Snacking in a Winter Wonderland

There are a lot of things I love about the winter and holiday season.  For instance that first real snow, the one that completely covers the streets and the trees, can be so picturesque, making you feel like you live in a postcard.  And it will be even better this year in Indiana when I know it wont be 6 months before I see grass again, like in Minny-soda there, don’cha know.  And of course any time you can get presents it’s a good day.  There’s also the potentiality of great food.  And that will go double for me this year, as we will be spending time with Jess’ family as well as mine this holiday season.  But one of my absolute favorite parts about the holiday season is the abundance of sweets and goodies around the house.  It’s like, since it is Christmas, it is ok to eat candy for breakfast.  I loves it.

Anyways, I bought a bunch of candy this year, and I think just looking at it all made Jess sick.  So I decided to do something productive and aesthetically pleasing with it.  That’s right, I’m talking about a gingerbread house.  Now of course I am not actually going to make gingerbread, that would cut into my candy munching time, so I went back to my elementary school days and used graham crackers for my walls.  Here are some pictures of how it turned out.

I used about a tub of frosting, and only about half of the candy I started with actually made it to the house, but I am happy with the way it turned out.  I am especially proud of the wreathe on the roof and “HOME” that is written on the doormat with chocolate syrup.  I went with a simple design, and I decorated with m&m’s, hershey kisses, candy canes, peppermints, gum balls, pretzels, and shredded coconut for snow.  I also did this with some of the kids at the Boys and Girls Club, although on a smaller scale, and they loved it.  They came up with some wacky designs, and it is a fun holiday thing that kids can easily make.  As for me, now that I am finished with it, I can’t wait to begin snacking.  (And Jess thinks I am going to Diabetes, ha!)