gingerbread construction {tips and tricks}

what is so wonderful about 

gingerbread houses

is that they are always

magical

even when they are a 

big. fat. mess

some years

i do an elaborate construction

(with assistance from hubster-of course)

like this

and sometimes

like this

and occasionally

simple 

like these

but no matter how

elaborate or simple

there are a few things that

are a constant

and 

important

today

i am sharing with you

some of my tricks

for stress free gingerbread house construction

Making Plans

-let the gingerbread dough rest in the refrigerator overnight before baking

-do not construct the house on the same day you have baked the gingerbread, give it a day to cool and settle

-if you buy pre-made gingerbread pieces, make sure they are dry before decorating or constructing

-to dry pieces out (especially in humid environment), place them on a cookie sheet and place in a slow (225-250F) oven until they firm up

Construction Management

-if using a purchased kit, do not, i repeat, do not use the frosting that comes with the kit to assemble the house. it will frustrate the dickens out of you.  make a nice big batch of Royal Icing (alton brown's recipe)

-if you are decorating with mainly candies and sprinkles, construct the house at least 12 hours before decorating---24 hours is best

-if you want the candies to stick, use royal icing.  if you want them to taste yummy, use frosting.

-assemble the walls of the house first, allow to dry for about an hour, then attach the roof pieces.

-prop the pieces up while they are drying, even if it looks like they are staying without a problem.

-allow the house to fully dry, before adhering it to a base

Custom Built

-if perfect corners and straight edges are your thing, use a micro-plane to shave the ends of the gingerbread pieces.

-if looking for a darker hue on your gingerbread, or to paint gum pieces to look like hardwood floors, simply mix a bit of coffee granules into vodka to desired color and consistency and paint it on.  the vodka will evaporate quickly.

-when piping intricate details, use a piping bag with a tip.  you will get consistent results and small detailed lines.

-when using the piping bag, do not over-fill, particularly if you have small hands.  put no more than a cup of royal icing in at a time.

-if you make a mistake and it really bothers you, wait until it dries to easily pick it off

-when doing intricate detail work, it is best to decorate the house before constructing. it allows for more freedom of motion

but most of all

have fun!

i would love to hear any tips you may have for stress free gingerbread construction

or

if you have a question about this topic that i didn't answer

please feel free to ask in the comments

snow globe cupcakes

i love snow globes

when i see grand collections

a tinge of envy

bubbles up

like plastic snowflakes

in a whirl

then 

a 

settling calm

because

the last thing i need

is

 another collection

unless of course

we are talking

 edible

like these little darlings

an incredibly simple project

perfect for

your holiday table

snow globe cupcakes

1 recipe of your favorite cupcake baked and cooled

my favorite

1 recipe of your favorite frosting

1 dozen plastic clear christmas balls

like these

i picked mine up at michaels 

cupcake toppers 

(deer, trees, house in the woods...

whatever your fancy)

edible glitter in white

ribbon

imagination

using a sharp scissor or craft knife, cut the top off the ornament

like so

wash and dry the "globe" then sprinkle some of the edible glitter in the bottom.  swirl it around.  most of the glitter will stick, what doesn't will fall to the cupcake when you invert.  if you want lots of "snow" in the globe, brush a bit of vodka on the inside of the globe, swirl the glitter.  it will stick well, and the vodka will evaporate, eliminating any unwanted moisture.  

frost the cupcake as you normally would, place your decorations on top, and carefully invert the globe over the top.  

finish with a little bow

linking to

tatertots and jello weekly linky

feast of seven fishes

christmas eve dinner

has always been a bit of a hodgepodge for us

growing up

my mom and i would do most of the cooking

relatives would contribute to the bounty

with a specialty or two of their own

the only constant

baccala

and

linguine with clam sauce

the rest

a crap shoot

as the crowd grew from 20 or so people

to upwards of 70

my folks began having the affair catered

among the large chaffing dishes of gorgeous catered food

there was always a platter of

baccala

and

linguine with clam sauce

always

for the first time

in the 40 plus years my folks have lived in california

we are doing an immediate family only christmas eve

which means

instead of 70 people

we will be 

17

also

for the very first time 

we are doing a traditional italian christmas eve supper

a feast of seven fishes

(for more on this tradition click here)

but

because i am italian

which means

my fear of not having enough food for people to eat

supersedes my need for stress reduction

we are having

2 by land and 8 by sea

because

what is christmas without just a little bit of pork?

