Hansel and Gretel gingerbread house

We read the story of Hansel and Gretel so G and P made a gingerbread house. We used Mary Berry's recipe for gingerbread.

• 375g unsalted butter
• 300g dark muscovado sugar
• 150g golden syrup
• 900g plain flour
• 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tbsp ground ginger

 

 

G and P melted the butter, sugar and syrup together in a pan. Then they put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger together into a large bowl and made a well in the centre. They poured in the melted butter mixture, stirred it in and, when cool enough to handle, kneaded it into a stiff dough. 

Then they put it in our Lakeland silicon mould and baked it for 10-12 minutes at 180oc.

Then they left it cool and made royal icing (they used 1 packed of powered egg white whisked with 3 tablespoons warm water and when mixed in they added another 7 and whisked again). Then they added about 500g sugar (I added until it was stiff) and then I added a squeeze of lemon juice).  G and P then decorated their house and then put it together.

 

 G wanted to make a giant gingerbread man - she shaped it herself! 

 

Spaghetti and Marshmallows Tower - a family STEM challenge

Today using spaghetti and marshmallows we saw who could build the tallest tower.

We found:
You can build very large structures from squares and cubes, but they will be weak and will usually fall down quite easily. If you try to make a structure out of triangles and pyramids, it will be strong but you will use a lot of materials before the tower gets very tall! The best way to build a tall tower is to use both triangles and squares – that way you can build big structures that are less wobbly. A diagonal piece of spaghetti put across a square turns a square into two triangles and makes it more rigid

Classic Twelfth-night Cake

350g butter
350g caster sugar
6 eggs, beaten
75ml brandy
350g plain flour
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
700g mixed dried fruit
50g blanched almonds, chopped
45g apricot conserve or apricot jam
900g marzipan
 4 egg whites
900g icing sugar
3 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp glycerine

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition then add the brandy.
Fold-in the flour, spices, fruit and nuts.
Grease a deep 25cm cake tin and line the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper.
Tip the cake mixture into this and tap to remove any trapped air.
Place the cake in an oven pre-heated to 150°C and bake for about 2.5 hours, or until the cake is firm to the touch. If the top of the cake darkens too quickly cover with a sheet of folded greaseproof paper about half-way through the cooking.
Remove the cake from the oven, allow to cool in its tin for 30 minutes then tip onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Once cold cover the surface of the cake with the apricot preserve or apricot jam. Roll out the almond paste and cut just enough of the paste to go around the side of the cake. Then roll the remainder of the paste out and use to cover the top of the cake.
Then make the icing by lightly beating the egg whites and incorporating the icing sugar into this to form a stiff paste. Add the lemon juice and glycerine and mix. Using a palette knife spread the icing all the way around the sides and top of the cake.

350g butter 350g caster sugar 6 eggs, beaten 75ml brandy 350g plain flour 1 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cinnamon 700g mixed dried fruit 50g blanched almonds, chopped 45g apricot conserve or apricot jam 900g almond paste (or marzipan) 4 egg whites 900g icing sugar 3 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp glycerine

Read more at Celtnet: http://celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-twelfth-night-cake
Copyright © celtnet

gredients: 350g butter 350g caster sugar 6 eggs, beaten 75ml brandy 350g plain flour 1 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cinnamon 700g mixed dried fruit 50g blanched almonds, chopped 45g apricot conserve or apricot jam 900g almond paste (or marzipan) 4 egg whites 900g icing sugar 3 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp glycerine

Read more at Celtnet: http://celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-twelfth-night-cake
Copyright © celtnet

gredients: 350g butter 350g caster sugar 6 eggs, beaten 75ml brandy 350g plain flour 1 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cinnamon 700g mixed dried fruit 50g blanched almonds, chopped 45g apricot conserve or apricot jam 900g almond paste (or marzipan) 4 egg whites 900g icing sugar 3 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp glycerine

Read more at Celtnet: http://celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-twelfth-night-cake
Copyright © celtnet

gredients: 350g butter 350g caster sugar 6 eggs, beaten 75ml brandy 350g plain flour 1 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cinnamon 700g mixed dried fruit 50g blanched almonds, chopped 45g apricot conserve or apricot jam 900g almond paste (or marzipan) 4 egg whites 900g icing sugar 3 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp glycerine

Read more at Celtnet: http://celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-twelfth-night-cake
Copyright © celtnet

gredients: 350g butter 350g caster sugar 6 eggs, beaten 75ml brandy 350g plain flour 1 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cinnamon 700g mixed dried fruit 50g blanched almonds, chopped 45g apricot conserve or apricot jam 900g almond paste (or marzipan) 4 egg whites 900g icing sugar 3 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp glycerine

Read more at Celtnet: http://celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-twelfth-night-cake
Copyright © celtnet

December 24th - decorate the Christmas tree

 The last day with the elf and he brought gifts for the girls to eat.

Today the girl's decorated the tree (yes we leave it that late!).  P and I also went to a Christingle Service.

We read the . 

December 23th - Go on a Christmas Quest

Today the Elf has been enjoying a Christmas tipple.

We went to Moseley Old Hall to go their Christmas Quest which consisted of a quick walk to their lovely tree house, then back to the fire pit before collecting greenery to decorate your house (did you know you need the same amount of smooth and spikey holly leaves - too much of one and then man takes charge (spikey) or visa versa. Then we roasted marshmallows and had hot chocolate and shortbread back in the house. 

We read  which tells the story of a 4th wise man trying to catch up with his three friends having lots of adventures on the way, helping people in all sorts of difficulties including Mary, Joseph & Jesus - who he doesn't realise he's met.

December 22nd - Make Pepperkakka

The elf was riding the camel today:

We made Swedish gingerbread (Peppakakka).  In a saucepan, we mixed 1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 t. molasses, 2 t corn syrup, a little orange rind, 1 T cinnamon, ½ t allspice, ½ t ginger. Boiled it for a minute or two. Mixed in 1 t baking soda in dollop of sour cream (or you could use an ounce of hot water), then added it to the mixture. We let it cool for 20 minutes and then added either 2 egg yokes or 1 whole egg and stirred. Then we added 2 to 2 ½ cups flour. Mixed and let it stand overnight in the fridge.  Then we rolled out the dough, cut it out and placed on clean baking trays. We baked it at 375◦ for 7 to 10 minutes.

We read Little Grey Rabbit's Christmas by  by Alison Uttley where we join the  festivities as the animals prepare for a truly special Christmas as Little Grey Rabbit goes to market to buy her friends a secret gift.

December 21st - go back in time to learn about Christmas past

Today our Elf was watching from the stairs.

We had a tour round the back to back houses which I finally managed to book and get on.  It was a glimpse of life for ordinary people moving from the 1840s through to the 1970s.  It was fairly child friendly with lots of authentic items they could touch and feel.  

Then in the evening we went to the black country museum which had a Victorian Christmas evening. It was very busy so everything had to be queued for and was busy.  We also spent more money than just the tickets - the girls went on the fairground rides (which are not dreadfully expensive - a pound a ride!) and also we bought supper, roast chestnuts, sweets and mullled wine. 

 

 

We read  which tells the story of the Nativity from the point of view of the Shepherds (and I note has been dramatized for BBC 1).