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Happy 10th Wedding Anniversary to Us (and a Kitchen Aid Giveaway!)

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Danny and I were married in an apple orchard in rural Quebec exactly ten years ago today. It was a late spring that year; the apple trees shimmered in green, but withheld their blossoms for warmer days.

Although the sun shone, it was a cool day, but we only felt the warmth of our young love and the thrill of the moment we had been anticipating for years.

My dad walked me down the freshly-mown aisle of thick spring grass, while my sister-in-law, Laura, played Vivaldi’s ‘Spring’ in a violin solo. Before family and friends, in a simple ceremony, we were wed.

Today we will return to the very same orchard with our three little ones in tow, to picnic on the grass, play tag among the trees, and reminisce over our wedding day.

Later tonight, Danny and I will slip away for a dinner on the town where we will sip champagne, slurp oysters, and forget for a few hours that we are responsible adults with a family, car payments, mortgage and the like.

My Favorite Wedding Present

It was a long-time dream of mine to marry Danny in an orchard. On one glorious day, ten years ago, my dream came true.

On that day, four of my chef-girlfriends pooled their hard-earned money and gave me a 5-Qt tilt head KitchenAid stand mixer in a beautiful cherry red. It was my absolute favorite wedding gift – and my most prized possession in the kitchen for years.

Over the last ten years I have put that little mixer through the paces. It kneaded the bread I baked for my new husband, it mixed the peanut butter cookies for my pregnancy cravings, and it beat the batter for my children’s many birthday cakes. That KitchenAid mixer has been my rock.

Due to a growing family, a blogging business, and my love of batch cooking, I have recently found myself in need of something a little bigger and more powerful that that wedding present, but still that trusty mixer I love. Something like this…

That, my friends, is the KitchenAid 7 Qt Bowl Lift Commercial Stand Mixer. Isn’t she marvelous?

KitchenAid USA was awesome enough to send me this mixer to review (and giveaway!) and it has not disappointed. I get the impression that the 1.3HP motor I am now working with is easily going to last me another ten years of marriage – and ten more after that.

Strong and sturdy, this mixer has everything going for it. Not only is it the most powerful model to date, but it is also the most quiet – a feature I can appreciate when Clara is dozing in her swing in the kitchen while I am baking.

My favorite feature? That generous 7-quart bowl of polished stainless steel! It can take on a double batch of whole-wheat bread, rising included, as pictured below. It handles smaller jobs equally well.

Included with the KitchenAid 7 Qt Bowl Lift Stand Mixer are the 11-wire Elliptical Whip, coated metal Flat Beater, Power Knead Dough Hook, and a Pouring Shield. Guess what? All the accessories are dishwasher safe, ideal for me, as the baby is usually just waking when it comes time for kitchen clean-up.

Aside from those attachments, you can also accessorize your KitchenAid mixer with super fun – super practical – accessories such as the Ice Cream Maker or the Food Grinder. Think of the fun you could have with those!

7-Qt Stand Mixer Giveaway from KitchenAid!

** This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, Julia Janzen!!!**

So, today we celebrate the occasion – with each other, with our children, and with you! In honor of our 10-year wedding anniversary, I’ve partnered with Kitchen Aid USA to bring you an amazing giveaway.

One Simple Bites reader will win a 7-Quart Bowl-Lift Residential Stand Mixer from KitchenAid with an estimated retail value of $899!

You can even pick your choice of colors—candy apple red, medallion silver, black storm, or white.

Everyone has three chances to win. Here’s how:  GIVEAWAY ENDED.

1. Comment on this post, answering this question: What’s your favorite thing to bake? (If you’re reading this via email, you must click over to the post to comment.)

2. For an extra entry, follow both Simple Bites and KitchenAid on Twitter, and tweet about this giveaway. Make sure you include both our Twitter handles and this post’s URL. Your tweet can be something like this:

“Win a 7-quart stand mixer from @KitchenAidUSA on @simplebites! ERV $900: http://bit.ly/JVAjbc .”

3. For an additional extra entry, you may also ‘like’ KitchenAid and Simple Bites on Facebook—then come back and leave an additional comment to tell me you’ve done so. (You don’t need to leave an additional comment on Facebook.)

Fine Print: This giveaway is open to US residents only, provided for you by Kitchen Aid USA.

Disclaimer: Kitchen Aid provided me with a stand mixer to review. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions about Kitchen Aid are my own, formed in my experiences with their product.

This giveaway will end Tuesday, May 22, at 11:59 PM. Winner will be announced on this post on Wednesday, May 23. Good luck to all!

