BLUE MONDAY

   Today is Blue Monday. Exactly what we all wanted to hear right? I mean seriously who comes up with these things?! If its not kiss a ginger day, its short girl appreciation day, what next?   Anyway, this is one of my more unusual posts, in fact, I don't think I have ever even done a recipe post! I tend to bake over Christmas and New Year, and this year I've been obsessed with gingerbread. It is so simple to make, and tastes absolutely delicious, so if you are feeling the January blues, a relaxing bake and a gingerbread snack is maybe exactly what you need...   Ingredients 100g Light muscovado sugar 85g Golden syrup 100g Salted butter 1 Tsp  bicarbonate of soda 350g Plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1 Tsp ground cinnamon 1Tsp ground ginger 1 Egg   To decorate Star cookie cutters Ready roll icing Tub of royal icing   Method

1. Sift together flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon and pour into a bowl and mix together. Add the butter and blend until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.

2. Lightly beat the egg and golden syrup together, add to the mixture and blend until the mixture clumps together. Knead the mixture briefly until smooth, wrap in clingfim and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.   3. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line baking trays with greaseproof paper.   4. Roll the dough out to a 0.5cm thickness on a  floured surface. Cut out the gingerbread shapes and place on the baking tray.   5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, checking regularly. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool.   6. Decorate with icing.     

#Blogmas Day 6| Gingerbread house!

Okay so it might have a massive hole in the roof, the walls are stuck together by the skin of their teeth and I have been told it looks like a gingerbread man crime scene, but this was one of the most fun things I have done in ages!

 

My boyfriend came to visit this weekend so seen as we won't be seeing much of each other before Christmas, we decided to have a super festive weekend together instead! Honestly, making a gingerbread house is the most difficult and frustrating things to make in the world, but so completely worth it! I can see the idea behind it, you make the perfect mixture, cut out the gingerbread pieces to the exact millimetre, everything falls into place, and everything is decorated fabulously to make a culinary masterpiece... but in reality it isn't going to happen. Some of your pieces will be thicker than others, some will be burnt to a crisp, and you'll spend half an hour holding all the pieces together and hoping the masses of sticky icing will act as super glue.... just for it all to fall to bits time and time again.

 

However, it's what makes it so fun! If like me you had no idea where on earth to start making your own gingerbread mixture, then you can pick up a gingerbread house kit for just £5 in Sainsbury's, or quite cheaply in other supermarkets too, although I do recommend you buy a lot more sweets and icing to decorate!

 

Just a quick post today anyway, i'm off to munch my way through this gingerbread house... have you made one? I would love for you to send me a link to your picture or comment below! :)