about Spam and the history of forks but also because they have 2 whole pages dedicated to heart of palm. I love heart of palm.

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What: Food is Fun an activity book for kids (and adults too) filled with easy recipes, educational facts and the most incredible illustrations and typography you will ever see.

Who: Anorak Team, the same folks who create the the happy mag for kids

Purchase: yeah you can buy it for £15.00 and get free shipping if you're in Europe. If you're in the US shipping costs an additional £4.00 GBP. Heads-up, Anorak magazine will be coming to the US next week. Seriously good news. Check out your local Barnes and Nobles.

April Cook Off

Remember this picture from my fondue post? It's my favorite picture of Baby Maria. She loved that fondue dinner, in all it's chocolaty glory. I think we're due for another fondue night.

And we're definitely due for another Cook Off.
Shall we Cook Off?

The theme for this month is crazy chocolate creations. Bacon dipped in chocolate? Yes please!

Nestle Kitchens is this month's Cook Off sponsor. Thank you Nestle Kitchens! Thanks for your killer prize.

This month's Cook Off winner will walk away with a product basket full of chocolates for baking, Libby's and Carnation goodies.

So now that you know the prize and you know this month's theme, start brainstorming a chocolate recipe with a twist. You are welcome to use any chocolate you want in any way you want as much as you want. Just make it good.

Nestle Kitchens is only able to ship inside the US. If you're an international reader you are still welcome to participate and showcase your recipe here on Kitchen Corners.

How to participate:

First: Come up with a recipe idea.
Second: Make your recipe, take pictures, write about it and post it on your blog. You can't submit an old post. Sorry. We're trying to keep this fresh.
Third: Enter your post to the linky tool that will go up next Monday April 11th. You'll have 1 week to enter your post. All posts will be featured on Kitchen Corners and will directly link back to your blog. This is a good way to meet people. Just please make sure your post links back to Kitchen Corners and that you tell your readers it's for the April Cook Off. You can link back to this post or the post that's going up next Monday.
Fourth: On April 18th voting begins.
Fifth: On April 25th the cook off winner is announced.

Any questions? e-mail me or leave a comment and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Ready?
Set-
Cook Off!

Williams-Sonoma Enchanted Filled Easter Eggs Giveaway

Today I had it all figured out. I was going to buy a pregnancy test and take it to my pregnant friend and ask her to kindly pee on it. The positive pregnancy test would then be placed by the toilet so that when Christian saw it later on in the day he would think that I was pregnant. I could not wait to see the expression on his face, it was going to be priceless. I got to the store and was ready to pay for my test but where was my wallet? I guess the joke was on me.

I'm a terrible April Fooler.

But I do love Spring, and Spring is so here. It's been in the 70s for the past three days, just plain lovely.
Spring also brings along Easter, and I love Easter, specially warm Easter weather that calls for egg hunts and water balloon fights.

In a couple of hours Christian's little sister will be arriving with her babies. Enzo is eager to share his Easter cookies with his cousins. He's been  patiently waiting, and waiting, and waiting...

These cookies were a gift from Williams-Sonoma. I could never make anything that darling. As for the Enchanted Easter Eggs those will only come out on Easter day. The kids are going to love them.

You will too.

Today Williams-Sonoma is sponsoring a giveaway on my blog. I know it's been a while. Most of my giveaways are now done on my Facebook Page but Easter is a special occasion and these eggs are so very special.

They are handmade in Germany filled with chocolate treats, gourmet jelly beans (Enzo's fave) and handmade lollipops. I'm looking at one right now, it's genuinely gorgeous.

Easter is still a couple weeks away but I wanted to this giveaway now to give you enough chance to receive the eggs before Easter, and encourage you to check out Williams-Sonoma's Easter collection.

Have a lovely Friday.
Giveaway rules are below.
I love you to pieces.

The Prize: Two Williams-Sonoma Enchanted Filled Easter Eggs shipped to you before Easter. Must have a U.S mailing address to be eligible.To Enter: You have to be a Kitchen Corners follower. The follow button is on the bottom of the blog. If you're already a follower leave a comment saying hi. If you're a new follower leave a comment introducing yourself and if you have a blog and would like to leave your url please do so. I enjoy meeting my readers! Please make sure your comments link back to an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.

+1 more comment: You can get more entries by subscribing via RSS or e-mail to Kitchen Corner's feeds. 

+1 more comment: Follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter.

+1 more comment: Share this giveaway! Sharing buttons are right below this post. Just leave a comment telling me how you shared.

Giveaway closes: Midnight PST Thursday April 7th. The winner will be contacted via e-mail and announced next Friday.

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post-edit: The giveaway winner is dddiva from our loonyverse