Holiday Homestead

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Every December, I w ould gaze at festive ginger-bread houses displayed in bakery windows, dreaming of creating such a masterpiece. I could only dream, since my gingerbread house experience was limited to sticking graham crackers together with frosting and creating a gingerbread tent. Until last year, that is, when I met Colleen, who not only owns a fancy cake bakery in Chicago called "Cake by Colleen," but is also a gingerbread house expert. I attended a mini-class at Colleen's bakery, where she shared some of her gingerbread house secrets.

Making my gingerbread house took a little time and patience, but it wasn't difficult. Not only is this a fun project for family members of all ages but the homemade house makes a great looking centerpiece for your holiday table. (My gingerbread house is sitting on my oak buffet surrounded by evergreen boughs.)

You will need:

Ingredients for gingerbread and royal icing (see below).
A piece of thick cardboard (about 12" a 16"), covered with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Assorted candies, cookies, cereal, etc., for decorating.
small cookie cutters: trees, teddy bears, gingerbread people (optional).
A card table covered with plastic to use as a work space, so the project doesn't interfere with family mealtime.

The plan:

This project is easier with at least two helpers so schedule a day on your calendar (preferably in November or early December) when the gang's all there.

Ahead: Before you shop for ingredients, hunt around the house for candy, small cookies, goldfish crackers, mini-marshmallows, ice cream cones to use for evergreen trees, cereal such as bite-size frosted shredded wheat for roofing, small pretzels for fences, etc. I found some dried banana chips that I used to pave a stone path in front of the door and some pink wafer cookies that made cute window, shutters.

When shopping for candy, look for colorful, small items that aren't so heavy they'll slide off the roof (that was my biggest construction problem). Some good choices are M&M's, chocolate nonpareils, peppermints, Necco wafers, Twistettes (short licorice), Twizzlers (square licorice), Dots, Lifesavers, Gummy Bears. candy canes, small jelly beans, gumdrops and colored sprinkles. Try the bulk bins at supermarkets or candy stores. You'll only need a small amount of not more than five or six varieties.

Day 1: Prepare the dough and store in the refrigerator. Find a piece of cardboard for the base and cover with foil. Xerox the house pattern at your local copy center, enlarging it to 35% (the red square will be 1" high). Glue it onto poster board or a file folder and cut out the pattern pieces.