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L2jlu2:                 I need to make a GB house for next Friday, how soon should I start baking & Decorating?
Dolores777:     Now L2. It won't spoil
Babe418:     Dolores i sanded the sides w paper to fit and w the royal frosting it turned out great.
Pwd Sugar:     The great thing about gingerbread is that you can make it weeks ahead
CarolA5238:     Babe, I just got the same mold and I love it.
CIorfino:     Does any one have chocolate or sugar cookie recipes for houses?
Dolores777:     you don't need molds or cutters for GBread
Babe418:     Carol press the gingerbread and it come right out. Spray w Pam

Gingerbread has been a holiday tradition for thousands of years. It was originally eaten during winter solstice festivals. But the tradition of the house made of gingerbread originated in Germany. It is believed that in the early 1800's, Germans began shaping their gingerbread into festive holiday creations. Gingerbread houses soon became very popular, and remain so today. The gingerbread house has now become a favorite Christmas tradition all over the world.

Memorable gingerbread houses are made with imagination and patience, not with expensive equipment. Some of the houses are very elaborate and can be made with white chocolate, pulled sugar and fancy decorations, but I tend to appreciate the more simplistic homes and winter scenes.

I've seen castles and cathedrals made out of gingerbread but the novice baker should remember to have fun and most of all, be patient. Gingerbread house construction need not be a labor nor a major expense. You can also pick up any holiday issue of a family or women's magazine for ideas. Most will have recipes for a construction grade gingerbread and will also include cutouts for a basic frame. I have built quite a collection of pictures and patterns over the years.

You've probably seen these elaborate construction projects and thought you could never make one. Making a gingerbread house is actually not difficult, but it takes patience, it can be frustrating and it definitely takes a lot of time...and depending on the materials you use it can be expensive.

Make the gingerbread and allow it to chill for at least an hour while you trace out the frame on cake box cardboard. I find it incredibly easy to roll out the chilled dough, and cut the forms, then bake on heavy-duty foil-lined baking sheets. (Baking on parchment? Spray with Pam...

For the most simplistic of designs, figure on a front, back, two sides (with windows) and two roof sections. Architecturally inclined bakers may wish to add dormers, porches, gabled roofs, chimneys and even weather vanes.

If all that sounds confusing, you can skip the making of the gingerbread and use graham crackers which can be carefully cut and trimmed.

You can even get the youngest involved using sugar cubes as a construction medium. I encourage my grandchildren to participate in this simple project.

When the children were younger, we'd spend an entire afternoon baking the gingerbread and then spend the entire next day constructing our houses. Sure, we had crumbs and frosting all over the kitchen but the opportunity to spend some quality time creating a family holiday treasure was far more important than worrying about who or what was going to clean up.

While making a gingerbread house the kids learned how to use a pastry bag and what different tips could do for the decorating.

Once the gingerbread has been made and cut and a design has been agreed upon, the next step is to procure a large variety of confections to decorate with. You'll also have to whip up a batch of royal icing (also dubbed gingerbread glue), a pastry bag or two, some couplers, and assorted small tips for decorating.

Royal icing _ a mixture of powdered sugar, meringue powder and warm water _beats up fluffy and hardens almost rock solid. It is the icing of choice by experienced construction workers.

I'll give a recipe for the royal icing used in the construction, a basic guideline for how to do it, some tips I've discovered along the way, and some of my favorite confections I use for the decorating.

A true gingerbread house is 100% edible...it's hard to tell what's beneath all of the icing  the bare walls, made of gingerbread aren't very pretty...they are propped up, then held together with special icing.

GINGERBREAD DOUGH: Rather than posting my recipe again, it is already available with all instructions including the patterns at my web site http://w3.one.net/~proicer/index.html

Note: If you need to do some trimming, do it while the cookie dough is warm out of the oven.

You may need to make several batches of dough to complete your project, but don't multiply and try to do it all at once...the process just doesn't work that way.

DECORATIONS:
After the walls are in place, special decorations are piped on. Details were added with icing to make window panes, bricks, windows, doors, and later covered by candies or more elaborate decorations.

