Witte Thanksgiving Gingerbread Night 2008, in video form. Enjoy!
This was my first time making my own video, and it was totally fun! For more on the Gingerbread tradition, head over to Annette's blog.
Showing posts with label Gingerbreads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gingerbreads. Show all posts
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
All About Gingerbreads: Part 5
Well, the gingerbread festivities are over. Mostly.
And oh, we had fun. Crazy, messy, busy, sticky fun. We're talking kids running all over, covered in frosting, adults getting political (more on that later), and even a gingerbread demise. And then my mom was unable to finish since my dad ate her roofing material. I'll post pictures soon, I promise.
But before I do, I'd like to dedicate a post to classic Decorating Fixin's. By this I mean various food/candy items to use for roofs, siding, sidewalks, shutters, etc for your gingerbread creation.
House Walls
-plain old graham crackers or gingerbread
-sugar cubes
-pretzel sticks
-marshmallows
-sticks of gum
Roof
-Necco's
-nonpareils
-cereal like Frosted Mini-Wheats or Chex
-mini Nilla Wafers
-candy! Smartees, licorice, gum drops, etc.
And oh, we had fun. Crazy, messy, busy, sticky fun. We're talking kids running all over, covered in frosting, adults getting political (more on that later), and even a gingerbread demise. And then my mom was unable to finish since my dad ate her roofing material. I'll post pictures soon, I promise.
But before I do, I'd like to dedicate a post to classic Decorating Fixin's. By this I mean various food/candy items to use for roofs, siding, sidewalks, shutters, etc for your gingerbread creation.
House Walls
-plain old graham crackers or gingerbread
-sugar cubes
-pretzel sticks
-marshmallows
-sticks of gum
Roof
-Necco's
-nonpareils
-cereal like Frosted Mini-Wheats or Chex
-mini Nilla Wafers
-candy! Smartees, licorice, gum drops, etc.
-gum, once again
Other Ideas for the House
-layered wafer cookies for shutters, doors
Other Ideas for the House
-layered wafer cookies for shutters, doors
-Necco's broken into pieces for a fieldstone effect
Lights
-regular or mini M&Ms
-Skittles
-Nerds
-candy buttons
Landscaping
-gummy trees
-sugar cones turned upside down and plastered with green frosting
-Chicklets or other flat candy for a path or sidewalk
-Rice Krispies died green and molded into shrubbery
Other!
-candy canes
-mints
-red hots
-jelly beans
-Mike& Ikes
-gum drops
-PEZ
-candy corn
-coconut (makes for great-looking snow!)
Is there anything I'm missing? Leave it here! We're always looking for new ideas.
Lights
-regular or mini M&Ms
-Skittles
-Nerds
-candy buttons
Landscaping
-gummy trees
-sugar cones turned upside down and plastered with green frosting
-Chicklets or other flat candy for a path or sidewalk
-Rice Krispies died green and molded into shrubbery
Other!
-candy canes
-mints
-red hots
-jelly beans
-Mike& Ikes
-gum drops
-PEZ
-candy corn
-coconut (makes for great-looking snow!)
Is there anything I'm missing? Leave it here! We're always looking for new ideas.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
All About Gingerbreads: Part 4
Today's Installment: Gingerbreads Through The Years
Christina & her creation, 1997-ish
Christina & her creation, 1997-ish
A six-pack container makes an excellent base, and pretzels make for a cute log cabin look.
Don't fall over... don't fall over. Me (middle school aged) with what I think was supposed to be a church.
I usually went with Wolverine-inspired designs when I was in college. Not sure why my brother Ben didn't want to smile for this picture.
To get everyone in one place, we set up long folding tables set up in the middle of my parents' living room. I think this was somewhere around 2003.
Someone is always mixing frosting!
Gingerbread fun for big and small - Derek & Mirabella.
Rachel and Emma at last year's event.
Uncle Dan working on a carosel.
My brother Ben last year.
