European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 14, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Story and photo by Amy Geiszler Jones . Bureau h oliday Bakers who shy away from building   that adorn the Quot y covers of december women s magazines might be surprised to find out How easy it is to bake one. Quot it looks harder than it is Quot said first time House maker Tina Hilker As she slathered some icing along the Edge of one Wall of her House. Her comment was echoed by the few others who were Busy assembling their houses at a recent Gingerbread baking workshop in England at Raf Lakenheath s family support Center. A. Much of the inhibition they had had about putting such a creation together was put to rest by the helpful advice and rather Carefree attitude of Veteran Gingerbread House maker Margaret Jennings a a while the participants sampled some of the lec Kerli a a. Type of Gingerbread that they would be making. Themselves to form their houses a a Jennings handed out advice patterns and recipes on the first Day of the workshop in november. Eleven Days later a few of the  to the Center to construct their edible houses. This time they nibbled on a spicy Sample of Gingerbread. Pain d Apice. Baked by Jennings. Except for 18-month-old Alex Hilker a he sampled the Tootsie Rolls Licorie bits and Gummy. Bears his Mother had brought to use in decorating her House a Quot a. F a a a. A a propping up the Walls with soup c ans while the icing  As the Cement dried each builder decorated his or her House with a distinctive touch. It was a Lime for the creative juices to flow and the artistic talents to emerge. A a a a a a u. ,. One builder chose to use primarily red coloured candies to decorate the House another opted for Licorie life Saver lollipops and hard candies. David Kover decided to be totally original with his first attempt at assembling a Gingerbread building he Drew his own pattern for the Chapel he created and even made stained Glass windows. -. A Quot i live in an old Chapel so its Only appropriate that i make a Chapel Quot said Kover Counselor at the Center. The multicoloured windows were the effect of crushed of Saver candies that had melted while the Gingerbread baked. His landscape included Gingerbread Trees and Gingerbread couples of various sizes. Quot i always like to put a face on my House Quot said. Jennings. Quot it gives it a bit of  the Quot face Quot on a. One Wall of her display House was created by two. Decorated windows which formed the eyes  placed candies to form the rest of the features. A a a ,. A a a a the pattern that most of the participants used was a Small simple cottage measuring about 5 inches by 6 a inches. The almonds in the lec Kerli added a Nice texture to the pieces the candied Orange and Lemon Peel along with the spices of Clove Nutmeg and cinnamon gave the Gingerbread its distinctive almost exotic taste. The lec Kerli recipe is one that Jennings discovered in a woman a pay Magazine around 1968. It actually is a cookie recipe but by rolling the dough a bit thinner it forms the aromatic foundation of a Gingerbread House. A As Jennings prefaced in her demonstration. Gingerbread in its various forms has existed for several hundreds of years but the common foundation of the spicy confection is boiled Honey. A Quot part of the pleasure of making it is feeling its past Quot a she said before zipping into a Quick history lesson a Long lasting food Gingerbread was included in the rations of. The chinese soldiers who served under Genghis Khan and has now become a Staple of the Christmas holidays in Many countries with the Nurnberg Lebkuchen of ,. Germany perhaps one of the More Well known types of. Gingerbread. A a a. A Here Are some hints from Jennings on making a Gingerbread House a a a. A ���-.,done to use chocolate candies when decorating your House. The candies contain animal fats causing the. Chocolate to go rancid much More quickly than your Long lasting Gingerbread. The smells of the spicy Gingerbread and the aging chocolate Quot would  she said. Chocolates also run the risk of melting. Stick to hard or boiled candies and think about colors when buying the candies. Although cinnamon red hots May tend to run a bit they still Are usable. Join up with a Friend to make a -av.v.v.v. Real estate for the holidays a House. And Pool \ our  to a\en1 so a inv it to Oziri a if substituting a nut for the Almond Don use one with. High lat Content such As pecans again his Usu  go bad with tune Jennigs suggests hazelnuts As an alternative ,.try to Cut As Many pieces of Hie House As you can from the first Lime you Roll the Gingerbread dough do Hie bigger pieces first but Cut your roof after having Cut the. Upright pieces. Also toll the Loof a bit thinner since it will to re slug on the other pieces after Assembly. Use cookie cutters to Cut out windows Lor a fancy effect use any leftover dough to create Oiler features such As Trees or people. The lower the oven temperature the More oven the. Dough will bake and the harder it will get. Quot and that s a virtue in this  she said v your dough May expand Dur my baking so while it s warm place the patterns Over your pieces and even them up v a a \ a assemble your House on a fall Suraco such a cardboard covered with Oil. It s easier to provide supports with a Flat surface rather than a plate with turned up a edges. A a a. A.  put together the upright pieces first and to generous with the icing use soup cans or other tins to support the Walls by placing them inside the House. While the icing a Between the Walls dries decorate with the cantos Beloro placing your roof on the House remember to remove he cans from inside of the House Beloro putting on the roof. If the icing does t seem to hold the wills together take the tip of a knife and work the citing upwards which in a. Way beats the icing causing it to firm up a bit More for stability or to fill in a Gap along the adjoining Walls use  Candy canes or red Licorie along the joints. A a a a a a a. A a a if you want to project the House Jennings suggests using the thick Clear Florist s wrap or microwave plastic wrap which is a bit shinier and sturdier than regular plastic wrap. Gather up the ends above the House and secure with a pretty Bow. Perhaps the Best Way to eat the House is As Jennings. Recommended Quot leave it in a room with children and just shut the door m will keep them occupied Lor about 45  a a. A a v. Lec Kerli 21a cups flour 1 Tablespoon cinnamon 116 Teaspoons ground cloves 1 a Teaspoons Nutmeg 1/a Teaspoon Salt. 1 Teaspoon baking soda i cup White sugar i cup Honey molasses or Gold i syrup May be substituted grated Peel of i Lemon a cup finely chopped combination of candied Lemon and Orange Peel 1 cup finely chopped or sliced almonds blanched or unbranched lbs spoons 1 fluid ounce Orange juice one pct go of ingredients will make a Small House but a double Recife Jwili allow Tor errors plus extra ornaments. Cover two Bakir sheets with non stick baking Parchment. Preheat oven to 3251. Combine first six ingredients and Reserve. In a Large Saucepan head the sugar and Honey to boiling making sure the Sugako completely dissolved. Remove from stove to the mixture in the Saucepan it do the grated Lemon Peel candied peels almonds Orang Nice and flour mixture. Mix Well. The Doug in be quite Tiff. Knead quickly on a lightly floured Board until Well blended. The dough  As it poofs but May be Warfa Jed for a few seconds in the microwave or Over hot water is restore pliability a a. Roll out the dough one Batch at a time to one Quartz Inch thickness on a floured surface.  be. Reasonably free with the amount of flour. Cut the rolled dough according to the pattern. Remember to Cut. Windows and doors in the Walls before baking scraps a May be Cut with cookie Cullers to make Trees people and ornaments even Small scraps May be baked to use As a a continued on Page 14 Friday december 14,1990 the stars and stripes Pago 13