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AFTERNOON AT THE METS
GRAHAM CRACKER
GINGERBREAD HOUSE COMPETITION RULES
2010 Contest Divisions
Group I (Grades 4 – 8) Youth Division
Group II (Grades 9 – 12) Teen Division
The CF Afternoon at the METS committee will award:
1st place in each division
People's Choice Award - awarded to one entry and selected by public voting.
Rules (for all divisions):
Any architectural structure - real or imaginary is eligible for entry (i.e. house, train station,
bridge, ship, lighthouse, spaceship, etc).
Entry must be original - No gingerbread kits allowed
All components must be edible. For example, foil of plastic wrapped candies must be
unwrapped; contestants my not use lollipops with paper or plastic steam, etc.
Electric lighting will NOT be permitted.
Entry must have been constructed in 2010.
Portfolio must contain architectural design w/ dimensions, work hours documented,
material and cost form, and photos of work from beginning to end.
Entries will be judged on originality, overall appearance, choice and use of materials and
difficulty of design.
The entry must be delivered in completed form attached to a base enabling it to be
freestanding. Bases shall be no bigger then 15" long X 12" wide. Entries may not be taller
then 14" high. Bases must be completely concealed with an edible product.
Participants must register for the competition on or before April 8, 2009.
All entries must be delivered to the CFHS Gym Concession Area between the hours
of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Friday, March 30, 2010.
Important: For identification: Please attach your name, complete address and phone
number under the base of the structure.
Winners will be announced on each campus the following Monday and awards will be
presented.
Entries must be picked up before 4:30 p.m. March 30, 2010. Houses not picked up will be
discarded.
The logistics committee reserves the right not to display an entry, if the entry is not
considered show quality.
**For more information, please contact Camden Fairview High School at 870-837-1300 and
ask for Kathy Casteel.
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Royal Icing
Sturdy board or plate
Graham Crackers
Icing bag and tip
Candy
Sharp knife
1.
Step 1
2.
Step 2
3.
Step 3
4.
Step 4
5.
Step
5
How to Make a
Gingerbread
House Out Of
Graham
Crackers
First, prepare plenty of royal icing using your favorite recipe. If you are going
to eat it, use a recipe that doesn't require raw eggs. Spoon the icing into an
icing bag and add the tip. A medium star or round tip works well. Remember
to keep the bowl of icing covered with a damp cloth and wrap the tip of the
bag in a damp washcloth when you are not using it.
Cut a piece of cardboard and cover it with aluminum foil or just use a sturdy
paper plate. You can layer several plates together to make a nice sturdy
base for your gingerbread, uh graham cracker house .
Make a basic house shape by cutting two graham crackers so that they have
a point at one end like the peak of a roof. Work slowly so that the cracker
doesn't break. Sometimes it helps to draw a line with the knife, cutting
partially through the cracker first. Then run the knife along the line again to
cut the rest of the way through. Take three more graham crackers and break
them in half so that you have 6 squares. If your cracker breaks, don't worry!
Put icing along the broken edge and "glue" the piece back together.
Pipe a line of icing along the bottom and two sides of one pointed graham
cracker. Pipe along the bottom edge of a square graham cracker. Place the
pointed graham cracker and square cracker onto the plate so that they form
two sides of a square. Add the second pointed cracker and another square
cracker to complete the square, adding icing along the edges to hold the
crackers together. Make sure that the pointed crackers are attached to the
inside of the square crackers or they will be too far apart to hold the roof up.
Pipe along the top edge of the house and add the roof.
Add candy by piping icing onto the house and placing the candy into the
icing. You can also draw doors, windows, shingles or other decorations with
the icing. Don't forget to decorate the "yard"! Have fun and be creative. Once
you have mastered the basic gingerbread house, you can try something
bigger. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination and the amount
of graham crackers you have on hand!
Books about Gingerbread Houses
Reader’s Digest Association. Family Christmas
Peters, Colette. Colette’s Christmas
Good Housekeeping American Family Christmas
Teubner, Christian. Christmas Baking: Traditional Recipes Made Easy
Currie, Christa. Gingerbread Houses: A complete Guide to Baking, Building, and Decorating
Gunter, Veronika Alice. Making Gingerbread Houses: Dozens of Delectable Designs & Ideas
Morgan, Aaron. Making Great Gingerbread Houses: Delicious Designs From Cabins to Castles, From
Lighthouses to Trees.
Rosson, Johanna. “”Building Memories in Gingerbread.” Country Woman Dec/Jan 2010: 18+.
Web Sites for Additional Information
Miniature Gingerbread House
http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/xmas/food/gbhouse.html
Gingerbread House recipes and information
http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/aa120797.htm
Simple and easy instructions for the younger set
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/christmas/gbhouse.htm.
How to make a Gingerbread House out of Graham Crackers
http://www.ehow.com/how_4669016_gingerbread-house-out-graham-crackers.html#
Gingerbread Recipe
6 ½ cups of flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons of ginger (Sift these 3, set aside)
1 cup of margarine
1 ¼ cup of brown sugar
1 ½ cup of corn syrup (clear or dark depending on the color)
Heat margarine, brown sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan. Stir constantly over medium until no
longer grainy (almost near boil).
Let set 10 minutes to cool. Then pour the syrup mixture into the flour mixture slowly using your hands
to mix the dough until it becomes well incorporated. (Note: Most heavy-duty stand mixers can handle
the dough while lightweight mixers cannot.)
Chill dough for about an hour to make rolling easier. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out dough on a sheet pan to a thickness of 3/8 inch thick (for large or support pieces) or ¼ inch
thick (for smaller pieces). Have your pattern ready (lightly flour the side of the pattern that will be
placed on dough), cut and remove excess. Check for air bubbles and poke them with a knife or
skewer.
Baking time will vary depending on thickness of dough, 15 minutes for thin pieces and 25-30 minutes
for thick pieces. Cook, set aside and decorate.
Frosting Recipe
3 egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tarter
1 (16 oz. box) confectioners powdered sugar
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
Beat 5-8 minutes with an electric mixer until smooth and thick. Test with a knife blade and see if it
leaves a smooth cut through the icing. Store in a tightly-sealed container if not using right away.
Source: www.santas-workshop.org
Gingerbread House Tips
If your dough is too tough to roll-out, microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Use aluminum foil to roll-out, transfer and bake your pieces. Cut a piece of foil the same size
your baking sheet. Wipe your working surface with a damp sponge and lay the foil on top. This
will prevent the foil from slipping. Sprinkle the foil with flour, roll-out your dough, cut your
pieces, lift the entire piece of foil onto your baking sheet and bake.
Use a fresh piece of foil for each roll-out.
A pizza cutter provides a quick, straight line for large pieces like walls and roots.
Cut all windows and doors before baking.
Prevent a lopsided house by holding the sides in place until dry.
Pint-size zip-lock freezer bags make excellent frosting bags. Snip off the corner of the bag, fill
with frosting, zip-lock closed and decorate.
Variety of candy used to decorate is more important than quantity.
Rice Krispie Treats, tinted green, make fun uniquely shaped bushes and trees.
GOOD LUCK…..SEE YOU APRIL 30, 2010