Details like evergreens, wreaths, roping, coffee beans on the roof, candy pebbles on the fireplace, etc. Were added. Each side of the house had it's own character, here's the "garage" and in the backyard a crushed blue sugar candy hot tub. The final details like a snowman can be put in after the entire house is surrounded by mounds of  snow icing and sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar to give a "freshly-snowed-on" look.

CONSTRUCTION TIPS

- To assure proper fit, check gingerbread pieces before assembling; if necessary.
- Shave edges with a rasp (sold in hardware stores) or a sharp knife.
- When assembling gingerbread pieces with icing, work with pastry bag with medium tip. Check vertical angles of major pieces with a right triangle or carpenter's square.

To attach right angle pieces: pipe a line along the edge of one piece; press it against the adjoining piece and hold it in place for several minutes until the icing sets. Let dry thoroughly propping attached pieces with a sturdy small object. When dry, smooth seams with a damp cloth; fill in any spaces with more icing.

For extra stability, pipe icing along the inside seams as well. Allow to stand for an hour until the icing has completely dried before decorating.

ROYAL ICING WITH MERINGUE POWDER (this too is already on my web site at:
http://w3.one.net/~proicer/index.html
ADD IN ORDER GIVEN:
3 1/2 oz warm water
3 tb meringue powder
Beat on high until like egg whites, double in volume; add:
1 lb confectioners' sugar

   NOTE: recipe can be doubled, tripled or as needed.
   Combine warm water and meringue powder, beat on medium speed until the meringue powder/ water mixture resembles frothy egg whites. Add flavoring. Add confectioners' sugar, beating slowly. Beat on low to medium speed until icing is light and fluffy, holds its shape, stands in peaks and has a [dull] finish.

Beating can take up to 15 minutes. Keep covered at all times with a damp cloth. To restore texture, simply re-beat. For lighter icing, add tablespoon water, continue beating.

Air holes (from beating on too-high speed) will cause decorations to be very brittle and break easily. High humidity can make pieces brittle.

All utensils should be absolutely grease-free. But when problems occur for my students, it has always because the icing was not beat long enough.

Color small batches of this icing as needed with Wilton decorating pastes, which are much more intense and not liquidy like liquid food colors.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST ...YOUR WORST ENEMY IS STIFF ROYAL ICING! YOUR HOUSE WILL BECOME ALL DRIED OUT AND FALL APART MUCH SOONER. THIS IS BECAUSE THE STIFF ROYAL ICING DIDN'T  ADHERE WELL...DIDN'T STICK AS WELL. MAKE IICING THIN, BUT NOT SOUPY.

CIorfino:     Can you shape this icing into flowers (roses)?
Dolores777:     yes, pipe flowers with it with dec. tips

Visit http://www.necco.com/ for a free brochure and some interesting gingerbread and candy facts.
In celebration of Necco's 150th anniversary in 1997, Necco's candy experts have teamed up with baking instructor Susan Logozzo to offer a step-by-step guide for creating a traditional gingerbread house with some special twists for creative decorating with candy.  In addition, this brochure includes 4 additional recipes made with Necco candy.

Consumers can request the booklet by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope
To: Necco gingerbread house, 134 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA 02141

MaraTLee: Necco, makes the gingerbread house ROCK!!!
Dolores777: I like to use Necco wafers...how I found them
Pwd Sugar: They make a neat pattern for the roof on your gingerbread creations

Note: last week I announced to you that I was moving my web site to http://www.sugarcraft.com --- this new web site isn't quite all ready yet, but I'm working on it...in the meantime, all remains as it was before - on the old site.
 

EARLENE'S PART

Dolores has given you excellent instructions and information about making gingerbread creations.   When I make these wonderful Christmasy fun creations we usually make our own patterns and just have fun with it.  If you are working with children the graham cracker buildings are easier for them to work with.  A serrated knife and a sawing motion will cut these graham crackers into the shapes you want.

