Recipe - Gingerbread House

1 cup Melted solid Crisco
1 cup Granulated sugar
1 cup Light or dark Karo
2 x Large eggs
5 Three fourths cup Flour
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoon Ginger
2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Cloves
1 teaspoon Nutmeg

Makes 23 Mediumsized houses.

Pour melted Crisco into mixing bowl. Cool slightly; add sugar and Karo,
blending well. Add eggs, mixing all until smooth and creamy. Put salt,
baking soda and spices into mixture and begin to add flour, just a little
at a time. DON'T HURRY THIS STEP! Continue adding as much flour as the
dough will absorb. Bake house pieces at 375 degrees for 58 minutes. Hints:
Make permenant pattern pieces of mylar or other plastic sheet. To roll out:
Use heavy duty foil (splash a few drops of water under it so it will stay
stationary), roll the dough out, cut into desired shapes that are 1" apart.
Remove the excess dough. Place the foil holding the pieces to bake on a
cardboard, place in oven and REMOVE THE CARDBOARD BEFORE SHUTTING OVEN
DOOR. If pieces bake together, cut apart immedietely after removing from
oven. Windows: Must be cut before baking. Can add crushed hard candy for
"glass" To Assemble" Use royal Icing: 1 One half cup warm water, 12 Tbsps Meringue
powder, 4 pounds powdered sugar. Beat the water and mer.powder til frothy.
Add as much p. sugar as necassary. Do not make icing stiff or house will
not hold together as long. Using #5 tip, squeeze out icing on both sides of
back of house. Stand it up and add sides. Prop with cans of soup, ect., if
it doesn't stay firmly together. Place icing on ends of standing sides and
add house front. Let dry for 1015 minutes, then add roof and chimney.
Decorate with desired candies using royal icing to place decorations on.
Let dry and store covered away from dust. Source: an outofprint book,
nwslttr 187 Confectionately Yours, Dolores in Hamilton OH

Dolores McCann, Prodigy Food & Wine Board

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini