Good luck with the medical stuff Tyghress. Like many others, I’ve been there and got through.
Good luck with that biopsy.
I love the kitchen, Tyghress. I keep hoping someone will come from one of those makeover shows and re-do my pitiful space (for free, of course). I hope the best for you with your health.
Susan
I went with granite partly with pie crust in mind–and still haven’t gotten around to making even one pie.
You probably have plenty of candy recipes, but here’s one that’s perfect for your countertop, though it’s written to use a pan:
Texas Toffee
•Ingredients
4 cups sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1 cup water
1 lb unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecans -1/8" dice (walnuts or almonds will also work)
4 giant Hershey chocolate bars, or the equivalent
• Procedures
• Oil 14" X 15" square of parchment paper and place in a 1/2" deep pan.
• Combine water, corn syrup, and sugar.
• Cook to 280° F (soft crack).
• Wash down sides.
• Add unsalted butter.
• Stir constantly to 315° F (medium caramel).
• Add salt.
• Heat to 320° F.
• Add pecans on heat, mix, remove from heat.
• Add vanilla.
• Pour into pan and let set for 5 minutes. (If pouring onto a countertop, it probably doesn’t need to set that long before the next step.)
• Oil table knife and score toffee in 1.5" X 2" pieces
• When toffee is cool, melt chocolate over very low heat.
• Spread large sheet of waxed paper on counter.
• Snap toffee into rectangles, and coat with chocolate. (Use fork to dip, and place on waxed paper.)
I’m sure the chocolate dipping instructions are very primitive. The mother of a friend uses 3 giant Hershey bars, grated, and just spreads half of the grated chocolate over the hot toffee–which is enough to melt it, lets it cool a bit, flips the entire block of toffee, then melts the remaining chocolate and pours it on, following that with some crushed pecans (and just breaks the toffee up into irregular chunks after it cools), but I like mine completely coated and smooth, so I prefer to dip.
My friend’s mother’s recipe actually specifies the use of a Taylor candy thermometer. That’s what I use, too, and it really makes things easier.
Best of luck tomorrow, Amy. Tell me about the stove – it looks as though there’s room for an extra burner in the middle – do yout have a griddle or something? An extra-wide or double oven? We’re hoping to redo our kitchen in a couple of years; I don’t care about anything besides the range/stove/oven. It has to have a candy burner and preferably a large or double oven.
ooooh! toffee! I’ll give that a shot as soon as I can. What’s a Taylor thermometer?
Chas, it really isn’t that involved of a stove. Four burners, one of them is a low ‘simmer’ sort. The grate on the top is designed so you don’t have to lift, just slide. Its a GE Profile, Home Depot. You’re probably going to want something more involved. What is a candy burner?
Um…procedure went okay, I don’t get to look for 48 hours. I got home and drowsed, then Tyghre woke me to tell me that little Ben was on the bottom of the cage and trying to die. Off to the vet. Ben is in an incubator, and not looking good. He’s lost about 15% off his itty bitty bodyweight. I’m not sure what to focus my worry on, me or him. HIm probably.
Doc said he removed and cut into the mass, but it didn’t look like anything ‘interesting’. Oh good. The last thing I want is something interesting. Biopsy report will take a few days. My thanks for your well wishes. I’m going back to sleep now.
Best wishes, Tygh. 
Tyghress, I had to chuckle seeing your nic-nacs on the shelves and the painting and backsplash still unfinished. A little over eager to finish the project??
I do kitchens for a living (in addition to built-in custom furniture) some of my projects run close to 2 years from the bid-to-completion. Talk about heartache waiting for contractors to finish houses. Here’s a sample of my work: http://www.angar.net/sal/
The house was down the street from late Wendy’s restaurant owner Dave Thomas.
Hope everything went well with the medical procedure.
Wow!!! 
I’m impressed. I’m again looking for someone around here willing to take on the restoration of my kitchen to the 1920s style. The cabinet maker I had lined up just had a quadruple bypass… 
I suppose some of that was stress related…
Please let us know how you (and the birdie) are doing, ok?
I misread that as “love and best whistles”… 
Robin
A candy burner has a temperature sensor and thermostat. I’ve never made candy on it, but it’s great for rice and other things that need to simmer or at least not boil that violently, also for frying, cooking sauces down, etc. It turns the flame off and on, up and down as needed; maybe the same as your low simmer burner.
Hope you and yours are on the mend.