Not a photo person, but definately a Gingerbread person!

I read a fair few cooking blogs and I really enjoy them.  I am always really impressed with the step by step guides that go with recipes, and I love all the photos of each of these steps.  I often think to myself that I would like to try such a post.  But the problem is, though blogging and facebook and a little camera that fits in my bag have helped me slightly, I am still not a photo person. 
For example, I decided to use up my Aunt excess Silverbeat by trying for the first time to make Gozleme (does anyone know how to pronounce that by the way, I hear such different versions?).  I thought it would be fun to photo document the whole process.  But of course, I remembered to get my camera just before the last one was cooked, and my camera was flat anyway!  So the only reason I have any record of this meal was because we couldn't finish them all!

(the left overs- they were delicious)

Anyway, I did managed to photograph the main feat of the night, which was making two Gingerbread houses completely from scratch.  There was a fundraiser at my Sister-in-law Angie's church and people bid to have us make them a Gingerbread house for Christmas.  And so make one we did!

We used the recipe from the latest issue of Good Taste magazine.  But when looking at the dimensions it was more of a Gingerbread mansion.  So we grabbed a slightly smaller template and got to work.

 Angie rolling out the Gingerbread.  Our first drama of the night was that though the recipe said it should cook for 10 minutes in the oven, it was nowhere near enough time.  We don't know if it was a problem with the recipe or the oven- but it meant that the night was beginning to drag on more than we had originally anticipated by the time all the pieces came out of the oven.

 Once the Gingerbread was made we moved onto the fun bit- decorating.  It was all looking really good for a perfect Gingerbread house- finished we hoped by 10:30. 

We hit a snag when the recipe suggested we should use melted white chocolate to hold our house together.  After 10 minutes of Angie trying to hold it together, we realised this too was just not working for us.  Not only was the chocolate not setting, it was slippery, so the house kept sliding between Angie's figures.  I went on the Internet to find a solution and we found a royal icing recipe.  Problem solved.  Even soft, the royal icing was so sticky that the house stayed together nearly instantly.  And it didn't take long to harden up either

So finally- after about 5 hours work...

We were so happy with them!  There is something satisfying about cooking from scratch.  And now that I have done it once, I feel like its worth doing again.  It is hard work but the results are really impressive- and delicious.

So, I may not be a photo person, but I am definitely a Gingerbread one.

But the best part of the night?  Hanging with Angie and Lois (my Mother-in-law) and knowing that this kind of thing is not a once off occurrence on holidays, but part of my new life in Melbourne.

A lovely welcome home.

Love BG