Wednesday, February 1, 2012

soup & stitch & why the dishwasher wasn't working


Last night I made a favorite spicy, sort of Indian-tasting recipe called Gypsy Soup (recipe below). For some reason I was organized enough to serve it before we sat down so it could cool down. Although my husband's trick of adding ice cubes works, too. For some other reason I remembered that I'd been wanting to try out the candlelight mode on the camera. Looks sort of like peasant food, doesn't it, but without the rustic bread -- which would've been really good with this by the way.


This morning, waiting for the dishwasher repairman to arrive, I practiced some frankenstitch. Love this stitch, it could make the most fabulous patches. I can think of two places to use it right off the top of my head.


I may as well pass on what the dishwasher repairman told me, in case anyone else has the same problem. There was nothing wrong with the dishwasher even though a film has been coating our glasses & dishes and even the inside of the dishwasher for many months now. The deal is, companies have eliminated phosphates from their formulas because phosphates are being banned state-by-state. Wonderful for the environment but not that great for cleaning dishes. He said nowadays the dishwasher soap is basically baking soda and enzymes. And he gave me a few tips on how to have a better outcome. I have to write them down before I forget. Heck, I'll do it right here. 1) clean the build-up on the inside of the dishwasher by running empty through a cleaning cycle with a cup of vinegar poured on the bottom, do this twice. 2) Use purchased product to remove film. 3) Use citric acid. 4) Buy commercial dishwasher soap because it still has phosphates 5) Try Finish. The type of water may also affect how cloudy the outcome is. He said that dishwasher sales had risen because so many people thought their dishwashers weren't cleaning. We still had to pay for the service call but now we know. Anyone else noticing this happening?

Gypsy Soup
(Eat, Drink, and Be Chinaberry Cookbook & The Moosewood Cookbook)

Before beginning, you will need 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (3/4 cup raw, soaked and boiled)

In soup pan or large saucepan, saute for 5 minutes:
3-4 T. olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 cups, peeled, chopped sweet potato/winter squash
1/2 cup chopped celery

Add and simmer, covered for 15 minutes:
2 t. paprika
1 t. turmeric
1 t. basil
1 t. salt
1 bay leaf
dash of cinnamon
dash of cayenne 

Add and simmer for another 10-20 minutes:
1 cup chopped fresh tomato (I used canned last night)
3/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
3 cups stock or water
1 T. tamari

24 comments:

  1. So glad to get this info about the dishwasher. I thought something was wrong with mine as well. Everything has a gritty white coating!

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  2. That soup looks good, thanks for the recipe,I have everything I need to make it today. Although it's summer and hot, I still like to eat soup, especially something spicy..thanks Peggy.

    Beginning to dry out nicely here too thanks.

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  3. Yummy sounding soup, must try that.
    Will keep my eye on the dishwasher, thanks for the tip.
    I do use white vinegar to defur my kettle, must try it with the dish washer too....
    I was looking through an old knitting magazine today and there was a pattern for little hearts, much like the knitted hexies, though no doubt two halves rather than knitted in one go.
    Driving home, sat in heavy traffic ........the thought came to mind............wonder what a little rug of hearts would look and feel like?!

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  4. Lovely table setting and yummy looking soup...I adore and practically live on soup...thanks for the recipe.
    The frankenstitch looks very much like darning...yes it does have many possibilities.
    My repair man also told me that using Tang is a great way to clean the dishwasher...he told me not to tell his company that he told me this...I feel like I am not braking a promise by telling you here :)

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  5. Peggy, after cleaning my dishwasher very thoroughly, I now use Finish to wash the dishes and add one cup of vinegar to the last wash cycle. Everything comes out shiney clean!!

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  6. Thanks for the tip on the dishwasher. I thought it was from our hard water. You also solved my dilema as to what to fix for dinner! I love the frakenstitch. Have a great evening.

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  7. i made this soup last week! it's in my old Moosewood cookbook. i cheated & used a can of garbanzo beans. thanks for the dishwasher tips.

