Gingerbread scenes

We started a new holiday tradition in 2019: making gingerbread scenes with our friends :-)

Gingerbread recipe: the delicious recipe is from http://www.veganchristmas.co.uk/vegan-gingerbread-house-recipe.html. This recipe makes enough for 3 gingerbread stations, which made all of the gingerbread in the pictures below for 2019 (3 houses plus lots of other elements). RECOMMENDATION: only make 1/3 of the recipe if there are only 2 people eating the gingerbread afterward.

Icing recipe: add a little bit of cold water to lots of powdered sugar (at least 2 boxes) and stir. Add more water until you have the desired consistency (not too runny because this is the glue for the scene)

Tips

• Get lots more powdered sugar than you think you need (at least 2 boxes)
• Make the pieces thicker than the instructions - then they will stay chewy on the inside the next day rather than getting rock hard
• Place them on the baking sheet with sufficient distance - otherwise the large thick pieces will grow and fuse with other parts
• Right when the pieces come out of the oven you could still cut the dough to make adjustments
• Don't need baking paper for cutting or baking though - just put flour on the surface and pan and it won't stick (not too much flour though or it gets all over the gingerbread)
• For assembly, first put icing on the surface you want to stick the gingerbread pieces to, and then put the gingerbread on it. 
• Use gingerbread as the floor and then you don't have to scrape icing off of a non-edible surface when you are done eating it. Also, you can jam the standing pieces into the gingerbread floor to make them stand up, then put icing around the bottom for extra stability.

2020 (online party)

Claudia & Freddy: houses!

Elspeth: reindeer pulling a sleigh

Corina & Dieter: Dog sledding through the Grand Canyon

Dogs from top left to bottom right: Lou, Fred, Mellori, Siro, Canelo, Mimi, Atlas, Maja

2019

Baking the pieces in the oven for 16-20 min until they are brownish

Elspeth: A gingerbread scene with a 3D tree, benches, a fire, a path, a gingerbread person, a heart, and a chocolate Santa

Dustin & Susie: A gingerbread scene with a ladder to the roof, tables, benches, cups, and plates with food on them

Dieter & Corina: A gingerbread scene with an ice skating rink, cats and a crow on the roof, crows in the yard, mountains, a snow person, two trees, a flying duck, and a dog

Fajita seasoning

Modified from https://www.spendwithpennies.com/fajita-seasoning/

1T Chili powder
2t Cumin
2t Paprika
1t Sugar
0.5t Black pepper
0.5t Salt
0.25t Cayenne pepper

Great for adding to soy hack and putting in tacos, burritos, and on pizza

***If you add it to soy hack, add a stock cube to it before pouring water over the hack and adding the rest of the spices

Mulled apple juice and mulled wine

by Dieter

Mulled apple juice
1l apple juice
squeeze some lemon juice
1T cinnamon
1t cloves
sugar to taste

Combine all in a pan and warm it on the stove


Mulled wine
2l sweet red wine
1l orange juice
3 cinnamon sticks
handful of cloves

Combine all in a pan and warm it on the stove