Gingerbread Recipe:

• 2 3/4 c flour

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp ginger

• 1 egg

• 2/3 c molasses

• 3 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/3 c brown sugar

• 1/2 c oil

• 1/8 tsp cloves

We made our pattern pieces out of the cardboard from cereal boxes as follows:

Sides of house=  5 1/4" x 5 1/4" (cut two)

Front and back= 5 1/4" x 6 1/4 (cut two)

Roof= 5 1/4" x 6 1/4" (cut one)

Chimney= 1 1/4" x 1 1/2" (cut four--you may want to trim two of them after baking)

Combine ingredients. Chill dough overnight. Roll dough onto greased cookie sheets (preferably without sides) until it is 1/4 inches thick (use ruler to check).

Place pattern pieces on top of the rolled out dough and *cut directly on cookie sheet. Make sure you flour the cardboard pattern pieces well or they will stick to the gingerbread when you try to cut around it. Remove extra dough scraps and re-roll on another greased cookie sheet if necessary to make additional pieces. You should have a total of 9 cut pieces of gingerbread.

*We cooked gingerbread on the cookie sheets making sure we were able to cut all the pieces out of one recipe of the dough. We put the patterns on top after they were baked and then cut. I read a recipe that told you to cut before you baked.

Bake at 300° for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Do not overcook as the gingerbread will be hard to cut and might break when doing so.

When gingerbread is done, place pattern pieces on top once again and trim if necessary. It seems easier to work with when still a little warm. Use a sharp knife to cut out a door and a small window next to the door. Keep the door piece of gingerbread. When you cut the door, make it wide enough to put a "wreath" of candy on. Let the size of the candy determine door width.

Royal Icing (this icing becomes hard so it will keep the house together):

• 3 level T Meringue Powder

• 4 c sifted powdered sugar (approx. 1 lb.)

• 6 T water

• Brown paste food coloring

Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7 to 10 minutes (10 to 12 minutes at high speed for portable mixer) until icing forms peaks. Reserve about 1/4 c white icing before adding coloring. Add food coloring until desired shade of brown. Makes 3 cups icing.

Note: There are recipes that use egg whites instead of meringue powder. Do not use egg whites if you will be eating the gingerbread house as they may contain salmonella.

Suggested Decorations:

• Lentils (small pebble shaped for "landscaping")

• Whole cloves optional (for color, texture--they reminded us of very large goat heads)

• Frosted Mini Wheats (crushed for roof and ground cover)

• 5 caramels (luminarias)

• 1-2 round butterscotch candies (break off slivers with sharp knife--for luminaria flame)

• 1 wreath-shaped candy ring--gummy sour apple ring (door wreath)

• 3 small cinnamon candies (look at the cake decoration isle for really small ones!--To decorate wreath)

• 6 Christmas tree cake decorations (for leaves on wreath)

• 5 Tootsie Rolls (1/2 inch diameter Tootsie Rolls cut in half to make 10 vigas)

• Approximately 5 Cinnamon Sticks (about 7 inches tall--for ladder and door frame)

• 3 small dried chiles (for chile ristra--we saw a cute one made out of red licorice laces; just cut the licorice at an angle to make individual chiles and put together--how, we were not sure)

• Raffia for bows (we used green and red, you could use what you have on hand)

• Sprigs of pine trees or other dessert plants for landscaping

• Other Necessary Supplies

• 12 inch round cardboard (cake decorating supply)

• 2 Cake decorating bags and tips

• Glue gun

Assembling Your Santa Fé Gingerbread House

1. Make ladder--Cut enough off two of the cinnamon sticks so that you have about 1/2 inch of "ladder" sticking above roof. Cut and break other cinnamon sticks for the ladder rungs (we made four rungs). Use glue gun to assemble.

2. Make wreath--Use reserved white icing to attach cinnamon candies and leaves. Make bow out of raffia and attach to wreath.

3. Make luminarias--Push butterscotch slivers into top of caramels.

4. Make ristra--Glue chile peppers together to look like a ristra. Glue a raffia bow to the top.

5. Assemble chimney--You might need to trim two of the pieces to make chimney smaller.

6. Ice cake board with brown icing. Put gingerbread walls a little to the right, not exactly centered, "gluing" them together with tan icing out of a cake decorating bag (use a large round tip or a size 16-18 tip). "Glue" roof on top. While icing on board is still wet, place luminarias around the front (4 left of the door, 1 right of door). Press lentils on icing for "rocks." Sprinkle small amounts of crushed Mini Wheats on the "ground." Add cloves if you want. Attach wreath to the door. Frost left side of the door and "glue" it so it is slightly open. Break cinnamon sticks to make door frame (3 pieces)--measure area around the door before you break them. Attach as a door frame. Attach five Tootsie roll halves in a line on the front of the house. Attach five on the backside of the house also. Attach ristra to the left of the window. Ice the roof with tan frosting. "Glue" chimney to back right of the roof. Sprinkle the roof with crushed Frosted Mini Wheats. Attach ladder to the left side of the house towards the front (pipe a dollop of icing for each ladder leg and to the top of the ladder legs where they lean against the roof; press more "rocks" on the dollop of icing). Attach the "trees and shrubbery" with the dollops of icing; press rocks into the dollups of icing to cover. Leave house untouched overnight; icing should be hardened by then.