I would assert (probably have done so before -- heh) that a downdraft by its very nature cannot be effective against the nature of cooktop effluent flow. You want to let the rising effluent carry itself to the collecting aperture, not try to induce the rising effuent to reverse direction, when the downdraft's air velocity over the cooktop is much less than the 3 ft/s upward velocity that the effluent can have. Some things are good ideas when they were ideas, but don't prove out in practice. This type of downdraft was never a good idea. I would certainly go out the wall from a hood placed in the space presently occupied by the microwave oven as suggested by eandhi. I would block the downdraft air passage and re-trim the exterior wall as required. The only downside to this approach is that one has to find room for a microwave oven somewhere else in return for greasy vapor removal. I think the trade is a good one. And the new microwave's electronics will appreciate not being roasted. kas

Here it is as written: SLOW COOKER PIZZA: 1 (16oz.) pkg of wide egg noodles 1 1/2#'s ground beef or turkey 1/4 chopped onion 1 (26oz.) jar of spaghetti sauce 1 (4 1/2oz.) can drained mushrooms 1 1/2tsp. italian seasoning 1 (3 1/2oz.) pkg of sliced pepperoni, cut in halves 3 C. shredded mozzarella cheese 3 C. shredded cheddar cheese Basically cook noodles and drain. Cook hamburger & onion, stir in mushrooms, sp. sauce, seasoning. In 5Qt. slow cooker, layer in thirds,,meat sauce, noodles, pepperoni, cheese. Do this 2 more times. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. I have a 5.5 Qt ceramic lasagna dish I can make it in. Any idea of time or temp.???? Thanks.

