I’ll start with appliance hell. Our dishwasher from Hell (Frigidaire) died about a year ago, and we finally got fed up of hand washing. Why did we put off the decision to buy a new dishwasher for so long? Easy, we did buy a Bosch but it wouldn’t fit in the cabinet. Years ago I hired a tiler to redo my kitchen floor and he tiled in the dishwasher. Contractors in California are interesting, many got started in their trade to support a drug habit. Now they are all reborn, but definitely brain cells are missing especially when tiling kitchen floors.
For a year we angst’ing whether to pull out our tiles from around the dishwasher, which I have no replacements of the old tile, or to pull out the old dishwasher by making a hole through our stucco wall. Both solutions were expensive and imperfect. Finally we decided to get a shorter dishwasher that would fit our space.
Now our choice was limited, shorter dishwashers are ADA-compliant, and for the most part, hard to buy since no one keeps them in stock. Plus they are either super-expensive such as Miele or Asko, or have an old fashion design. I really wanted a stainless steel front, steel tub, low noise and lower water usage, plus a hidden control panel. All that was left in my price range was a Blomberg, a brand similar to Bosch, but not well established in the US. With a leap of faith after reading the reviews (no one brand stands out), I ordered the Blomberg at HomeEverything.com.
One month later, no dishwasher. I called HomeEverything. “Yes, it will be here in 7 to 10 days”. Two weeks later, (total of 6 weeks) same old story. In fact until yesterday, the lovely guys at customer service were singing every two weeks the same song. Yesterday, I called again and found out that there was a “Master” back order. “What is a Master back order”, I asked Mr. HomeEverything customer serviceman. “Well, it seems that there is a major amount of product that is overdue”, said the calm voice on the phone. “And does this mean that I should expect my dishwasher in SEPTEMBER?” I said with a slight panic in my voice. “No”, said Mr. HomeEverything, “but it will probably take another 2 to 4 weeks”.
That’s it. These guys at HomeEverything have been stringing me on the line for 3 months. They have totally lost their credibility with me. I’ll never try buying anything from them again. Tomorrow I’ll go talk to the guys at Sears (you can haggle with them and the warranty is good) and get a Bosch. Do you have another idea that might work? Comments are really appreciated.
On another subject, here is the recipe for Shrimp and Celeriac Remoulade. Celeriac (Celery root) is a celery bulb, a hairy, incredibly unattractive object that is wonderfully mild. You’ll need to peel it with a very sharp knife, like a pineapple and use a food processor, a god-send to cooks around the world, to make the thin strips. I first had remoulade at the Carlyle Hotel during a Sunday Brunch. It was one of those perfect weekends in NYC, caught the evening show at Café Carlyle with Bobby Short, drank lots of champagne and luxuriated in a room at the hotel. I felt like an adult “Eloise at the Plaza”, only I was at a better hotel, the Carlyle.
I like to add poppy seeds to my remoulade and you can substitute the shrimp with crab or lobster. This 5 minute recipe is delicious, exotic and elegant. But it ain’t cheap so make it for a special occasion.
Shrimp and Celeriac Remoulade – Serves 4 – 8 people. Prep time: 10 minutes, inactive refrigerator time: ½ hour.
1 lb of cold cooked and peeled shrimp
1 – 2 peeled bulbs of celeriac – bulbs are usually slightly under 2 lbs each
1 cup of good mayonnaise – I use Best Brand or Trader Joe’s Organic
2 lemons – make sure that they are full of juice
2 tsps white vinegar such as white wine or white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly grounded pepper
1 tsp poppy seeds
Directions
Using the food processor and the shredding disk, feed chunks of the celeriac thru the machine. You can also use a mandoline on a matchstick setting. Place the celeriac shavings in a large bowl, add the lemon juice and kosher salt, mix well, and allow mixture to stand for 30 minutes to soften the bulb and add flavor.
In a small bowl whisk mayonnaise, white vinegar, Dijon mustard and pepper. Pour over celeriac mixture, add cold shrimp and poppy seeds. Refrigerate until serving time. Garnish with additional poppy seeds.
This dish makes a delightful cold main course, with a light dry white wine, good bread, steamed asparagus and a light green salad with a shallot vinaigrette. Don’t forget to use your SaladSuccess Shaker!
When Warren & I were living in Colorado Springs and planning out our wedding, a lovely couple moved in next door and we invited them over for dinner. I can’t remember their names, but let’s call them Heather and Jim (isn’t everyone named Heather?). Heather said she’d make the dessert and after a lovely barbeque at our house, Heather whipped out the dessert, which looked lovely and was to die for. What was this divine concoction – Yogurt Cream Pie. When Heather told me how to make it, I was stunned. This broke every concept of what I learned about cooking. All it took was a store-bought graham cracker or cookie pie shell, a container (6 – 8 ounces) of a flavored yogurt, and a container (regular size) of Cool Whip. I’ll write this out recipe-style.
