I tried to find you some pictures of what I think you want to do, some are in front of windows others on wall. https://www.houzz.com/magazine/kitchen-of-the-week-practical-budget-friendly-beauty-in-dallas-stsetivw-vs~8192302-of-the-Week--Pract%20ical--Budget-Friendly-Beauty-in-Dallas [Modern Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2105) by San Francisco Photographer Sanneart [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Columbus Furniture And Accessories Black & Sons Furniture Makers [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Seattle Architect MAKE Design Studio [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Portland Architect Kaplan Thompson Architects [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Tucson Design-build Alta Constructors, Inc.

ROTFL!!! Donka, all I can say is "Giddayup". I need to clean out the fridge, so I'm going to make soup base for the freezer with the turkey carcass, leeks, rutabega and carrots. I got some lasagna noodles, so I'm going to slice up some yellow squash that needs using, and the fennel bulbs I just got, and whatever peppers I have, and oven roast them, to layer with the ricotta. I have a little tzimmis left which I think I'll puree into the ricotta. I got some shallots, too. And I got some lamb shanks to braise with baby carrots and pearl onions and leftover sweetish red wine. And a chicken. It's a really big chicken. They tried to tell me it was a fryer, but it's 4.5 lbs.!! I think I'll roast it with the heels of my multigrain bread if it's not gone moldy, and an orange. I can try out the probe because I have no idea (other than the butcher's recommendation) how long to cook this big a not turkey. JRueter, I'm in Gelsonsland, so it has to be an amazing farmer's market to be really tempting. And yes, some of them are more about the social thing than cooking! The worst is being at a dinner party where the hosts are name dropping the truck farmers like they're best friends rather than customers. Needs, keep us posted!!! I'm keeping a good thought for Thursday!

I think there is some kind of romance to an island that has people desiring one just because it's an island. It is odd to me, because my ideal kitchen for cooking in is a galley, and I had to settle for a small island because my space is pretty square and it was the best way to use it. I think part of the romance is that so many people either have tiny houses where the "formal dining room" barely fits a breakfast nook dinette, not a big table, and so many people have repurposed the dining room from a place with a big table to a den, office, or even bedroom. In those situations, a decent sized island becomes the best workspace in the house for everything from cutting patterns out of fabric (few people have dedicated cutting tables), to making a piñata (keeps glue in the water zone too, not on the antiques). Then there are the houses that have an "eat-in kitchen" where the eating area is too small for the family to use, and the kitchen part is too inconvenient to stay. The best way to improve the space without redesigning the whole house is to make the eating space part of the kitchen, and force some kind of kitchen eating area into the space so as not to "lose a sale-able feature", which every real estate agent will warn against. Yep. I blame dinky houses with bad floorplans, as much as I blame estate houses with room to burn. Those, and the bad design that puts the chairs in the path of the cook. Bad design is bad design. Out in the real world of the non-TKO, there is often very little attention paid to appliances, let alone workflow. People are more interested in the colors and style than how they'll actually cook. Even though I've always cooked, my old, very inconvenient kitchen discouraged me from cooking in my previous kitchen... Just imagine what happens in these inconvenient kitchens that people plan for themselves! Hamburger Helper and Pizza Hut?

Thank you everyone for replying! WaltAvatar, Glad you liked the captioned dual-photos! I created them by setting up a table in Microsoft Word, with two rows and two columns, without a border. I used the upper row for the captions and inserted the photos in the lower row. Then I took a screenshot using Snagit. Let me know if you would like more detailed directions. Thank you very much for the image of the dog feeding station! Right now she pushes her bowl around the floor. (I have to feed the cats in the powder/mud room because the dog will eat their food before they can.) Keeping fresh water available is a problem and your photo gave me an idea - maybe I could use the leftover refrigerator/icemaker tap for a pet water station? Hmmmm... Regarding the cooktop ventilation - yes, I have learned about downdraft ventilation issues from reading here, and I understand that I will need a hood at least 3" bigger on each side than the cooktop. It's just not drawn in the plans. Regarding the lazy susan - Good idea. I would prefer larger drawers for flatware, towels, and such, and using a cabinet door under the bar for rarely-used items would be fine. Regarding a prep sink on the long island type counter space: I agree, that would be desirable, but would require jackhammering the slab to run new plumbing, so that is out of the budget. Benjisbride, Yes, you are right, the kitchen faces the front yard. I originally had a small 3x5 foot dining table where the computer/sewing desk and file cabinets are now, and since I wound up never using it for dining but as a desk, I removed the leaves and it is now my breakfast table. Desertsteph, I never thought about the refrigerator between the windows. There is of course 110V on that wall and running the icemaker line should not be a problem. The only issue I have with the refrigerator there is, admittedly, one of aesthetics and not functionality - I was thrilled with how that massive stainless box "disappeared" when it went into the pantry space. I didn't realize how much I disliked having that hulking mass in the room! On the other hand, putting the cooktop in the pantry alcove would let the range hood "disappear", and it would be more functional because it would be against a wall. Regarding family size - "more kids? spouse? how many working in kitchen? anyone cook?" No kids and I'm in my late 50's, so none will be coming. No spouse (divorced). No entertaining - my spread is about 45 minutes from the nearest city, so having people over is a once- or twice-a-year occasion. So it is just me in the kitchen. I eat a lot of salads, simple steamed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, that type of thing); roast a turkey breast occasionally, boil shrimp, make a stew, and fix scrambled eggs. I make pecan pies at Thanksgiving.