Last Friday, our dishwasher broke. (I can hear my friend Chicago John groaning from here – we’d been commiserating just last week about unplanned expenses.)
The repair man is coming next Monday, and the costs are already promising to be high – with a $159 call out fee from Miele, plus the cost of the new drain pump motor that we suspect we’ll need. Still, these things happen, and we’ve had ten trouble free years from a machine which is in use daily, so it’s hard to complain. (Edit: Folks, the best news EVER! Mo left me a comment below telling me to clean the non-return valve – which we’d never heard of before now – and it WORKED! The machine is draining again, and running perfectly! Thank you so much, Mo!)
As a result though, I haven’t been spending as much time in the kitchen as I normally would, so I don’t have many new recipes to share with you. Instead, here’s a brief catch-up on what’s been happening over the past week…
It’s been raining and unseasonally cold, but the leafy greens are thriving on the extra water. We harvested red amaranth, chard, broccoli raab and the last head of broccoli, and turned them into a glorious red-tinged stir fry…
I took the bread wreath idea and tried it using the dragon tail technique – it worked very well…
The following day, I tempered a large batch of Amedei “9”, my current favourite blend. I made tiny four gram bites – the right size for just a little taste – and larger pieces, for chocolate emergencies…
I’ve been getting ready for Christmas, and was delighted to discover these gorgeous packets of tissue paper at Costco, for just $8 per 160 sheets…
Each sheet is a half metre square…
Finally, I’ve been watching the 50th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who. I say “watching” because I think I’ve now seen it three times. Yes, it was that good!
What’s been happening in your world? And I know I’m spoilt, but I really don’t like washing up by hand, do you?
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Oh I’m with you on the Dr Who thing, Celia. We saw it at the movies in 3D! And then watched it again at home. It was awesome! Thanks for the great update… Peter just handed me a silicone chocolate mould, little hearts, that he bought at Aldi recently. He was going to surprise me one day while I was at work… but now I’m home on extended sick leave (and I’ve been baking and making chocolate treats), he thought I may as well have it now. : )
I’m glad you’ve got the chocolates sorted, Lizzy! Nothing like having a stash on hand. :) I’m sorry to hear you’re still crook – get well soon, love x
I share your angst about the dishwasher. What is it about our hating to spend our$$ on appliances? The bread I looks so lovely. Thanks for sharing some of your world. Would love to turn out my chocolates as fancy as yours. Sue
Womenlivinglifeafter50.com
Sue, thanks to a comment from Mo below, the machine is working again! Hooray! Can’t tell you how pleased I am this morning.. :)
Our dishwasher is permanently out of repair. I wash dishes several times a day and am deathly tired of it. The greens are lovely and look so fresh and crisp!
And chocolates. Chocolates and more chocolates. I love visiting your blog.
Heidi, Mo left me a comment below to clean out the non-return valve – we got the comment at midnight and climbed out of bed to mess about with the machine then. :) It worked brilliantly – there was food clogging up the valve, so the water kept backwashing. Once we’d sorted it, it worked brilliantly! I’m tired but very happy this morning! :)
Oh Celia I feel your pain. I am spoilt too. The dishwasher broke just a few weeks after we moved in here and we had to wait a week for a new one. I got mighty efficient in my use of dishes!
I love that you always have chocolate on hand for an emergency. They can strike at any moment. I would call a broken dishwasher an emergency really.
How exciting that you’ve taught so many people to make their own and now they’re teaching people! Once I master it I’ll have to get an apprentice too.
Claire, it’s fixed! Mo left me a comment below, and her suggestion worked! And yes, it was pretty special that Carol was now teaching her friend how to make chocolate – she knows me well and knew I’d want to sit in and watch! :D
I’ve also watched Dr Who 3 times and could easily watch it again. My husband managed to track down and buy some Dr Who cookie cutters and chocolate moulds. Hope all my family and friends like Dr Who cause that’s what the gingerbread is going to be this year.
I’ve never had a dishwasher so I can’t really miss one.
Loving the picture of the greens. You could almost taste how fresh and crispy they are.
Oooh, Doctor Who cookie cutters and chocolate moulds. I’m going to have to look out for those! :)
I loved that your chocolate is divided into, chocolate for just a taste and chocolate for emergencies :)
Things have been very busy in my world, my kids were both sick for a while and they had exams but things are easing up now and I can’t wait to catch up on my favorite blogs like yours :)
Sawsan, I’m sorry to hear the kids were sick, when that happens, everything seems to stop, doesn’t it? And we always need emergency chocolate, right? Did you notice they were made in the plastic ma’moul moulds we both own? :)
I know what you mean about everything coming to a halt when the kids are sick :(
as for the chocolate, I did notice that they were made with the maamoul moulds and love the patterns.
