Create
Your Own Gingerbread House
 Christmas
is my favorite holiday of the year. I have fond
memories of trimming the tree, singing carols, decorating
the house, shopping for others and baking. When
my girls were young, I began collecting Christmas
cookie recipes, trying my hand at both the easy
and the difficult. About ten years ago, I saw a
commercial for an instructional video for making
gingerbread houses. One quick phone call and “The
Magic of Gingerbread Houses” was on its way to me.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Since the first year my
girls and I sat down to watch the video, we’ve made
a least one gingerbread house a year. Some years,
we even make a village, complete with a beauty salon,
dance studio, mayor’s house and ice-skating rink
in the center.
Below are the recipe and
excerpts from the instructions that came with the
video, followed by several Web sites where you can
find more information and patterns. Be warned, it’s
a multi-step, time-consuming process. But in my
mind, that just means more time for fun!
Steps to Build a Gingerbread
House:
Step 1: Select design
and pattern.
For this house, cut out the following
shapes from paper:
Sides: 4x2 2/4-inch rectangle
(cut 2)
Front & Back: 2 3/4 inches
(side) X 5 ¼ inches (base) X 6 ½ inches (at
its peak)
Roof: 5 ½-inch square (cut
2)
Step 2: Prepare the base by
covering a sturdy piece of plywood with foil.
Remember that the house will be heavy once it
is covered with candy and decorations.
Step 3: Make gingerbread dough.
Note: Bake the gingerbread
as far in advance of assembling as possible, but
no less than 48 hours prior to assembly.
Cream together:
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Add, mixing in well:
1 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vinegar
2-3 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
5 cups flour
If dough is too stiff for
your mixer, you may wind up mixing the final cup
of flour with your hands. When enough flour has
been added, dough should not stick to your hands.
Be careful not to add too much flour because it
will change the taste and texture of the gingerbread.
If the dough is too soft, chill it in the refrigerator
for two to three hours before you roll it out.
Step 4: Rolling out the gingerbread
Coat a cookie sheet with
a light film of vegetable oil or cooking spray.
Lightly flour a rolling pin. Place approximately
2 cups of dough in the middle of the cookie sheet,
and flatten the dough with your hands. Continue
by rolling out the dough to measure approximately
¼-inch thick.
Step 5: Cutting the pattern pieces
Lay as many pattern pieces
as possible on the rolled dough, leaving about 1/2
inch between each piece. The pieces will expand
as they bake. Using a sharp knife, cut around each
pattern piece. Remove excess dough, reserving scraps
for future use.
Wrap remaining dough in
plastic wrap and refrigerate for later use.
Step 6: Bake and trim gingerbread
pieces.
Bake pieces in a 350-degree
oven for 8-10 minutes. Pieces should be light brown
and crisp when you remove them from the oven. Be
careful not to burn the edges of the smaller pieces.
While the gingerbread is
still hot from the oven, lay the paper pattern pieces
on top of their corresponding dough pieces. Using
a sharp knife, trim the pieces where they have expanded
during baking.
Step 7: Storing gingerbread
Store the pieces for a minimum
of 48 hours in a covered box, safe from breakage.
Do not store in a plastic container or anything
that may trap condensation. Pieces can be frozen
or stored in a dry place.
Hint: Before you decorate,
if the pieces are not firm and dry throughout, heat
the oven to 200 degrees, then turn it off. Place
the pieces on a cookie sheet in the heated oven
and close the door. When the oven and pieces are
completely cool, test again for firmness. Repeat
the process as often as necessary.
Step 8: Make royal icing.
3 heaping tablespoons meringue
powder (can be purchased at a local baker or cake-decorating
store)
5 cups or 1 1/4 pounds powdered
sugar
1/2 cup cold water
Paste food coloring
Follow instructions included
with the meringue powder. Once icing is prepared,
use decorating bags and tips to ice the house/glue
candies onto the house.
Step 9: Decorate sides
of house.
Candies used: Andes Mints
(windows), M&Ms (house embellishments)
Using a star tip, draw a
line of icing to use as glue for the door, window
and decorations for the four sides of the house.
Use point tip to pipe in windowpanes, then finish
off by using star tip to outline windows/door with
“snow.” Allow the frosting to harden for 12-14 hours.
Step 10: Assemble the
house.
Beginning with the front
of the house, draw a line of frosting along the
bottom edge and place onto base, continue with remaining
three sides, using icing as “cement.” Use sturdy
items (spice bottles, small canned goods, etc.)
to support the sides until the icing grows firm.
Draw a bead of icing along
the top edges of the house, and set roof in place.
Apply light pressure and hold onto roof until the
pieces remain in place. Continue using icing to
glue roof candies.