Cooking has always been Aimée's preferred recreational activity, creative outlet, and source of relaxation. After nearly ten years in the professional cooking industry, she went from restaurant to RSS by trading her tongs and clogs for cookie cutters and a laptop, serving as editor here at Simple Bites. Her first book, Brown Eggs and Jam Jars - Family Recipes from the Kitchen of Simple Bites, was published in February 2015.

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2,315 Comments

  1. Favorite thing to bake? Crackers. Just found a graham cracker recipe that I love!!

  3. Right now, muffins! Zucchini Carrot, Oatmeal Banana, Fig, really anything in a muffin tin.

  4. I have been using a KitchenAid mixer for over 20 plus years now and finally passed it on to my daughter. I think a brand new cherry red mixer would be awesome!

  5. I love to bake cookies and cupcakes with my two precious grandboys, Jackson and Harrison standing beside me in their little chairs. Jackson is three and Harrison is one. They love to help add ingredients as we cook. It is a great learning lesson for them as them learn to measure and level off the top of the flour with a butter knife. Hopefully, one day they will do this with their children and think of me.

  12. I liked you on both facebook pages, and am following you on both twitter accounts. I also tweeted! Thanks for an awesome contest!

  14. my favorite thing to bake is a version of 7 layer bars from carnation evaporated milk called “treasure cookies” basically the same as the bars but in a drop cookie format
    i used to bake them all the time for church social hour…they were always a big big hit!

  15. My favorite thing to bake is a vanilla- and raspberry-layered cake with raspberry buttercream, a cake I’ve made for many special occasions. Mmmm. But I would be winning this mixer for my husband, Joel, who loves to bake much more than I. Cannolis, cheesecakes of many layers and kinds, cream puffs– his desserts make converts no matter where we go. He’s also got the “flexible” job right now (realtor), so he handles running our household, grocery shopping, laundry, housekeeping and children appt duties like a mom would typically do, freeing my time up for my work schedule so that when i get home i can simply enjoy my family. And of course my sweetie does all the cooking.
    Baking is his passion and I know this mixer would be an amazing surprise. It would be an encouragement for him to follow his dreams.

  16. My favorite thing is baking cookies with my kids. We have such a good time together!

  21. I love to bake A to Z bread – a basic recipe that uses two cups of “A to Z” (my favorites are B [banana-walnut] and P [pumpkin chocolate chip]).
    Happy Anniversary!

  22. What a super giveaway! 🙂 I love to bake bread since it makes me feel so productive when it’s all done.

  25. My favorite thing to make is cake! Plain and simple to answer that one! I love love love making cakes (ok and cookies too!)… I definitely want to try making my own bread though and would love love to win this!

  26. Tweeted ! 🙂 and I already follow you and KitchenAid on Twitter

  27. I like KitchenAid and you on Facebook both from my personal page, and my blog page Order in the Kitchen!

  32. My favorite thing to bake is brownies.

    I’m following both on twitter & I tweeted about the giveaway.

    I’m a facebook fan of both pages.

  33. I love baking magic bars!! Coconut, chocolate, and graham crackers…doesn’t get much better than that!

  35. My favorite thing to bake are oatmeal, chocolate chip, pecan cookies 🙂
    I love baking from scratch for others!

  36. I love to bake chocolate chip cookies! My husband thinks I make the best cookies ever. I know it probably isn’t true, but isn’t he sweet? I have spent some time perfecting the recipe so they are pretty good. 🙂

  39. Beautiful Kitchen Aid!!!! I love to bake cinnamon rolls. There is nothing better than putting them in the morning and seeing them rise and the wonderful smell from the kitchen. There is nothing quite like it!

  40. I finally purchased a stand mixer a few months ago (but this one would be soooo much better) I love making cookies and quick breads. When I attempt yeast breads I mix the dough and then remove it to knead by hand before putting it back in the bowl to rise. You’re giving away a beautiful mixer!

  41. I love to bake all kinds of sweets, but right now I’ve been baking a lot of oatmeal and bread…all without a KitchenAid!

  45. I also liked both simple bites and kitchenaid on facebook and started following both on twitter (and tweeted)! 🙂

  46. My current major is Baking & Pastry at a culinary institute so it’s hard to choose a favorite. Cookies have been always been my favorite but it’s closely followed by bread. (Sourdough…MMMMMM!)

    1. (Just noting that I’ve also Tweeted about this and following both SimpleBites & KitchenAid for a second entry.)

  48. My favorite thing to bake is lemon bars from scratch. I’ve got the recipe memorized!

  49. Facebook done – I have been wanting to buy one kitchenaid from longg time – But damn it, why is it soooo expensive?

    Well whatever it is, let’s see how this one goes. If I do not win, better luck next time. And good luck every one!

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