The Baking Soda Hair-Washing Experiment Update

For more recent info (8/11), check out Part 1 of my baking soda/ACV hair update!

Well that title is a mouthful!  I mentioned last week that I was joining up with my friend Claire from Mummy Deals to try using baking soda instead of shampoo for a week.  We were trying it because it doesn't have the toxic chemicals that are in most shampoos and it's super frugal!  I decided to add apple cider vinegar rinsing as needed because it smooths and conditions the hair.

I thought you'd like to hear how it went and see a couple hair pics.  Now, I don't wash my hair every day - I do every other day.  I used to have to do it every day because it would get greasy.  But when my hair was longer I started wearing a pony tail the second day and not washing it and my hair seemed to adjust - now it gets greasy the third day!

So in a week I washed it with baking soda 4 times.  Here's what I did:

~  I mixed 1 tablespoon baking soda with 1 cup warm water in a squeeze bottle.  I shook it before using it every time.  I still have some left!

~  I squeezed the solution all around my scalp and hair, worked it into my scalp, and rubbed it into my hair; then rinsed thoroughly.

~  I mixed 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar with 1 cup water in a small spray bottle.  I swirled it around before using each time.

~  2 of the 4 times I followed the wash with spraying all my hair with the apple cider vinegar mixture, working it in slightly, then rinsing out.

Here are pics of my hair after the week:

  

  

Watch out - I am obviously hypnotized in the above pic - there's no telling what I might do!

 

See?  My hair doesn't look like I haven't used shampoo!  I didn't use any styling products either other than some hairspray.  I did blowdry and use a big barrel curling iron to smooth a little and curve the ends under a bit.

My thoughts:

So far I'm happy with the whole idea.  My hair is not much different than with shampoo though I have seem to have more volume and thickness when I use just the baking soda.  In the pics, I had used apple cider vinegar too.  I also stopped using any styling products other than some hairspray during this time as I wanted to see what my hair condition was without those products.

Once your hair adjusts completely, you shouldn't have to wash as often - maybe 2-3 times a week with baking soda.  When I don't use the apple cider vinegar, I do notice less greasiness even the third day, so will try stretching it further.  If I use the apple cider vinegar, then it does get greasy by the third day.

I'm going to keep going with it!  I see no reason to stop.  I may need to make some slight adjustments to the amounts, but so far I'm happy.  I have heard that your hair is fully adjusted after about a month, so I want to see if I notice a difference in that amount of time.

If you think you want to try it, I suggest you read the following links for more detailed info - very helpful!

http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html
http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/07/no-poo-update.html

What are your thoughts?

I'm linking this to Your Life, Your Blog at Real Life!  Link up your favorite post from last week!

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ Orange-Chocolate Slice Cookies

Chocolate Friday once again!  You know what that means - pat yourself on the back for getting through the week and reward yourself with chocolate!

I ran across today's recipe by accident.  I was looking through my old stand-by cookbook (BHG New Cookbook - "new" being 1989 - LOL) and saw the words orange and chocolate combined in a cookie recipe.  I took a second look!  I had forgotten that my "basic" cookbook is full of yummy recipes to try!

These cookies are delicious!  The orange and chocolate flavors are subtle, but nice.  The cookies are great on their own, but would be even better with a cup of tea or coffee or served alongside some sorbet - mmmm!

Orange-Chocolate Slice Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening (I substituted coconut oil)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons finely shredded orange peel

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 square (1 oz) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add about half of the flour, the sugar, brown sugar, egg, orange peel, orange juice, and soda.  Beat till thoroughly combined.  Beat in remaining flour.  Stir in chocolate.  Shape dough into two 8-inch rolls.  Wrap in waxed paper or clear plastic wrap and chill 4-24 hours.

Cut into 1/4-inch slices.   Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in a 375 degree oven 10-12 minutes or till edges are lightly browned.  Cool cookies on a wire rack.  Makes about 60.

