Still Not Great Pictures, But Here They Are

I finally finished all the little details.

The pictures don't do it justice, but below are 5 of the better photos I took.

I took a total of 17.

This is what I call "My Gingerbread Village"

Ellie hasn't seen it yet, but Luke did and he really liked it.

He was willing NOT to handle.

I did let him do a light "touching" of the objects close by.

I'm curious to see how Ellie is able to keep her hands off of it.

She'll be over tomorrow.

Luke didn't even grab the candy - but then I had extra pieces to give him.

He loves candy.

That's all.

Oh!

Here is the recipe:

GINGERBREAD COOKIE DOUGH

1 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

1 cup dark molasses

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

6 cups sifted flour

1 tsp soda

1/4 cup hot water

Cream sugar & shortening. Add molasses and egg. Mix thoroughly. Sift together all dry ingredients except soda. Dissolve soda in hot water. Add alternately with dry ingredients to sugar mixture. Blend thoroughly. Place in bowl. Cover. Chill overnight. Bake on well oiled baking sheet in moderate oven. 350 degrees. About 15 min. or until done. Quickly remove cookies to cooling rack. Allow to cool thoroughly on rack.

That is the recipe just as it was given to me. It's a very old recipe, hence the word "well-oiled".

After I blend the dough, I tear off a large piece of saran wrap and spoon the dough onto that. I then wrap it thoroughly and wrap that in foil - and sit on a small plate, to refrigerate overnight. Just takes up less room in refrig. that way.

When I am ready to roll out, I cut the whole chilled ball of dough into 4 pieces and work with 1/4 of the dough at a time. Easier to manage that way. I also like to use the nonstick foil on a cookie sheet - less messy - otherwise grease the cookie sheet with shortening. I don't use pam for real baking like this.

When Mom used to make her Gingerbread Men, she drew her large "man" on a piece of cardboard and cut it out. She'd place her cardboard "man" on the dough and cut around it with a knife. It's hard to take that from the floured sheet to the pan, but spatulas help.

I now own a rather large cookie cutter.

To decorate she'd made eyes and nose and mouth with raisins, before baking.

When the man was cooled she'd tie a red ribbon around his neck.

So cute.