Niagara Falls, Canada

Majestic

Powerful

Colorful

Inspiring

Unforgettable

Merry Marzipan Christmas!

I talked with my mom on the phone the other day and she said, "I know you're busy because we haven't seen anything new on your blog."

That's right, I've been busy baking cookies for neighbors, cakes for Christmas celebrations, and toffee for gifts. I just haven't had the time to share it with you, or take pictures, and after Christmas you probably won't want to see another cookie post for another 10 months!

I did make time to sew by hand these adorable cupcake ornaments made of felt and embroidery thread for my soul sisters Handmade Christmas Ornament Exchange right down to the handmade packaging and toffee.

Other things we've been doing:

Listening to 3rd graders play Christmas Strings at the Wintergarden at PPG Place in Pittsburgh...

and skating at the PPG outdoor skating rink...

and drinking hot chocolate...

and decorating Christmas trees...

and touring bakeries in New York City (I'll be posting more on that!)...

I'd love to hear what festive activities you've been doing this busy month!

Happy Holidays from the Marzipan Kitchen!

Back in Business!

Yesterday, I showed you my old kitchen and my new kitchen and interestingly enough, my new kitchen is old and my old kitchen is fairly new. Today marks the first improvement to my "new" kitchen. Those guys unloading the truck surely thought I was nuts as I was taking pictures and bubbling over about my new purchase.

I shot a photo of it coming off the truck (above)....

and here's a picture of it being wheeled down the bumpy walkway to our front door... it weighs 950 pounds!

And my new Wolf range is here! It's installed and it works beautifully! It has inspired me to make a final push to get my kitchen things unpacked and put away.

Not very exciting, but I sauteed up some sliced potatoes, fennel and onions to go with dinner last night and boiled water for coffee this morning. I love my new range! What should be the first thing I bake in it? Any suggestions?? I'd love to hear them!

The New Marzipan Kitchen

Maybe I've never introduced you to the Marzipan Kitchen. Up until now, this is where all my baking was done. Ten years ago, I designed every detail of this kitchen. I loved it - beautiful custom cherry cabinets, granite countertops and kitchenaid appliances. It was efficient and had all the right storage for my needs. I designed it pre-Marzipan so eventually I ended up taking over the laundry room closet for all my bakeware.

It rarely looked this neat though. I'm a pretty messy cook. I like to have my things out where I can see them, so inevitably the island would be covered with stacks of recipes, mail, and baking ingredients, and the sink piled with dishes.

Well, as of this week, Marzipan has moved to a "new" kitchen. It needs a major overhaul but it has a lot of potential. It has no stove or oven at the moment (read: no baking going on). My brand new shiny range is being delivered today -oh yeah!

Wanna peek?

Here's the kitchen as the previous owners had it for showing their house. An island provided a little more storage but they took it with them. It was a bit too small for the space anyway.

Here's the old range...I sold it on eBay and the buyer got it for a steal! I just wanted to get rid of it..but it did have a lot of character. I bet it was awesome in its day. Let me just say, it wasn't easy getting that 1000 pound monster out of the house, but an old gas oven wasn't going to cut it in my kitchen.

Ok, I'm keepin' it real here. Keep in mind, we moved 5 days ago...

The kitchen gets some great morning sun. There's more unpacking to do.

When did I accumulate all this kitchen stuff?? And how did it all fit into the old kitchen??

The kitchen sink is an awesome old farmhouse enameled sink. I'm not sure it's going to fit into the final renovations, but we'll find a use for it somewhere, perhaps in the laundry.

Rumor has it that butler's pantries are back in style. Here's the left side...

And here's the right side. Walking through the butler's pantry from the kitchen leads to the formal dining room.

The other end of the kitchen leads to a little alcove, currently the Marzipan office...more unpacking to do!!

The first item to unpack was the coffee and the French press. Next were my favorite cookbooks. Oh I missed you when you were packed away!

Here's where the new stove will be. I can hardly wait!

I'll be baking and blogging again soon and I look forward to showing you the cleaned-up kitchen and my new range...but first, there's cleaning to do...and, of course, unpacking.

Color!!

After more than 5 years of white walls, we have color! Check it out!
The family room is Southern Wood...

The dining room is Cordial...

The kitchen is Pea Soup...

And the entryway and upstair hall are Applesauce Cake...Mmmm!

The sunroom, powder room and laundry are Halcyon Green...

Yes, we finally have color and we love it! Now for the upstairs...