The first step in making your original gingerbread creations is making your patterns.  Decide on the style of building you want to do.  For instance a gingerbread manger scene would only need two end pieces, one back piece and one roof pattern piece.  I cut my pattern pieces from cardboard and make sure they will fit correctly.  On the manger scene you only need one end pattern piece and reverse it for the other end.  Once the pattern pieces are made then I roll out my chilled gingerbread out on foil on the table or cabinet.  Dampen the cabinet before putting the foil down and it will keep it from slipping around on the cabinet.  Cut out your building pieces and then peel off the excess gingerbread from the foil.  Bake.  Check the baked pieces while still warm and do any trimming necessary while the gingerbread is still warm.

What about the cookie jars.  Fun to make and to fill and they are the best gifts for special families in your circle of friends and family.

Square shapes - you will need four sides and a top and bottom.
If you have some of the nested large sets of cookie cutters they make great layered cookie jars.  Or even a Crisco can with the top and bottom cut out and a can slightly smaller can be used for cutters.

The square shape cookie jar will need a jar lid that can be made by layering several very small cookies with royal icing.  Round,  heart shaped or even small squares or diamonds.  3 or 4 stacked one on top of the other with the royal icing gives a good sturdy handle.

The sides can be decorated before putting the cookie jar together.  Using some of your neatest Christmas cookie cutters imprint your design into the side pieces before you bake them and then all you have to do is decorate that design.  Or if you want a raised design you can always decorate the cookies and then glue them to the sides.  Just have fun doing them.  Bake lots of small to medium size cookies to fill the cookie jar and decorate a few of them.  A wonderful gift that you can eat the contents and then when that is all gone they can eat the cookie jar too.  Fun - fun - fun

The layered (round, heart, star and etc. ) cookie jar is done slightly different.  You will need a large solid top and bottom cookie and 6 to 10 rings or shapes that are hollow to form the sides.   A few small cookies to form the handle on top for a good sturdy handle.

Put a baked solid large shaped cookie down on a piece of wax paper upside down.  Drizzle royal icing around the edge and place a hollow shaped cookie on the bottom cookie and continue with the drizzle and cookie hollow shapes until you have reached the height that you want for your cookie jar.  Smooth any icing that has drizzled down on the inside of the cookie jar.  The outside layers of drizzle is very attractive but inside you want the cookie jar as smooth as possible for ease in filling with cookies.

Or how about smaller gingerbread boxes as a fun way to present a piece of jewelry to a favorite person in your life.

Another really fun cookie creation is the tree made from green sugar cookie dough.   Wilton makes that really nice 10 piece set of star cutters  (page 192 in the 1998 catalog #2104-E-1501).  You bake two cookies in each size and when you layer them to build your tree they make a really nice size cookie Christmas tree that you can decorate with snow (royal icing), red hots, shapes cut from rolled out gum drops, m & m's, sprinkles and etc.  The kids really love helping construct these trees.  This does come as a kit and some instructions to help you.

Gingerbread ornaments on your tree make your house smell wonderful as well as giving that old fashioned look to your tree.  Be sure and cut the hole for hanging while the cookies are still warm.  Pipe cleaners make neat hangers.  Ice or decorate with royal icing and enjoy their aroma through the holidays.

Gingerbread cookies also make great cookies to go in the cookie bouquets.  Insert a sucker stick into the base of the cookies and bake as usual.   Carefully remove from the cookie sheet and cool before trying to handle them by the handles (sucker sticks).  Or you can roll the dough thinner and layer the cookies with the sucker stick between the two thinner layers.

Just have fun with these creations.  Perfection is fine for wonderful creations for shows, contests and extravagant centerpieces.  But for building memories for your family, children and grandchildren keep it simple and fun.

One of the things that I try to tell every bride is " don't let the things that go wrong spoil your special day.  All the things that go right don't make the wonderful memories.  It is the things that happen unexpectedly and spontaneously that build those wonderful memories for the future.  You may not be able to laugh at them that day but a year or two later they will be the fun part of your special memories.

