My Kingdom for a Kitchen | Chickens in the Road

Dec
4

You’d think with two kitchens, I’d never run out of kitchen. However, in a series of Unfortunate Events, I found myself hobbling between the kitchen in the house and the kitchen in the studio this past week, barely able to put together a meal between the two of them.

First, there was a leak in one of the sinks in the studio. I stopped using the sink, and since there’s another one, it wasn’t too big of a problem. But the gas wall heater in the studio wasn’t working, so on cold days, it was really cold over there. Really cold. Then the sink got stopped up in the kitchen in the house. I’m thinking over Thanksgiving, someone didn’t get the memo that I don’t have a disposal. I tried some Drano, but that didn’t work. Ross took it apart and couldn’t find the clog. By the time it was put back together, it was leaking. I couldn’t wash dishes in the house (because of the clog), so I didn’t really want to cook there. Back to the studio, where Texas had replaced the thermocouple for me on the gas wall heater. Then it quit working again. Then both of the ovens in the studio decided to stop working on the same day. I could only do certain things in each kitchen. One of the kitchens was really cold, and the other one had cats.

Since things kept going wrong, I waited several days for the cluster to complete itself then I went to the store, bought a stick of pepperoni, and called my cousin.

Morgan had been at a friend’s house over the weekend, so she came home Sunday afternoon ready to do laundry. She came into the living room and said, “The dryer isn’t working.”

I said, “I’ve already made my list for Mark. Nothing else is allowed to go wrong. Go turn on the dryer again and it will work.”

To amuse me, she tried to turn on the dryer again, and it worked!

Me: “I’m very powerful.”

I should have tried that before my list got so long.

Yesterday, my cousin came over with Georgia and I made pepperoni rolls. I wanted to make a treat for Georgia, but since pepperoni rolls are a bit of an extensive process, I knew I’d better pick something simple. I plowed into her recipes and picked out an oatmeal and apple butter bar recipe. It took about 5 minutes to put together, but I knew it would be delicious. It was supposed to be baked in an 8-inch square pan and cut into bars. I’m not sure why now, but I didn’t feel like doing that so I put it in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish and baked it like a crisp.

I had to bake it 45 minutes instead of the 30 minutes or so for bars.

Georgia said, “I don’t remember this recipe.”

I said, “It’s supposed be bars, but I didn’t follow the directions.”

She said, “Well,” and then she said, “This is really good!”

I served it to her with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Meanwhile, the sink in the studio wasn’t leaking anymore. I’d had Ross tighten it, so he must have fixed it and transported the leak to the sink in the house. One of the ovens started working on its own. The other one wasn’t working, but we got distracted when I had him fix one of the cooktop knobs that was refusing to turn. (After he left, the other oven started magically working again. Maybe he had a word with it.) He put another new thermocouple on the gas wall heater, and adjusted the thingie so it was better positioned to meet the flame or igniter or whatever, I don’t know, but it’s working now and the studio isn’t cold anymore.

Back in the house, the clog had fixed itself (possibly from letting the Drano sit in it for a week) and he fixed the leak.

I sent him home with two dozen pepperoni rolls, and I’m back in business!

P.S. You can find the pepperoni rolls recipe here:
Pepperoni Rolls

P.P.S. I’ve got Georgia’s oatmeal and apple butter bars recipes here:
Oatmeal and Apple Butter Bars or Crisp

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16 Responses
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12-4
8:02
am

I think that appliances enjoy messing with us humans. Cars, too. Like how your car will make an ominous-sounding noise, but when you take it to a mechanic, suddenly it doesn’t make that sound anymore. I suspect that machines find it hilarious when they make us look crazy. “I swear it wasn’t working yesterday when I called you!”

wildcat

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12-4
8:21
am

How weird. You must have a gremlin messing with you.

Cheryl LeMay

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12-4
9:23
am

Sounds likes a normal week at my house! Right before thanksgiving the igniter on my oven went out. Try cooking Thanksgiving dinner in a toaster oven!

lifeisgood/ Melinda

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12-4
9:28
am

“One of the kitchens was really cold, and the other one had cats.”
Very good.

mds9

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12-4
9:43
am

Yikes! Well I hope it is all out of its system now and you are blessed with properly working appliances throughout the holiday season!

oneoldgoat

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12-4
9:57
am

I don’t know why these things come in threes or more, but they do.

I hope this takes care of things for a long time.

Georgia looks pretty with her white hair and the pink sweater.

Glenda

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12-4
10:39
am

That made me tired just reading it. You think Murphy’s law might apply here? Glad things started working again!

Flowerpower

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12-4
12:58
pm

These things happen at the most inopportune time, don’t they?? For me, personally, I try not to use chemicals if I can help it. I always try the baking soda and vinegar approach first, and it has historically worked like a charm for me. And, its typically a convenient fix because I usually have the ingredients already!

http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/plumbing/how-to-unclog-a-drain.htm

Glad you got everything resolved!! =)

Michelle2ls

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12-4
1:15
pm

Not fair! Your studio kitchen is too new to have things going wrong with it. There should be a grace period. Well, at least it wasn’t a weekend when you were doing a workshop.

whaledancer

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12-4
1:22
pm

You need a drink! And I don ‘t mean koolaid! Glad everything’s working! Take care.
Debbie

grandeb1956

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12-4
2:41
pm

I don’t want to rain on your parade, however, I have had deep concerns about your plumbing. After manyyrs spent in new construction and remod. there is one thing I can for sure…GET A LICENSED PLUMBER. There is no bargem in the plumbing business. Thanks for the offers but “no
thanks”. We had a general contractor and he gave the plumbing to a “bargain” plumber and we all ended up in court. A word to the wise is sufficient ~~~~

You should not be having problems…..~

MMHoney

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12-4
5:01
pm

I hope the things that started working again on their own keep working! That’s weird!

I just love Georgia – she looks so sweet. And your cousin Mark – what more could you ask for in a cousin?

yvonnem

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12-4
6:15
pm

I’ll have to try that recipe. It looks yummy!

jeandf

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12-5
12:07
am

The only other time I’ve heard of appliances not working and then magically working again involved a very expensive mixture of drippy pipes and old wiring. I sincerely hope that you have a bored gremlin running around causing all this mischief instead! We have had one for the last few weeks, it’s killed our water heater, the brakes on our truck, the tires on my car, and the floor in our bathroom. Perhaps it would like to come visit yours? Please?

enjay

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12-5
1:43
pm

I once had an oven do the same thing. We had just moved into the house, and the heat wasn’t hooked up yet. When it was really cold the oven wouldn’t work. What I finally figured out was that there was something in the oven that MAKES it not work when it is cold, probably to keep people from using their ovens as heaters in their houses. I’d put a big pot of hot water in it (we had a gas stove, but an electric oven) and let it sit for a few minutes to warm it up. Then remove the pot, and the oven would fire right up. So nothing is wrong with your ovens. It’s the heater not working that is getting them. Sweet!

milesawayfarm

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12-10
2:26
pm

Well. I almost missed this Georgia post. Don’t remember now what I was doing that day. Georgia loos happy & cozy with her blanket & dessert. The pepperoni rolls look yummy as always too. That’s weird the way everything broke down! Glad it’s all straightened out now.

Leah

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