Gingerbread and Royal Icing

A friend of mine at work is a genius with gingerbread and icing. She makes the most amazing gingerbread houses! This week she was sweet enough to share her recipes with me!

Gingerbread Recipes

Gingerbread Dough I

6 ½ cups flour

2 tab ginger

2 tab cinnamon

1 tsp salt

Stir together, set aside

In bowl of mixer, add:

1 ¼ cups vegetable shortening

4 cups powdered sugar

3 tab lemon juice

2 tab molasses

2/3 cup light corn syrup

Mix until smooth.

Add flour mixture all at once. When crumbly, add ½ cup water plus 3-6 more tablespoons of water to form a firm, evenly moist dough.  You don’t want the dough to be too wet, so add extra water sparingly.

I take the dough out of the mixer before it’s fully combined and give it a few turns on the countertop to even it out. Cover and chill for 2 hours before rolling. Allow to sit for 15 mins on counter before rolling. 

Bake 375 for 15 minutes (give or take)

Makes enough dough for 1 large gingerbread house or many small ones.

*Adapted from Christina Banner’s book, How to Build a Gingerbread House

Gingerbread Dough II

6 ¾ cups flour

1 tab cinnamon

1 ½ tsps. Ginger

½ tsp salt

Stir together in large bowl, set aside

1 ½ cups light corn syrup

1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar

1 cup margarine

Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine corn syrup, brown sugar, and margarine in a 2 quart saucepan.  Stir over medium heat until margarine is melted. (No need to boil) Pour the syrup mixture into the flour mixture.  Mix well.  Child the dough for 1 hour or until it is room temp.

**If you need red or green dough, add the food coloring to the wet ingredients before mixing. This dough bakes well in colors.

Bake at 350 for 12-15  minutes (give or take)

Tips for rolling gingerbread:  If you have a silpat mat, place it on the counter. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and roll the gingerbread atop it all. The silpat will keep the parchment from sliding around the you can easily move the sheets of parchment to baking trays.

Royal Icing

Royal Icing I (Meringue Powder)

3 TAB Meringue Powder

1 lb (4 cups) powdered sugar

5 TAB warm water

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy duty mixer or 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer)  Recipe makes 3 cups

Royal Icing II (eggs)

1 lb (4 cups) powdered sugar

3 large egg whites at room temp

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Mix all together as above.

Note:  Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.  The icing will be stiff.  Add water by teaspoons to obtain the consistency you want. Cover icing tightly with plastic wrap, as it dries very quickly. 

Cheeseburger Soup

This soup (from the Recipe Critic) was surprisingly delicious! I had my doubts, but it was sooooo good! I'm definitely making this again and again. I doubled the recipe and it made about 5 quarts of soup.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ pound ground beef (use 1 pound)
• ¾ cup chopped onion
• ¾ cup shredded carrots
• ¾ cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups of Velveeta processed cheese cubed (I used 16 ounces) or- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1½ cups milk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Brown the ground beef in 3 quart saucepan. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan add 1 T butter and add onion, shredded carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
3. Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. In small skillet melt remaining butter (3 T) and add the flour. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
5. Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.