Pwd Sugar:     Its open mike time - so how about the rest of you sharing gingerbread ideas with us

Gigimama:     Dee, do you cut out windows and doors before or after baking?
Dolores777:     YES...before baking...but can cut after too. While still soft...you can cut
Pwd Sugar:     After baking while they are still hot works for better precision
Gigimama:     When I cut windows & doors before baking, openings got distorted
MaraTLee:     Gigi, throw the pieces in freezer before you bake
Dolores777:     Gig...lay a piece of hard candy in for windows...will stay in shape. Takes one crushed piece of candy for each window. I use YELLOW butterscothies. They make pretty glowing windows.
Dolores777:     Gig...also, you can trim while very hot when baked too
MaraTLee:     Dee, don’t forget to lay foil behind or candy will stick to cookie sheet!
(From Dolores - won’t stick when you bake on heavy-duty foil at all, even with candy windows).
Pwd Sugar:     neat idea for windows
Dolores777:     yes...my houses have windows
Dolores777:     for windows...
Pwd Sugar:     Is that one piece such as a round butterscotch???
Dolores777:     yes one piece ---in small windows

MaraTLee:     Dee, if you are in a hurry you can did edges in chocolate and stick
together! Stole idea from Martha, she dips hers in caramel--:0
Dolores777:     just thought...melt a chocolate wafer or 2 & stand them on that

MaraTLee:     Dee, is the picture on your web site?
Dolores777:     YES, pictures on my web site

HGRIFF1:     for how long i can keep this gingerbread house thing
Dolores777:     HG...till your house collapses LOL
MtnMama103:     Gingerbread houses don't last long at work or home after season

Dolores777:     also...lots of houses to make...we've started using coating. People stand up better...fast & easy
chocolate to make cookie

CIorfino:     Dee, I can never get a red icing...any suggestions??
Au nCarbon:     Clor, are you using Paste colors ?
Dolores777:     Clor...with Baker's Preferred gel colors it CAN get TOO red. Some colors never make red...one is 'Christmas Red'.
Gigimama:     I hate Christmas Red!  Red-Red seems to work best of the Wilton colors
CIorfino:     Yes. Have also tried the liquids.
Pwd Sugar:     If you will mix your red to a soft red it will turn bright red as it sits or dries. Paste colors is a necessity  or the pwd colors are good to
Gigimama:     If you're using Wilton colors, it takes ALOT!
Dolores777:     Dolores777: I've never found ANY of Wilton’s reds to be too good.
CIorfino:     Is Baker's Preferred a brand?
Bridal1:     Add your red in place of some of the water right when you start as red breaks down royal really easy.
Dolores777:     Clor...YES a brand. This red has been too dark...turns edge of petals black : (
CIorfino:     I will look for the baker's brand.
Gigimama:     Right, Dee.  I need to try Baker's.
Dolores777:     Clor...we carry it at http://w3.one.net/~proicer/index.html

Dolores777:     Wilton has some new GB houses that are only 3" high...just put together.. easy for kids - already baked gb comes in the kits.

Dolores777:     Cookie cutters...one lady I know use to buy any cutter & reshape them as she pleased

PJCATHY:     Pwd I just got on , do you have a simple recipe for gingerbread?
Dolores777:     PJCATHY...check here: http://w3.one.net/~proicer/index.html - a very easy one. The first recipe on the page is SO easy you don't even need to chill it...AND you can begin assembling as soon as it is cold.....soooo easy

CarolA5238:     There's suppose to be a great gb house making deal on the TV food web, too.

Dolores777:     HINT!...(In ANY gb recipe) you can add ANY spices you like...or DARK Karo etc...for taste. Just keep the flour, sugar, eggs, etc the same equivalents.

FOR HANGING ON THE CHRISTMAS TREE:
Pwd Sugar:     I use a number 12 tip to make the hanging holes
CIorfino:     You can use a straw to cut the hole in the warm cookie.

