We had an opportunity to give the kitchen a trial run before Thanksgiving. On Saturday night we made a polpettone—big meatball, essentially an Italian meatloaf—along with two pots of bolognese sauce and a cake. Last night we had our neighbors over to help us eat the bolognese sauce and the cake. It was an entertaining visit: they have a nine-month-old who was consistently the center of attention and in turn distracted by Joy and Jefferson, who decided they adored her.
The kitchen is functioning pretty well now, though it may be a while before I finish the missing toe kick since that involves traveling to Ikea. The odds of my doing that before the holidays are slim and the odds of my doing it on Friday are nonexistent. I may be crazy, but Ikea on Black Friday? I’m not stupid.