FauxPas

And here's the All-Clad site link to the Prep&Cook: http://www.all-clad.com/prepandcook And at Amazon, the Prep&Cook is only $999.95. Ha. But interesting to see something is available through some of the usual retail channels. I would be interested in hearing what people think of this product.

Oh, that is really too bad. I do hope he is feeling better soon!

Whew, don't mean to overwhelm you @Kerry Beal but apparently friends and relatives have a huge willingness to share their Ottawa recommendations. Some repeats here but again some new ones:

@Kerry Beal, even a few more suggestions to add to the last list. My friend wanted to add some suggestions for breakfast and lunch, as well as her earlier ones for dinner. And she wanted to add one more for a dinner suggestion:

@Kerry Beal, here's another list from my good friend in Ottawa. I see some familiar names but also a couple of new ones! Yes, I have some great recommendations! - North and Navy - $$$$ (Nepean St) Awesome food. Can be loud. 613.232.6289 - Bar Laurel (1087 Wellington St) - very funky/trendy cocktail and microbrewery beers and the most amazing appetizers primarily. They hAve a few mains - seems to be the 25-40 crowd, but well worth a visit for the food. We shared 6 appetizers and 2 beers each for @$100 - and we considered it well spent. $$ - $$$ 613.695.5558 - Riviera (62 Sparks Street) New, and gets rave reviews/ had to cancel on Saturday so haven't been yet. Got a full page review in Mar 25th Globe and Mail - $$$$ 613.233.6262 - the Green Door for the most amazing vegetarian food - very casual, and not set up for large groups (198 Main Street). Food is by weight. A large serving might be $15+ . Their food is remarkable - not a romantic setting, though I think you can purchase wine - check on that, though. - Carben Food + Drink - 1100 Wellington St. "Asian-inflected modern Canadian cuisine w dessert chef who can steal the show" 613.792.4000 - Datsun (380 Elgin St) - very casual, great food. No reservations, always a line up. 613.422.2800 - El Camino (right beside Datsun) - very casual, big hit (but we have not been so cannot comment). Line ups. - the Pomeroy House (749 Bank Street) - $$$$ - Stylish, modern, ie, for dessert: Meyer lemon tart w chèvre mousse 613.237.1658 - the Rowan (915 Bank St) - Classic modern - owned by the Fraser brothers (Fraser Cafe - great but small and east of downtown in New Edinburgh) 613.780.9292 - The Whalesbone Elgin (231 Elgin Street) "loud restaurant w big-flavoured food. Quirky casual" 613.505.4300

I have friends and family in Ottawa but haven't been there in a few years, so I'm overdue for a visit. Just checked with my cousin who lives in Wakefield, Quebec and who used to spend a lot more time in downtown Ottawa before he retired. Here are his thoughts. I rarely get into downtown Ottawa so my favourite restaurants are somewhat dated. But here are some suggestions, no guarantees: - Beckta, just south of downtown, used to be the best in town - Absinthe, in the west end, ok if going to the Great Canadian Theatre Company but out of the way - Whalesbone or Whalebone Oyster House – good fish restaurants south of downtown area - Chez Lucien – a favourite funky little restaurant east of the market area with ok food, try the steaks - Courtyard – in the market area along with many other restaurants, used to be good - Metropolitan Brasserie – central, east across the street from the Chateau Laurier - Vineyards Wine Bar Bistro – downstairs in the market area, easy jazz many weekday nights with acceptable food - Riviera – new on the Sparks St mall, should be good since the cooking team has two other good restaurants, El Camino and Datsun.

@sartoric, thank you so much for that and I think a few others here will appreciate reading your methods also! And it ALL looks delicious!

I did a spaghetti squash in the IP last autumn and it was overdone and completely mushy - I could hardly detect the strands at all for some sections. I can't remember how long I cooked it and didn't write it down because I decided I would prefer to cook them in either oven or microwave in future. Oven cooking might be best for me because I'm fussy about the right texture and it is easy to monitor the doneness by periodic testing in the oven. But if we get quite a few spag squash in our CSA box this Fall, I might give the IP another try.

I really need to try it! @Anna N has also recommended it to me!

@sartoric, this looks delicious (as do all of your Indian meals). I'm wondering if you follow a recipe for your tomato chutney and if you can share? That dosa looks beautiful, too!

Oh come now, there must be a few grapes left on the vine for icewine. Hahaaha That still counts as a fruit harvest, doesn't it?

I hope you will share some of the details of this labour of love, @chromedome. It sounds like it will be quite a challenge. And I'm sorry to hear about your father. I hope your mom is coping OK.