Dolores777:     There are MANY GB house sites now...just search like this---> "gingerbread house"

WGmax:     Graham crackers - They made a cute village

MaraTLee:     I still have my display GB houses from last year in good condition---:)
Dolores777:     Mara...did you spray it?
MaraTLee:     No - The recipe I make stands up that way
Dolores777:     would you share it with us?...maybe on my web site message board?
MaraTLee:     I put some pieces in zip lock bags and tried them the other day, still O,K,
Dolores777:     you could Mara...or just put it on my message board if it isn't confidential

RachDminor:     oh yay .. I'm so into gingerbread houses right now!
CarolA5238:     This is neat I can't wait to get going on my gb houses.
Pwd Sugar:     This applies also to the fun in making the gingerbread houses
WGmax:     I just finished a Victorian house.  It was a lot of fun

MaraTLee:     O.K., it's really good, I make about 70 houses every week end for the craft shows
RachDminor:     SEVENTY houses?? How big and complex are they, Mara?
MaraTLee:     I keep them going till orthodox x-mas then I take a week off
RachDminor:     What do you sell them for?  I get such a kick out of making them
MaraTLee:     they are all sizes, from mini to maxi

Dolores777:     cookies...cut out a star etc, fill with candy then bake...stained glass cookies

DEEP EYES2:     does any one  have a recipe for cookies that you don’t eat but can use to hang on trees
Dolores777:     DEEP...try gingerbread like we are discussing...yours just needs to get hard like this kind of gb.
Boxerhouse:     Yeah deep...they're salt cookies
DEEP EYES2:     BOXer  do i put a hole in it BEFORE i bake the cookie
Dolores777:     DEEP...make a hole with a straw and insert string
DEEP EYES2:     ok  make the hole FIRST  before i bake   ... right
Boxerhouse:     yes, before you bake DEEP

Smylee108:     my mom just taught her class how to make b houses- elementary school age
Maxname:     Smylee, did the kids cook???
Smylee108:     no- my mom brought in a kit, and I walked her through royal icing!

Smylee108:     you can stack up several, stick together w/just a dab of corn syrup. They will be stronger

RachDminor:     Do you make a lot, too, Dolores?
Dolores777:     not so many...maybe 20-30...not like Mara. We make all kinds...stables, church etc:

RachDminor:     I went to a class the other night and we made such a cute mini one with graham crackers on 6"round
board ... ADORABLE to put a small gift into

Smylee108:     did you talk about how to make trees?
Smylee108:     tree #1- upside down sugar cone- pipe green icing on it
Smylee108:     tree #2- cut out sugar cookie stars- in decreasing size - stack up to make a tree
CIorfino:     What do you use a s a base for your house?
Dolores777:     Smylee...I do that, then I roll it in thin royal i. & sprinkle with tiny candies
Gigimama:     Don't forget to sprinkle powdered sugar and edible glitter through a strainer over the trees for snow
Dolores777:     I keep a salt shaker with p. sugar to sprinkle 'snow' on my houses

Smylee108:     marshmallows make great snowmen

MaraTLee:     Dee, sprinkle some cinnamon up the front steps for "dirt"—

Pwd Sugar:     When we are doing the cookies we also keep the sprinkles in shakers. Not so messy for the kids to do

Smylee108:     gumdrops make great tree ornaments - cut them up a bit
Dolores777:     gumdrops can also be reshaped for other use...star etc
Pwd Sugar:     Right Dee - work those gumdrops until they get soft and roll out and cut - roll out sprinkle with sugar and then cut into shapes

MaraTLee:     since I do so many, I use spearmint leaves as bushes(landscaping)
MaraTLee:     if they wish to fill the house, they can tie on the roof with a pretty ribbon

Smylee108:     I took one of those jelly rings, put a good and plenty inside, and piped yellow icing = wreath with candle!

CIorfino:     What do you build the GBHouse on?
Dolores777:     set the house on cake cardboards - or on a styrofoam block
CIorfino:     Do you cover them with anything, Dee?
CIorfino:     Dee, do you cover the board with anything first?
Pwd Sugar:     I always put GB houses on a wooden board covered with florist foil and then I cover a cardboard with clear contact paper and build it up from there.
Dolores777:     I use the board with royal icing = snow
Smylee108:     cake cardboards work if your house is small
Pwd Sugar:     Just make sure the board is sturdy to support the GB so it won't break
Dolores777:     I use 2 cardboards at least - for support
Pwd Sugar:     Some of the cardboards we get now are so thing that three is a minimum thin
RachDminor:     in my class, she had us get 3 1/4-sheet boards to use together
Smylee108:     I'd say 3 cake board minimum tooo
Dolores777:     for mine...with the house in the center, 2 half sheet boards are ok. I have never had one break or any other problem. BUT - maybe my cardboards happen to be thicker than what other people get in other areas. I don’t know. I’ve even put $100.00 houses on 2 cardboards and they didn’t bend at all. It IS best to not have the cardboard too much bigger than the house itself I think. Just remember to leave room for ‘yard decorations.’

