Yup. Never done a gingerbread house from scratch.
I didn’t really grow up making gingerbread houses, so they’re not something I think of baking.
But occasionally I buy one on a deep after-Christmas clearance sale and then we end up assembling a gingerbread house in January or February.
Aldi sent me a gingerbread house kit this year, though, so for the first time ever, my kids made a gingerbread house in December. 😉
Our kit came in the mail, so one of the side pieces was cracked. But no worries-we fixed it up with some frosting and decided our gingerbread house was the rustic sort, with charming cracks. 😉
The kit from Aldi is $5.99, which is significantly cheaper than anywhere else I’ve seen, and it’s exactly the same as kits we’ve tried from other stores.
It may possibly be cheaper to bake one from scratch, but it’s also quite likely that it’s not, given that you’d probably have to buy multiple full bags of candy.
And if like me, you’re not especially motivated to bake a gingerbread house from scratch, you’d probably love this kit.
I’m sure a homemade gingerbread house would taste better, but hey, if I’m going for flavor, soft and chewy gingersnaps are where I’m headed. For house-building purposes, stiff, cracker-like gingerbread does just fine.
Oh, and thank you all so much for your helpful vacuum comments yesterday! I appreciate it muchly. It sounds like Dyson and Miele vacuums have lasted really well for you, as have some older model vacuums (and the odd Kirby….one reader said hers is 38 years old!!) The Miele I’m looking at is around the same price as the Dyson, and it sounds like I need to venture into that price range to get one that’s going to last me for more than a few years.
I plan to get a new vacuum after Christmas (my carpets can hang in there til then!) and I’ll let you guys know how it all turns out.
Also, before I go, I wanted to remind you that I’ve got two giveaways going that end on 12/31.
- You can win a Mary Kay gift basket full of awesomeness right here (the lip gloss and ultimate mascara are the bomb-diggety-bomb.)
- You can win a $100 Visa gift card on my post about the Duracell battery charger.
It’ll probably be pretty quiet around here until after Christmas, as I’ll be busy finishing up preparations and then enjoying some down time with my family.
So, in case I don’t see you before then, Merry Christmas!
_______________________________
Joshua’s 365 post: Unknown
disclosure: Aldi sent me a gingerbread house kit, but I was not compensated for this post and all words and opinions are my own.
Cheryl S.
Saturday 22nd of December 2012
Kristen -- A comment on vacuum cleaners (I haven't read all of the comments so I apologize if this topic has been addressed). You need to decide if you want a bag or bagless. I must have a bag because I do not want the dust going back into the air even in the garage. Evidently many people feel the same way AFTER buying a bagless such as Dyson. I know this because if you go into a high end distributor shop for bagged vacuums they might have tons of relatively brand new Dyson's or other bagless vacuums that people traded in. So if you want bagless I would go there for a barely used one. Last time I was in my neighborhood vacuum store (I have a Riccar) the owner had about 40 Dyson's lined up for resale and he warrantees them. He does not sell Dyson they were traded in for Riccars. Just a thought.
Elaine in Ark
Monday 24th of December 2012
I have a bagless, and I empty the canister this way:
1. On the patio
2. Holding up one edge of a garbage bag
3. Holding the top of the canister with that hand, so that the canister is in the bag
4. Open the bottom of the canister with my other hand, which is outside of the bag
5. Pull the dog hair out of the canister with the hand that is outside of the bag, so all the dirt will come out
6. Bang on the canister with that same hand to shake out all the dirt that's still in the cylinder
I still remember the vacuum cleaner we had when I was a child. It had runners to pull it along, a cloth hose which connected to the body of the vacuum and came loose all the time, and a cloth bag that caught the dust. We had to go out on the porch to empty that bag into a paper bag, then we had to shake the bag in the air, to get as much dust out as possible. Our hands and arms would be covered with dust, and if the wind was blowing the wrong way, we'd choke on the dust. It was awful! My new canister model isn't nearly that bad, and I'm not wasting a lot of money on disposable bags any more.
Economies of Kale
Saturday 22nd of December 2012
The only time I have ever made a "gingerbread" house was when my family lived in the US and I made it out of graham crackers (which we don't have in Australia). It was so easy and looked great.
My sister has tried making them from scratch and they do have a rustic look about them. We always have problems eating them since we don't have a lot of little kids around any more.
Merry Christmas to you and your family Kristen :)
KalynBrooke | Creative Savings
Friday 21st of December 2012
I've never done one either, but think it would be fun. :)
WilliamB
Friday 21st of December 2012
Construction gingerbread tastes terrible, no matter the source. The amount of flour needed to make it stiff, and the relative lack of fat to make it stiff and defer decomposition, are not compatible w/ tastiness.
I've never bought a kit. I can bake the gingerbread but the two times I've tried to construct a house with it, the house was fit only to be condemned. So I buy pre-built or not at all. Somehow I'm never short of candy...
Kristen
Friday 21st of December 2012
That's a good point...it has to be kind of crackery no matter what, even if you make it from scratch.
Grammomsblog
Friday 21st of December 2012
For the first time, my daughter-in-law made a gingerbread house from scratch. We even used freshly ground ginger. It was a lot of fun for my grown kids to decorate it with an assortment of candy.