July 15, 2023

WEEKLY MENU 07.16.23

We’re keeping the kitchen cool during the Weekly Menu 07.16.23. Why are we keeping the kitchen cool during the Weekly Menu 07.16.23? Well, it is summertime, and the heat is high all over the United States, so utilizing the grill and crockpot(s) just makes sense. But we have another, slightly more sinister reason as well.

Back many months ago we decided we had to replace the stove. Again. It’s pretty annoying, really, since it wasn’t that old, but it was pretty decrepit. The electronic panel on the top of the stove had become mostly illegible with many of the lights not working. Why did this happen? Apparently, the fabulous stove designers weren’t aware that the area the panel was in (above the stove vent) was going to get hot. Go figure.

Then the bottom drawer heating element went. I didn’t use the bottom drawer that much, but we figured it was just a matter of time before the actual oven went too.

We found a gorgeous oven at a big box store for replacement.

We ordered it in March and they delivered and installed it in time for Easter. The first time I used it, I realized that the oven wasn’t heating to the same temp as the electronic panel (on the front of the stove this time) said it was. And the convection oven would come to temp and then drop, without ever cycling through again. Now, I knew the stove wasn’t coming up to temp by the way everything was cooking (or not, honestly) but we went ahead and bought an oven thermometer to verify. (Affiliate links precede and follow – see Disclaimer Page for details.)

So I called Lowes and they put in for a repair, under warranty. We probably should have just had them replace the damn thing at that point.

The first time the repairman came, he arrived outside of his repair window, and I wasn’t at home because I had a very important appointment. (Pedicures can be tough to reschedule.) The repairman explained to Bert that there was nothing wrong with the stove, and that sometimes the little woman just needed to get used to a new one.

As. If.

I called Whirlpool directly the next time, and spoke to a lovely woman there that walked me through the easy calibration method, and set up a return visit from the repairman. Explained to her that I had been baking for approximately 50 years (For real. I have literally been baking that long) and knew when the oven was substantially off.

We got a different repairman the next time, and he didn’t feel the need to mansplain ovens to me, thank goodness. He did say that oven thermometers aren’t really very precise, and the oven may be doing better than I thought. He set to diagnosing using professional looking temperature probes. After about an hour, he informed me the oven wasn’t working right. Color me surprised.

Long story short (too late?)~

He ordered parts, then more parts, and ended up visiting us four more times before the stove was officially deigned a lemon, irreparable, and in immediate need of replacement. That happened around Memorial Day. We got a very official call from the Warranty Department with details on the replacement. The call was prompt. We have, at this point, had the delivery date moved out three times. I responded to the last email I got, which moved the date to July 18th, with a scathing, well written (I thought) email about the ridiculousness. They responded with a new delivery date of August 1st. So I guess they told me.

The stove top works great – the oven itself is a ~~lot~~ little more finicky. With my superior knowledge gleaned from 50 years of baking, I can make it work for a bit. The convection oven doesn’t work at all. Thank god it’s summertime in Erieland!

Grilling & slow cooking abound during the Weekly Menu 07.16.23

Sunday dinner starts out with a no-cook appetizer in the Million Dollar Dip. We are all looking forward to Grilled Chicken Cordon Blue – except maybe Bert, who has been feeling the brunt of the stove issues by becoming the main household cook. He requested an Apple Pie for dessert, so we’re going to see what we can do with the stove: all the recipes I saw for Grilled Apple Pie had pretty bad reviews (which is not that surprising, really). Baby Boy requested some Sausage Orecchiette for Tuesday, and it works because it’s totally made stovetop.

Grilled Salmon and some outdoor fried spuds are planned Tuesday because Bert and I are on our own for dinner, and the fish haters won’t be around. The Crockpot Pork Salsa Verde is a perfect taco dinner from the blessed slow cooker. We have two slow cookers – next week I’m going to make meatloaf and mashed potatoes in dueling crockpots. Technically we have three – the Instant Pot fills in in a crockpot pinch. Does the Instant Pot scare anyone else? Just me then. Look at these beauties: