DB: Gingerbread House

Would you believe that I started this gingerbread house two weeks ago, but only put it together last night and decorated it this morning? Well, you should.

I seriously waited two weeks between baking the pieces and putting them together. It really shouldn't have taken me that long, but I just hit a baking slump. Do you ever get those? Where something just goes terribly wrong in the kitchen, and you're afraid to go back for fear of more failure? Well, I do, and I did. But I think I'm alright now. I did some baking this weekend, and it went well. I think I'm back on the horse. How stinky that it happened after all the fun of Christmas baking. Way to go, brain.

Anywho, 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.

Peanut Butter Fudge Treats

I have had the hardest time finding marshmallows, or marshalades as I usually call them (it's a Homestar Runner thing), while I've been here. I just can't seem to find them anywhere. But luckily, I've got connections. Usually, when somebody goes home or to another country, I solict their help in getting me baking ingredients. So when my friend Will went to Kuwait, I asked for marshmallows, and he brought me back a sack full of them! Hooray! I was so glad and so excited. Now I could make these tempting treats.

TWD: Cafe Volcano Cookies

These were some weirdy cookies for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie, chosen by Macduff of The Lonely Sidecar.

Making Candied Ginger

Jacob hates ginger. Jacob abhors ginger. Jacob wants to beat ginger up and bury him in the ground under 6 feet of dirt.

Jacob used to have some serious stomach problems when he was younger, and the doctor said the remedy was to eat a piece of fresh ginger every day. So he had to choke down pieces of ginger daily, and I guess it scarred him. He hates the thought of eating ginger, even if it's wrapped in a thick coating of sugar.

So guess what I made?

Aren't I just the most loving-est wife you have ever known?

TWD: Sables

These cookies smell so familiar. They smell just like the cookies that you get in the Christmas tins, the butter cookies that always come in the little paper cases. It was really nice making something that was so familiar and that reminded me of Christmas, which is perfect for this time of year.

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Barbara of Bungalow Barbara, where you can find the recipe.

Chocolate Fudge Truffles

I'm on a roll. Literally. For some reason, I felt the need to make three different types of ball-shaped treats. The first were these bundt balls. And these were the second.

I've been in a really fudgey mood lately, meaning, I want to make me some fudge. And this is so confusing to me. I don't like fudge. I think it's too sweet to be really enjoyable, but I still have really wanted to make it. Weird, huh? But I'm a woman, can't I explain that away with hormones or something?


Well, whatever the reason for this strange desire, it was there. And as always, I gave in.