The best gifts are always those that keep on giving. Through Cook for the Cure, a 15-year partnership between KitchenAid and Susan G. Komen, more than $10.7 million has been raised for the fight against breast cancer. In 2016, KitchenAid will donate at least $450,000 to Komen through the program, regardless of sales. The Cook for the Cure product collection, ranging from pink stand mixers and polka dot bowls to pink food choppers, painted plates and hand mixers, is an easy way to give thanks to mom and raise awareness for a cause that benefits so many women.

For other gift ideas that help support the cause, visit www.KitchenAid.com and http://CookfortheCure.KitchenAid.com.

An Essential, Everyday Tool

If some of her best culinary creations include savory sauces, delightful dressings and delicious dips, Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to treat mom to an upgrade. This 3.5-cup Food Chopper in Pink is convenient for everyday use and takes up minimal space in the kitchen. With two one-touch speed settings for chop and puree, this chopper ($49.99) is ideal for creating a spicy salsa, creamy hummus or garden-fresh pesto.

Blending Style with Power

With its roomy, 60-ounce patented diamond pitcher design and stainless steel blades, the 5-Speed Diamond Blender in Cranberry creates a powerful vortex to thoroughly blend everything from soups to smoothies. Automatic Soft Start(r) technology pulls ingredients into the blade rather than splattering them outward, keeping them together for controlled blending. This colorful blender ($159.99) offers stir, chop, mix, puree, liquefy and pulse options – everything mom needs to create her favorite dishes.

Handy Little Helper

Whether you need to blend up a milkshake or puree cooked vegetables directly in the pot, this 2-Speed Hand Blender in Pink gets the job done with ease. Two speeds provide blending control for more delicate foods, such as smoothies and baby food. The blending arm twists off for quick and easy cleanup. This hand blender ($59.99) comes with a 3-cup BPA-free jar with lid, so mom can blend away, safely.

Plated Perfection

Featuring artwork by PBS cooking show host Jacques Pepin, the Pass the Plate serving platter generates a $5 donation each time one of these individually numbered platters is passed and registered online. With its fresh and cheery design, this unique serving piece makes sharing even more fun. A great gift for mom, the platter ($24.95) is available at Villeroy & Boch stores or by calling 1-888-886-8318.

Mix in Some Style

Turn Mom’s stand mixer into a standalone work of art this Mother’s Day with the new Pink Polka Dot ceramic bowl. This delightfully dappled 5-quart bowl ($99.99) is microwave, oven, freezer and dishwasher safe, and features a comfortable handle and easy pour spout – a perfect pick for all of mom’s mixing tasks.

Timeless Kitchen Addition

Add a pop of pink to mom’s kitchen with a classic gift that will endure for years. With an elegant 5-quart capacity glass bowl, the Artisan Design(r) Series’ premium metallic Raspberry Ice finish adds radiance to any kitchen countertop. It can handle multiple batches of dough while its 10 speed settings allow cooks to knead, mix and whip a variety of foods and ingredients. With additional attachments that can make everything from pasta to ice cream to spiralized fruits and vegetables, this mixer ($459.99) helps mom take her culinary creativity to a whole new level.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images (women exchanging gifts)
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Source: KitchenAid

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The post Cooking Up Gifts for Mom’s Kitchen appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Summer is finally here and the last thing that you want to be doing is spending all of your time in the kitchen! Get ready for five products to make cooking and cleaning a breeze.

First thing first, lets start this like I start every day, with coffee!  There is nothing wrong with the good old fashion coffee pot, except when everyone in your house likes different drinks!  From light roast to dark roast coffee drinkers, tea to hot chocolate my family has it all.  Instead of the hassle of strategically scheduling the coffee pot and shelves of various types beans, boxes, and cans, try a Keurig Brew Station.  The Keurig K-Cup Single Cup Brewer is the mess-free way to brew a single cup of your favorite hot or iced drink.  Pop in a K-Cup of your favorite coffee, tea or cocoa, and in less than a minute you have the perfect cup of your favorite beverage!  With Keurig’s huge selection of different K-Cups you are sure to find the perfect one for everyone in your house.  As someone who recently moved from the Minnesota to New York, I love that I can still enjoy my favorite coffee shop, Caribou Coffee, in K-Cups available right on the Keurig website, http://www.keurig.com/KCupSystem