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Now if you'll just link up some chocolate posts, it'll be like a chocolate party!  Go find your new or old family-friendly chocolate posts and link them up below with MckLinky.  So glad you're willing to share the chocolate!  :)  (Did you see all the fantastic posts linked up last Friday?)

Have a chocolatey day friends!

Talkin' About Thursday ~ Tortellini For Dinner

We're talking dinner recipes today!  I thought I would give you some options for tortellini because it's easy and kid-friendly!

I love tortellini whether it's the fresh kind from the refrigerated section of the store or the dried kind in the pasta aisle.  I always pick up a bag or two of dried cheese-filled tortellini when I'm at Trader Joe's.  And Costco finally started carrying a large bag of dried tortelloni (bigger tortellini) again - we used to buy it all the time a few years ago and then they stopped carrying it.

You can always serve up tortellini with a marinara or some other type of sauce, but I have some other recipes for tortellini that our family enjoys.

Very Veggie Tortellini Soup

 

Chicken-Tortellini Soup

  

Tortellini-Chicken Salad

  

And I'm going to share a casserole recipe for tortellini - sorry I don't have a pic as I haven't made it recently.

Tortellini Casserole

2 containers (10 oz each) refrigerated alfredo sauce (or make your own with my friend Kathy's recipe)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 pkg (20 oz) refrigerated green and white mixed cheese tortellini

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained

1/2 cup garlic and herb-flavored or Parmesan-flavored bread crumbs

1 tablespoon olive oil

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  In medium-sized bowl, stir together Alfredo sauce, 2 cups water, and pepper.  Pour 1 cup sauce mixture into bottom of 2 1/2-quart shallow casserole (I just use a 9x13 pan).  Arrange half the tortellini (uncooked) in a single layer over sauce; sprinkle with chopped broccoli.  Pour 1 1/2 cups sauce over top.  Repeat layering remaining tortellini and remaining sauce.  Cover with foil.

3.  Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Heat broiler.

4.  In small bowl, stir together bread crumbs and olive oil until evenly coated.  Sprinkle crumbs on top.

5.  Place casserole under broiler about 4 inches from heat until crumbs are golden, 1-2 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

serves 8

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I hope you found a new dinner recipe to try!  Be sure to stop over at My Cup 2 Yours for a delicious burger recipe and more dinner recipe links!

For dessert today, you may want to stop over at Muthering Heights!  I'm over there today sharing a snack cookie recipe you can make with your kiddos (of course it includes chocolate!) and showing pics of my sweet son helping me!

I'm linking this up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam - so many great recipes there!

Have a terrific day friends!

WFMW: Displaying Kids' Art

I thought I would rerun an old WFMW from the beginning days of my blog since many of you haven't seen it and I still use it!

Post originally published 5/27/08:

Kids always have their favorite artistic creations that they want on display. Is your refrigerator covered with paper? Not mine...OK...well, not as much as it used to be. I saw a great idea a few years ago for a way to display art that was easy to switch out. Just in the last couple of years, I finally did it!

The art is now proudly displayed in my son's room and we frequently change the display. Here is what it looks like:

You get open frames and hang them on the wall, letting the wall color show through. The original idea I saw used double-stick tape or push pins to stick the art in the middle of the frame. I didn't want to make a mess of my walls, so I bought colored binder clips and hubby screwed them into the frame ( I was going to glue it).

Now we can change the art anytime and it looks attractive! Most recently, this frame displayed a tracing of a jet, and before that a detailed drawing of a Lego Mars Mission scene (if you only have girls, you have no idea what I'm talking about). :)

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Do you have a fun way to display artwork?  Be sure to stop by We Are THAT Family today to see more WFMW ideas!

By the way, I want to thank my readers so much for checking in for my shout-out!  You're great!  So far, readers have commented from 7 countries and 23 of the United States!  It's not too late to check in - I'll keep track all week!

Have a wonderful Wednesday friends!

Reader Shout-Out

One thing that I greatly appreciate about my blog is the fact that I have readers!  I could blog if nobody was reading, but you make me feel like it's a worthwhile effort.  Thank you for coming back again and again to see what's going on around here and for putting up with my random mix of writings and recipes!