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  8. love the runner on your candle lit table. been in this house for 23 years. have never used the dishwasher. i love to wash dishes.

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  9. Saraz, I am so glad you came by! It's just so weird that we didn't read about the change in the soap, isn't it?

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  10. Nanette, you're welcome and I'm glad to hear the weather changed for you. Hope you like the soup, we sure do!

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  11. Lyn, I think a rug of knitted hearts would be fabulous, what a great idea! I bet you could adjust the shape of the pattern from a hexagon to a heart shape, it's so nice to do them in one go. You know? Just follow the same increase/decrease as the heart, using 3 needles. You should! I hope you do!

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  12. Mo'a, you're welcome, so easy to make this one.

    Yes, you're right, it is sort of a very orderly darning stitch!

    So funny, because my repairman also mentioned Tang! He said that citric acid is what Tang is. That's a hoot!

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  13. Happy Weaver Pat! Wow, did you have the same problem? Finish must be the answer, glad to know that! Thanks.

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  14. Jeannie, oh wow I wonder how many people have this problem and can't figure out what the heck is going on! Of course, the repairman did mention the hardness of water being a factor, so ....we can't be sure, I guess. ;-) Hope you like the soup!

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  15. Cindy, this is crazy. The Moosewood Cookbook was my cooking bible for many years. It's in four pieces now. (The new edition with the fat reduced is of no value to us.) Anyway, there it is! I don't know which cookbook I started making the soup out of, but obviously Chinaberry's is from Moosewood. Ha!
    Thanks for mentioning that.

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  16. Deanna, thank you, the runner is from Cost Plus I'm embarrassed to say, I wish I could say I made it.

    Washing dishes. I like to, too, sort of. Sometimes. Actually I have been washing lots of them with this soap film on all the glasses for many months now! What do you put in your dishwasher? It could be used for something really cool I bet. ;-)

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  17. yes, the new moosewood-ugh. it took out my favorite recipe- the cranberry apple walnut cake! i have that chinaberry one too, but had forgotten about it, thank you.

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  18. Peggy I made the soup and it's delicious. I didn't have any cayenne..or basil, but don't really like basil, so didn't matter...so I used lemon myrtle and pepperberry seasoning. This is a bushtucker/native food seasoning, and has a lovely pungent peppery flavour. I just read the info blurb with it, says the pepperberries will add purple flecks to moist foods if left to sit a while, so I must try dyeing with it.

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  19. Love the candlelight and that stitch! Don't have a dishwasher, but when I did I used it as a drying rack...I've always hand washed my dishes (I like it too Deanna)

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  20. Ah, dishwashers. Our repairman also told us that most people use WAY to much detergent. 1 Tablespoon is enough. Lemonade flavored Kool-aid, the kind with no sugar or artificial sweetener added, is also good for cleaning things (no dye in that one). Remember, Peggy, when we learned that you could dump a packet in the tank of the toilet and it would keep it clean? I bet it is citric acid. And when it's on sale 10 for a $1, that's a pretty cheap cleaner. I might have to try that in the dishwasher!

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  21. Jo, yeah, I've been using 2 tsp. -- you're right, it's the citric acid, I think I have a bottle in the cupboard from when I made my own dogfood. Kool-Aid, Tang -- no wonder they destroy tooth enamel, powerful stuff!

    Happy Imbolc.

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  22. Nanette, so glad you like it! Interesting about the pepper berries, I think there's a wine with the name Pepper Berry...? Purple flecks could be really beautiful on cloth and white cheeses, maybe. Eco-dyed cheese!

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  23. Nancy, now that is one great idea. Use it as a drying rack. That's part of the reason it's a hassle to hand wash dishes in my kitchen. We seem to have so many dishes that they take up half the counterspace to dry. But if the dishwasher was always empty, everything could dry in there. Imagine that, using the drying racks as drying racks. Why does this excite me and what does that say about me? ;-)
    Thanks!

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  24. Yum! I want to try this recipe.
    The candlelight picture looks very warm and inviting and romantic too!
    <3

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