I just need to find the time to try your wonderful tutorial on tempering chocolate! I am so tempted to try
I am spoilt, but in a different way — my Fella does all the washing up! No dishwasher needed. It’s no wonder I call him the Dishwasher Fairy :)
Oooh yes, now he definitely sounds like a keeper.. :)
I have one horrid dishwasher and at our old house we built one miele dishwasher on either side of the kitchen sink. bliss. One for the dishes and one for the pots. Oh how I miss them. I don’t have a lot of bench space so washing by hand means I have to walk around the island. bleh…
Love those gorgeous chocolates and I want to do a handspring like that!
M, the dishwasher’s working again now! I have to say, the kitchen has never been cleaner, because I’ve been washing up madly every time I put a plate down, but I’m so glad it’s fixed now. TWO dishwashers would be heavenly!
Sorry about your dishwasher :( I hope the repairs are at least quicky and trouble free. I love the chocolates and have also been loving the 50th Doctor Who episode!
Kari, it’s fixed again now, thanks to a comment Mo left me below! Gotta love blogging! :)
Life looks good as always Celia! Love your vegetables, bread and chocolate. Wow, 4 grams is a tiny chocolate, I am sure they are delicious. That tissue paper is pretty too!
Sorry to hear about your dishwasher. We have not always had a dishwasher…about 6 years ago my mum gave us one for Christmas. I think she was sick of visiting and having to wash up by hand! Anyway, now I would be lost without it :)
Jane, the chocolates are teeny – there were very small moulds on sale at Ikea, and it’s nice to have just a tiny piece to eat after a meal if I’m trying not to be piggy. :) Dishwasher is fixed! Mo left me a comment below, and her suggestion worked a treat!
I wouldn’t like to live without my dishwasher, oh no, no, no.I hope it is up and running as soon as possible.
It’s running again! Mo’s suggestion in a comment below worked! Cancelling the service call first thing this morning! :)
I went into a cold sweat at the thought of my dishwasher going on the blink. Oh Celia, I feel your pain about washing dishes by hand. Also, it seems all makes of dish washing liquid make my hands go all yucky and I can’t wear gloves to wash either. Oh my, the more I’m typing this, the more I love my dishwasher.
Gorgeous chocolates and I wish we had a Costco here, it sounds like a great store.
Have a lovely week ahead.
:-) Mandy xo
Mandy, it’s working again now, thanks to Mo (comment below). I wish you had a Costco too – you’d love it!
I grew up in a household where we never had a dishwasher, met hubby who always had one and I use to poke fun at him for being lazy as how hard is it really to wash dishes….have eaten my words as got use to having one and when we bought our unit the dishwasher was top of my list for must haves in the kitchen. It’s funny though when my parents come over they still shake their heads and ask why I can’t wash by hand! Your chocolates look lovely, love the idea of bites although I wouldn’t be able to stop at one :)
Stefanie, I think the dishwasher is actually much gentler than washing by hand – I keep clunking the plates against the tap! Also, it’s hard to go back to not having a dishwasher once you get use to one! :)
I’m so sorry to hear of your dishwasher woes. First the plumbing and now the dishwasher and yes, all unexpected and expensive costs. What a blow. I do hope the dishwasher is repaired to expert working order and that the damage isn’t too severe. I love how you’re preparing for Christmas and your chocolates make the most wonderful gift xx
Charlie, the plumbing costs are still looming, but thanks to Mo’s suggestion above, the dishwasher is now fixed!
How frustrating to have yet MORE unexpected expenses. That sort of thing seems to go around in groups so maybe your collection is over now. Crossing fingers for you.
Those greens look so fresh I could pick them out of the computer! We’ve now had a few hard frosts so nothing like that round here till next year.
If I ate chocolate, I’d devour the emergency bars straight away and they wouldn’t be safe from other hands round here anyway!
Pat, the dishwasher is now fixed, so hopefully that’s it for our current round of breakdowns! :) Mo left me a suggestion in her comment below, and we got up at midnight to try it, and it worked! There’s a chocolate emergency every day.. :)
I HATE washing up by hand, I create so much washing up too! Last year I was horrified when our dishwasher packed up during the lead up to Christmas so totally sympathise. You’ll be needing one of those chocs. Great to see lots of fun in your kitchen/home though.