I would love to have a little shout-out for my readers by having you all leave a comment (if you've never done it - just click on the word "comments" underneath the post to begin) saying where you're from!  Will you please leave a comment today and tell me what state or country (and town if you wish) you're from?  It's so fun to see all the different places and find new friends at the same time!

Thank you all for stopping by.  I can't wait to see how many different places will be mentioned!

Have a wonderful day friends!

Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ Brownie Waffle Cookies

 

You made it to the end of the week!  Well almost.  That deserves chocolate I say!  So glad it's Chocolate Friday!

This recipe actually didn't go according to plan, but it was still yummy and I posted it anyway!  Who says you need an oven to make cookies?  You can make cookies on your waffle iron!  Really!  Let me just say that it does not work right on a Belgian waffle iron which is what I have.  You need to put lots of batter just to make it look OK and even then it doesn't look right and will only make a dozen or so large cookies - still yummy though!  You really do need a standard waffle iron for this.  This recipe came from my Chocolate Fantasies cookbook.

Brownie Waffle Cookies

1/3 cup shortening (I used butter instead)
1 (1-oz) square unsweetened chocolate
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans, divided (I left these out 'cause my son doesn't like nuts in things)

Combine shortening and chocolate in heavy saucepan.  Place over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted; cool.  Combine egg, sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl.  Stir in chocolate mixture.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to chocolate mixture.  Add 2/3 cup pecans, stirring well.

Preheat waffle iron at medium heat.  Drop batter by level tablespoonfuls onto iron, about 2 inches apart.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup pecans.  Close iron, and bake about 3 minutes or until done.  Remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Yield: 2 dozen

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Doesn't that sound like fun?  Now if you make this on a *normal* waffle iron like you're supposed to, will you send me a pic so I know what they're really supposed to look like?  :)

Now - bring me your chocolate posts.  Link them up below.  Please??  Pretty please??  Chocolate is always better when it's shared!  Please remember to leave the link to your post rather than your blog so others can still find it later.  And I am only accepting links to posts that have something to do with chocolate and are family-friendly.  Anything else will be deleted.  Thanks!!

I'm linking this up to the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap!  And linking to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam - go check out all the recipes!

Have a cheerful Chocolate Friday!

P.S.  This has nothing whatsoever to do with chocolate, but I'm having a Progresso Soup giveaway on my other blog right now!

Happenings

I'm honored to be a guest over at Blessed today!  Joanne is so sweet - you should stop by and peruse her blog.  This month she has an interview every day!  There are so many great people to read about!  And I'd love it if you leave a comment over there and say hello!

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Now, I am linking up with my friend Clair over at Mummy Deals today!  She convinced me to try a challenge with her and I'm doing it!!  We are going to do something that is not only frugal, but healthy for us (and better for the environment at the same time) - we are washing our hair with baking soda for 1 week!  That's right - no shampoo, just baking soda.  You didn't know I was brave enough for that, did you?!

And yes I'll be leaving the house during that time and appearing in public!  Are you brave?  Are you willing to try something different for a week?  Join us!  Stop over at Mummy Deals for the details, leave a comment if you're participating, and feel free to post about it and link up!  We'll be blogging about the results after the 7 days.

See you over there!

Wordless Wednesday: The Flower Fixer

My son took it upon himself to "fix" this broken daffodil - I love my landscaper! 

By the way, if you are seeing weeds in the picture, it must be your imagination - heh,heh.

Happy Wordless Wednesday!  Stop at 5 Minutes For Mom for more photos!

Tasty Tuesday ~ Nothin' Says Love Like A Valentine Dinner

 

I always enjoy Tasty Tuesday with Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!  I usually link up a previous post, but this week I thought I would actually post some recipes for you today - I'm going to share my Valentine's Dinner with you!

