Gingerbread house

Well, On Monday, I rolled cut and baked my sugar cookies. Then I tackled the gingerbread. I rolled some of it fairly thick and used my gingerbread house cookie cutters to cut out walls and a roof. I didn't let the dough rest long enough though. It was really cold and pretty flaky. But it worked out well and I got those in the oven. Then I rolled it out thinner and cut some cookies for decorations around the house. Gingerbread men, christmas trees, santa, Frosty and some angels. As I worked with the dough more it became easier, more pliable and smoother. Then I used the leftover dough to make a base. I lined my smallest cookie sheet (I think it is 9x12) with parchment paper, then rolled the dough out onto it. Basically making a big rectangular pan cookie.

After everything was out of the oven, I moved them to cooling racks (except for the base which will stay in the pan for the life of the house) and left them overnight. In the morning I put the fully cooled cookies into ziplock bags. Now for the wait...

I waited until 6:00 for Peter to get off of work last night. I called him. I mean I tried to get a hold of him. Since he was unavailable and clearly not coming home at a decent hour, I had an idea.

The gingerbread house needs to be put together and then left alone to set up, right? And that isn't technically decorating without Peter's help...is it?

I decided that it wasn't and made some royal icing. Then I put my little house together and used some handy kitchen items to hold it together.



Here is a better look of what I used. Namely a couple of cans of tomato soup, a tub of honey, a box of cookie cutters and a jar of pop corn kernels.



Peter walked in around 8:00 PM as I was finishing cleanup...so I don't feel so bad. I let our gingerbread house cure over night and I removed the props this morning.

Tada!



The lighting in the kitchen wasn't great this morning, but I took a picture of the other side so that you can see it in all of its glory.



I tried to get pictures from the front but it looked like a haunted gingerbread house so I deleted them.

The plan tonight is to decorate the actual cookies (with or without peter) so that they have time to cure as well. Then I will get candy so that we can both decorate the actual gingerbread house scene. I think that is a good compromise. I am sharing the joy of cookies with him, but I get to decorate the actual cookies in my own OCD way. He may be home early tonight though which means I will have to let him help me...but that is ok. I suppose that it will be good for me to share.

Jingle Balls

Well, I finally went nuts for Christmas. I usually get antsy right around...January. It is so bad that I have to actually live by my own strict rule of "no Christmas until AFTER the Turkey has his day." And typically it is all I can do to wait. Then the day after Thanksgiving, I go "Jingle Balls" as my friends so aptly named it. I set up the tree, the lights, I bake, I make and I wrap my bootie off until, well...January.

The last couple of years have been atypical though. I finally decorated my tree and put frosty the snowman window clings up, but there hasn't been much Christmas in my spirit. Now, I find myself 2 weeks away from the joyous holiday and so behind I don't know what to do.

I am behind on gifts. Looks like cards won't get out. And I have a BUNCH of homework to do...what a wonder that I am not in the mood.

But I am changing all of that. After all, Christmas is a joy from inside you. The joy of sharing.

And Cookies.

I made gingerbread cookie dough and sugar cookie dough to rest last night. Cutting and baking will happen tonight, then decorating whenever I can get Peter to help. This last step will be the hardest for me. I want to get things done. Patience is a virtue that I do not possess. But I want to share the joy of Christmas with my DB and the best way that I know how to do that is to share my joy of cooking.

Which reminds me: Santa? Would you please send me the Joy of Cooking Cookbook for Christmas? I need it! My youngest cookbook (an everything cookbook) is 50 years old.

While I am here, I want to share with you how very cold it is! Here is a picture of our very frosted Lilac bushes.