Candy used: Red Hots®
Decorate the yard using
icing to create a snow-covered lawn along with candies
to create a front walk and bushes. Finish edges
of house by adding icicles to roof edges.
Candy used: Tootsie Rolls®
(outline path), mint jelly candy (bushes), brown
sugar (path)
Step 11: Display house.
Step 12: Break into pieces
and enjoy!
For more info and more patterns:
http://home.comcast.net/~frankysattic/index.html
http://www.math.byu.edu/~klkuttle/adele.pdf
http://www.kitchenlink.com/ch/2000/december/mrfoodchristmas1.html
http://www.gingerbreadlane.com/pattern.html
http://gingerbreadcottage.com/gingerbreadhousedirections.html
To e-mail this article to a friend, click
here.
back to the top
Scrumptious Cakes
By
the Noodlers
Judy’s Date Nut Cake
Contributed by
Maureen Hardegree
(My mom’s variation of the classic holiday
fruitcake)
Makes 1 large cake or 3 loaves
Ingredients:
2 pounds Sunkist™ Dates, equivalent to 4 cups
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 box of Dromedary™ pound cake mix (has to be
this brand!)
2 eggs
3/4 cup of water
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup cream sherry
1/3 to 1/2 cup bourbon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rectangular
cake pan filled with 1 inch of water. Butter and
flour a large angel-food cake pan (or 3 loaf
pans). Cut each date into 4 pieces and place in
bowl with a teaspoon or two of flour to coat the
chopped dates so they don’t stick together. Mix
in the coarsely chopped walnuts and pecans, and
set aside while making the batter. In a large
mixing bowl, beat together the Dromedary pound
cake mix, 2 eggs, water, orange juice, spices,
and cream sherry. Fold dates and nuts into
batter (should be very thick). Pour batter into
buttered and floured large angel-food pan (or 3
loaf pans). Set cake pan or loaf pans in water
bath in oven, and bake at 350 degrees for 40-50
minutes. Remove cake from oven when it passes
the toothpick test. Allow to cool slightly. When
the cake feels cool to the touch, pour bourbon
over the cake. Like fruitcake, this stuff can
last a long time, but it doesn’t because it
tastes so good!
Apple Cake
Contributed by
Esri Rose’s mom, Linda Rose
4 cups coarsely chopped apples
1 cup sugar (Depending on how tart the apples
are, you may want to add 1/2 cup or more of
either regular or brown sugar.)
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (or 1/2 cup apple sauce instead of
oil if you want fewer calories)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Scant half-teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
1/2 cup (or more) raisins
2/3 cup water
Combine apples, sugar, nuts and raisins, and let
stand. Beat eggs and everything else together,
then stir in the apples, nuts and raisins. Pour
into greased and floured 13x9x2-inch pan. Bake
at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.
Eat it plain, with ice cream or whipped cream,
or serve with:
Lemon sauce
Into a large, microwaveable bowl, put:
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Add 1 1/2 cups water, a little at a time, until
well mixed. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to
mixture and a little grated lemon rind, if
desired. Toss in 2 tablespoons butter. Put it in
the microwave and cook 2 minutes, stir, then
cook it another 2-3 minutes until it gets thick
and clear. Spoon it warm over cake.
Orange Cake
Contributed by
Trish Milburn
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup orange juice
Mix and pour into well-greased bundt pan. Bake
at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until tester
comes out clean.
Icing
1 stick margarine
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
Combine and boil for 2 minutes. Pour over hot
cake while it’s still in the pan. Cool for 30
minutes then turn cake out onto a cake plate.
Easy-Peasy Angel Food Cake
Contributed by
Theresa Ragan
Mix a box of angel food cake mix with fresh
strawberries, and prepare according to mix
directions. Fast, easy, and delicious.
The following isn’t a cake, but since it’s
the holiday season and so many of us like fudge,
here’s a little something extra.
White Chocolate Fudge
Contributed by
Lee McKenzie
1 3/4 cups white chocolate chips
3/4 cup sweet condensed milk
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped roasted almonds
1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
Combine the chocolate chips and condensed milk
and cook over low heat or in the microwave
(following the instructions on the
chocolate-chip package) until the chips are
melted. Blend in the remaining ingredients and
spread into a foil-lined, 8-inch-square pan.
Refrigerate for at least two hours before
cutting and serving. Will keep up to three weeks
in the fridge, but it does not freeze well.
For metric conversions of the measurements above,
consult any of the following sites:
http://southernfood.about.com/library/info/blconv.htm
http://www.thatsmyhome.com/recipes/conversion.htm
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/conversions.htm
To e-mail this article to a friend, click
here.
To read archived Stuff to Make articles,
click here.
back to the top
|