Jennifer at Savor the Thyme and Kelsey from The Naptime Chef were talking about how "Food is love" which is just what I thought of this Valentine's Day!  We don't usually do much to celebrate the day as we would rather do romantic sweet things year-round, but this year I thought it would be nice to express my love for my family in a simple way.  I decided to spend a good part of the day making an extra-special meal for my family.  I usually cook good dinners, but they are easy and simple.  The fancier dinners are reserved for company or holidays.  Why not make a fancy dinner for my sweet little family?  Here's what we had (it was actually mostly a repeat of what I made Christmas Day, but we all love it!):

Chicken Caesar Lasagna

 

This lasagna recipe is over at my healthier blog (Stop Eating All The Chocolates).

Festive Winter Salad with Walnuts and Apples

1 pkg any European-style salad mix (I used organic mixed baby greens)

1 thinly sliced tart apple (I use any variety apple I have on hand)

1 pkg (4 oz) Blue Cheese, crumbled (or Gorgonzola)

1 cup walnut halves

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (white balsamic keeps the salad prettier)

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine salad, apples, walnuts and Blue Cheese.  Whisk together oil and vinegar; pour over salad.  Add salt and pepper to taste, then toss well.  Serve immediately.

Rosemary Asiago Rolls

 

8 frozen Bridgford Parkerhouse Rolls, thawed (I used Rhodes frozen rolls, can use homemade dinner roll dough too)

1/3 cup crumbled Asiago cheese

1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Lightly grease baking sheet.  Place thawed rolls on lightly floured board.  Top rolls with equal amounts of cheese and rosemary and knead lightly to mix in dough.  Brush rolls with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt.  Place on prepared baking sheet and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked and golden brown.

Powdered Sugar Pound Cakes with Chocolate Raspberry Ganache

I made our favorite Powdered Sugar Pound Cakes in my flower molds and combined them with the Chocolate Raspberry Ganache from the Chocolate-Raspberry Cookie Trifle recipe (melted semi-sweet chocolate chips, seedless raspberry jam, and a little half and half) - it was a delicious combination!

My family really loved and appreciated the extra effort that I put into our dinner.  I even got out the china to put it on and some goblets for our sparkling cider!

How do you express love with your food?  You can submit a Food is Love post through today (2/16) - stop by Savor The Thyme or The Naptime Chef for details and be sure to stop for Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam to check out all the delicious recipe links!

Have a terrifically tasty day friends!

10 Things I Find More Romantic Than Roses or Diamonds

Yes I know Valentine's Day is over and I hope you all had a lovely one as I did!  But I can't help wondering who declared that roses and diamonds are the only way to express romance?  I am not opposed to them mind you, but would rather get them some other time of year for no particular reason and even then they're really not at the top of my list of gifts to receive.

Here are 10 things that I think are much more romantic! 

1.  A lunch or coffee date.
2.  A homemade latte in bed to start my morning.
3.  An unexpected kiss.
4.  Pile of dishes washed for me after cooking a big dinner.
5.  Pile of laundry folded and put away for me.
6.  Holding hands.
7.  Chocolate, but just a little bit.
8.  Thrift store shopping together.
9.  An unexpected fancy coffee drink brought home for me.
10. Control of TV remote for at least an hour.

What do you think?  Are flowers and jewelry your favorite romantic items or does your list look more like mine?

Have a lovely day friends!

Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ Chocolate-Raspberry Cookie Trifle

 

It's Chocolate Friday again - Woo Hoo!  And I know.  You saw the title and now you're not even paying attention to what I'm saying - you're scrolling down to the pic so you can start drooling.  It's OK - I'll pretend like you're slowly and carefully reading my every word.  :)

Valentine's Day is almost here, but there is still time for you to do something crafty (I gave you some links to CUTE ideas yesterday) and to plan a yummy chocolatey dessert.  You could look through all my chocolate desserts and choose something OR you could try out this lovely recipe!  I recently ran across it in a Pampered Chef recipe book.  I HAD to make it and I'm pretty sure that the folks at our church potluck enjoyed it.

