The first big meal was July 4.

A shrimp boil with corn and potatoes and artichokes and onions and mushrooms boiled together in a big pot with Old Bay seasoning.  Yum.

We had a great Fourth of July feast.  From left that's Sallie, Angie, Cindy, Patty, Lexie and Shanessa.

And on Monday, July 6, we put the new convection oven to a real test.  That's beef Wellington from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  Yum yum.

There is is with the lid removed.  And I didn't have to lift a finger -- the new kitchen did everything all by itself.  Well, OK, I worked literally all day on it, but it was worth it. It was a very nice meal indeed.

We started with a Champagne taste-off.  Dom Perignon against Cristal.  Believe it or not, everybody agreed the Cristal was the better of the two.

And a crystal decanter filled with 1981 Chateau Mouton Rothschild was just the perfect pairing with dinner.

That new kitchen sure does know how to cook.