Jasdip, These were the other threads. The cookalongs. I know I said tried and true, but this is what I was thinking of...

You wrote that you and your husband cook together. Please do a dry run of standing butt to butt - one at the range, one at the prep sink - in a 36" space to make sure this is sufficient room for you. Go through the motions of opening oven doors, trash pull-out, warming drawer, etc, as well. For instance, you won't be able to open the oven door on the right and go straight to an already opened warming drawer. The oven door will hit the warming drawer. You'll either need to open the oven door, set the dish down, close the oven door, then open the warming drawer or open the oven door, then open the warming drawer and then transfer the dish. If the oven shelf doesn't also hit the warming drawer, that is. If this is all okay with you, then you've got your plan! If not, make adjustments now. Paper changes are cheap. ;-) For instance, if the oven to warming drawer move bothers you, opt for a 27" warming drawer and put it next to the range in the 27" space. You likely won't miss the 3" of warming drawer space and may appreciate the increased convenience. A solution for the cheek to cheek situation is for someone to prep on the other side of the island. It would be a good idea to store prep items - measuring spoons, knives, etc - in a location easily accessed regardless of what side of the island one is on. Another suggestion: opt for a faucet mounted in the corner of the prep sink (make sure you buy a sink that allows this faucet location) so that the faucet can be used by people on each side of the island. I'm assuming that you'll store dishes, silverware and glasses to the left of the DW (and sink) because it would be nigh impossible to access the cabinets to the right of it. You still may run into conflicts when unloading, depending on what you store in the cabs to the right, but I'm betting they won't be items used as regularly as dishes, etc. Kitchens are all about trade-offs and only you can determine which ones you're willing to make but it's best to realize those now instead of discovering any shortcomings when the remodel is completed. Talls along the wall: this is when you put all your tall items - floor to ceiling cabinets, wall ovens, fridges, pantry cabs, etc - on one wall, creating one tall wall of storage. btw, the book I mentioned is not your typical kitchen design book. It's full of insider tips to avoid the "if only I'd known" circumstances. For instance, it talks about how French door fridges affect kitchen design unlike other fridge styles, how to deal with appliances near corners, how to avoid cabinet door/hood collisions and more.

Cran, you're welcome. I hope you find a few recipes you like. LisaB: you are so incredibly thoughtful to pull up this thread from last year. Thank you! Here's some new ones. The pancake and Red pesto Sauce I've been making pretty much every weekend lately. Healthful, easy and super delicious. ALMOND MEAL PANCAKES Serves 2 Ingredients: 1 cup almond meal 1/4 cup cooked quinoa 1/2 cup Egg Beaters or 2 eggs 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons walnut, olive, avocado or canola oil, your choice 1 tablespoon sweetener ( I usually use blue agave syrup) blueberries, if you choose Directions: Mix all ingredients, except blueberries if using them, together in a bowl. Gently fold in blueberries (if using). Cook on hot oiled griddle as you would regular pancakes. * The cooked quinoa keeps the pancakes moist and fluffy. I've tried it without, but prefer them with it. LEMON BLUEBERRY YOGURT MUFFINS Makes about 2 1/2 dozen Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Low Carb Baking Mix (don't accidentally get his Low Carb Bread Mix like I did last month! I buy mine from Amazon Prime or from Bob's Red Mill directly) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I prefer Fage 0%) 1 cup sugar (I know, it seems like a lot, but comes out to less than 2 teaspoons per muffin. You can try an artificial sweetener, if you like. I'm very allergic to them myself, though) 3/4 cup Egg Beaters or 3 extra large eggs 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from approx. 1 lemon) 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 1/2 cups blueberries) 1 tablespoon of the baking mix, or regular flour Directions: Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Add muffin liner papers to muffin cups and spray the inside of each with olive oil spray (or Pam, if you prefer). This is very important because without the spray, the finished muffins will stick to the papers badly. Or, you can use the Caphalon Silicone cupcake liners. You do not need to spray them. Mix together the baking mix, baking powder and salt in one bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, Egg Beaters, lemon zest, vanilla and applesauce. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the yogurt mixture. In a third bowl, sprinkle the blueberries with the 1 tablespoon of baking mix or flour. Toss until covered. Gently fold blueberries into batter. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full with batter. This recipe should make about 2 1/2 dozen. If using large muffin papers, you may get just 2 dozen. Bake about 40 minutes, or until done. I say "about 40 minutes" because I live at an altitude of 6,000 feet above sea level and baked goods can take a bit longer up here. * These muffins are very moist. They also freeze well. RED PESTO SAUCE FOR SALMON, ETC. Serves 2-3 We eat fresh salmon a couple of times a week. I've been making this heart healthy sauce for it lately, and we love it. You'll need a food processor or blender for this recipe. Ingredients: 8 blanched almonds 1/2 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1/3 cup chopped, bottled roasted red bell peppers, drained Directions: Blanch your almonds by dropping them in a 1/2 cup of boiling water (off the stove) for 8-10 minutes. Drain, and pinch each almond to slide off skin. Pat dry and cool a few minutes on counter. In a food processor, pulse almonds until you have a powder. Add rest of ingredients, pulse to blend. Taste and add salt if you prefer. Serve at room temp or slightly warmed.

Not wearing liquid makeup everyday, closing my office that is $2000 a month and looking for a new one that is less money, foregoing 1/2 my workout as not having nautilus machines at the gym makes working out harder, eating far more ice cream and homemade bread than I did before, missing my outings with friends. We have gone to Arizona and will again for Labor Day Weekend for haircuts :) I’ve never been so meticulous about wiping down my keys, doorknob of the car, credit card than ever before. We’ve not been sick and I’m grateful.