Okay, family - I KNOW you have more pictures! Send 'em to me and I'll post more!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
All About Gingerbreads: Part 3
Today I'll be focusing on some key tips regarding:
Windows, Frosting, and Construction.
As a bonus, my mom, the gingerbread queen, has graciously agreed to guest post on the delicate art of construction.
But first, the Windows.
If you want to continue down the road of hardcore gingerbread house making, you can actually add window panes to your house. The process is actually super easy, and you can find the directions right here.
If you do windows, you can light up the house from the inside and the whole thing glows. All you have to do is dump a string of white lights into the center of the structure as you're putting it together, leaving the plug outside. A very nice effect, but not at all essential to the process.
Next, the Frosting.
The right frosting is key to the entire process, because it is literally the glue that holds the entire project together. The tubs of frosting that you can buy in the bakery aisle are okay, but they aren't usually sticky or sturdy enough to work well. We go with this option:
Royal Frosting
3 T Wilton Meringue Powder (found at Michaels, look for 40% off coupon)
4 C powdered sugar
6 T warm water
Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (5-7 minutes at low speed with a heavy duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer). It will need to flow fairly easily out of a decorating bag, so if it seems too stiff, add 1 TBS more of warm water.
While you can purchase special piping bags from craft stores, we've found that spooning a bunch of frosting into cheap sandwich baggies works quite well. Just cut a tiny bit off of one corner and always hold onto it from the back.
And, direct from my mom (in green), some basics on Gingerbread House Construction:
This does require quite a bit of patience and lots of water bottles to hold up your pieces, due to the fact that we do only have 2 hands!
Take a piece of wood and cover with a piece of tin foil.
Start by placing the front piece and attach a side piece with a fair amount of royal frosting (see above for recipe) to the seam. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE STORE BOUGHT FROSTING TUBS. Royal frosting is like cement and you want to use the frosting with the most heft. Make sure you position these first two pieces towards the back of your wooden base, so you can add trees, landscaping and perhaps an ice skating rink to your front yard. Place full water bottles on each side of the pieces to hold it together. Run a pipe of frosting on the inside seam as well as the base of the pieces.
Now add your back piece and then the other side piece, using water bottles to hold these pieces in place, and add additional frosting to the inside and outside seams.
This is the time to QUIT for the night!!!!! DO NOT TRY TO ADJUST PIECES!!!!
You will be covering most of it in frosting and decorations so if your sides aren’t exactly plum, it doesn’t matter.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ADD ADDITIONAL PIECES OR TO PUT THE ROOF ON!!!!! It would be a disaster and will spoil your gingerbread house fun from now and forever more!
The next day (no, not 4 hours later, I mean at least 10 -12 hours later), you can add your roof pieces, very carefully and tenderly. You could enlist someone to hold a roof piece in place while you attach the second roof side. A patient husband who is not clumsy would work, but probably not your 4 year old child.
Once your roof is on, you will need to wait another day for the real fun to begin….you know what that is…DECORATING NIGHT!!!! I promise you, it is all worth it!
Finally, a disclaimer about this fancy gingerbread process:
Do not feel like you need to go through all this trouble for pure gingerbread fun.
Windows, Frosting, and Construction.
As a bonus, my mom, the gingerbread queen, has graciously agreed to guest post on the delicate art of construction.
But first, the Windows.
If you want to continue down the road of hardcore gingerbread house making, you can actually add window panes to your house. The process is actually super easy, and you can find the directions right here.
If you do windows, you can light up the house from the inside and the whole thing glows. All you have to do is dump a string of white lights into the center of the structure as you're putting it together, leaving the plug outside. A very nice effect, but not at all essential to the process.
Next, the Frosting.
The right frosting is key to the entire process, because it is literally the glue that holds the entire project together. The tubs of frosting that you can buy in the bakery aisle are okay, but they aren't usually sticky or sturdy enough to work well. We go with this option:
Royal Frosting
3 T Wilton Meringue Powder (found at Michaels, look for 40% off coupon)
4 C powdered sugar
6 T warm water
Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (5-7 minutes at low speed with a heavy duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer). It will need to flow fairly easily out of a decorating bag, so if it seems too stiff, add 1 TBS more of warm water.
