FauxPas

I also use bamboo spoons. I specifically bought them because they can be washed in the dishwasher. They hold up pretty well.

There are bootleggers around. If I find some at the liquor store then yes, FauxPas. Oysters for sure. Prince Edward Distillery (near Souris?) makes potato vodka, I wanted to visit them but didn't make it! http://www.princeedwarddistillery.com/home.php?page=home

Ooohhhh, love PEI! Will there be Malpeque oysters? Island-made potato vodka? I know there will be lobster! Such lovely beaches in that area. I was in Atlantic Canada for a couple of months last Summer/Fall. A month of that was on PEI (in Cumberland, just south of Charlottetown) but I wish it could have been longer.

As jrshaul says, ceramic and silicon seem to be the basis for the newer cookware. I found an article at How Things Work that gave a decent little overview of the history of nonstick cookware: http://home.howstuffworks.com/nonstick-cookware.htm I've heard all the worries about Teflon-type products and the toxic fumes they can release at higher temps, so wouldn't mind getting away from them, but the newer products are a bit confusing. The brands mentioned in the link include Thermolon, ScanPan and Ceramica. The little bit of research I have done (searching Amazon, for example) seem to suggest limited satisfaction with the quality of the newer nonstick cookware. I'd love to know if there is anything really new that satisfies discriminating cooks.

Paper-based egg cartons! Made from recycled materials and can be re-used several times for safe egg storage and transport. Or can be used to store or transport other items - golf balls, figs, apricots, etc. Excellent for seed-starting as they are compostable. Also useful for organizing and storing craft items such as beads. Apparently developed in BC, Canada (I didn't know this): http://www.bcnorth.ca/magazine/pages/jim/egg/egg1.htm

Frimousse does indeed have a sweet face! Your kitchen remodel stayed so true to the original style of the house and yet gave it a whole new contemporary look. Love what you did, and I can see it was not a simple little makeover! I would love to do Pupus and Mai Tais like yours! This might be a silly question, but does your profession (Chemistry) influence your cooking, or no?

So, will you ladies have time to do some "fishing" while you are there on the Island? What's in season, what's the local seafood like?

You're a woman of many islands, so to speak. Heh. I love Cow Bay, there are some great food shops there. Seafood, bakery, cheesemaker, wineries, etc. Have you been there recently?

Near Comox/Courtenay.

Poultry, eggs and dairy products are all very pricey here in Canada due to the existing Supply Management and "quota" system (which personally I think should gradually be dissolved, kind of a pet peeve of mine, actually). I'm sure you are familiar with the results of this system, but not sure that all your readers are. When I am living in the US (usually in AZ), I usually buy a whole chicken for less than $1/lb, sometimes around 69 cents per pound. Looking at the store flyer where I am now (Vancouver Island), whole chickens are on sale for $2.69/lb. Drumsticks here are on sale for $2.29/lb, the Fry's store in AZ has them for 88 cents per pound. A rotisserie chicken here is $8.49 or so, $4.99 in AZ. The same management system also makes cheese and milk very expensive in Canada, I'm guessing about 2 to 3 times more in Canada for many products. On a lighter note, I truly enjoy reading about your cooking adventures on your island! Looking forward to lots more details and pics!!!

I love the contrast of the "Hawaiiana" items with the ultra-clean lines of your kitchen. Beautiful kitchen and home. Also, love the way your cat is starting to work his/her way into the pics. I don't suppose you have any "Before" pics of your kitchen, do you? Would be interesting to see what you started from. Hope that isn't too much of a tangent... I don't want to take away from the cooking!!!

Hey, that's kind of cute! When cooking something messay, I've considered taping tin foil around the cooktop to form a tent - suspended from the microwave above with its lame fan.

This book looks very interesting - I'm not sure I'd want to attempt some of Adrià's restaurant meals, but would be very interesting to see how much "simpler" these recipes are. Love the idea that they are all supposed to be very economical to make - although trying to replicate in another country may make ingredients more pricey and difficult to obtain. However, once you have something on hand or have learned how to make a key ingredient, it's much easier to do it again or make another recipe requiring the same thing. I would only hope that it's not one of those cookbooks where every recipe requires some new work-intensive or hard-to-find item. Do you have any idea how the book is organized? Seasonal? I wish they had given some hints on that - did check Amazon and they only show availability in early October, no Table of Contents.

