Jan 01 2009
The House that Josiah Built
Every New Years Eve, our family tradition is to make gingerbread houses. Because we eat the houses we make, I want the gingerbread to taste good and not break your teeth. Since soft gingerbread makes a poor foundation, this always results in a house collapse during the process of construction. I also like the frosting to be nice and creamy which although quite tasty, does little to hold pieces together. This drama of discussing and creating house plans, last minute baking, frosting that runs out, and giant stacks of dishes, is always the year end test of marital accord. Thanks to me, New Years Eve is not one of Dale’s favorite holidays of family togetherness and good cheer. I cap off the night by standing out on the porch banging pots and pans. Each year I test his resolve to our marriage in this manner. This year, I decided to give him a bit of a break. No, not from banging pots and pans. I’ll be doing that when I’m 80. Instead, I tried yet another gingerbread house recipe with the goal in mind of a house that would not collapse. Excessive cups of flour and my first go at royal icing did the trick and for the first time ever, we had houses that stood. In the midst of baking walls and roofs, I realized I did not have enough dough for four houses and asked Josiah if he would be willing to make a different structure. He readily agreed and with his Father’s assistance soon had plans for the construction of a gingerbread privy (dunny). When the houses were completed and pictures were taken and I was feeling gingerbread house victorious for the first time, Abby turned to me and said “but it’s not tradition if they don’t fall down.”
The Kids and their Gingerbread Houses
Since when are kids sticklers for tradition? Thanks for the update, the houses (and privy) look fantastic!
Senior Gingerneer Mugs appears to have completed this project in accordance with standards set forth by the USACE Manual On Confectionery Construction, and by the Brothers Grimm.
Hello and Happy New Year:) you have a beautiful family. I was looking for you on myspace and facebook to no avail but thankfully I stumbled upon one Howie Meloch and risked a random “hello” and got lucky. I had coffee with lisa Angove, Denise gregorich and Linette Anderson. We had a really good time remeniscing and wondering “where are they now?”. I live in Zim with my husband Dave Clement. We have a big blended family with 8 kids ranging from 10 to 30. My oldest biological child/son Cole is a senior at saint cloud state and will be 22 on February 14, I have a daughter Kelsey who will be 19 in February and will be getting married in a couple of weeks and graduating from Hibbing community college in May, a son Brian who is 11 and in 7th grade and Diana is 10 and in 5th grade at Cherry…anyway, I would love to hear from you. My e-mail address is wanda_clement@yahoo.com. Take care :)
Wanda
Greetings! Wanda pointed me in the direction of your blog and I was happy to read it and hear all is well with you and yours, despite the break in tradition of you houses not falling. I’m still living on the Range – in Cotton, working as a middle school teacher in Duluth. My son is 22 now, and currently out to sea on a sub. I have 3 grandchildren, all on my husband Larry’s side from a previous marriage. Take care, Mugs!