Wish List / Dream Board

So my birthday has passed and there’s only Christmas to look forward to [in terms of gifts]. And old mature (or not 😛 ) as I now am, I still do like having something to look forward to. I mean, the occasion itself has already lost its magic for me, so.. but that’s another entire topic which I have no intention of discussing right now.

Anywho. I have made a couple of wish lists before (this and this), and thankfully I did end up actually getting at least an item or two from those listed. Nice, right? 😉 So this year I am making another one. Although this one kinda doubles as a dream board too since I do plan on getting these eventually, wish or no. Ready?

A sturdy, classic stand mixer

Collaged photos taken from Google image search.

I have since crossed off baking from my life frustration list. But even with all the practice I’m getting lately (and the electric bill to match–ouch!), I still have a loooot to learn. There’s so much more I want to bake but can’t because the recipe necessitates having a mixer. Frosting is a good example. Chocolate ganache is actually pretty easy to make, but beyond that, I can’t whip it up into fluffy whipped frosting. I have tried making buttercream and even cream cheese frosting but I just cannot get it to be all nice and stiff peak-y and fluffy. Sadly, not even my sturdy arm muscles can whip that fast with a wire whisk.

Now, my ever thoughtful other half did buy me a hand mixer (thank you so much!) but right now it’s still sitting pretty in its box halfway around the world. Not exactly helpful at the moment. It oughtta be enough, but I’m planning on seriously pursuing baking–hopefully even make a career or business of it–and so a sturdy stand mixer would be a good investment for now and the years to come.

Of the multitude stand mixers available in the market, I am eyeing those three models in the photo above: the KitchenAid Artisan® Series 5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer in Boysenberry, the Breville Scraper Mixer Pro^TM and the Kenwood berry kMix KMX99 Kitchen Machine respectively. Each has its own pros and cons, which I really cannot thoroughly compare as I have not used any of them yet. I just based my preference for those three from the specs, reviews and recommendations I have read online. And then chose the purple variant most closely matching my sparkly purple Doc Martens of course. 😉 Too bad the Breville only came in that color; at least the slightly matte silver looks nice and classy.

To make the choice a bit easier (or harder perhaps?), there’s someone nearby selling her brand-new KitchenAid Artisan mixer (but it’s Imperial Gray, not Boysenberry) for a waaaay lower price than its SRP of P29,700. Thing is, it’s from abroad and runs on 110V so I’s need a transformer to use it. On the other hand, I just discovered that the local SM Appliance actually carries Breville products, and yes, one of the shiny displays is the Scraper Mixer Pro. Like, seriously, I just about jumped of delight when I saw it in front of me. And since it’s from a local store, it most probably runs on our standard 220V. And just the other day, I saw a kMix on sale (40% off!) at Lazada–albeit in a different color from the one I want.

Among those who have used any of these mixers, can you please give me some feedback about its pros and cons? 🙂

And…

This is supposed to be a list of several things, but would you believe me if I said I can’t think up of any more thing/s I want right now? Seriously. I must really be getting old.. or maybe, actually becoming content? I don’t have a lot materially, but it would seem that I already have what I want and need right now. Like, wow. Revelation right there. 😮

Okay, so for the sake of making this a list, let me add another item…

Out of the Country Trips

Now this one is more for Francine than for me. We’ve already been to Singapore last year. I want to take her to other Asian countries too. Specifically, to the following theme parks:

Hong Kong Disneyland Park

(Photo from Hong Kong Disneyland Park)

Hong Kong will always have a special place in my heart. It was where I went with my cousins on our first out-of-the-country (and unsupervised!) trip. 🙂 We got to experience the Disney magic and I just know Francine would really enjoy it too.

Legoland Malaysia

(Photo from Legoland Malaysia)

I would have wanted to cross over to Malaysia for this the last time we went to Singapore, but our time was constrained enough as it was.

Cartoon Network Amazone Waterpark Thailand

(Photo from Cartoon Network Amazone Waterpark Thailand)

Francine is a water baby, plus she loves the Powerpuff Girls, Ben10, Johnny Bravo and the others in the gang, so this would be a sure hit with her. I can totally see her not wanting to leave the place at all. 😀

So, that pretty much sums up my simple (or not) wishlist for this Christmas. How about you, what gift do you want Santa to bring? 😉