Microwave, Oh Microwave

I know I mentioned some time ago about receiving my first microwave for Christmas about 1980 and not being able to sleep Christmas Eve because I wanted one so badly but wasn't sure I would get one.  Oh I loved that machine when it finally arrived at my house!!  (Dan had stored it at my friend Sue's house and when I called to retrieve it Christmas morning, her husband playfully disavowed all knowledge and hung up!) 

I know many people think microwaves are not real kitchen equipment, but I beg to differ.  Over the years, I'd say I've reheated thousands of cups of tea and coffee because I seem to drink a little, set my cup down for an hour or so and then want more, so for that reason alone a microwave is a necessity for me.  I have several microwave recipes that I've used for years, including one for coffee cake that was in the wonderful recipe book (hardbound!) that came with my first microwave.  When the kids were growing up, we had it many a Sunday morning before church because it cooks in only seven minutes and is totally yummy.  And then there are its reheating qualities.  Need I say more?

When we moved to the house before this one, Dan bought me a new microwave one Mother's Day. I had been longing for an over-the-range one so precious counter space could be freed up, and it did just that, to my joy.   

That first over-the-range microwave was moved to this house and then replaced about thirteen years ago when it wore out.  That one lasted until noon yesterday, when it died with a loud buzz.  REALLY loud. SCARY loud. Since we were in the middle of lunch and planning to use it to finish parts of said lunch, we came to the immediate conclusion that whatever plans we had for the afternoon were null and buying a new microwave was first up.  It was readily apparent that we could not function in our kitchen without one.

And here, let me say that our kitchen is no HGTV showroom.  Our cupboards are old and in need of redoing (I long for painted cupboards with bead board insets), and our appliances are, well, um, bisque, not stainless steel, black, or even white.  Yes, we are hopelessly lost in the eighties.  But I like it that way! Stainless steel appliances seem so cold and industrial, and when I've seen them in real kitchens, they have fingerprints on them.  I don't know about you, but I have better things to do than buff my appliances every day. And white? Too stark.  Black?  Too dark and dreary. So, bisque (lighter than the old almond) is perfect for me, even though I know its days are long past.

So, when we set off to purchase our new appliance, I told Dan sadly that this was probably going to be the start of a whole new set of appliances because I am not a fan of mismatched ones.  In our poorer days we had been there, done that, and hopefully we are long past those days.  You can imagine my delight when we found the microwave section of our local appliance store and there were actually two bisque models on display!  Yes! One was a newer model of the one we were replacing and it was even on sale for less than the cheaper model. Only one problem--we had to buy the display model because it was the last one.  

Oh, therein lay what turned out to be the source of our most frustrating installation ever.  The box for our new toy was missing along with the instructions, etc.  They made photocopies for us using ones from the new (white) one they would put on display, but important templates, including one that was part of the box were overlooked.  They were good enough to bring one set of missing instructions out to us but missed the template that was on the box.  One more trip by us to the dealer finally landed that template and we were in the hole-drilling business. (Wouldn't you think that top models of the same brand would mount the same way?  But no, a whole new bracket was needed, with new holes in the wall and cabinet above.  Can we say Swiss cheese?)

Let's just say that all did not go smoothly and let it go. But, finally, at nine o'clock last night, with help from Dan's friend Dennis for the final installation (those over-the-range microwaves are very heavy and awkward), we had liftoff. Dan retired to his recliner for a well deserved rest and I set about restoring order to my kitchen.  And here is our new microwave in all its glory.

Looks just right.  ♥