Now my hard-core everything-from-scratch friends will have to come up with their own fabulous version, but I know they can do it!  The rest of us can head to the store and enjoy our dessert a little sooner!  :)

  

Chocolate-Raspberry Cookie Trifle

1 cup milk
1 pkg (3.3 oz) white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling*
1 container (16 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1 box (12 oz) vanilla wafers, divided
1 cup milk chocolate morsels**
1 jar (12 oz) seedless raspberry jam, divided
1 bag (12 oz) frozen sweetened raspberries (not in syrup), thawed***

*I could not find white chocolate pudding AT ALL - I checked 3 grocery stores and hubs checked another 3.  I substituted cheesecake flavor pudding...yum.
**I used semi-sweet chocolate morsels...also yum.
***I used frozen raspberries, but they were unsweetened - no need for the sweetened.

1.  For filling, in mixing bowl combine milk and pudding mix; whisk until pudding mixture begins to thicken.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the whipped topping.  Gently fold remaining whipped topping into pudding mixture.  Cover and refrigerate.

2.  For ganache, combine chocolate morsels, reserved whipped topping and half of the jam in a small bowl.  Microwave on high 40-60 seconds or until melted, stirring after each 20-second interval.  Stir until smooth.  Reserve 1/4 cup for garnish.

3.  Place remaining jam into another bowl.  Microwave on high 30-60 seconds or until melted.  Place berries into bowl.  Pour jam over berries; stir gently.  Set aside 16 cookies for garnish; break remaining cookies in half.

4.  To assemble trifle, place one-third of the broken cookies into bottom of trifle bowl.  Layer one-third of the raspberry mixture over cookies.  Top with one-third of the pudding mixture and one-third of the ganache.  Repeat layers two more times, finishing with a smooth layer of ganache.

5.  Dip reserved whole cookies halfway into reserved ganache; place into top of trifle.

Yield: 16 servings

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I may have used a few less cookies on the top and made sure there was some extra ganache and a little whipped cream mixture left over so I could dip the cookies in both and sample, you know to make certain that this dessert was safe to consume because I am very safety-conscious like that.  ;)

This would be such a pretty Valentine's Day dessert!  You could even make individual servings by layering in glass dishes or goblets.  You could just make the ganache and serve it over ice cream with some raspberries.  Or you could just eat it right out of the bowl - I won't tell.

And now it's whose turn to bring some chocolate??  YOUR turn!  Bring those family-friendly chocolate posts on over here and link them up below!  And if you're reading this in a reader or before there are many links, you really should check back and visit the links.  There have been some outstanding chocolate desserts linked up and I wouldn't want you to miss out!

Happy Chocolate Friday!

Don't miss out on the chocolate - subscribe right here!

Crafty Valentine Links

I do apologize for getting my posts up late every day this week!  Being a West-coaster, I normally write my posts at night and schedule them to be up anywhere from midnight to 2 AM my time so East coast peeps will see them bright and early ('cause I know your day just isn't the same if you don't see a post from me first thing - HA).  This week, I've been too tired in the evenings to think straight and taking care of and entertaining my sick kiddo in the mornings.  But I assure you that Chocolate Friday will be up at midnight PST because it's THAT important.  :)

I am not such a crafty person.  I can be if I feel really inspired and force myself to actually take the time to sit down and do the craft, but that is a rare occurrence!  I seem to be surrounded by crafty people though and I have seen many a great Valentine craft online!  It's not too late to get crafty for Valentine's Day!  I'll share a few ideas with you now...

Easy and cute idea with candy and notes in a muffin tin from Cathy Heck:
Valentine Candy Love Note Muffins

Darling hearts and a Valentine Swag from Kathy at Blessed Beyond Imagination:
DIY Fabric Heart
Valentine Swag

A cute bird house, tissue carnations, and a Valentine pillow from my friend Kim at Homesteader's Heart:
Bird House Project
Carnations and Pillow

Sweet Love letters in a frame by Myra at My Blessed Life:
LOVE in a Frame

Decorated box of chocolates from Alyssa at Keeping the Kingdom First:
Decorated Chocolates Box

These are just a few - there are MANY more ideas out there in blogland!  Have you seen a cute idea or posted about one?  Leave the link in your comments!

