FEMA gingerbread house
How many journalists does it take to build a gingerbread house? If the pictures over on the So Salem blog are any indication, it takes a whole roomful.
Unfortunately, even with that many hands ready to help, the So Salem gingerbread house (which was created as an entry for Salem’s Gingerbread Festival) suffered a natural disaster: the roof caved in. They’re blaming it on Santa; saying he landed on the roof in a sled so heavy with gifts (and his own fat butt) that he caused the roof to cave.
It’s a shame, too, because what a fine gingerbread house it is otherwise. Note the marshmallow snowman, the candy trees, the peppermint window panes. Somebody (an elf tells me it was mostly So Salem reporter Miranda Adkins) went to a lot of trouble on that place before Santa rolled in and ruined it all. You can still see his little hat poking up out of the destruction.
Now, instead of having “Salem” emblazoned on the side of the house in green frosting, I’m afraid we’re going to have to get the Federal Emergency Management Agency (the North Pole branch, of course), to come in with the blaze orange spray paint and mark this sucker for demolition. I’ll help out — I’ll take the cookie tree off their hands.
Well, anyone who tries to make a gingerbread house gets an “A” for effort in my book. I’ve never done it myself, so I don’t have any idea what might have gone wrong. If anyone has tips for the team, post them here or over on the So Salem blog.
November 26, 2008 - 12:50 PM
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lol. A small blue plastic roof would be fitting. I’ve destroyed my own share of gingerbread houses, but never with such gusto and style. Bravo.
Lindsey,
I really enjoyed your article in yesterday’s (11/27) paper about your dining room table. It brought back a lot of fond memories of my own of going “over the river and through the woods” to my grandparents house on what was often a cold and snowy Thanksgiving day in rural western N.Y. state. Several of those people that sat at that table are gone now, as is the table itself, but the pleasant memories linger on, helped along by your simple but touching story of your own Thanksgiving memories. Thanks!
While I love ginger in Asian-inspired recipes, I have a tough time stomaching gingerbread. Blech.
I’ve made gingerbread houses in the past, but this year I plan on making one of Rice Krispie treats! I think my three-year-old son will LOVE this venture in building. If mine turns out ok, I’ll send you a shot of it, Lindsey!
Thank you, Doug. I appreciate that comment. Amy, I would LOVE to see your Rice Krispie treat house. Now that sounds like something I could seriously level.
Doug, I’m from upstate NY too. Born in Rochester, but grew up in Horseheads, south of the finger lakes.
I drove to Blacksburg from Franklin County for Thanksgiving to spend the holiday with family, but also in an effort to recreate those memories for my kids. It just doesn’t seem like Thanksgiving without some sort of road trip and Christmas music on the radio.
Amy, now your talking about a gingerbread house I could seriously destroy. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE rice krispie treats. And I imagine they would be very easy to work with. I hope you send a picture to Lindsey and she posts it. I bet it turns out looking really nice.
Lindsey, I also enjoyed your article last Wednesday. It reminded me of the big Christmas gatherings at my grandparents’ house in Tennessee. My grandfather is no longer with us and I cherish the memories we made, especially those of him playing Santa at the church and how proud I was that the man in the suit was my Papa. I miss him terribly, especially this time of year.
But I also liked what you said about life changing, and new rituals taking shape. That has been something my family has had to adjust to since my husband and I married last year, and with the birth of our son in July. Some in the family are more resistant to the change, and that’s ok, because I know I’d love to relive those Christmases past with my Papa.
I made two earlier this month, and one turned t great. The other, the roof caved in also, but it was because I did not bake the roof pieces long enough and they were not hard enough. If anyone is interested, I am teaching a gingerbread house class this coming Sat. Dec. 20 at Foodies. Everyone will be going home with a gingerbread house. Go to their website, CookingMadeFun.com.