Can't remember where I got this, but it's really good! I add a dash of crushed red pepper flakes to the breading for the steaks AND to the cream gravy, along with a dash of paprika to both Chicken-Fried Steak Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds of top-round steak 2 cups of flour 3 eggs 1/2 cup of milk or buttermilk 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper (can also add cayenne to add more heat). Lard or vegetable oil Method: Cut your top-round steak into four pieces. Pound beef with a meat tenderizer until flattened and almost doubled in size. Place flour in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix eggs in another large bowl with milk. Take piece of tenderized beef and coat in flour. Dip coated beef into egg mixture and then dip back into flour again. Heat on medium enough oil or lard to fill halfway up the sides of a cast-iron skillet. When a drop of water makes the oil sizzle, it's ready for frying. Take the coated beef and place it in the skillet. When the blood (er, red-meat juice) starts bubbling out of the top of the steak (about three to four minutes) gently turn it over with a long fork (using a spatula can cause the oil to splash out of the skillet). Cook another five minutes and then take the chicken-fried steak out of the pan and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat process for remaining cutlets. And while you're frying the others, you can keep the cooked steaks warm in the oven. Cream gravy Ingredients: Two tablespoons of pan drippings, bacon grease or vegetable oil Two tablespoons of flour 1 1/2 cups of milk 1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper Salt to taste. Method: Combine fat with flour in a hot skillet, continuously stirring, cook on medium for a couple of minutes until a dark roux is formed. Add milk slowly to skillet, and mix with roux using either a whisk or wooden spoon (be sure and press out any lumps). Turn heat to low and continue stirring until mixture is thickened, a couple more minutes. Add pepper and salt to taste. If gravy is too thick for your taste, you can thin it by adding either more milk or water a tablespoon at a time. Goes great with mashed potatoes, fried chicken, biscuits, chicken fried steak, grits, vegetables, rice or anything else you can imagine.

I like your cabinets, and would not feel the need to do anything to them unless you plan to sell soon and all the comps have new fancy kitchens. Can you find matching pantry cabinets? You may want to consider a built-in again. If your scale is correct, you have enough space to move the fridge down opposite the peninsula and have a fairly long built-in the same depth as the fridge. Then build an end end wall on the far side of the fridge to make the fridge look "built-in". With a regular interior door on the build-in, you'd have much better access than what you have now. You could use the peninsula as a landing space for fridge items. I like Sena's idea of moving the range down closer to the door, assuming the door will open towards the wall with the door to the basement.

I've always used the same recipes for both. I just add different veggies, and make it more or less saucy. I do like it tangier sometimes so might add more sour cream and less cream cheese for those times when the mood hits. I also often do the a la king saucier or less so. :) I've found both ways to be very versatile. Maybe others do it differently?

It really depends on the smoker/grill. And method. Mine is a wood fired side box smoker and doubles as a grill. I use those thick foil pans that are re-cycled since I line with foil, then parchment. Start the fire nice and hot, good coals, about 350-400 and braise near but not on the heat, then let it fall to 175-200º low and slow for another hour sometimes two. Adding soaked fruitwood slices and dry splits to keep the temp steady. Braise bone-in skinless thighs, meat side pressed in a bowl of my dry rub. Placed dry-rubbed side up over a bed of herbs and sliced onions/garlic. No added liquid. The braising liquid makes a nice sauce. A half hour on the grill grates out of the braising is enough to add some grill to the braising under sides. The top is nice and smoky but not too much. Total cooking is 3-4 hours. I did test some stuffed boneless thighs on the smoker but way too much prep and not necessary as the smoked bone-in thighs are so good on their own with a good dry rub.