Smylee108:     I use royal icing for everything on my houses
CookNRedHd:     yep, we gotta stick together!!!

MaraTLee:     Another nice thing to do on you GB house is to decorate over the front door with the initial of the families last name. Use the 101s so it looks like calligraphy

RachDminor:     I read that someone colors/paints cookies with thinned royal or flow in squeeze bottles ... neater
Smylee108:     colors? out of icing? white, red green....

PJCATHY:     Has anyone tried the gingerbread that you get in a box, like cake mix?
RachDminor:     yes, that mix is for gingerbread .. cake-like
Gigimama:     Dee, the mix has two recipes: 1 for gb cake, 1 for gb cookies
RachDminor:     My mother only used mixes .. it's not bad :)
Dolores777:     didn't know...no use to use a mix...is easy to mix up
Smylee108:     there is mix for hard gb for houses, for cake, and for cookies
Gigimama:     The mix doesn't make enough for a house, though

RachDminor:     Mara, you must have lots of tips since you do so many.

Pwd Sugar:     Lace points make a really cute edge on the roofs - sort of that gingerbread look   LOL

Smylee108:     I took orders and made houses for the street when I was 13 :)

MaraTLee:     Dee, even did a Kwanza hut for x-mas----placed on GB mud cloth
RachDminor:     mud cloth, Mara?
RachDminor:     oh, is that a Kwanzaa thing?
MaraTLee:     Rach, just used royal to make the patterns of the mud cloth
Harandon:     when is Kwanza
Pwd Sugar:     OK Mara what is a mud cloth
MaraTLee:     Mud cloth is just material decorated with very primitive images, it seems that  every village has their own unique pattern

Smylee108:     If you pipe small royal icing ornaments- say heart shapes, you can edge the roof with them
Smylee108:     pretzel logs= wood piles for houses
RachDminor:     oh .. I've seen criss-cross windows done with royal and "glued"
inside ... very pretty looking
Dolores777:     tootsie roll logs or mailboxes
MaraTLee:     Use stick pretzels for the "country roof"--
Smylee108:     small candy canes make good fences

Smylee108:     sheet gelatin makes neat windows too...
RachDminor:     very, Smylee .. my teacher had scored sheet gelatin .. looked
Smylee108:     sheet gelatin can be painted w/food color too
MaraTLee:     Yes, Rach, I use those gel sheets for English country cottages
RachDminor:     where do you get that?

Dolores777:     lolly pop makes a good light for out side too
Smylee108:     edge windows in piped royal icing for a finished look
MaraTLee:     stick a yellow gumdrop on a 5 cent pretzel stick for a lamppost
Smylee108:     lantern lights for outside = rolo (foil wrapped)
Dolores777:     I made 'fence' in a fence candy mold with coating chocolate

RachDminor:     oh, I just saw a lamppost that was a candy cane with a dyed yellow marshmallow dangling from the curl

Pwd Sugar:     split licorice strips for rails for a candy train made from small candy bars, life savers, tootsie rolls and etc.

Smylee108:     there is a really good book - called "The Gingerbread Book" by Steven Stellingwerf - great book with all sorts of stuff- recipes, piped lace points.

Dolores777:     Pretzels covered with chocolate also make good fence

MaraTLee:     use neccos and marshmallow (mini) to make patio furniture--LOL
Pwd Sugar:     The fun part of gingerbread houses is that the only limits are our
imaginations
Smylee108:     neccos make great shingles....

Dolores777:     M & Ms are always good to dec. with
Smylee108:     the problem with M&Ms is that I eat them all before they get to the house!
Pwd Sugar:     I'm one of those that eats the M & M's too.  Not many get on the GB
Smylee108:     mini M&Ms are the greatest thing since sliced bread!

