December: Gingerbread

Gingerbread

When my mom was a little girl she loved the story of Hansel and Gretel and the witch who lived in a gingerbread house. The wear and tear of her beloved childhood copy of the book is proof. 

Due to her love of this story, when we were little, each Christmas our mom would share with us the story of Hansel and Gretel as we celebrated a week filled with gingerbread fun. 

We would decorate gingerbread houses, make gingerbread cookies and cake, and also read the story "Gingerbread Baby" written and illustrated by Jan Brett. 

One year however, our mom surprised us with tickets to the Opera Hansel and Gretel. For the weeks leading up it, she taught us the music and words to the Opera so that on the performance night we would not be encumbered by confusion, since operas are often very hard to understand.  Then, on the night of the performance, she handed each of us a little tin that looked like a gingerbread house, filled with colorful ribbon candy to enjoy during the show. 

The original tin she gave me almost twenty years ago. 

Years later when I sang in a choir in college, our director one day introduced to us a new song we would be singing. It was the beautiful song "Evening Prayer" from the opera Hansel and Gretel.  The director asked, by raise of hands, how many students in the choir of about 100, had been to this opera? I was the only one who raised my hand. Surprised, he then asked how many were at least familiar with the famous song "Evening Prayer?" Again, I was the only one who raised my hand.  

A girl seated next to me leaned over and whispered, "How do you know this song?"  I replied, "My mother taught it to me."  The girl leaned back over and said, "I hope someday I can be that kind of mother."  I whispered back, "Me too." 

My mom never wanted her children to be close-minded or uncultured. Instead, she wanted to open our eyes to the many wonders this world has to offer and expose us to a plethora of different experiences, cultures, ideas, and even foods.  I am thankful for her efforts to always expand my horizon of understanding and broaden my scope of experience. My life has certainly been richer and the better because of it. 


This year for gingerbread week, 
while we didn't decorate gingerbread houses, all the grandkids made gingerbread cookies with my mom! 

My mother's Gingerbread Cookie recipe:

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup molasses

2 tbsp vinegar

Thoroughly cream shortening with sugar.  Stir in egg, molasses and vinegar; beat well.

5 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 to 3 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

Add dry ingredients to molasses mixture.  Chill about 3 hours.

Roll out onto floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees.

She also set out a jar of store-bought gingerbread cookies and shortbreads to enjoy all week long.

We also made gingerbread cake. My family likes it with homemade whipped cream and sliced bananas! I prefer a store-bought mix over homemade cake, the ginger is usually a little less strong that way.

I've also added  a new tradition in my own little family- making gingerbread waffles with warm buttermilk syrup! This recipe is from my mother-in-law and is SO good. 

Gingerbread Waffles

3 eggs  (separated)
1/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. molasses 
1 C. buttermilk

1 1/2 C. flour 1 t. ground ginger 1/2 t. ground cinnamon 1/2 t. ground cloves 1/2 t. salt 1 t. baking soda 1 t. baking powder 6 T. butter, melted and cooled

Preheat waffle iron. Beat egg whites and fold in last.  In a small bowl, beat eggs  sugar, molasses and buttermilk.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add to batter and stir, then add butter and combine. Fold in egg whites.

Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup batter into very hot waffle iron and bake 4 to 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 6 waffles.

Buttermilk Syrup

1 c. sugar½ c. butter½ c. buttermilkCombine and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and add ½ tsp. baking soda.  Serve.  Store in refrigerator.  Can add little vanilla and white karo syrup (2T) to keep crystals from forming.

Lastly, I found these foam gingerbread men at Michael's to decorate! They come in a pack of 24 so there are plenty to go around!  They even have gingerbread houses too- a fun and certainly less messy alternative to the real thing. Although who doesn't love getting their hands covered in frosting now and then.

More Christmas traditions to come! Thanks for reading!