Every Cloud has a Silver Lining

My food processor died a week or two ago. If you had ever spent much time at my house, you would realize that this is a major catastrophe. I use my food processor all the time. To be fair, my old one was a total cheapo model and had lasted many years beyond what it probably should have. But when the day finally came, and I realized we had chopped our last onion together, I couldn't help but feel a little sad.

I became even more sad when I went to the mall to look for a replacement. I decided I should probably buy a slightly nicer one this time around, considering how much use it gets, but it seemed that there was very little middle ground - you could either get a piece of crap for $40 at Target, or a nice one elsewhere starting at about $150. The nicest ones I saw in the shops I visited were the 12-cup KitchenAids, which were going for $200. Ouch!

Well, my dear friend Kristina, obviously smarter than I, suggested that I try eBay. I followed her advice and was thrilled to find - and purchase - that $200 KitchenAid for a mere $90 - brand new!!! Including shipping, which wasn't cheap, I paid $120, but still, this was a huge savings over the prices I'd seen in the brick-and-mortar shops where I live, and I was going to be able to have the Rolls Royce of food processors.

My new baby arrived today. Behold its splendor...

Anticipation...

The accessories have their own storage bin!

Viola! (It feels like such a cliche to have that cookbook in the background.)

This thing is so incredibly heavy, I decided it would have a permanent home on the countertop (unlike my previous food processor), which necessitated a complete countertop and drawer overhaul. I'm not completely satisfied with the way things ended up; I think I need to buy some drawer organizers and maybe a tiered fruit bowl... we don't have a ton of counterspace... but for the most part things are good.

All the washable parts are being sterilized in the dishwasher now in anticipation of a good workout tonight. Hooray!

Oh, and in case you are wondering, the three of us seem to be getting healthier. I kept Carlos home from preschool this morning because he's still fairly snotty - we're all sneezing and coughing still, but Matt's up and around (he'd spent the last few days on the couch) and we're functioning on a level much closer to normal than we had been for the past few days.