I love all you crafty people - thanks for sharing your ideas with the rest of us!  :)  Have a lovely day and remember to come back for Chocolate Friday - it involves chocolate (OF COURSE) and raspberry which equals yum!

WFMW ~ Onion Shortcut

 

I do not enjoy chopping onions!  I know there are ways to cut down on the fumes so you don't cry - like keeping the onions cold and not cutting into the root, but I still don't enjoy the odors.  I do it anyway of course!  But I do have a product I use when I feel the need for an onion shortcut.

Frozen chopped onions work for me!  I love having these on hand.  Sometimes I only need a little onion in a recipe and sometimes I don't have a fresh onion on hand, and sometimes I just don't feel like chopping the onion - LOL!  These are just simply sweet Spanish onions that are chopped and frozen - nothing added.  I do find it very amusing that they have to show us that there are no trans fats as if there would be in onions!

These are kept frozen - I just throw some into soup right from the freezer or into the frying pan to saute slightly for a recipe.  I suppose you could do this yourself by finely chopping up onions, spreading them on a sheet to freeze and then bagging them.  This is just easier for me!

Stop by We Are THAT Family (she has the most excellent eggshell tip today) to find out what's working for everybody else today!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Wednesday friends!

What I Learned This Week

 

The main thing I learned this week?  That they don't make dishwashers like they used to!!

I'm joining up with Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife today to share the learning!  If you've learned anything lately (oh I'm SURE you have) then post about it and link it up at Jo-Lynne's place on Tuesdays!

In November, we finally got some new appliances that we'd been considering.  One of them was a new dishwasher.  I told hubs just to get a cheaper dishwasher as anything would be an upgrade compared to our old dishwasher.  He installed it ('cause he's super handy like that) right before Thanksgiving!  I used it and was enjoying it until...

The night before Christmas Eve the dishwasher made a loud pop and wouldn't wash.  It would fill and drain but no washing.  UGH.  No dishwasher for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  A kind brother-in-law actually washed the dinner dishes for me both days - thanks!  Hubs called about the dishwasher on Christmas Eve, was referred to a warranty repair line and finally got an appointment - for JANUARY 4.  That day the repairman came and informed us that our motor wasn't working (hello - stating the obvious).  He had to order from the manufacturer and it would be in in 2 weeks and then he'd schedule an appointment.

Finally, on January 20th (I KNOW), the new motor was installed.  I happily used the dishwasher with no problems!  A couple days later I started it up to run again, but it seemed to stay in the wash cycle for a very long time and then we started to smell burning plastic.  Yikes!  Wasn't coming from the motor or where the dishes were.  We narrowed it down to where the control panel is housed.  Looked online to discover several complaints of melted control panels and even fires!  Hubs called and of course had to call warranty repairs.  Got an appointment...for FEBRUARY 8!

So, guy came yesterday and said yeah, sounds like the control panel and it'll take 3-4 weeks to come in.  What???  Repair guy informed hubs that maybe he should consider returning it and spending more to get a different one.  Hubs had already called the store to try and return but they had said no because it had been past 30 days - told us we'd have to go through the manufacturer.  Repair guy got hubs sufficiently motivated to give it a shot.

Hubs uninstalled the dishwasher, took it to the store along with receipts and repair records.  He firmly but graciously asked them to do the stand-up thing and accept the return and that we'd actually spend more money to buy a better dishwasher.  Hubs would even take it and install it, saving them delivery hassles, etc.  They eventually said YES!  Woo Hoo!  So now there is a better (hopefully) dishwasher installed and I'll be trying it out this evening.

