A couple of years ago I decided that I wanted to make gingerbread men. I'd never made them before, had barely even eaten them before, but they looked like a ton of fun. And we'd found a set of cookie cutters for my daughter, 1 1/2 at the time, that had cutters for pretty much any occasion, so we wanted to put them to good use. The cookies were a hit, and have joined the semi-regular cookie rotation around here. Then last December, a friend brought me the beautiful holiday gift of a homemade gingerbread house. It was amazing and impressive, and I was pretty awed by it. So this winter, I was ready to take on the challenge.
The project took three days, and my little helper was there through each step. And was just as excited as I was at the undertaking.
Day 1 - Baking Day:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtIM8nz6aUuT5cpnYgJ9lLSb-0qtepgwX1XBewg69pV4epLELdz_Q3QmVJg5065HIU8QtymEi4nWUH0Y-HV-CXqApCQ7QjfKgwPdyNlCoMnv22Xi5-vMpk9HW0liQuRS65woNguRLWM6k/s200/DSCN0719.JPG)
Gathering ingredients, sorting the candy (which needs to be done many times throughout this process), stirring, mixing, rolling, cutting, baking, cooling - all done on day one.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0pDLqdAVTNcrCte-w0RuXMVe-3Ha8D08_RwxMaE2OR_Bxa4BEvmdsWQJtorKruh84xk8Oa4y0ydJoTRUv8ltcF3LB8aahDNYi4PlJeiKqWFNr43B1ChukK0HHLrg_XHnE7g9fptf89wy/s200/DSCN0749.JPG)
By the end of day one, I was pretty pleased with our results!
Day 2 - Construction:
Ah, royal icing. So much sugar, the worry over egg whites (we used powdered - I REALLY don't want anyone getting salmonella), a wonderful edible spackle.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHgv2v1bVUs5eg9b9JgGMg_-OvDZHTpzAH-hU0AUWs-ttNG6pUFcs6_WfsTlJRXC1nHThvWv8fOI2oMSZyf7pGaDBqSejUK9IqJgGcCTk7PE0ecJQ3pNYE9IecRDVdbdRZOQw19zUZN5uT/s200/DSCN0801.JPG)
We used soup cans to hold up the walls as they dried, which worked like a charm. And which little miss claimed were there in case the gingerbread baby who would live in the house would get hungry. Such a sweetie.
By the time we got the roof up, I was feeling pretty good about the project. And we were super excited for the following day...
Day 3 - Decorating!!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LW7cEFG3rDfG6nh71teddzT8OufdYW8vp6dnIudkFco2luIh2EbZ2aWIlRcUKNnAyFDhpdTx27fIvY6MfPeLujX_Hsfg55WMWxFiBJOBca_ChxSO7Rx7fZSc6DmsKmoQMbef41Ks6kAI/s200/DSCN0832.JPG)
This is what my little helper was waiting for the whole time, and I have to tell you, she did a great job. With only minimal help from mommy and daddy, she wielded the icing bag like a three and a half year old pro, and didn't eat TOO much of the candy as we went.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgz8yndajl_Id3fHRsbnY7yoggQ5tJ7lFBcg0qRZmZ3_cesBH5Vp0oLpkf28Y4RfiE1xztLkYBRLnL8V_2VA0m_sqnHy0ft4UWfwyChu5CY_ms3t03p3HFiMMYJe5Nh6aIY3IIg1wAjfl/s200/DSCN0846.JPG)
And here is the finished product! I am by no means about to go pro at this whole house-making thing, but I feel confident enough to make another next year, and maybe even try a less-simplified pattern. And maybe try a stained-glass window! Not to get too ahead of myself...
No comments:
Post a Comment