Smylee108:     yes Pwd!
RachDminor:     if anyone has a Pic'N'Save around, they have some gum drops and spearmint leaves right now.
CakeNHound:     An evergreen garland with #233 looks nice on a fence with a red bow
MaraTLee:     You can decorate the roof with a scallop design and add a red hot at every peak

Dolores777:     put a light inside! the one with a single bulb as with ceramic shops. Glows through the 'windows'
RachDminor:     I don't know that kind of bulb, Dolores. I do want to do lights eventually
MaraTLee:     Night lite bulb.
Dolores777:     I cut a hole before I assemble - for the light

MaraTLee:     Use the mini m and m's --the baking bits to decorate trees and garlands
Smylee108:     more shingle ideas: piping, almonds, choc chips, marzipan
rectangles

Cake Wmn:     red hots here called cinnamon something!
MaraTLee:     Gigi, can you find "red hots??" Then pipe a little green leaf, looks like little apples on roof

MaraTLee:     --Use cinnamon gum for the shingles on the roof

Pwd Sugar:     Thatched roof - use the mini shredded wheat things

Dolores777:     Mara...or colored chocolate wafers

Cake Wmn:     frosted mini shredded wheat - snow dusted!
MaraTLee:     Shreded wheat, great on manger scenes
Vicake:     I had a student use dry banana chips for a roof, it was unusual
RachDminor:     Vic, that's a Philippino house
Postcards:     I used vanilla wafers for my roof
Dolores777:     WHATEVER....use candies your family will eat!
MaraTLee:     Yes, nilla wafers, RULE
Gigimama:     My gb was way too hard to eat once it cooled
Smylee108:     you know...at my house...the candy just mysteriously disappears day by day....
MaraTLee:     Use starlight mints for the roof also, add a little dragee in
center for extra UMPH
RachDminor:     What are starlight mints?
Smylee108:     peppermint swirl round candies rach
MaraTLee:     Rach, the cheap--ops inexpensive mints they sell by the bag full

Smylee108:     silver dragees make great lights too

Thenuthous:     I decorate my entire Christmas tree with gingerbread men/women
Thenuthous:     It looks nice, all the kids decorate the gingerbread
MaraTLee:     And I bet Thens tree smell delish!!
Thenuthous:     I eat them until the tree comes down ..great with coffee
Dolores777:     oh the cookies would make a great smell
Thenuthous:     True Dolores, I let all the neighbor kids eat it too!!!
Thenuthous:     Tree gets better every year as they get older and decorate better

Dolores777:     wellll. I think we’ve proven… gb houses are NOT hard to do...just make 1-2 and you'll be an expert!

Pwd Sugar:     I must do 60 santas piped on candy canes this weekend for the granddaughters
Pwd Sugar:     One of those beside a gingerbread house would  be cute also. It is a tradition - they give them to their fellow students at school.
Dolores777:     I have a picture of Santas on candy canes on my web page
MaraTLee:     I saw those on Dees site, I would love to try those---CUTE
RachDminor:     60 Santas ... my hand hurts thinking about it
Smylee108:     rach- try making 210 marzipan santas! LOL That's what I did at work last week- little pink heads
Pwd Sugar:     Thank goodness I only have to do them for two rooms this year
MaraTLee:     Tie your business card on them!!
Pwd Sugar:     Inexpensive gifts for them and just a little time for me

Postcards:     Everyone i've talked to would rather have a homemade treat at x-mas
RachDminor    : really, Post?  That's nice to hear.  That's all I'm doing this year.

Dolores777:     has anyone ever sprayed to preserve a house so it NEVER fell apart? what with?