What did I learn?
~ Repair places are not motivated to do warranty repairs quickly - expect long time-frames for your appointments.
~ Don't buy the cheapest dishwashers or the most expensive ones.  Somewhere in the middle is the best value.
~ Don't be afraid to go and talk to a manager about making an exception for you.  YOU spent the money!  Remember - they are more likely to work with you if you speak respectfully rather than in an angry manner.
~ Buy the extended warranty for refrigerators and dishwashers as they have the most problems.  Sadly I saw complaints online about every make and model of dishwasher (no matter the price) with many issues showing up after 2 years.
~ They don't make dishwashers like they used to.  Our old one was still running after 19 years.  This new one?  I'll be very surprised if it's still around in 10.
~ I tell long stories.  Can't help it.  But I'm SURE you were on the edge of your seat wanting to hear every detail, right?!  :)

How old is your dishwasher?  Now be sure to stop at Musings of a Housewife to see what everybody else learned this week!

Valentine Cookies Winner

Thanks for entering my Valentine cookie giveaway this week!  Don't forget that you can stop by Kelly's Cookie Co. on Etsy and order Valentine cookies to be delivered to someone as a gift!

 

And the winner is...

@AMagicMommy 

Congratulations!!

Did you all remember to celebrate World Nutella Day yesterday?  I'll let you celebrate all weekend!  :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

World Nutella Day

Not only is it Chocolate Friday today (though it's usually Dessert Friday the first Friday of the month), but it's World Nutella Day!!  What a fun celebration!

World Nutella Day is hosted by Sara from Ms Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso.  This is actually the 4th one!  You really should stop over at the World Nutella Day site - there are so many great recipes there! 

 

Have you had Nutella before?  It's fantastic!  It is very dangerous though - hard not to keep eating it and it's definitely not low fat!  Or maybe you've tried another brand of chocolate hazelnut spread?  It's all good.

You might remember that I've participated in the Nutella Challenge at bell' alimento the past few months so I have been enjoying creating new Nutella recipes.

 

I created another one for you today!  It still scares me every time I try to do a recipe myself, but so far they have turned out well!  I really enjoy biscotti so I thought I should give Nutella biscotti a try.  At the same time, I wanted to test out using some healthier ingredients in my baking.  I'm happy with the result (and so is hubs)!

 

When you make biscotti, you separate it into two - I pressed almond slices into one half and sprinkled sparkle sugar onto the other half.

 

  

I decided this half needed to be drizzled with chocolate!

Nutella Biscotti

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

3 eggs

1 cup sugar (I used organic evaporated cane juice)

1/2 cup Nutella

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon almond extract

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

2 tablespoons sparkle sugar (optional)

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment (or grease).

2.  In large bowl, beat together oil, eggs, sugar, Nutella, and extracts until well blended.  In a separate bowl, combine the flours and baking powder; stir into egg mixture to form heavy dough.  Divide dough in half.  On prepared sheet(s), form each piece into a roll about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide.  Press on sliced almonds or sprinkle sparkle sugar if desired.  (I chilled the dough for about 20 minutes at this point just to make sure it was firm enough.)

3.  Bake for 25-30 minutes in preheated oven.  Remove from baking sheet to cool on wire rack.  When cool enough to handle, slice each roll diagonally into 1/2 inch slices.  Place the slices cut side up on cookie sheet(s) without parchment.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Turn slices over and bake for additional 5 minutes.  Cool on wire rack. 

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After that you can drizzle on some melted chocolate if you like.  I also think these would be great with chocolate chips or vanilla chips mixed into the dough.  What do you think?  After the fact, I did see that there are a few Nutella biscotti recipes on www.nutelladay.com so you may want to check those out for other variations.

You can always celebrate World Nutella Day by making any of the other Nutella recipes I've made:

Mini Nutella Cheesecakes

 

Nutella Popcorn

  

Nutella Bites

  

Nutella S'mores Cake

 

And you thought eating Nutella from the jar with a spoon was the only way to have it!  Party with Nutella today!  Stop over at World Nutella Day for lots of creative Nutella recipes and check out bell' alimento for Nutella challenge recipes!  I'm also linking this up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing beauty and Bedlam!

Let's keep celebrating by linking up some yumminess right here today!  If you have Nutella recipes, feel free to link them up, but you can also link up dessert recipes today, and of course any chocolate posts!  Come on - bring those links - the more the merrier!

Have a Nutellerrific day friends!  :)