Andrea, thank you – it’s working now (thanks to Mo below). I create so much mess in the kitchen – whenever it’s my birthday or mother’s day, my present from the boys is that they’ll stack and unstack the dishwasher as many times as I want that day.
Did you remove and clean the non-return valve? I had to do last night. Booked the appointment yesterday and they said if that was the problem I would be charged ( I have a 10 year warranty). DH and I did it last evening and I was Soo happy to be able to turn it on instead of filling the sink with water! My was indicating an F11 error. Yep, it talks to me!
Mo
Mo, this might have to be the best comment I’ve ever received on the blog, because when I got it last night at nearly midnight, Pete and I raced out to the kitchen, and we DID clean this valve (which we had never heard of before now) and it WORKED!!! Thank you SO MUCH! Will be calling to cancel the service call first thing in the morning! :)
I have a Miele dishwasher, and if runs for 10 years without problems, I’ll be happy as I don’t take out extended call out warranties on things like this. I’ve recorded Dr Who. Haven’t seen it yet. :)
Misky, it’s actually nearly been 12 years – we found the receipt last night and we bought it in Feb 02. And it’s still problem free – Mo told us above to clean the non-return valve – which we didn’t know existed – and now it’s working again. I’m cancelling the service call first thing this morning!
YEAH! :D
We had a huge devastating flood here in June and while we weren’t flooded ourselves, the city asked that we refrain from using unnecessary water. So we set about showering every second day, keeping laundry to one load per day, and washing up by hand. I kind of got used to it and find it is quite therapeutic. Even so I am glad everything is back to normal now and we can use the dishwasher. I still do the majority of my washing by hand when I’m cooking though.
Bernice, that’s interesting, as it actually uses much less water to wash by hand than by dishwasher! I like to start my cooking with an empty dishwasher and stack things in as I go.. :)
Four grammes? Is there such a weight for chocolate? Hope your dishwasher saga is soon over. My mother-in-law said she preferred it when her daughter and daughters-in-law washed up by hand when we all visited as she used to lurk in the background “putting away” while listening to all our gossip that we’d never say in front of her.
Saga is over! Thank you! :) Mo suggested a fix in her comment above, and now it’s working again! I’m so pleased that we’ve saved the service call! Your MIL is sneaky, make sure you feed her cider first until the pitch of her voice changes.. :)
Loved the Doctor Who special. (And was tickled by the Paul McGann prequil online) I think I’m feeling a “Chocolate Emergency” coming on. Hugs, Maz
You sure keep busy, I cannot imagine you sitting still and doing nothing. Beautiful produce from your garden.
That’s a win on the dishwasher front! My Mum only ever uses the dishwasher when she has guests and always asks me why I need to use mine when there’s just two of us. I don’t buy anything now unless it can go in the dishwasher!!
I have the Dr Who saved to watch one night when I’m on my own so I can appreciate it without sarky comments from Richard!!
Sarky comments about Doctor Who are not allowed!!! :) I’m the same re only buying things that go in the dishwasher, and the things I used to have that weren’t dishwasherproof all go in now as well. :)
I feel vicarious relief about the dishwasher. Our apartment has a small dishwasher and a while back it started emitting ominous sounds and burning smells… oh no… every appliance in that apartment costs a fortune to repair. But I gave the filter a clean (which I do regulkarly anyway) and it came good… BIG sigh of relief. I will keep Mo’s advice in mind should anything further go wrong though :) Not long after that the frontloader washing machine door broke… with good towels stuck inside… I called to start the repair process but the G.O. was able to make a temporary repair (still in place…) involving a cable tie, and will manufacture a better metal version of the tiny plastic replacement part himself that would cost $50 plus the service fees.
ED, seems to be that stuff breaks down all at the same time – I wonder if that’s because we get them all at the same time. Having said that, 12 years on a dishwasher is pretty good going, I think! :)
For some reason I haven’t been able to leave any comments the last couple of days Celia- let’s see if this one goes through?
I’m sorry to hear that, hon. This one was held for approval for some reason – I know folks (myself included) sometimes have trouble leaving WP comments from iPhones and iPads?
I could not live without my dishwasher!
Ha! :) I did Tandy, but only for a few days..
Hey Celia, Fantastic news that your dishwasher is working. There are so many things we can do ourselves if we only just know to do them. I love it! I am lucky that Maus is so handy and we have a wonderful neighbor who is a near genius when it comes to fixing things – all it costs is a bottle of red!!
