Daring Bakers: Gingerbread House - Happy Holidays!

The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.

I have long wanted to try to make a homemade Gingerbread House and my six year old and I had already determined that THIS was the year we were going to do it. We've been planning and plotting since, well, pretty much since Halloween and hadn't gotten around to doing too much about it. When this month's Daring Bakers' challenge was announced I was so happy and relieved - especially since it has been a while since I've been able to get my act together enough to participate.

We stayed pretty traditional in our house shape (though we did want to try this Manor House version) mainly because I wanted to make two small houses - one I could attempt to decorate, and one I could just let my boys have their fun with - not that my decorating job was much better - LOL!

I hope everyone's holiday season has been all they hoped it could be and then some. We are hanging in there on the homefront here - just trying to wait out this third trimester and get as close to our March 1 due date as possible. Honestly, for the most part, it has been pretty good so far... which half the time makes me feel like I'm waiting for the axe to fall. The other half of the time, I just try to stay positive and think good thoughts!

Thank you again and again and again for coming back here and checking up on us - I truly do appreciate it so much! I hope that as the holidays wind down I'll have the chance to start finding some time to relax and catch up on visiting and catching up on my blogging friends lives. In the meantime, please know I am thinking of you and hoping for the very best for you all!

TWD: Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread

Two words: crazy good. Heather of Sherry Trifle chose Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread for our Tuesdays with Dorie recipe this week. For my gingerbread I chose to leave off the chocolate glaze.

I know. I left off the chocolate?! Yes. In this case, I did. I also made mini cakes as you can see, for cute little personal servings. The reason I left off the chocolate glaze was simply because I wanted to see what this combination would be like.

It may seem like an odd combination, bananas and gingerbread, but it is just so good. You really have to try this some time. I was inspired by Peabody to top make the mini cakes topped with good vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce (and you really ought to follow that link and see why). All together, this is one surprisingly light and still delicious and sweet treat. The only other change I made to the original recipe was to leave out the stem ginger since that was no where to be found at our grocery store.

I will definitely make this recipe again since I love the chocolate and ginger combination. Make sure to see how everyone else's gingerbread came out by going to the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll!

Blogging by Mail & Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Well, I am very excited to say that I participated in the Blogging by Mail Event - hosted by Stephanie at Dispensing Happiness. This is an event that looked like a whole lot of fun - and guess what? it really was!! I was lucky enough to be able to send my package off to Erin of Erin Go Blog! (and what a great blog name is that?!). So, to find out what I sent to Erin, you'll have to just keep checking her blog but, I hope she really enjoys it! I sent her some of my favorite things as well as some things I thought she would be a fan of.

A part of what I sent was a dozen of these insanely good cookies - Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies from Martha Stewart's Cookies - these are the cookies on the cover of the book, but mine look a bit smaller and puffier. These are spicy, sweet and chocolately. When I heard that Sugar High Friday, that wonderful event created by Jennifer the Domestic Goddess, this month is all about spice, gingerbread was the first thing that came to my mind - with all the ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves it is a virtual spice lovefest - so I am sending these (sorry, virtually only ;) to Anita, aka Pastrygirl at Dessert First for Sugar High Friday - Spice! Basically, these cookies are perfectly wonderful and totally deceptive - you think, oh it is a yummy chocolate cookie - then you get your first taste and surprise! The flavor is so much more! I hope Erin enjoys them!

I was also really lucky to be sent a wonderful package from Natalie at Natalie's Sentiments. Natalie makes the most darling jewelry and I couldn't have been more excited when she emailed to say she would be sending me a package. Jewelry is one of those things I dearly love (especially earrings - yay!!) but that I rarely get to splurge on for myself. So, I was hoping she would hook me up - and Natalie didn't disappoint! I am now the proud owner of some darling earrings from Paisley Lane (great name!!). Seriously, her jewelry is gorgeous - there are lots of choices for necklaces and earrings too (early holiday shopping anyone!). No Natalie didn't ask me to plug her Etsy Shop - but I'm going to anyway because she is so amazingly crafty and who would want to buy the same earrings that everyone else on the planet ends up with from the department stores and other shops when you could get something hand made!!

Natalie also was darling enough to wrap all my little packages, which really made opening the box a lot of fun (sorry Erin! I wasn't that creative! I am such a dork I didn't even remember to include my letter to Erin! Such. A. Dork.).

So, not to put too fine a point on it, but since I was so darn excited, I can't say much more than, here is the fun list of my loot I received from Natalie including her letter of explanation. Thanks Natalie!!!

My Loot!!

1. Chocolate. Not a lot of explanation needed there. Nope. Not a lot of explanation needed at all. Just give me a minute while I tear this one open right now!
2. Napkin rings - I love Target and entertaining. Target is a pretty great store. I don't get to entertain much lately, but I know these cute rings are going to be making appearances on this blog!
3. Dish towel and recipe cards - I love to cook. I have already used one of my recipe cards. They are so darn cute! Obviously I love to cook too and this towel is so cute!
4. Candles - These are my two favorite Yankee candle scents. Both scents smells so fresh and well, refreshing! Just what I need!
5. Snowman with earrings - I love Christmas and wearing festive jewelry (especially when I make it myself!) Hooray for darling earrings!!! That little snowman is going to be very cute in some upcoming Christmas cookie pictures - I just know it!
6. Cookies - I love the Northwest - especially the mountains. My five year old has confiscated these cookies from me! We got some of these at Yellowstone on vacation last year and he loved them. I would tell you how they are, but I am serious. He has taken them over!
7. Mascara and eye shadow- Eye makeup is my most important beauty item and this brand is fabulous. Now for the sake of honesty... I rarely wear makeup. It is part laziness and part not ever having any. I love to wear makeup and have been wanting to get some fresh makeup so I was SUPER excited to see this!!
8. Eye makeup remover - at night there is nothing I like better than taking that makeup off! Probably part of the reason I don't wear makeup as often is because I never have a good way to remove it or know what to get. I was a bit of a tom-boy growing up and have only enjoyed being a girl more in the past several years - just late enough to feel fashionably stumped most of the time. Having others choose things for me is my favorite thing!
9. Simple scarf mesh - this is my favorite way to make a scarf - but it looks great as thin scarf on its own. (And a bit of my favorite herbal tea to enjoy while making your scarf.) See #8 above. Yay! for someone else picking my accessories! I am excited to try making this scarf, but may have to email Natalie for technical support if I can't figure it out.
10. Glass pumpkin - Something tiny to place somewhere to remind you to be grateful of your blessings this Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. I love that she included this and loves Thanksgiving too! I am a huge fan of Thanksgiving and have already found a safe place for my darling little pumpkin!

So, there you have it!! Am I one lucky girl or what?! Much thanks to Natalie for my package and especially thanks to Stephanie for letting me play along and for hosting such an extraordinary event!

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
(Source: Martha Stewart's Cookies)

Makes 2 dozen

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 Tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water
7 oz best quality semi-sweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and fresh ginger on medium speed until lightened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Beat half of the flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in the baking soda mixture, then add the remaining flour mixture. Mix in chocolate and turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat out to a 1-inch thick disk and wrap in the plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Chill 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until surfaces just begin to crack, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.