While you can purchase special piping bags from craft stores, we've found that spooning a bunch of frosting into cheap sandwich baggies works quite well. Just cut a tiny bit off of one corner and always hold onto it from the back.
And, direct from my mom (in green), some basics on Gingerbread House Construction:
This does require quite a bit of patience and lots of water bottles to hold up your pieces, due to the fact that we do only have 2 hands!
Take a piece of wood and cover with a piece of tin foil.
Start by placing the front piece and attach a side piece with a fair amount of royal frosting (see above for recipe) to the seam. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE STORE BOUGHT FROSTING TUBS. Royal frosting is like cement and you want to use the frosting with the most heft. Make sure you position these first two pieces towards the back of your wooden base, so you can add trees, landscaping and perhaps an ice skating rink to your front yard. Place full water bottles on each side of the pieces to hold it together. Run a pipe of frosting on the inside seam as well as the base of the pieces.
Now add your back piece and then the other side piece, using water bottles to hold these pieces in place, and add additional frosting to the inside and outside seams.
This is the time to QUIT for the night!!!!! DO NOT TRY TO ADJUST PIECES!!!!
You will be covering most of it in frosting and decorations so if your sides aren’t exactly plum, it doesn’t matter.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ADD ADDITIONAL PIECES OR TO PUT THE ROOF ON!!!!! It would be a disaster and will spoil your gingerbread house fun from now and forever more!
The next day (no, not 4 hours later, I mean at least 10 -12 hours later), you can add your roof pieces, very carefully and tenderly. You could enlist someone to hold a roof piece in place while you attach the second roof side. A patient husband who is not clumsy would work, but probably not your 4 year old child.
Once your roof is on, you will need to wait another day for the real fun to begin….you know what that is…DECORATING NIGHT!!!! I promise you, it is all worth it!
Here is my house, all put together, complete with butterscotch windows! I can't take credit for the construction.
Finally, a disclaimer about this fancy gingerbread process:
Do not feel like you need to go through all this trouble for pure gingerbread fun.
The real fun is in the decorating, so you can buy a kit containing the pieces already baked (which you would still need to assemble…see above for tips on construction) or use graham crackers attached to a milk cartons or 6 pack holders.
Monday, November 24, 2008
All About Gingerbreads: Part 2
Today I'll focus on the art of Making and Baking gingerbread.
First of all, the recipe! We've found that this is an excellent recipe, as it makes for very sturdy gingerbread. Perfect for house-making! My mom found the recipe online, but the website has since disappeared. If you're looking for something that actually tastes good, try a gingerbread cookie recipe. More on that below.
Loreta’s Favorite Gingerbread Dough
5 C flour
1 t salt
2 t ginger
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t cloves
1 C shortening
1 C sugar
1 ¼ C molasses
2 eggs, beaten
You'll also need a fair amount of aluminum foil
Melt shortening in a saucepan on the stove over low heat. While shortening is melting, mix flour, salt, and spices together in a separate bowl. If you have a stand mixer, this is the time to use it! Mix together eggs, sugar, and molasses, and then add the shortening (when melted) to it. Mix quickly so that the eggs don’t cook. Slowly add in flour mixture, and mix well. Dough will be soft. Roll into several baseball-sized balls and wrap individually in plastic wrap, then place them in the refrigerator until firm (we usually do overnight).
When dough is firm, remove from refrigerator and let sit until room temperature (about 1 hour). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
When ready to roll out and bake, sprinkle water onto your counter top, and then cut a piece of aluminum foil off of the roll. Place the foil down over the water. The water on the counter will prevent the foil from slipping while the dough is being rolled out. Sprinkle foil with flour.
