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Pygoscelis
12-21-2010, 04:06 AM
I got it in my head this year to attempt to build a cart made of gingerbread, with working wheels, candycanes for axles and jujubes for hub caps. I'll let you all know if it works out or not.

Has anybody here tried anything similar? I have childhood memories of gingerbread houses and gingerbread men, cut into all sorts of shapes and decorated as pretty much anything me and my childhood friends could dream up. We did the same with pancakes sometimes.
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ChargerCarl
12-21-2010, 04:15 AM
Theres one in my kitchen RIGHT NOW
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PouringRain
12-21-2010, 05:02 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Pygoscelis
I got it in my head this year to attempt to build a cart made of gingerbread, with working wheels, candycanes for axles and jujubes for hub caps. I'll let you all know if it works out or not.
Please post pictures! :)


format_quote Originally Posted by Pygoscelis
Has anybody here tried anything similar?
I will confess that I have never done any gingerbread-decorating. I have done pancakes, as you also mentioned. We used to make them like little teddy bears. I have also done cake decorating. I once made a tea pot cake for a mother-daughter tea party. It was a cake shaped like a tea pot, and decorated to look like one, complete with handle, spout, and lid. When my oldest was little I used to make her cakes every year for her birthday. One year I made her a caterpillar. Another year I made her a beach and ocean cake. One time for a work picnic I made a choo-choo train cake. About a year ago I made my son a fire engine for his birthday, and we went to the firestation for a visit, and then went to a park that has a fire truck playground.

As far as food decorating goes, cakes are mostly about it, other than the occasional hors d'oeuvre for special occasions.... and those must be both picture perfect and truly divine in flavor! :nervous:
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Muezzin
12-21-2010, 06:43 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Pygoscelis
I got it in my head this year to attempt to build a cart made of gingerbread, with working wheels, candycanes for axles and jujubes for hub caps. I'll let you all know if it works out or not.

Has anybody here tried anything similar? I have childhood memories of gingerbread houses and gingerbread men, cut into all sorts of shapes and decorated as pretty much anything me and my childhood friends could dream up. We did the same with pancakes sometimes.
Does this count?



If they don't, at least they're delicious.
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S.Belle
12-23-2010, 09:36 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Pygoscelis
Has anybody here tried anything similar? I have childhood memories of gingerbread houses and gingerbread men, cut into all sorts of shapes and decorated as pretty much anything me and my childhood friends could dream up. We did the same with pancakes sometimes.
I've tried to build a gingerbread house and the ceiling just kept collapsing so i just ate it.
But i like playing around with food.
When I was younger I would fix my grandfather's lunch for him and I would cut his sandwhiches in shapes and actually design his food into weird designs/or landscapes.
I've made homemade chocolotes as gifts for some friends...its really tidious and by the time I'm finished the smell of chocolate makes me sick to my stomach.
Im planning on making my lil bro green eggs and "ham" (pink colored pancakes) since he likes the dr.seus story so much
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Woodrow
12-24-2010, 12:15 AM
Every now and then I attempt to make meringue mushrooms. But have yet to succeed as the caps get eaten before I put them together.

They are supposed to look like this



But I have never had them last long enough to assemble.

Here is a recipe, I colored red the step I get stuck on.



What is amazing is how these Meringue Mushrooms actually look like real mushrooms. They start with just two ingredients, egg whites and sugar, that are beaten until stiff and glossy. The meringue is then placed in a pastry bag and piped into shapes that look like mushroom 'caps' and 'stems'. After baking in a slow oven the stems are attached to the caps in one of two ways; a little meringue is used as a 'glue' to attach the stems to the caps or you can use a little melted chocolate to 'glue' them together (used here). Either way is delicious. The finishing touch to make them look like real mushrooms, is to dust the tops of the meringue mushrooms with a light sprinkling of cocoa powder. The beauty of these meringue mushrooms is that they will keep, in dry humidity, several weeks. Serve the mushrooms standing upright on a platter or they also look wonderful placed in a basket.

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/MeringueM...#ixzz18z1Ij0TU
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PouringRain
12-24-2010, 01:22 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Woodrow

But I have never had them last long enough to assemble.

Here is a recipe, I colored red the step I get stuck on.


After baking in a slow oven the stems are attached to the caps
Since you have a problem with eating them out of the oven, and never get to the point of attaching them, then I have a solution for you......

Don't make them as mushroom!!!! Just make them as cookies. :sunny: I make a cookie thatis the same basic ingredients (egg whites whipped + sugar ..... but no cream of tartar as mentioned in your link)... once stiff peaks form, stir in with a spoon chocolate chips and pecans or walnuts..... then drop by spoonfuls onto a foil lined cookie sheet and "bake" in an oven on low temp until done.

This way you can enjoy them directly from the oven! You just won't have your mushrooms. LOL

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Pygoscelis
12-24-2010, 02:50 AM
The car didn't work out to well. We must have chosen the wrong recipe for the gingerbread, as the base just wouldn't support the weight of the walls, and the wheels kept falling off. It isn't very functional, but it does look pretty nice.

I did discover a icing agent that is very pliable, like play dough, and we sculpted little smurf figurines, not unlike those mushrooms you posted a picture of (sadly i don't have a cam to take pics with).

