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nowing that friends and family naturally congregate in the kitchen, a couple designed their hacienda-style home with an open space that comfortably accommodates a crowd while dinner is cooking. Parties find guests helping cook dinner with ingredients the hosts have prepped and measured in advance. �The cooking is just the icing on the cake� after the wine, the jokes and the conversation start to flow, Paco says. During the week, Denise prepares simple dinners such as tostadas with black beans and roasted chicken. Paco is the grill master, known for steaks topped with flavored butter and hot sauce made with chiles de árbol. Keeping with the rustic hacienda theme, the Novoas chose knotty alder cabinets and gold- and brown-toned Copper Canyon granite for the island with a sister pattern on perimeter counters. Between the kitchen, dining room, breakfast area and patio, Denise can seat 30 people �without moving a stick of furniture.� Denise's mom, whom she describes as a �Donna Reed,� always had a dinner of a meat, starch and vegetable on the table when her dad came home from work at Kelly AFB.