Glenda, nothing makes me happier than when we can fix something ourselves – I know exactly what you mean! :)
Oh, Celia. You were so right. I was moaning for you and immediately read that you could hear it and had a good chuckle. I am so glad that you didn’t require a repairman to visit. Those visits can be expensive — and that’s before they do anything. Why did I overlook that career path? You never fail to impress m with your baking and chocolate making skills. That wreath is fantastic.
John, I knew you would be! :) I’m so glad it didn’t need a service call, and you’re right, we should have all become appliance service people. Thank you for your kind words – wish you were closer and I could drop a loaf over to you!
Very pleased that you have your dishwasher back thanks to the remarkable Mo! I have watched DW since the first episode because I am rather old, though my attention flagged in the post Baker years and only came back to life in the new era. The trouble with having watched the early ones is that you end up with a bit of a fear of lift doors opening, dating to when the Daleks tended to travel up and down in lifts (elevators). Tom Baker looks and behaves in his DW role remarkably like a member or several of my family, so we have a certain bias towards him, but I like Matt Smith and I adore Christopher Ecclestone, just because he is so himself and he didn’t change his accent to play the part, have no idea why DT did that, canna understand what would ha been wrong wi a Scottish Doctor… maybe they were thinking about those foreign sales to America etc…
Must try and squeeze some red amaranth in next year, your leaves are sooo beautiful – keep looking for a ma’moul mould like yours as the chocs look amazing, and the back flip video, hey how wonderful is that! And must make some dough that is good for a wreath and play away – did you ever see those rose breads/cakes made from stacking cut rolls on edge and baking in a tin? can’t remember if you have done those ones? xxxs lovely post, love your chatty ones best !
Tom Baker hasn’t really changed much has he? He was always a bit barmy as the Doctor, in a completely wonderful way, but maybe all Doctors are a bit nuts, which is what makes them so wonderful! :) I’m not sure about the rose breads, but we did make owls, remember? :)
Technology and chocolate, a perfect match. Is there a trick to the caps function? Glad to hear the dishwasher is working again although it must have been ten years of hard labour in your kitchen!
Jo, I know I’m an idiot, but I didn’t know you could put the caps lock on the iPhone by double-tapping on the up function key. And actually we found the receipt, it’s been nearly 12 years! :)
Lovely happenings – dishwasher excepted. We had one which gave up secretly on the last load after our eldest daughter’s 21st. When we came down in the morning the floor was awash! I’ve watched Roar’s manoeuvre several times – how I wish I could do that. We watched Doctor Who too for the first time in ages and I’ve been shuffling round the house with one arm out, intoning “control, alt, delete”:). ….. Like the idea of emergency chocolate – you could have a chocolate coloured van with a flashing light on top.
Jan, flooded kitchen after a 21st can’t possibly be fun!! Isn’t Roars fantastic? I squealed when he did it, and then said, “now do it again for the camera!!” :)
The wreath is gorgeous! I’ve been experimenting with edible wreaths too :) And caps lock-are you joking around you funny thing? :P
Oh, you have no idea how much I wish I was now, because you’re going to pay out on me when I see you.. :) Charlotte had to teach me how to put the caps lock on so I could type all in capitals.. :)
That is fantastic news about your dishwasher!!! Didn’t your toilet break last year around this time? It never ends… T’is the season!!
I am intrigued by your gorgeous red amaranth… how do you use it? So pretty.
And I know that tissue paper all too well- I get the same one from Costco! It lasts for ages and it’s good quality too :)
Em, the toilet broke THIS year, and we’re still having problems with the sewer! Ah well. The amaranth is stir-fried, and it’s absolutely delicious!
I too would have gotten up at midnight to check out Mo’s suggestion. Isn’t it terrible that the company who was going to come out to fix it didn’t even suggest you try doing that? I guess I’ve been so used to handwashing dishes before putting them in my old 25 year old dishwasher that I’m having a hard time getting used to not having to do that now. It takes time to break habits – I think I read 21 days/times before your brain resets.
Beautiful chocolates again & it’s very helpful that you point out the need for emergency chocolates. They should be in a special container & labeled that way. Maybe something bright red or neon so you can’t miss it in a panic.
Diane, Pete and I were out of bed so fast you’d think an alarm went off! And yes, the company didn’t even mention it, but maybe the ladies booking the repair didn’t know about it. There is ALWAYS emergency chocolate here, but I have to make it very dark, or it gets demolished before the emergency happens. :)