Building with food is fun!
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glo
12-24-2010, 07:03 AM
Pygo, we made a gingerbread house some years ago and used what we call royal icing. It contains egg white and sets really really hard. We needed to hold the walls together with wooden sticks while the icing set, but it didn't take too long and held very well!

ROYAL ICING

Ingredients:
2 egg whites
500g icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation method:
1. Beat egg whites lightly and add enough sugar to make icing that will hold shape. Blend in lemon juice to get desired consistency.
Do you have a recipe for your mouldable icing? It would be great if you could share it.
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nature
12-24-2010, 09:23 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by PouringRain
I once made a tea pot cake for a mother-daughter tea party. It was a cake shaped like a tea pot, and decorated to look like one, complete with handle, spout, and lid. When my oldest was little I used to make her cakes every year for her birthday. One year I made her a caterpillar. Another year I made her a beach and ocean cake. One time for a work picnic I made a choo-choo train cake. About a year ago I made my son a fire engine for his birthday, and we went to the firestation for a visit, and then went to a park that has a fire truck playground.
Ive only recently started baking...but i seem to be pretty hopeless at it at the minute..although i do try! these sound really artistic. I guess it would take a while to be able to accomplish something like this ?

format_quote Originally Posted by Mila
I've made homemade chocolotes as gifts for some friends...its really tidious and by the time I'm finished the smell of chocolate makes me sick to my stomach.

I wouldnt mind doing something like this for next eid. how difficult are they ? is it a truffle recipe ?
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S.Belle
12-24-2010, 05:01 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by nature
I wouldnt mind doing something like this for next eid. how difficult are they ? is it a truffle recipe

The difficulity level depends on what you want to make
I made about 5 gift baskets with different brittles,chocolate drizzled popcorn, lollipops, and I had some molds that I painted with colored white chocolate and then poured milk chocolate into the molds and put them in the freezer to harden. It was not difficcult it was just a matter of having time and alot of patience (which I lack so it was torture lol).
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Grace Seeker
12-24-2010, 05:09 PM
Reading this page is making me hungry. I think I am going to go make something that looks like a grilled cheese sandwich.
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PouringRain
12-24-2010, 06:05 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by nature
Ive only recently started baking...but i seem to be pretty hopeless at it at the minute..although i do try! these sound really artistic. I guess it would take a while to be able to accomplish something like this ?
They are not very difficult. Mostly they just take a lot of time and patience. I suppose a steady hand helps also. You could always try starting with taking a basic cake and then just decorating it fancy. The most difficult part is cutting the cake. It is recommended to freeze the cake first before cutting it. IMO freezing cakes also make them drier. One thing I have found, is that if you plan to make a decorative cake, then make the cake from scratch, not from a box. Cakes from scratch are more dense and easier to work with.

I say just go for it and try it!
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Ansariyah
12-24-2010, 07:55 PM
I like making faces out fruits n sandwiches.
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PouringRain
12-26-2010, 12:46 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Yanoorah
I like making faces out fruits n sandwiches.


Have you seen these?






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Muezzin
12-26-2010, 05:38 PM
You know what this thread reminds me of?

This Skoda commercial.
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PouringRain
12-27-2010, 12:54 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Muezzin
You know what this thread reminds me of?

This Skoda commercial.


Wonderful!

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Grace Seeker
12-27-2010, 11:24 PM
That's one of the batter commercials I've seen recently. It really takes the cake.
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gohar98
12-28-2010, 08:04 AM
Never tried it.
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nature
12-29-2010, 12:52 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Mila
The difficulity level depends on what you want to make I made about 5 gift baskets with different brittles,chocolate drizzled popcorn, lollipops, and I had some molds that I painted with colored white chocolate and then poured milk chocolate into the molds and put them in the freezer to harden. It was not difficcult it was just a matter of having time and alot of patience (which I lack so it was torture lol).
no idea what brittels are ? Im just experimenting with foods atm. I suppose i could make these things well in advance and freeze them ? I wouldnt mind giving it a go.

format_quote Originally Posted by PouringRain
They are not very difficult. Mostly they just take a lot of time and patience. I suppose a steady hand helps also. You could always try starting with taking a basic cake and then just decorating it fancy. The most difficult part is cutting the cake. It is recommended to freeze the cake first before cutting it. IMO freezing cakes also make them drier. One thing I have found, is that if you plan to make a decorative cake, then make the cake from scratch, not from a box. Cakes from scratch are more dense and easier to work with. I say just go for it and try it!
You made it sound so easy...but for some reason my cakes dont turn out right ? 1 error i have picked up on is, constantly opening the oven door! I dont really wana freeze it, but i'm gona give it a go, and see what happens. I cant really go wrong with a sponge can I ?
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S.Belle
12-29-2010, 04:55 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by nature
no idea what brittels are ? Im just experimenting with foods atm. I suppose i could make these things well in advance and freeze them ? I wouldnt mind giving it a go.
heres a pic of some brittle its like a really hard candy that is sugary and full of nuts



here is a peanut brittle recipe hope it helps
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peanut-Brittle/Detail.aspx
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nature
12-29-2010, 07:52 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Mila
heres a pic of some brittle its like a really hard candy that is sugary and full of nuts

LOL! I know what these are, i think they call them by something else in the UK. jazakhallah, i'll give it a go.
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