This dish, Tacchino Tonnato, is more of a summery dish, but it is simply the best turkey breast I've ever eaten. It's Julia Child's adaptation of the classic roast-veal-in-tuna-sauce, vitello tonnato, in which she substitutes turkey breast for the hard to find and expensive veal roast. (Turkey breast is much cheaper and more tender, and it works very well.) You may wish to save this recipe for next summer. This really is ideal for hot weather, especially for a luncheon for several people. You make the entire recipe a day or two in advance: the day of the luncheon, all you have to do is take the dish out of the fridge and, if desired, decorate it a bit. You can serve this dish with a salad, or make sandwiches with it, or just eat it plain. Delicious. If you don't like capers, leave them out; it'll still taste great. I'm reproducing the recipe exactly as Julia has it, but I would note that when I made it I found that the Dijon mustard tended to overpower the other ingredients; even though she calls for 2 to 3 tablespoons, I'd start with only 1 tablespoon and add a little more if needed. (I know it takes chutzpah to overrule Julia, but there you have it.) While it calls for poached turkey breast (and her directions for poaching a turkey breast follows the sauce recipe) if you just want to try out the sauce, you can 'cheat' and go to the deli and get several slices of precooked turkey breast and use that. (I've done that; works great, although it ends up costing about three times as much as poaching a turkey breast on your own.) She makes the point that you don't serve it as sliced turkey with a sauce on the side; you need to smear each slice with the sauce and let the slices absorb the flavors for a day or two. You can make the sauce in either a blender or a food processor. If you have a food processor, though, the sauce is extremely easy to make. In fact, my Cuisinart has a push-tube with a hole in it that is designed to drip oil at just the right speed for emulsifying with the other ingredients. Don't be intimidated by the recipe--for the most part, you dump everything in the processor and let it do the work. If you can make mayonnaise in the blender or the food processor, you can easily make this recipe. Tacchino Tonnato from Julia Child's The Way to Cook (Cold Sliced turkey breast in tuna and anchovy sauce) For 8 or more servings 1 - 7 oz tin (1 cup) tuna packed in water, drained 1 - 2oz tin of flat fillets of anchovies packed in olive oil, drained One-fourth cup capers, squeezed dry The grated peel of one half lemon 2 to 3 tbsp Dijon-type prepared mustard (you may wish to start with just one and add more if needed) 1 large clove of garlic, pureed, then mashed to a very fine paste with one-fourth tsp salt 4 egg yolks 1 to 1 1/2 cups or more virgin olive oil Drops of lemon juice Salt and freshly ground white pepper One 6-pound poached turkey breast (recipe follows this one) or 16 to 20 generous but thin slices of cooked turkey breast Decorations: 1/3 cup capers, drained; coarsely chopped parsley; lemon wedges The sauce. Puree the tuna, anchovies, capers, lemon peel, mustard and garlic paste in the machine, then add the egg yolks and puree several seconds, until the mixture has thickened. Finally, with the motor running, start adding the oil in a very thin stream of droplets, and continue without pause until three-fourths of a cup of oil has gone in and the sauce has thickened into a heavy cream. It will not be as thick as mayonnaise, but should hold itself in creamy suspension. Process in one-half cup more of oil, depending on how thick a sauce you wish to have. Season carefully to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper; the sauce should have character, but should not be too strong in taste or it will kill off the turkey. Slicing the turkey. If you are using a poached turkey breast, discard the skin. Carefully remove in one piece the whole side of each breast from the carcass. Cut the meat at a slant crosswise (across the grain) into elegant slices less than 1/8 inch thick. Assembling. Spoon a layer of sauce in the bottom of a serving platter, and arrange the turkey on top, spreading each slice with a coating of sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours before serving. Serving. Let the platter sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to take off the chill. Meanwhile sprinkle on the capers and parsley, and decorate with lemon wedges. Poached Turkey Breast Set up a 6-pound bone-in breast of turkey breast up in a kettle just large enough to hold it comfortably, surround it with 1 cup each of chopped carrots, onions and celery, and a large herb bouquet. Pour in 2 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup of dry white French vermouth or dry white wine, and enough water to cover the breast by 1/2 inch. Bring to the simmer on top of the stove; skim off the gray scum, which will continue to rise for several minutes. Salt lightly, then cover the pot loosely and maintain at the bare simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, adding a little boiling water if the liquid evaporates to expose the turkey. It's done when a meat thermometer, pushed in to the thickest part of the meat near the shoulder (but not touching bone) reads 162 to 165 F. Let the turkey cool in its broth for at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate uncovered; when chilled, remove the turkey to a covered container.

Oy vey, braised chicken breast shanks anyone?! A classic example of how my "eye for details" NOT gets me in big trouble. I pulled out of the freezer what I thought was a big ol' hunk of frozen turkey thighs, and put it in a bowl of water to thaw while I made some cookies. Now I see that I have thawed three chicken breasts, which I had bought for a totally different purpose! Now I have to make them for dinner either tonight or tomorrow night, and tomorrow (Thanksgiving) BF and I had planned on dining on roast chicken! So that means I either have to make the turkey tomorrow and BF will have to have a less than favored meal for Thanksgiving, or serve chicken for dinner two nights in a row. LUCKILY, BF is a paragon of patience and tolerance, and a man who, in his own words, "knows what he likes and sticks with it" so I think it may be chicken both days. Just yesterday he told me that he could eat chicken for dinner every night of the week. I don't know if he was being sarcastic or not, be careful what you wish for! M-rivergirl you got that right! I don't know what I would do anymore without BF to help me keep track of my keys, shoes, mail and other necessities of life. On the plus side, I bring excitement into his life! :) And I may not have an eye for details, but I can remember the name of that movie, you know the one, with that actor, you know the one who is on that TV show, you know the one with that blonde actress that he likes . . . C'mon, you must know what I am talking about!! If I ever do manage to make the turkey thighs, I think I will use the Julia Child approved recipe linked below, with maybe some dried mushrooms thrown in that I have in the pantry. Then I can serve it with this apple-mustard braised kale recipe in my "to try" folder. Here is a link that might be useful: Braised lamb shanks