Gingerbread Houses, Tears and Cocktails

The effort wasn't to produce extravagant Gingerbread Houses

for the holiday season!

No, just make a few simple gingerbread houses to give as gifts to

the children in our lives. Really!

Yes, something like this...

simple, pretty, festive and delicious.

Joann didn't know what she was in for when she said she would help Donna and me. She was an expert in all things baking, cooking, crafting. You need help? Ask Joann. She should have known about Donna's (in)abilities as they had known each other for eons. I was new to the mix but fit in with Donna quite well.

We received our instructions from Joann the night before. The recipe for the gingerbread and the patterns for pieces needed to assemble the houses the next day. Alone in our homes the mixing and baking began. I'm not much for detail so lo and behold I had a lot of pieces of gingerbread that were not exactly like the pattern pieces...actually they were similar in color and that was about it. We each were told what to purchase for the frosting and the candy decoration. We had a plethera of gumdrops, hard candies and cinnamon hearts ready to go.

We met up at Donna's early in the morning and began mixing the powdered sugar--that would be the cement that held these darling little houses together! It wasn't long before Donna and I were in deep trouble. Joann noticed that our gingerbread pieces were of different thicknesses, thus presenting the problem of a nicely squared house being stuck together with a minimum of frosting.

Joann had whipped up a few perfectly wonderful and very precise homes..a village in fact.

Suffice it to say I was sent to the store numerous times for two or three packages of powdered sugar EACH TIME. It was kind of funny at first, but that didn't last long. Picture in your mind the four sides of a little house.. .crooked. Now envision the roof being uneven so more frosting was needed on one side than the other to keep it all even...as even as could be, that is. There! You have the picture. And now we are a couple of hours into the process.

Joann's village was all set up in the living room on the floor...Could have been Switzerland. A few lopsided houses of mine were in the family room as well as Donna's. We were whacky by then...frustrated and then finding ourselves amused..much to Joann's chagrin.

At one point I was going to jump all over Joann's village so she couldn't have nicer gingerbread houses than we did. Joann who never drank in her life was found looking in the liquor cabinet!!!! Yes!!! We drove her to think the evil alcohol could help her state of mind! A bit later Donna, who is very short, was found trying to climb on top of her fridge to jump to her death. It was just all getting worse as the day went on.

At some point two husbands appeared (not the perfect Joann's) and did their best to hold back the snickers and sneers at our work! I cried, and that's not the first time I have cried trying to do a Christmas craft with Donna. One other time I had to do christmas sugar cookie decorating!

I think the husbands did help put on some candies...and we wrapped them in pretty cellophane with big bows and then I had the audacity to deliver them (I made 14) to unsuspecting children! I'm pretty sure a lot of laughs were had once that cellophane was removed, but nice thank you notes were received. I am laughing here remembering this fine day of baking and decorating and feeling very sorry for Joann and what we put her through!

I often have Food TV on in the background here...(why? never sure!!) Right now Sandra Lee just finished a baking deal that Donna and I should try soon! It's a donut tree. Joann moved far away to Boise ID so we would be on our own. The little donuts are those kind that you can buy premade,,,,,,but I read the recipe and it does involve powdered sugar frosting...

Then we can make the Glacier Cocktail which was on after the Donut Tree....and salute Joann!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!