Winter time - This time of year I don't know about making life better, but I do try to appreciate the little things that can make a day better, and say Thank You (maybe not out loud) The silly chickadee bringing a smile with it's antics in a shrub by my carport I would have missed if I hadn't chosen just that moment to take out the garbage- that baby in the back of a grocery cart who makes eye contact and gives a big grin for no reason other than wanting a smile back...all thank yous. Today, a bigger one. I've been arguing (negotiating) with the IRS since last May over what they said was a deficit in our 2003 taxes. Audit by mail, which meant countless phone calls, faxes, copies mailed, letters of explanation, and about every 6 weeks I'd get another bill where they were still unconvinced, penalties and interest accruing to about $4000 total. This morning, finally, a letter - "We are pleased to tell you we did not make any changes to the tax reported on your return." I almost feel like my honor has been restored, I'm not a deadbeat or a cheat. And for all my effort, I may just buy myself some extravagant little thing :)

We use the Lodge Logic cast iron griddle on our large center gas burner on the Caldera 36" . You can't tell the difference at all from cooking a steak or fish or chicken outdoors and using this grill pan. It is so perfect. The only thing is that the taste is WAY better than outdoors if you use charcoal. If you have a gas grill they aren't as hot as the Caldera and so don't give as good a result. My son is a pro chef and he was astounded at the flavor of the meats that we do on the LL pan and the smoky taste is amazing.Way more tender and flavorful and no mess at all if you have a good hood ( see below) If you look at the cost of the grill pan and then see the grill on the stove that is built in and also think of not being able to then have the burners to use for other cooking , then it makes way more sense to have the LL than a built in. As to vents . You need to get more CFM than you need. I have 1400 for that reason. The laws of physics come into play and the turbulence in the duct -work when you use it on high sends the HOGS back at you ( heat,odors,grease,steam) . So you need to have more than you think you will need...allow for height of hood and width ( do not have to have wider than cook surface ) but allow for this in extra cfm and length of duct run. I think that covers it. You have to think of your venting WAY before you look at the cook top...at the very least at the same time. Do not get a grill and then never use it due to the stink. Hope this helps. Look at the pro hoods from Tradewind. Google Tradewind liners...you will not be sorry. Mine is quiet and very efficient. c

Let's see.....I had a regular run of the mill Kenmore gas stove and did a bunch of research for my "dream" kitchen remodel. The oven floor of the Kenmore rusted out (darned the bad luck) so I had to replace it. I got a DCS 30" all gas model with five burners (all simmer, all 15,000 BTU but the center burner is 17,500 BTU - they don't make this configuration any more). Since then, I find I'm cooking more and am able to produce a better quality of food because my pans get hotter quicker. The recovery is quicker; not just for pasta but anything where you add to the pot/pan. So....yes.....the improved hardware makes me a better cook. I also have a portable induction (1800 watt) and find it's not as "fast" as my gas burners. It has it's advantages and I find the heat to be best suited to my pressure cooker. Your mileage may vary.

It's a personal decision and nobody - and I mean NOBODY - should push advice one someone dealing with cancer. It's her decision and hers alone. Thanks for sharing your experience, Chloe. I don't think anyone's pushing. I agree that it's a personal decision; when my co-worker chose a lumpectomy + radiation over a mastectomy and no radiation, it's not what I would have chosen, but that wasn't relevant. We arrive at our personal decisions by weighing information, and I think the experiences shared in this thread represent valuable information. I've printed them out and given them to her without comment--in fact, since she and I work different shifts, I simply left them on her desk. I have no idea at this point how she is (or isn't) going to proceed with treatment.