CarolA5238:     I learned  how to make that cute little angel in the sugar craft book. Real cute!
RachDminor:     someone mentioned acrylic the other day, Dolores .. is there spray acrylic?
Smylee108:     dolores- never tried it, but I bet shellac would work- but make it non-edible
MaraTLee:     Dee, you can dip the house in clear Paraffin, and it will keep forever - just can't eat it
Smylee108:     they make edible food lacquer though-
Postcards:     I wouldn't try to preserve it, things will fall off by next year anyway
MaraTLee:     I never spray or dip my houses because you never know what little fingers
RachDminor:     I know that you can ... just not sure how .. but will find out
Vicake:     I have used spray polyurethane to preserve them and keep out humidity
Thenuthous:     You have to eat your house every year!!!
MaraTLee:     Dee, I've even had pet cats nibbling at houses, (in customers homes)
RachDminor:     I know at least one who has kept one for years.  I'll find out.
Dolores777:     gb houses are easy, just take forever
Pwd Sugar:     If I didn't let them ask for impossible things it would probably help   LOL
Dolores777:     some of ours have dormers...like Wilton’s kit (good starter kit too)
RachDminor:     I just got that at my class, Dolores ... but the cast iron molds drove me nuts .. HAD to have them.
Dolores777:     easy to make a pattern as long as you have 4 walls and a roof that fits, honest
Dolores777:     Don't need molds Rach...makes it a JOB
RachDminor:     I know, Dolores ... I LOVE molds and these were just irresistible to me :((
MaraTLee:     Rach, you can use molds to make chocolate houses, they are just fine
Pwd Sugar:     Depends on size, decorations, flowers and etc.

Shavkin:     There's instructions on my web site for gb houses by

RachDminor:     Do many people do furniture inside the houses?
Dolores777:     I always wish I would do furniture...or a tree
Pwd Sugar:     I have a friend in Austin who make people, furniture and etc in all of her GB houses
Postcards: a tree would be easy
PJCATHY:     Furniture inside , LOL I have trouble just with the outside!

MaraTLee:     If you are having trouble with the kids making GB houses you can prop your cracker houses on small milk cartons, like school milk cartons
PJCATHY:     Last year I went to P' school and showed them w/graham crackers
RachDminor:     yes, it's good practice to see how easy it is using graham crackers .. I was amazed!

RachDminor:     I have a friend who just told me his family buys a made-to-order gb house every year .. people, etc .. He pays $200.  ... ?
Smylee108:     $200 for a house???!!!!
Dolores777:     I have made several houses for $100.00 each. We offer many price ranges.
RachDminor:     I don't think I'd bother for much less than $100. ... if I really did details and such.  It takes a lot of time!
Dolores777:     I make those from books etc...for big bucks
MaraTLee:     Rach, my custom houses start at 50,00
Bridal1:     I made a bunch of the Wilton pre-baked GB houses for our DOS and they turned out good and fun to make,
MaraTLee:     but my mass produced houses are 5.00, 12.50-15.00 and the big one is 35.00

MaraTLee:     DEE, the pharmacy has these inexpensive chocolate trees, 3 for a 1.oo---just stick one in middle of the house, for eye appleal. Just sit in middle of house, there is a chocolate mold of a fireplace. I'm sure you must have it. Put that against one of the walls.
Smylee108:     Reeses, peanut butter trees!
Katjonu:     Anytime Maxi definitely if nothing else do the malted milk ball one

MaraTLee:     Dee, I will put up my GB recipe on you message board tomorrow after work

Postcards:     okay, how much would a three tier wedding cake cost?
Dolores777:     3 tier - what sizes?
Postcards:     100 people
Postcards:     I only want the basket weave
Dolores777:     charge by the serving
Dolores777:     basket weave is time consuming and I charge more for that
Pwd Sugar:     Starts at $2.75 a serving for me
Dolores777:     I charge from $1.00 per serving UP...mostly average $1.50 per serving
Postcards:     Big weddings in Texas, My girlfriend was at one  $1,000,000!!!
Bridal1:     $1,000,000 - silly - could have bought couple several houses for that.
Pwd Sugar:     That 1200 angels was enough for me this year - thank you   lol
Dolores777:     Pwd I thought of you when we made 500 gb men LOL
Pwd Sugar:     Should have pictures of those and last weekends project when I get this roll of film develop
Pwd Sugar:     1200 angels on 1200 ovals for a huge banquet to go on each dessert served
Ivory white chocolate on milk chocolate ovals.  Rosemary custom made

CarolA5238:     Pwd Do leave far from Elizabeth Frys?
CarolA5238:     A bunch of us attended a class at her place last week-end, was fun!