because

i am not crazy enough to make the food twice

(once for the blog and once for real)

i will be sharing the recipes

post christmas

but

i wanted to share our menu

just in case 

you are looking for last minute ideas

A Feast of Seven Fishes

Christmas Eve

roasted shrimp cocktail
gravlax with blini
calamari fritti
bluefin tuna tartar
cheese platter

linguine with clam sauce
orchiette with sausage & spinach
king crab
swordfish siciliano
baccala pugliese
kalua pork

arugula salad
braised leeks
roasted asparagus

cream puffs
cannoli
chocolates
cookies

Merry Christmas 
to those of you who celebrate
...a weekend filled with joy
for all

home sweet home

wouldn't it be great

if we could all live

in houses made of gingerbread

imagine

waking up to the smell of

molasses, cinnamon and clove

 i would literally 

eat myself out of house and home

i'm not sure if i would rather live

in a

a sweetheart's cottage

or a

trapper's cabin

gingerbread marshmallows

i love gingerbread

gingerbread houses

gingerbread cakes

gingerbread lattes

and now

i LOVE

gingerbread marshmallows

come holiday time

i like to create a special treat

to tuck into the christmas hampers

i prepare for friends and family

this year it is these

gingerbread marshmallows
(printable recipe)

3/4 oz gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup water

2 Tbs molasses

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground clove

2 egg whites

Put sugars in a saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water to make a mixture that looks and feels like wet sand.  What is most important is that all sugar has the same amount of moisture. Add molasses, salt, ginger, cinnamon and clove, and place over low heat.  Cook until it becomes a sugar syrup of 235-240 degrees. It should have the consistency of corn syrup.  Meanwhile...place 2 room temperature egg whites into the bowl of your mixer. Add the salt .  Also, prepare gelatin.  Place 1/2 cup water in a bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the water.  Let bloom.

Once the sugar syrup is ready, turn off heat and let sit for a couple of minutes...not too long.  Start your mixer on low and get the whites to foamy.  Mix the gelatin into the sugar syrup and stir until melted completely.  Bring the saucepan over to the mixer and turn it to high. Slowly pour the sugar syrup into the bowl, careful not to hit the whisk attachment.  Leave on high and mix until the mixture is warm, but full volume and comes to a peak.  While it is still warm, pour into tin or pan.  Sift powdered sugar on top. Cut into squares and store in airtight container.
these are yummy tossed into a cup of hot cocoa
and a real grown up treat when toasted and sandwiched into a s'more.

oh Tanenbaum

Merry Christmas

from our home

to yours

although

this isn't really our home

and it's not our tree

but it is beautful

no?

this is the tree at my folks house

dressed simply and beautifully

and it says Christmas

much better

than our two foot

silver tree

with gumdrop adornment

here's a new years promise

next year

we are putting up our big tree

and decorating it to the hilt

so i dont have to go

hijacking everyone else's

tanenbaum

and pretend

that it is mine

May your Christmas be filled

with many

Blessings, Joy and Love

Gingerbread Nostalgia

I like gingerbread

the cake, not the cookie

BUT I LOVE GINGERBREAD HOUSES

no matter how frustrating they can be

but sadly, this year

I didn't plug time in the calendar to devote to one

because I have a gingerbread house problem

I am very supportive and genuinely so, when I see a ginger-house made up of four walls and a roof with a few half eaten candies pasted to it. I find all gingerbread projects charming and nostalgic. But what is good for the goose is not good for the gander.

I have issues

I can't just make a house

When in culinary school, the assignment was make a gingerbread house. I made a neighborhood of East Coast row houses with clear windows and decorated interiors.