Take one ball (2 max for a large piece) and place it on the foil. Roll out with a rolling pin that has been also sprinkled with flour. If the dough is too stiff for rolling out, microwave it for 10-15 seconds to soften it.
Roll dough out to about 1/8 inch. Place gingerbread house pattern pieces onto dough that has been sprinkled with flour and use a knife or pizza cutter to cut around the mold. Don’t forget the windows. Remove excess dough, and lift entire piece of foil onto cookie sheet.
Bake 6-7 minutes for small pieces, and up to 14 for large pieces. Check often to prevent burning. Roof pieces can be baked for longer, until almost burnt. This can prevent sagging later on. If they come out a little bit warped, you can pat them into place while they're still hot.
Unused dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
When dough pieces are done baking, remove baking sheet from oven. Quickly lift foil from making sheet and place on a flat area to cool. Let them cool overnight, and gently peel foil off of gingerbread pieces. Now you are ready to assemble, or add windows! More on that tomorrow!
A note on gingerbread cookies, as an add-on or alternative to the classic house:
We decided on Sunday to go ahead and whip up some gingerbread cookies, so that for those people who show up to the party without a pre-constructed house to work with can still get in on the decorating fun. We used a simple Betty Crocker recipe for the cookies, and they do taste much better. Other than the recipe and the final shapes, the method is 100% the same. Lots of flour, rolling pins, and foil. Oh, and cute cookie cutters help quite a bit.
Loreta’s Favorite Gingerbread Dough
5 C flour
1 t salt
2 t ginger
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t cloves
1 C shortening
1 C sugar
1 ¼ C molasses
2 eggs, beaten
You'll also need a fair amount of aluminum foil
Melt shortening in a saucepan on the stove over low heat. While shortening is melting, mix flour, salt, and spices together in a separate bowl. If you have a stand mixer, this is the time to use it! Mix together eggs, sugar, and molasses, and then add the shortening (when melted) to it. Mix quickly so that the eggs don’t cook. Slowly add in flour mixture, and mix well. Dough will be soft. Roll into several baseball-sized balls and wrap individually in plastic wrap, then place them in the refrigerator until firm (we usually do overnight).
Our dough balls, taking up an entire shelf! Granted, we DID make four batches.
When dough is firm, remove from refrigerator and let sit until room temperature (about 1 hour). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
When ready to roll out and bake, sprinkle water onto your counter top, and then cut a piece of aluminum foil off of the roll. Place the foil down over the water. The water on the counter will prevent the foil from slipping while the dough is being rolled out. Sprinkle foil with flour.
Take one ball (2 max for a large piece) and place it on the foil. Roll out with a rolling pin that has been also sprinkled with flour. If the dough is too stiff for rolling out, microwave it for 10-15 seconds to soften it.
In this order: Counter top, water, foil, flour, dough, flour, rolling pin.
Roll dough out to about 1/8 inch. Place gingerbread house pattern pieces onto dough that has been sprinkled with flour and use a knife or pizza cutter to cut around the mold. Don’t forget the windows. Remove excess dough, and lift entire piece of foil onto cookie sheet.
Here is my mom's template, all taped together. She pulled it apart later so that she could use the pieces for her pattern.
My mom's friend, Karen, cutting a roof piece.
Bake 6-7 minutes for small pieces, and up to 14 for large pieces. Check often to prevent burning. Roof pieces can be baked for longer, until almost burnt. This can prevent sagging later on. If they come out a little bit warped, you can pat them into place while they're still hot.
Unused dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
When dough pieces are done baking, remove baking sheet from oven. Quickly lift foil from making sheet and place on a flat area to cool. Let them cool overnight, and gently peel foil off of gingerbread pieces. Now you are ready to assemble, or add windows! More on that tomorrow!
A note on gingerbread cookies, as an add-on or alternative to the classic house:
We decided on Sunday to go ahead and whip up some gingerbread cookies, so that for those people who show up to the party without a pre-constructed house to work with can still get in on the decorating fun. We used a simple Betty Crocker recipe for the cookies, and they do taste much better. Other than the recipe and the final shapes, the method is 100% the same. Lots of flour, rolling pins, and foil. Oh, and cute cookie cutters help quite a bit.
