Yummy Goodies

The kitchen can be such a fun and creative place this time of year. I really love holiday baking, and my kids love to decorate gingerbread. I thought I'd share photos of the things we made.

First, the essential supplies:

I know some might consider the gingerbread kits cheating, but they're so easy and kid-friendly. I'd rather spend more time enjoying the decorating than being frustrated trying to bake perfect roof and wall pieces from scratch, only to then struggle constructing a stable gingerbread house. Plus, just look at the results! All I did was assemble the pre-baked house ahead of time, mix the icing, and put it into the decorating bags. The kids did the rest, and they had a blast! (The wee dwelling on the far left is my Kindergartner's graham cracker-and-milk-carton house he made at school.)

Mince pies are a traditional holiday treat in Great Britain. We thought we might try to make our own this year, since they're not as readily available to purchase on this side of the Atlantic. We used a jar of Robertson's Classic Mincemeat for the filling, and a no-fail pastry recipe I found online at http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2174/unbelievably-easy-mince-pies

Here's what they look like on the inside (apologies for the blurry picture).

Those familiar with the Whimsical Bakehouse probably already know they have a Christmas cookie book, which fortunately I was able to borrow from my local library. We decided on three recipes to make. First, the Rainbow Christmas cookies:

These require a multi-step effort, but their deliciousness makes it all worthwhile! Unfortunately, I used all my red food coloring on them, so when it was time to make the Candy Canes, we had to go with green.

Finally, we also made Linzer Stars and Christmas Trees, which were my favorite. YUM!

The Christmas Eve policy at the Davidson household is Santa never leaves hungry!