Ok, now that we have caffeinate under control, let’s move on to food!  My go to speedy kitchen mini-appliance is definitely my food processor.  I use it for super fast salsa, soups, chopping veggies and my favorite summer snack: hummus!  My beloved food processor is at the end of its life so I am in the market for a new one and the KitchenAid Architect™ Series 13-Cup Food Processor in Candy Apple Red is at the top of my list!  What is so special about this food processor (other than the super cute color)?  It has the first-ever externally adjustable slicing level, so you don’t have the fuss with the messy blades to change from thick to thin slicing!  Check it out here: http://www.kitchenaid.com/shop/-[KFP1344CA]-403903/KFP1344CA/

Want a basic hummus recipe?

Ingredients:

• 1 16oz. of chickpeas (reserve the liquid from the can)
• 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 ½ tablespoons tahini
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Throw all of the ingredients in your food processor, with the blade on a fine setting, and blend until smooth.  Add the chickpea liquid to adjust the consistency, if needed.

Once you have mastered the basic hummus, try adding new ingredients to mix it up.  My favorite combo is jalapeños, cilantro and lime juice!

Has the idea of smoking your own meat sounded like fun “in theory” but a nightmare in practice?  The Orion Cooker produces tender, fresh smoked meat with that slow-cooked taste at an unbelievably quick speed.  This outdoor charcoal grill is small, portable, and super easy to use.  Simply load the cooker, light it and you are free to go enjoy the summer!  This would be perfect for a hassle-free main dish for a backyard party, your guests will be awed and your can spend your time enjoying the party rather than being stuck in the kitchen.  Try these “Hush Yo’ Mouth Baby Back Ribs” or check out one of their other recipes at http://www.theorioncooker.com 

Hush Yo’ Mouth Baby Back Ribs

Preparation Time: 1hr 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• Baby Back Ribs (1-6 racks)
• Cayenne Pepper (1 tsp)
• Orion’s Dry Rub Garlic (2 cloves)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (1 cup)
• Salt (to taste)
• Ketchup (1 cup)
• Mustard (5 tbsp)

Cooking Instructions:

Remove the ribs from the package, rinse, and pat dry. Apply Orion’s Dry Rub evenly. Affix the ribs to the rib hangers and place in the cooker. Then, fire up your Orion Cooker and cook for 1 hour 15 mins*, or until done. Best if cooked with mesquite chips.

Barbecue Sauce (optional): Mix vinegar, ketchup, and mustard until it’s a light orange color. Add the cayenne pepper, garlic, salt and Tabasco sauce to taste. Apply before and after cooking.

Additional Comments:

*This time is for six racks of ribs. For fewer ribs the time will be less.

Now it is time for some help with the clean up.  There are few things more annoying than wasting time washing the faucet after getting it messy trying to turn it on with dirty hands, that’s why I am obsessed with the Moen Motion Sense Arbor Faucet!  This touch-free unit is the perfect solution to the messy-hand situation or when you have your hands full.  The sleek design and cool finish of the Oil-Rubbed Bronze complements almost any style of kitchen!  http://www.moen.com/arbor-with-motionsense/oil-rubbed-bronze-one-handle-high-arc-pulldown-kitchen-faucet/_/R-CONSUMER%3A7594EORB 

Finally, if you want some serious cleaning done but you’re not a big fan of elbow grease, there is nothing better than the Shark Sonic Dou floor cleaner.  Watch the scrubbing pads do the hard work for you, cleaning your floors like nothing else.  This one device will take care of just about every floor in your house including wood, hardwood, stone, vinyl & tile, carpets and rugs.  Spend less time scrubbing and more time with your feet up, enjoying a nice summer drink!  http://www.sharkclean.com/shark-sonic-duo/ 

The post It’s All in a Days Work… 5 Hot Products for the Home! appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.