Arezab, I would love to hear your opinion of your new range once you've had a chance to use it. I have been very pleased with my electric Jenn Air downdraft range (original to house, so appx 20 years old), and planned to replace it with a dual fuel model. (Gas lines already exist.) Downdraft on my electric cooktop has done a terrific job - no complaints at all. However, I am concerned about the impact of the downdraft on the gas burners - simple physics indicate at least some impact on flame, whereas that was a non-issue with the electric burners. I am also curious to know if you feel the quality is still as good. Many have reported since Whirlpool purchased the Jenn Air brand, it is just not the same product. Good luck with your remodel. Hope to hear your opinions, once your new range is up and running!

I finally got around to trying the fried cucumbers tonight. I've been thinking about it ever since this thread was first posted, wanting to try it, yet almost afraid it would be a waste of time & food, that they would be awful. Well, guess what. I LOVE them! ! ! When I had the oil heating and the cukes sliced & ready, I discovered I was out of flour. But I did have some mix for beer batter. I mixed it 2 parts mix to 1 part stone ground corn meal. Used it dry, just coated the slices with it and fried until a light golden brown and kind of crispy. Delicious! I will definitely be making them again! Thanks for posting about them, Marilyn Sue! It's always fun learning new things here! Rusty

I just tried a simmering potpourri for the first time and it made the whole house smell so Christmas-y! I had fresh peel from my breakfast orange, so I put it in a saucepan w/ water, a couple of broken up cinnamon sticks and a spoonful of whole cloves & put it on the stove over low heat. It's still going right now & I'll definitely do it again. I also get the free trimmings from HD and arrange them around the house, since our tree is vintage aluminum. They don't sell balsam, though & that's the most fragrant, IMO.

I've had an 11" MacBook Air for five years. DH decided he wanted to upgrade from his iPad to my Mac (when we travel blogging on the iPad is a challenge). I like the MacBook so much that I decided to replace the 11" with a 12" ( the 11" is no longer available). The 12" weighs slightly less than the 11" and has retina display. The overall size is thinner and perhaps a little smaller (the screen, however, is the same size, I believe). We're partial to the smaller ones because they easily fit into our luggage and also work well for us at home. We were PC users and reluctant to switch to Apple but our kids convinced us and, hate to say it, but they were right. Fewer problems and user friendly. No experience with Quicken.