Stirring Things Up in Idaho
For years, I dreamed of owning a KitchenAid mixer. You know the one… sturdy, timeless, and beautiful enough to sit on a countertop like a piece of art. I’d scroll past it online, pass it in stores, and think, someday. It wasn’t just a mixer; it felt like a symbol of something I hadn’t quite reached yet. That someday finally came when I sold my home in Las Vegas and made the bold move to Idaho. In the flurry of life changes and new beginnings, I bought that mixer, my mixer, as a small but powerful act of hope. It stayed packed away, still in its box, until I officially started my Idaho chapter. It was like I knew it belonged to the future I hadn’t fully imagined yet.
Shortly after arriving, I explored the idea of partnering in a bakery with another woman. While the partnership didn’t pan out, that intense month taught me so much, especially about cakes, layers, fillings, frosting techniques, and more. Little did I know this was just the start, and probably why it didn’t work out. Not long after, I went back to school to earn a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences, which essentially combines cooking and baking with a professional twist. I also became gluten-free at this time, so I poured myself into learning the science and skill behind the foods I loved, and the white mixer came along for the ride. I was learning so much… but I was also drowning in research papers and projects. But when I needed a break, I didn’t rest. Oh no, I baked. Procrastinating? Perfect time to test a new cinnamon roll recipe. That white mixer and I? We were in it together. It was my therapy, my distraction, and my delicious rebellion against due dates! The mixer became my outlet, my form of self-care, and let’s be real, my favorite excuse not to write a 12-page paper.
For the past three years, my white KitchenAid mixer has had a front-row seat to teenage chaos, living proudly on the counter in my high school classroom. It’s helped teach students how to cream butter, whip egg whites, compete in cupcake wars, and learn the magic of baking from scratch. That mixer didn’t just help teach recipes, it helped build confidence, spark curiosity, learn lifelong skills, and turn a classroom into a kitchen filled with memories.
It’s been mixing more than ingredients from the very beginning. It’s mixed up my path, my passions, and maybe even a little bit of destiny.
Now, that same mixer lives at Cooks & Books. Sitting proudly on the counter like the quiet mother of it all. She’s been with me through the figuring-it-out years, the baking therapy nights, and the “let’s see what happens” experiments. Long before I knew where I was headed, she somehow did…patiently waiting as my dreams took shape one recipe at a time. To most people, it’s just a mixer. But to me, she’s the symbol of where I’ve been, what I’ve learned, and the kitchen I was always meant to build. Maybe I should name her something besides.. my white mixer.
XO-Alicia
July 12, 2025