Cooking WIth Kids: Gingerbread House Party

I don’t have much time but I wanted to check in and say..Marc, my brilliant, wonderful and extremely hot husband has yet again wheedled my computer into complete submission!

Today is our annual gingerbread house party. We have done this since..gosh…1993? Without missing a year. In 1998 I was in active labor and my midwife was in attendance at the party! We always host the party on the first Friday of December and invite as many kids as possible. Because I am making so many houses I just use graham crackers for the construction. This makes it quick and easy. Everyone brings candy and the kids have a great time adding candy to the houses with royal icing.

Here is one I finished to show you…I will try to get the step by step pictures uploaded this weekend. I am trying to learn how to resize the pictures so the pages load better.

This year I am trying just confectioners sugar and water with a little almond extract instead of the traditional royal icing..we will see how it works.

I am taking a break..I have 12 houses done so far..and a few more to do..Then I have to make Sean’s birthday cake, AND he has requested homemade garlic bread, spaghetti and meatballs for dinner so I am fermenting the sponge now for the bread.

What, me worry?

Yikes!

I will be back later with pictures.

To make the gingerbread houses out of graham crackers you need to use 8 squares per house.

glue 4 together in a box with the icing. Let dry.

glue one flat on top to support the roof.

Cut 1 in half so it is triangular and use for the peak.

Glue on the roof support.

Carefully glue 2 more squares to the peaks to make the roof. Let dry thoroughly then allow the kids to decorate as they like.