I also meant to say how much I loved your Don Ho glasses!!!!

It's an Indonesian veggie dish, sometimes layered with spinach and rice (but could be lettuce or whatever for a base), then a mix of cooked or raw veggies, maybe boiled egg and tofu, topped with peanut sauce. You can make a hotter version of the peanut sauce for adults if your son doesn't like it too spicy. There are lots of recipes for it around, here's one at Epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/GADO-GADO-1231963 But it's one of those free-wheeling kind of dishes. Start with the general concept and then use whatever you have on hand.

Does your son like peanut sauce? You could use up some of that with a Gado-Gado variation.

I'm starting to crave gazpacho - I'm definitely going to make some of that soon.

What about some cold bean salads? Chickpeas, 3-bean variations, etc.

I'll be interested to see what's in the new CSA share and how you make use of it with your recent shopping trips. I do eat fairly veggie at times, partly it's just that I don't always feel a big need for meat. I love veggie soups - can eat soup for lunch or dinner almost anytime. Soup with bread and/or a salad is a fave dinner for me. Do you have soup plans for the week, or is the weather too warm for hot meals?

Your kitchen looks lovely from what I can see from the tasty food pics - spacious, clean lines, bright. Looks like you have lots of drawers? Will we see more pics of the kitchen space overall? I think you have a Miele cooktop, is it induction by any chance? Did you design your kitchen? It looks like you are busy with work, also - I am impressed with your organization and energy! I'm always amazed when the Food Bloggers are able to write during a busy work-week, I'm not sure my time-management skills would be up to that.

I'm a SouthPaw and I have always hated standard can openers, whether hand-held or electric. I received a One-Touch opener a couple of years ago and I love it. We gave one to my husband's parents, who are in their 80's and they absolutely loved it. They mentioned that several things are more awkward in the kitchen for them as they age, and I am wondering if anyone knows of any items that might make their cooking experience a bit easier. It makes me think of the studies that car engineers/designers did with women, finding that improvements that made women happier also made men happier. In other words - an engineering design improvement can benefit everyone!

Wow, this paragraph caught my attention. Will be very interested to see how much you can cover in a week, because it sounds like you have a lot to offer! I'm especially interested in fresh cheese and homemade bread, but would love to know how you use your CSA produce. I LOVE the Food Blogs!!!!

I like making alcoholic popsicles for the summertime. An easy one is pomegranate juice + vodka (I've used vodka with lime or orange flavour or just add a splash of lime or tangerine juice). Here's a pic: Or a tequila sunrise (sunset?) popsicle. I pureed strawberries and added tequila and froze that in the bottom of a mold. Once firm, I added the top layer which was pureed mango, lime juice and more tequila. This must be the worst pic I have ever taken, but I probably had too many pops that night! I played with proportions to find out just how much alcohol I could add and still have a firm popsicle, but can't remember what worked best. I do know I add more than what is usually suggested! Gourmet Magazine had some fun recipes a few years back. Some are here: http://www.gourmet.com/search/query?query=popsicles&queryType=nonparsed&sort=score+desc&section=recipes&sisterSite=gourmet.com&search-recipes-submit.x=0&search-recipes-submit.y=0 I keep meaning to try the Grapefruit Campari ones. The Blue Martini is pretty cool. I think they also had a classic margarita one, but my search didn't find it. At any rate, you could use lime juice, sugar water, tequila and orange liqueur. (Or use a honeydew melon base.) Pina Coladas would work well, many other possibilities also. What types do other people make?

I'll jump in with my understanding of the terms. A jelly is made from juice only, should be clear/translucent and contain sufficient pectin to hold its shape. A jam is a softer texture and contains fruit pulp and/or seeds. A fruit butter is spreadable and made by cooking down fruit pulp until smooth, with varying amounts of sugar and spices. Are chutneys just considered a preserve? That's how I would classify them. Same with whole fruit preserved for storage. Conserves and confits seem to be used more in terms of fruit suspended in a sugary mix, or do other people define them this way? Oops, confit can also refer to meats, can't it?

LindaK, here's the basic description: http://housekeeping.about.com/od/surfacefloors/g/Steam-Mop-Definition.htm