Taste of Home - December 2007/January 2008 - Doridro

it didn’t bother me. That’s what sweetmemories are made of.Baking wouldn’t be as easy without mydouble oven. And with all that bakingcomes lots of cleanup! My triple sinksare definitely a plus. I can wash dishes inone, air-dry them in another and stillAnd you should see my walk-in pantry!It holds tons of cookie cutters, jars andjars of sprinkles, extra appliances,canned vegetables and more.The caramel-colored cabinets lookbeautiful against the wheat-coloredwalls, accented in deep burgundy andgold. Those colors and the plaid wallpaperborder with sunflowers give mykitchen an inviting country flair.The kitchen was designed to accommodatemy collections of baskets, bowls,jars and tins above the cabinets. Manyitems are precious antiques from familymembers. The adjacent dining room isroomy enough to hold some of my largerantiques, including a Hoosier cupboardand a china cupboard.My grandmother’s threshing table,which seats 14, also fits in the diningarea along with a smaller table and, duringthe holidays, our Christmas tree.A vaulted ceiling connects the kitchenand dining room, and durable oak flooringflows through the entire area. Twosets of French doors in the dining roomusher guests to the patio, where we oftenhave meals on warmer days. Theyalso allow us to watch the snow fall inwinter, a real treat at Christmastime.Holiday SpiritI love decorating at this time of year. ITruly, my heart is where it belongs…in the kitchen!PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT HOCKhave the middle sink available. The windowover the sink faces the front of thehouse, so I gaze out at the fields andfarmhouses across the road. Our home isnestled in the middle of 86 acres, and wehave two barns for raising sheep.Cupboard ConvenienceThe spacious oak cabinets have all theefficiencies an avid cook could want…arevolving spice cabinet, two lazy Susans,two cookie sheet cabinets, an appliancegarage, roll-out drawers, a two-trashcansliding drawer and a cookbook shelf.Cheryl Barkalow’s kitchen and dining roomoffer plenty of space for cooking and entertaining.The dining area (above) houses alarge threshing table near two sets ofFrench doors. During the holidays, it showcasesthe family’s Christmas tree. The largepeninsula (far left) is a spot where Cheryl’schildren, Amy and Chase (left, shown withtheir mom), do their homework.created all the ornaments—110 in all—for our tree and made the rag garland,plaid bows and log cabin tree skirt.Beside the tree is my standing woodenSanta. I also painted wooden Santa starsand place them in a cluster of crockbowls or between antique cookie cutters.For the dining tables, I made astuffed reindeer and snowman pluswooden block snowman candleholders.It’s so enjoyable to intermingle homemadedecorations with my treasuredfamily items. Truly, my heart is where itbelongs…in the kitchen!To view a floor plan of this kitchen, go towww.tasteofhome.com/plus.Share your Christmas kitchen. If you deck your kitchen for the holidays, or knowsomeone who goes all out, please submit details and color photos. If we feature yourkitchen or one you suggest, we’ll pay you $75. For Contributor Guidelines, see page 62.tasteofhome.com TASTE OF HOME / December & January 2008 45