One year I mentioned to my mom that I wanted to do a simple gingerbread centerpiece for Christmas and showed up with a shopping village replete with a bakery, art gallery and dress shop 100% edible and fully furnished.  The stone church even had pews.

Listen

I already admitted that I have a problem

A couple of years ago, I was asked to enter a gingerbread competition

The theme was Christmas Around the World.

Immediately I thought, Swiss Chalet!

 I then turned to my husband and said...

you have to help me

I am already going over-board and it is only in my head

which is how our gingerbread project was born

Mike built the whole structure from foam core to test the structural viability and appropriate scale

because he is a guy and does guy things

while I got to making caramel corn for the base of the mountain

It took us about 10 days to craft

but it was well worth the effort

we won lots of goodies and a bunch of cash

and it won just about every prize--except the fan favorite

or as we like to call it--be a college student and bring your class, then grab a school bus and drive around town picking up folks to stuff the ballot box.

but i am not bitter

-much

because even without ballot pushing proletariats, we garnered second place in the fan fave category

and hear this...

we won the grand prize

from actual judges

And then we gave the chalet to the hotel

for their holiday display

We left that party

with our arms full of prizes

and our egos full of pride

even after 24 months, I can still feel the sunshine of that very good day

the day my obsessive gingerbread disorder

reaped rewards

Grandma's China

As the holidays approach I've been thinking about my grandma a lot. She was very cyber-savvy and would have loved reading this blog. Actually, I think she might have had one herself. A blog-slash-dating-slash-let me tell you something site. She had lots to say and a wonderful wry way of expressing herself. She could turn a phrase like nobody's business.

My husband can trace his family back to American Presidents and Early Settlers. I can trace my family to an apartment in the Bronx. I am very proud of my Italian heritage, and can be frequently heard complaining about how "white" my name is. I would love to have a name that rolls off the tongue like a sonata, but I am third generation and my name proves it.

Before my husband I were married, we spent an evening with my grandma being schooled in the art of making bow-ties. Not the kind you wear, but the kind you eat. We happened to stop by as the dough was being rolled out and were quickly recruited to do the "part I hate" (grandma's words, not mine). It is important not to make the dough too thick or too thin. Just right is only something you learn by feel....roll it too many times and it "gets funny", don't roll it enough and it "gets funny". That's about as exact as her Sicilian cooking instructions get. Bow-ties are delicious, there's no two-ways about it. Dusted with powdered sugar they are more addictive than those little fried dealies from you local Chinese take-out.

From the same recipe you use for the bow-ties, you can also make struffoli. Struffoli are small fried balls of dough (smaller than a gumball, larger than a pea...see what I mean about the instructions) that are soaked in honey syrup, piled as high as Vesuvius and adorned with sprinkles. I think they are an Italian staple because they last so darn long. I would swear the same platter fresh at Thanksgiving is rolled out again at Christmas, no one the wiser. It's almost like a fruitcake, but you can't really use it as a doorstop. Struffoli aren't as tasty as bow-ties, but they certainly look more festive...and they are great for a crowd, because no one eats em'.

Because I don't come from a long line of prestige; instead of passing down linens, monogrammed silver, or anniversary diamonds, we pass down generations of funny stories, old fashion Italian pride and great recipes. Unlike many in her generation, my grandmother wrote things down and always shared her recipes with us. She wanted her food to be a memory for all of us.

When my grandmother died, I was given her china. It was a set her children (my dad, aunts and uncles) gave her and my grandfather. It isn't fancy and it is very used. There are pieces that have broken multiple times and have been fashioned together just so they will look good in the cabinet, they can no longer hold food or liquid. Their value, purely sentimental.

I have lots of options for my dining pleasure. I have collected dinnerware for years. But when I serve one of my grandma's recipes, I use the china she gave me. I honor her by setting a nice table, and I remember her by enjoying the love she shared through her cooking.

