Fifteen batches in my kitchen this year. Great fun and a substitute obsession after TKO. Merry, merry, happy, happy.

No new kitchen yet...but as I baked this year, I fantasized about NEXT year's baking in my new kitchen!!!

It looks like you really enjoyed baking in your new kitchen!

Joyous Christmas!

how dare you ? lol.....

I love the pulls, hadn't noticed them before.

Messes up very good! Can't even see the flour on the floor but could almost smell the cookies. Happy, happy!

Hey, mitchdesi, thanks! Here are a couple of close-ups.

The cookies were great. We went on to produce two batches of Karjalainen piirakka, a marble cheesecake, an apple-raspberry pie, and then a quite complete Christmas dinner with roast beef and a cognac-butter sauce that is to die for!

What a good workout for my kitchen!

AH! Finally! A picture of a kitchen that is being USED! Hooray and happy holidays. The soapstone looks great.

Yes! I have scratches all over my soapstone, the tung finish on my butcherblock shows light scoring where I rolled out the dough for piirakka and then cut the rounds out and there was dark chocolate cheesecake batter spattered all over the subway tile. The tile wiped right up, I'm going to wax the soapstone tomorrow and the butcherblock is due to be re-tunged anyway, so I'll do it Wednesday night, since DH will be home alone all day Thursday. He's not a cook, so it won't bother him to not be able to use the counter for 24 hours.

It's a happy kitchen. I think it feeds a kitchen to be sauteeing, chopping, stirring, blending, beating, marinating, splashing and mashing really good food in it.

I hope it's been a great a food-ful holiday for all of you!