Gingerbread People

Good morning, loyal readers! I apologize for the clear lack of blogging lately. I've been doing plenty of cooking and eating, but not a whole lot of writing about it...so prepare yourselves for like 3 blogs to be posted today :)


I love Christmas, well, all holidays really but Christmas is probably my favorite. Why? Well, your heart just feels bigger. You want to show everyone you know that you're thinking about them and care about them. The weather promotes fuzzy socks, big blankets and plenty of cuddling. OH! And there's the total acceptance that you will gain like 20 pounds but no one really seems to notice. That's what New Years Resolutions are for, right?


This past weekend Nate and I participated in a plethora of Christmas-time activities. Friday night I invited over a friend of mine (shout out to Jenny Bingham for bringing over wine!), I made chili and cornbread and we all sat down to watch Christmas movies. First up was Love Actually. Now, if you haven't seen it, it's on Netflix so get to it! The movie boasts an all-star cast and their various relationships and in true Hollywood fashion, SPOILER ALERT everything works out almost perfectly on Christmas Eve. Everyone professes their love for one another and lives happily ever after. It's a good movie to watch if you're bored and don't want to pay for a movie.


Next up was my personal favorite Christmas movie (Nate recently stated to me that the Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas cartoon was a Christmas special, not a Christmas movie): The Muppets Christmas Carol. I love the Muppets, they're nostalgic, funny and the movie itself is as enjoyable as an adult as it was when I was a child. In fact, here: The Muppets Christmas Carol Educate yourselves.


Saturday was my company Christmas party at the Angus Barn, which was just as fantastic the second time as it was the first. The pavilion was beautifully decorated, we ate way too much, the wine was excellent and when it was over Nate and I migrated to the Meat Locker in the main restaurant. The Meat Locker, as you may or may not recall, is the outdoor patio for smoking and enjoying the beauty of a crisp winter evening. Nate bought himself a cigar and I drank a Manhattan, it was a damn good one too.


Sunday we had tickets to see the (very far off) Broadway performance of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas at the Duke Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina. Unfortunately for us, we didn't realize the 5:00 performance was in Durham until 4:30. Driving on I-40 to Durham is notorious for accidents, back-ups and just being slow. Somehow we managed to get there without incident and we even found free parking across from the theater! It was a Christmas miracle! The performance was spectacular, interactive, funny, and memorable. If it happens to stop anywhere near you, GO SEE IT! Trust me, you will not be disappointed in the least.


When we returned from the performance we made Gingerbread People. I have never made them before but I was shocked at how simple it was and they turned out perfectly! The only hitch is they are a little time-consuming. I got this recipe from Food Network and it was very easy to follow.


Gingerbread People


3 C flour
1 Tsp baking soda
3/4 Tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 Tsp ground ginger
1/2 Tsp ground allspice
1/2 Tsp ground cloves
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp fresh cracked black pepper
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 C vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
2/3 C unsulfured molasses
1 large egg


Position your oven racks in the top third and bottom third of your oven.


Sift the flour, baking soda, and spices through a metal sieve into a medium bowl, set aside.


In a separate large bowl (like the bowl of your stand mixer) beat the butter and shortening until well-combined. Add the brown sugar and beat until the mixture is light in color and fluffy in texture. Beat in the molasses and egg.


Using a wooden spoon, slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet to make a stiff dough.


Portion the dough into plastic wrap and form 2 disks. Put these in the fridge for about 3 hours. See, told you it was time-consuming.


Now you're ready to pre-heat your oven to 350.


Roll out the cookie dough to 1/8 inch thick or slightly thicker if you want the cookies a little chewy (which I always do).


Due to my lack of cookie cutters (hint, hint, if any loyal readers like me enough to gift me something) I only had gingerbread men and snowmen (hence the "gingerbread people" title, don't wanna leave anyone out of the group).


Arrange your cookie dough onto a lightly-greased cookie sheet topped with a silicone mat or wax paper about 1 inch apart. The cookies don't spread out much but just to be safe.


Place the cookies in the top third of your oven for 7 minutes.  Once the 7 minutes are up, flip the trays so what was facing the oven door is now facing the back of the oven and move the cookies to the bottom third of your oven for the remaining 7 minutes.


Complicated, huh?


Let the cookies cool on the trays for 2 minutes before removing them to a wire rack.


Our cookies came out the perfect chewy texture and the flavor was phenomenal; spicy and delicious! Enjoy the recipe readers!