UTTER DEVASTATION

i woke up hella early this morning to get my suburban bread dough on the go so i can make cheese rolls with my sibs this afternoon.

THIS:

has been my love for the last two years. not just because i've wanted a stand mixer for ages or because it's a pretty pink color, but because it is the first gift that honey bought for me -- in cahoots with my siblings, so it is significant AND useful to my baking addiction.

it has made countless cookies and cakes, and on several dicey occasions, turned out some loaves for the genpop. i've always been a little nervous about bread, since all cheeseboard recipes are double recipes, and often my machine groans (with dough popping out the sides) with the sheer effort of trying to knead the dough.

but no more. this morning, the suburban dough recipe did in my machine. with 1 minute to go in the 12-minute kneading cycle, something inside died, and the rotatey wheel stopped working. i cried (no joke -- i hate it when things break or get lost) and then i had honey look up how much it would cost to get my baby fixed. and while the repair shop is just across the street from the church office, the guy said it would be $69.99 in labor -- NOT including parts. online gripe sessions said that the artisan series is a bitch because it doesn't have all metal gears! the part that is broken inside is probably something called the worm gear -- made of nylon! which probably did pop from too much flour and starter. and would cost $80 to be replaced. who knows if that includes labor? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ...

so i'm mourning the death of my machine. and while we have already ordered a replacement:

on sale, with ALL metal gears and higher flour power and bigger bowl and the lifty mechanism, there will never be another big love pink machine for me.

case in point: if you are going to invest in a standmixer -- don't skimp. while the artisans come in so many delightful colors, they have nylon parts and will fry eventually. the professional 5 and 6 series have all metal parts and while different colors cost different amounts, at least it won't break your heart in two years.

or at least it better not.