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Friday, October 19, 2012

Things You Can Make In A Blender! Plus, An Incredible Giveaway!

things you can make in your blender Make Your Own Mayonnaise, Powdered Sugar, Whipped Cream and Seasoned Bread Crumbs . . . In The Blender!

I had such fun experimenting in my laboratory/kitchen yesterday! I spent the morning getting to know my new blender, the Designer Series from Blendtec, and making some stuff I’d never “made” before at home.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one who doesn’t know this stuff….but I really didn’t know you could make POWDERED SUGAR in the blender! :-)

I’d HEARD you could make MAYONNAISE in the blender, but had never tried it before. Same with WHIPPED CREAM and BREAD CRUMBS.

Well, it was HIGH TIME I tried!

Let’s start with the bread crumbs…..

The exciting thing about learning about making my own Bread Crumbs was the revelation that I could make them GLUTEN-FREE and start making my Parmesan Chicken again! Which I did last night!  Wahoooo!  Happy day!

Another revelation? Just how EASY it is!  Toast 4 pieces of GF bread, cut them into quarters and blend them up!  Since that was basically a no-brainer…I decided to “challenge” myself and make my own SEASONED Bread Crumbs. Not much of a challenge actually.

things you can make in your blender Just add:

4 slices toasted bread (I used gluten-free)
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Dump all the seasonings on top of the quartered toast pieces and BLEND!  Done.

After the seasonings were mixed with the still slightly warm toast…the smell was HEAVENLY!  And the TASTE was even MORE heavenly on the Parmesan Chicken that I made for dinner.  I didn’t take any pictures, but this dish is one of my family’s all-time FAVORITE dinners. (Click here for recipe.)

 

things you can make in your blender

 

Feeling pretty confident with my blender skills…I decided to tackle Whipped Cream. Of course I’ve made whipped cream in a bowl with a hand mixer LOADS of times…but in a blender???? What kind of crazy talk is that??

The ingredients list was a bit intimidating….cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. :-)  But I did hit a snag because, believe it or not, I didn’t HAVE any powdered sugar in the house. (Dontcha hate when that happens?) Since I was still in my jammies (yes, I admit it, I do blog posts in my jammies sometimes. It’s wonderful!), I had no desire to run to the store.

things you can make in your blender

Thankfully my new BlendTec actually came with a “recipe” for Powdered Sugar! Once again…the list of ingredients was a little overwhelming….granulated sugar. :-)  THAT, I DID have!

Directions:

Pour 1 cup of granulated sugar in the blender and….BLEND.  haha. I couldn’t believe it! In the blink of an eye I had a heaping bowlful of fluffy, white powdered sugar.

things you can make in your blender

NOW I was ready to tackle Whipped Cream.

1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Add ingredients to blender and….BLEND!  Are you beginning to sense a theme here? :-)  Add & blend.  Too easy.

things you can make in your blender

 

My final foray into blender experiments for the day was a wee bit more challenging than the first three, but not much.  I have wanted to try making my own mayonnaise for a long time. I actually printed out a recipe for it several months ago….and it’s been floating around my kitchen ever since. Never quite got to it….until today!

things you can make in your blender

This is one of those recipes that actually really NEEDS to be done in a blender (although I suppose you could also use a food processor)…and it comes out BEAUTIFULLY!

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
7/8 cups vegetable or canola oil (divided)  (weird measurement, I know. I just filled my measuring cup to just below the 1 cup mark)

Add first 4 ingredients and 3 tablespoons of the oil and….BLEND for about 10 seconds. Blend again, this time streaming in 1/2 of the oil. Stop the blender, then repeat with other half of the oil. Done. PERFECTLY seasoned and creamy mayo!

things you can make in your blender

 

All of these recipes were made with the Blendtec Designer Series WildSide Blender. While I’m sure I probably could have made the same things in my old Cuisinart blender…the performance of the Blendtec was truly amazing! I’ve never seen anything quite like it. EVERY blender I’ve ever used before you have to coax it along with a spoon or a spatula in order to get everything property incorporated. Not with this blender. Its’ motor is so strong it just powers through pretty much ANYTHING you put in it!

I honestly can’t WAIT to experiment some more with it!

And I want to give YOU the opportunity to do the same!  I have partnered up with Blendtec to giveaway a Blendtec Designer Series WildSide Blender and a Blendtec Twister Jar Package.  Suggested retail price $618.95!

blendtec

This machine really is a DREAM! And it’s GORGEOUS to boot! So sleek, so chic.  You won’t even mind keeping this blender out on your counter. But, you won’t have to because it’s designed to fit easily into most cabinets.

The controls on this thing are SPACE AGE technology compared to all the blenders I’VE ever had. It has an illuminated touch pad with a slider interface. You just touch anywhere on the slider and slide your finger up and down to fine tune your blending.  Simply amazing.

And one of my FAVORITE features???  How easy it is to CLEAN!

The controls are a flat, sealed area and the base is a completely smooth design.  All you have to do is wipe with a damp cloth and it looks like new!  LOVE that!

cleaning blender

To learn more about the Designer Series and to watch a video about the blender visit Blendtec.

 

OK….now to the IMPORTANT STUFF…..

How to enter to WIN! :-) 

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling us what kinds of things YOU like to make in your blender!

