Well, this is the finished product, my entry into the Sustainable Gingerbread House Contest. It's an A-Frame gingerbread.....lean-to. But it was painstakingly put together with frosting and peppermints and wafer cookies (great for solar panels.) It contained candy and cookie versions of the following sustainable elements: a pellet burning stove, a skylight, solar panels, a rain garden, a fish pond, and some other stuff.
So I packed it up carefully and brought it over to the Essex County Environmental Center where I saw the most astonishing array of truly fabulous, unique and wonderfully inventive gingerbread--everything from houses, to compounds, to farms. I took a bunch of photos, but i was told that there would be even more entries to come in the next day or two. The awards will be handed out on Wednesday but corny as this may sound, every single one of those great entries was a winner. I'm posting a slideshow of some of the colorful, charming, inventive entries, and it's a separate post so that it doesn't inadvertently get missed.
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Comments (20)
wow Fran...that must have taken forever to do...but what a great "House"...you go girl....and I just saw the shots of the others, all just great.
So, is there an eating party set up yet?
This is an outrage! This gingerbread was clearly baked in an oven, which required energy, further increasing the greenhouse gases that cause global warming and thus helping ruin the planet. Next time, it would be better to use uncooked dough. Come on, Fran, get with the program!
The ROC household submitted a big ole McMansion gingerbread house, with a heated year round pool, open windows, a penguin blowing just a few leaves from the yard, and pumpernickel hummers in the licorice driveway. Also numerous tiny gingerbread "offset" certificates so its all nice an sustainable.
oh, and I forgot to mention, the gingerbread people get all of their gingerbread "electricity" by paying 3 gingerbread dollars per month extra on their gingerbread PS&G bill to buy only renewable "power".
You are a scourge, ROC. I can't believe you would do such a callous thing. Think of the children. What kind of example are you holding up to future decision makers?
There are many paths to "salvation" walleroo. There's repentance and there's purchased indulgences. Obviously a poor chump like yourself has but one choice.
And Thank you Amandala. She turned me on to the green energy program with PSE&G. Now that we're hooked up, we pay marginally more but are guilt free!
We've increased the thermostat to 75 degrees! We're all in shorts over here!
It really is a good feeling to have a zero carbon footprint.
Fran..pay no mind to walleroo, either he's just joking again, or , well you know..do what the rest of us do, just skip reading his posts
Fran, both Walleroo and ROC have their heads firmly planted in the nether regions of their bodies. ROC only cares about the financial gains to be made from any efforts and Walleroo's stock market losses have had an adverse impact on his ability to enjoy much.
Your A-frame is a lovely gingerbread ski chalet complete with solar panels.
Hahaha! thanks, wayne.
i will say that there were extra gingerbread chunks left over and they did not go to waste: they were delicious dipped in coffee, and i also gave one piece to puppy oliver to chew on, and shared the rest with the backyard wildlife. i tried to make those fantastic cookies with the extra caramels, saltines and chocolate chips but they were a disastrous lump. ATTENTION BARISTAVILLE: DOES ANYONE HAVE THAT RECIPE FOR 'COOKIES' THAT YOU MAKE WITH SALTINES, CARAMELS AND CHOCOLATE?
Slow news day, huh?
thanks, jersey gurl, for your wonderfully kind "ski chalet" spin on my very humble effort.
and hansmeier - yes! It IS a slow news day. isn't that great? i'm so happy that on this pleasant if not chilly sunday, we can sit in our warm, comfortable homes and enjoy kidding around about gingerbread houses. i know it won't last so i am enjoying it while i can.
would it help that a little later this afternoon i will post my review of Luna stage's production of the santaland diaries? spoiler alert--i laughed so hard that my face started to hurt.
Saltine Toffee Cookies
"This is an easy to make but wonderfully delicious treat. We pack them in tins and give as gifts during the holidays. Use your favorite nuts to top the cookies."
Recipe yield : 1 cookie sheet full
INGREDIENTS
* 4 ounces saltine crackers
* 1 cup butter
* 1 cup dark brown sugar
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 3/4 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees .
2. Line cookie sheet with saltine crackers in single layer.
3. In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread t cover crackers completely.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts. Cool completely and break into pieces.
This treat is also known as "crack."
You had me at the 1 cup of butter.
Here's a much lighter candy version of your caramel thing:
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray miniature muffin tins with Pam or butter them.
place broken saltines in each. Take the caramel squares and cut them into four pieces. Place 4 atop each saltine pile.
Bake about 10 minutes, until the caramel melts. Place the pan(s) in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
When the caramles have cooled and set, melt bittersweet chocolate with a little bit of ROOM TEMPERATURE heavy cream in a double boiler.
Drop the caramels individually into the melted chocolate, Remove each with a fork, slotted spoon or tongs and place on waxed or parchment paper. Place all the chocolate covered treats in the fridge again to set the chocolate.
See, no butter, no additional sugar; it's a bit lighter.
Here's a much lighter candy version of your caramel thing:
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray miniature muffin tins with Pam or butter them.
place broken saltines in each. Take the caramel squares and cut them into four pieces. Place 4 atop each saltine pile.
Bake about 10 minutes, until the caramel melts. Place the pan(s) in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
When the caramles have cooled and set, melt bittersweet chocolate with a little bit of ROOM TEMPERATURE heavy cream in a double boiler.
Drop the caramels individually into the melted chocolate, Remove each with a fork, slotted spoon or tongs and place on waxed or parchment paper. Place all the chocolate covered treats in the fridge again to set the chocolate.
See, no butter, no additional sugar; it's a bit lighter.
Sorry for the double post, and the spelling errors.
thank you for both great versions!!
Oh Wayne, you're such a stitch. I know you read every word.
As for you, jerseygurl, I've just signed and mailed an 8x10 inch glossy, which you can hang in your room or give to your friends. Here's a preview: To jerseygurl, may all your pipedreams come true, with affection, W.