Check out the awesome morning hair I'm sporting!
Our darling gingerbread men! I may have to decorate one of these guys, too.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
All About Gingerbreads: Part 1
Gingerbread house creation is a big time Thanksgiving tradition in my family (my dad's side, that is). I have a significant amount of information to share on the subject, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving I've decided to dedicate the entire week of posting to:
All About Gingerbreads
Today’s installment? Overview and History
What started as an activity for all the kids the day of Thanksgiving (I mean, what else is there to do on that day, besides eat a lot and watch the Lions lose?) has become an event that all of the cousins (not to mention aunts and uncles) look forward to every year. My mom thinks I was about 10 or 11 when we started this, and if that is the case we have around 15 years of experience making these guys.
Early on, we started planning this an event for the evening of Thanksgiving. This timing is crucial. My family is large, but most cousins eat the traditional meal with the other side of the family. But the evening of Thanksgiving is a time that everyone is free from other family commitments and doesn't generally have other plans. Everyone brings an already constructed house, as well as an assortment of candy for decorating. Then we sit around a big table for an hour or two and all decorate together. It is a BLAST. Not only do we all get to see each other, but we have a fun activity to work on. I love it.
In the early years, we constructed our houses from graham crackers, often using a 6-pack carton (minus the beers, of course) as a base. Others simply bought a gingerbread kit from the store to decorate. Still others (namely, my uncle Dan) constructed forms out of wood and covered them with graham crackers. He’s made some VERY cool projects, including the Michigan Stadium and a battery-operated windmill. I hear that he is working on a “California-themed” project, as his daughter now lives there.
My mom has also gotten fancy in the last couple of years and has started to actually bake gingerbread. She starts out by searching the internet for a pattern, and then constructs a prototype out of cardboard. Once she works out the kinks of the design, she takes apart the prototype to use the pieces for cutting out the dough. You can see her creation from last year on the back - right. She has a new design picked out for this year, while I plan to use the cute Craftsman style she went with last year.
Tomorrow's installment will cover the dough. Stay tuned!
All About Gingerbreads
Today’s installment? Overview and History
What started as an activity for all the kids the day of Thanksgiving (I mean, what else is there to do on that day, besides eat a lot and watch the Lions lose?) has become an event that all of the cousins (not to mention aunts and uncles) look forward to every year. My mom thinks I was about 10 or 11 when we started this, and if that is the case we have around 15 years of experience making these guys.
Early on, we started planning this an event for the evening of Thanksgiving. This timing is crucial. My family is large, but most cousins eat the traditional meal with the other side of the family. But the evening of Thanksgiving is a time that everyone is free from other family commitments and doesn't generally have other plans. Everyone brings an already constructed house, as well as an assortment of candy for decorating. Then we sit around a big table for an hour or two and all decorate together. It is a BLAST. Not only do we all get to see each other, but we have a fun activity to work on. I love it.
In the early years, we constructed our houses from graham crackers, often using a 6-pack carton (minus the beers, of course) as a base. Others simply bought a gingerbread kit from the store to decorate. Still others (namely, my uncle Dan) constructed forms out of wood and covered them with graham crackers. He’s made some VERY cool projects, including the Michigan Stadium and a battery-operated windmill. I hear that he is working on a “California-themed” project, as his daughter now lives there.
My mom has also gotten fancy in the last couple of years and has started to actually bake gingerbread. She starts out by searching the internet for a pattern, and then constructs a prototype out of cardboard. Once she works out the kinks of the design, she takes apart the prototype to use the pieces for cutting out the dough. You can see her creation from last year on the back - right. She has a new design picked out for this year, while I plan to use the cute Craftsman style she went with last year.
Tomorrow's installment will cover the dough. Stay tuned!
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