I first learned about solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com from one of my regular stops, PhoenixPermaculture.org. The poster described a periodic essay contest they run with solar ovens as top prizes. I entered a story about my chicken and rice dish being cooked on the windshield shade cooker and was completely shocked to learn I'd won first prize, a Global Solar Oven!

Being a rather skeptical person, I provided my shipping address as requested on the prize notification and waited for a note telling me I owed some amount of money "for shipping and handling."

Instead, a week or so later, a box was delivered to the house. And in that box was my new pride and joy, my Global Solar Oven!

I've used it only once so far, to cook; you guessed it; chicken and rice. The owner of the site asked for a photo and short story on using my prize, which I happily did.

So here I am with my new oven, and a new favorite site to visit. For anyone seeking a great resource on solar cooking, solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com is a definite must-see. The site has comparative information on several commercially-available solar ovens, stories and recipes as well as selling several brands of cookers, accessories and even reflective film for the do-it-yourselfer. It's very comprehensive in its coverage of solar cooking.

And if they are running an essay contest, give it a shot. You might win a cool prize!