Well, it was Ground beef and Green peas, right?

Anna, I put it in a big bowl with a bit of water and microwave it for a couple of minutes. Then drain and put in freezer bags. And yeah, it's perfect for things like lasagne or soups.

It wasn't that i couldn't distinguish the taste, it was my memory or my typing. I typed 'tomato' even while thinking 'peppers'.

Agreed, and this was the weakest part of the pizza for us. My husband called it cardboardy and too thin and flat and I think I would agree. And yet I really like a thin crust at times. But I would encourage people to at least give it a try. It's not expensive and if the toppings appeal, it may not be a bad thing to have in your freezer in a pinch. The toppings weren't bad.

Mine is so BORING! But I grabbed some ground beef along with several unlabeled items in freezer bags. I put the blueberries back, ha. But also had some frozen mixed peppers I had chopped up, some frozen cooked Rancho Gordo pinto beans and some tomatoes that I had steam-baked, peeled and then froze. Also had some frozen spinach (leftover from a huge bag or two of fresh baby spinach from Costco). I thought about lasagne, but decided on a slow cooked chili since I had stuff to do this afternoon and put the spinach back in the freezer. So beef and beans work for the basic challenge, right? I only have a top freezer here but it gets filled fast because there's a big ice maker in there. I love my ice and put it in water, milk, extra in chocolate milk and use lots for iced teas. I also put lots of ice in wine - both red and white and some of you may stop reading right now and vow never to share vino with me. Here's the Instant Pot photo. I'm sure it will look more appetizing in a bowl with some cheese and fresh tomato or something. I'm pretty sure it's going to taste good, though.

We recently tried the Pizza Greco Roman and neither of us thought it was worth a repeat. It was just barely OK overall, though the toppings (kalamata olives, feta, tomato) weren't terrible. Edited to add: I think the final topping was peppers, not tomatoes! The TJ's Battered Halibut makes very decent fish tacos if you are rushed for time but want something with a bit of colour. Here is last night's dinner, using the TJ's halibut. Some homemade Pico de Gallo, Mexican crema, and shredded cabbage (from a coleslaw mix, ha). Heat up the tortillas and serve with some hot sauce. Not bad!

I hope you'll let us know how you like it!

I have never used a Max Burton, but I have a single-element Aroma induction model. It's only 1500 watts and really can't compare to the full stovetop elements at all. The Aroma (which I still use occasionally) is underpowered and doesn't heat the outer edges of pans nearly as well as the stovetop ones.

I should add that I bought that Kenmore induction range in Canada. At the same time, they were selling an Electrolux that looked very similar in some ways and the Kenmore looked like a stripped-down version. Still, it had everything I wanted. And I have to say that the broiler on mine works just fine, in contrast to the CR video. One of the rear burners does lack power, but I tend to use it for simmering and it works perfectly in that context. Mine also has a warming area. I've been really pleased with it.

I would pick induction over regular electric glass-top in a heartbeat. The clean up is so much easier, the speed of heating, the lack of extra heat in warm weather. I can't think of any reason to stay with the regular one. There might be a chance of getting a faulty circuit board or something but that should usually show up within the warranty period. The Kenmore model you link to is very similar to the one I have in our other house, though mine is a couple of years old. I bought it just before they introduced the newer model and so they reduced the price to $900 or so. It was a great deal. I bought the 5 year extended warranty (which I would very rarely do) because the extra $200 or so would be less than the cost of most repairs and if I don't use the warranty, I can apply the cost of it against a future purchase at Sears. @weedy, I believe the Kenmore model was (is) actually manufactured by Electrolux.

@JoNorvelleWalker, It's really annoying, isn't it? Amazon's prices can fluctuate quite a bit and you really have to check different colours on products because sometimes one colour will be considerably less than others. That is certainly the case with these spoons. When I checked all the colours, the prices varied from $16 to $33 with a couple in between. Amazon price trackers like Camel Camel Camel (camelcamelcamel.com) can be useful to see how a product's price has fluctuated over time. Some observers suggest that Amazon prices increase just before they can be 'reduced' for Black Friday and Christmas 'sales.' I haven't followed enough products to notice that. Here is your spoon's price data (the orange one). http://camelcamelcamel.com/GIR-Premium-Silicone-Ultimate-Inches/product/B00OLDSDXS

How much did this duck weigh, if you remember?

Thanks, @chefmd! I took advantage of this to save 10%. A little Xmas gift to myself, ha. Thanks for sharing!