Grandma's 1978 Bow-ties--with my twist
6 cups flour, finely grated rind of 1 lemon or 1 orange, 8 eggs, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 1/2 Tbs butter--melted, 2 Tbs sugar
Place flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl and add citrus rind. Make a well in the center and add all other ingredients and mix well. Lest rest for 30 minutes. Using a pasta machine, or rolling pin, roll dough out into thin rectangles...about 3 or 4 sheets of paper thick. Cut each rectangle crosswise to make a smaller 1 1/2"wide x 2 1/2" long strip. Pinch each strip in the middle to form a bow-tie. Fry the bow-ties in batches in hot oil until lightly browned. Drain and cool on paper towel. Once cool, dust with powdered sugar. Keep in an airtight container, if you can keep them that long.

Is It Time Yet?

As the temperatures begin to dip into the very holiday level of 85 degrees, it makes me long for my snowflake t-shirts and winter sandals. It's getting to the point where I find myself feigning and Australian accent and pretending its Christmas Down-Under. Hot holidays are a rip off. I'm not asking for snow...well maybe I am, but that's just ridiculous. I'm asking for maybe a windbreaker holiday, or maybe even being able to say, bring a sweater, you may get chilly, without it seeming cheeky.

I'm not going to embrace it.
Its bad enough that I succumbed to the earth friendly fake tree. If you hear me saying how great it is, and how much I love it...it's all part of the self-brainwash. Yes, it is good for the environment. Yes it is cost effective...but that's about where I have to end the list. The rest of the benefits just don't apply to me. I don't have cats.

So how many days are there until Christmas anyway? I see the advertisers have been market-conscious and haven't flooded us with the up to the minute T-minus data. But I did catch a "news anchor" making recommendations on how to save money on stuffing, cranberry sauce and what-not. I wonder if this current crisis will force the cancellation of "where in the world is Matt Lauer". Not that I want the market to remain poor, but it spares us the travel trevails of the the NBC morning crew---but I digress. I can appreciate the countdown...but again, it doesn't apply to me. And not because of the cat thing, but because the one thing I have always been good at, is planning for Christmas.

I shop all year for Christmas. It's the most organized area of my life. Open a closet and you run the risk of, the classic and always funny, being bombarded by its' contents. I could spend all day looking for one of 10 pairs of scissors stashed around the house. Clickers, keys, clothes all a jumble in my mind. But Christmas...perfectly assembled from the list to the budget to the wrapped gifts under the tree.

What's my secret?
There is no secret. I have a staff. Nah, just kidding.
My secret is that I pick up lots of crap at a discount, wrap it up to make it look expensive and then pass it off to my unsuspecting friends and family, as gifts picked just for them.
Again, kidding.
It gets done because it's on my radar. Just like good grooming and hygiene, a tidy abode, adequate car care, regular doctor visits or rodent traps may be on your radar.
It is a priority for me because I have wonderful memories associated with this time of year and I evoke them each time I pick up a gift, or prepare for the holidays.

It reminds me of singing "my favorite things" in the 4th grade chior...before my voice broke. When it was just a whisper in a sea of whispers, and no one could tell who the off-key crooner was.

It reminds me of staying up late nights and preparing cookies for the family party and lining the shelves of the service porch with boxes and boxed of sweet treats.

It reminds me of my dad "flocking" the house because it was his year to pick the tree and he wanted a white Christmas. Flock was a popular word in our house during the holidays. It wasn't until I was an adult that I understood that flock is a noun and not a verb.

But most of all it reminds me of candy. Candy, candy everywhere. Slap lots of it onto gingerbread slab and invite Hansel and Gretel over. Use peppermint disks to make a wonderful and fragrant wreath. Assemble gumball trees for a colorful and playful centerpiece. Have too many candy canes? Make them into stars and use them as a fun gift tag. I could go on, but how would Meredith hold our attention for the next 30 days? I have designed the ultimate candy accessory for the holidays. The Gumdrop Sconce. What will I think of next? Perhaps a tiny chocolate tree house for the parade of ants?

You can count the hours, count the days, count the minutes...but whatever it is...make them count.