You can also increase your chances with these Bonus Entries:

1. Join One Good Thing By Jillee and Blendtec on Facebook. Leave a separate comment letting me know.

2. Follow @JillsGoodThings and @Blendtec on Twitter. Leave a separate comment letting me know you are following.

3. Tweet the following statement about this giveaway:  Enter to win a @Blendtec Designer Series Blender hosted by @JillsGoodThings: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/?p=10097

4. Subscribe to receive daily emails from One Good Thing By Jillee. Leave a separate comment letting me know you subscribed.

5. Follow me on Pinterest! Leave a separate comment letting me know.

The giveaway is open until Thursday, October 25th, 2012, 11:59 pm MST. The giveaway is only open to USA and Canada residents. Be sure a valid email address is included with your comment(s). One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on this post. We will email the winner and if the winner doesn’t respond in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!!

(Winner announced below!)

Disclosure: This giveaway is being provided by Blendtec, but all opinions are my own.

And the winner of the Blendtec Designer Series WildSide Blender and a Blendtec Twister Jar Package is……………

CONGRATULATIONS CHRISTINE!

 

 


Comment | 3,178 Comments

3,178 thoughts on “Things You Can Make In A Blender! Plus, An Incredible Giveaway!”

  1. Katie Toledo

    Hi Jill!! I would make all kinds of delicious and healthy protein drinks and smoothies! I love them after the gym, and as a meal replacement. I could do a whole heck of a lot of damage with a machine like the Blendtec!

    Reply ↓
  2. Becky B.

    I’ve been using my blender to make fresh marinara sauce and thinking how much less noisy and better blended it would be if I had a more powerful blender! Ha! I think I’d blend a lot more things if I had a more user friendly blender. Smoothies and sauces would be at the top of my list. :)

    Reply ↓
  10. Shannon

    I have tried to make homemade mayonnaise before(Without a blender).Needless to say it didnt turn out so well.But If I had a blender like this I know it would be a success! Imagine all the homemade salad dressings I could make! and I must try the bread crumbs too.

    Reply ↓
  13. Angelik

    I make a Puerto Rican flavor base for TONS of PR dishes called sofrito. I also make smoothies, protein drinks,milkshakes, hummus, babaghanoush, marinades,dressings,and just about anything i can think of in my blender. I use it so often my motor is starting to burn out; it makes a horrible noise and omits an awful smell lately when I use it : (

    Reply ↓
  14. Carolyn

    I don’t use my blender that often…you just gave me a reason to get it out of storage and actually use it! :) I have made, of course, smoothies, shakes, etc. I love using it to make homemade salsa.

    Reply ↓
  17. Randa

    I love to make delicious milkshakes for my girls in the blender. Our blender is hopelessly old… I would love to have a new one that’s more powerful! I know it would be handy in the kitchen for all my preserving as well.

    Reply ↓
  24. Amber Fuller

    I use my blender to make fruity slushies. I buy my favorite frozen fruit mix of peaches, strawberries, pineapple and mangoes. I then add a cold can of Sprite to it and blend again. I also use it to make meal replacement shakes.

    Reply ↓
  25. Mary L.

    I don’t have a blender, but I love the idea of making fresh mayo! Plus, not having to
    use a rolling pin on my dried up bread for crumbs! Love your ideas always,
    have shared soo many of them and great giveaway!

    Reply ↓
  26. Emma

    Salsa and Guacamole in the blender is so easy EXCEPT having to coax it into the blades, and ending up with 1/2 soup 1/2 Salsa – I don’t use mine as often as would like because it is too big for the dishwasher, difficult to clean by hand, too big to sit on the counter and too heavy to lug in and out of the cabinet for just one use. The Blendtec sounds like a great new Machine. I currently use the Ninja because of the convenience factor and use it very frequently. Thanks for the review.

    Reply ↓
    1. Angie

      Emma try making half of your recipe at a time. The first time blend until smooth (but not soupy). With the other half of the batch just pulse a few times until chopped. Then just mix both batches in a large bowl and you should end up with a perfectly chunky salsa :)

      Reply ↓
  33. Ashley

    Love all these ideas! I make a ” Miracle pie” in a blender. Very similar to a coconut cream pie with no crust. It is amazing!! The instructions are add and…..BLEND!!! Love everything you put in here!!!

    Reply ↓
  35. Kimberly Holst

    Wow, what a great machine!!!! I too love to make my own breadcrumbs and have been known to use things other then bread for the base, like crackers, potato chips or corn flakes. When pressed for time I have used seasoned bread crumbs instead of seasoning and have been pleasantly surprised by the results. Just yesterday I made my husband a shake and my blender is showing its age by having that machine smell as well as I had to stop it several times to stir the ingredients up a bit. I also make smoothies and salad dressings among other things, a blender is a valuable tool and the powdered sugar thing amazed me when I first tried it as well. Great for when baking and do not want to run out or in their jammies :-)

    Reply ↓
  45. Kimberly Holst

    I have been receiving your daily e mails for a while and have been meaning to send you a message as to all the wonderful things I have tried due to these messages. I have made your amazing english muffin bread. I love this bread and have purchased it for years but recently moved where I cannot find it so when I saw that post I immediately made it and yum beyond yum!!! I have made the scent shapes for my garbage cans but I mixed vanilla and mint essential oils, bliss. I have made the exfoliating body scrub, started using dial goal on my husbands collars as well as peroxide on my whites. I have a few of your ideas stored in mind for Christmas gifts as well. Thank you for your work in putting this site together, fabulous!!!

    Reply ↓

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