the old workhorse

There's pumpkin pie in the oven right now.  Over Thanksgiving, I made an excess of pie crust, trying out gluten-free crust for the first time, since El Bandito has been having some nasty reactions to wheat.

I'd frozen the extra crust, but then moved into the fridge on Sunday with grand plans. Today was sort of the last chance to use it.  I didn't actually make pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. I made pumpkin cheesecake and cranberry-meringue tart, but no pumpkin pie. Seemed like the thing to do with the remaining crust. So after my run, and eating some of the delicious soup El Bandito made, I pulled out the KitchenAid...

The KitchenAid just makes baking easier. Minimal dishes, minimal cleanup -- I love my kitchen scale, too, for the way it has simplified the measuring cup situation.

El Bandito's parents gave us this KitchenAid mixer for a wedding present -- they spoiled us with it and with a Cuisinart, which is probably El Bandito's favorite kitchen appliance. Well, that, the mandoline, or the immersion blender. The man likes his gadgets.

But this? This is my workhorse.  With an extra bowl and an extra paddle, for those days I end up making complicated pastries and am too impatient to wash and dry.

So, it's nothing drastic or profound, but today, I'm simply thankful for the things which make life easier, and for the smell of pumpkin pie starting to drift through the house.