What Does the Gingerbread Man Put On His Bed?

Written by on in Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Tidbits and Treats

A cookie sheet!!

That joke is courtesy of my little brother. We were trying to tell Christmas jokes on the golf course this morning. It’s also quite fitting, considering what kept me from blogging last night…

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For the past three years or so, it’s been a tradition for my brother and I to buy a Gingerbread House Kit from Costco and assemble it together. As you can see from the finished product, it’s by no means perfect! But we like it that way. Nobody ever said our family was artistic! I think it’s lovely in it’s own way 😉 My favorite parts are the Spree walkway and the wreath.

We worked late into the night, mainly because my mom and I were out late! We went to a place called Brix Wine Spot to have some girly fun. We each had a glass of Rombauer Cabernet Sauvignon.

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And then we split a cheese and sausage platter that included pepper jack, muenster, Swiss, and gruyére cheeses, Boar’s Head sausage, kalamata olives, trail mix and dried apricots. It was all served with lavash bread and tasted REALLY good with the wine!

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After our wine fun, my mom and I brought home pizza (for my brother) and salads (for us) from Bad Donkey. I had the usual combination of fresh veggies and low fat honey mustard dressing with some amazing cheesy bread.

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After we ate, my brother and I set to work on the gingerbread house. Then I stayed up reading The Host – SO good. I ended up finishing it and just want to say…

**ATTENTION TWILIGHT FANS** Once you have read an re-read the series, you may want to pick up a copy of The Host. It takes a little while to get into it because 1) it’s vastly different from Twilight and therefore 2) you start to miss Edward and Bella. But it’s worth it in the end. And even if you’re not a fan of Twilight and/or refuse to give in to the hype, you should consider reading this book. It may help you realize that Stephenie Meyer is just THAT good of a writer and that yes, she is worth all the fuss.

Ok, ’nuff said 🙂 Moving on to this morning, my family and I went out and played golf. It was absolutely gorgeous weather out there today – no more rain! The sun was shining and it was even warm enough to play in short sleeves. I know some of you are mad at me now! Before we left, I had breakfast – another go at CINNAMON TOAST!

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I realized after last time that I definitely missed a crucial ingredient – powdered sugar. It made such a difference this time around and really brought me back to my childhood. Thank you to those who remembered and suggested it – I will be making this much more often!

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I also brought a to-go cup of Coffee Cocoa. I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry because I stayed up late into the night snacking on icing and candy – but it was worth it!

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After golf, we had lunch at the same clubhouse we ate at last week. I had the same soup and quesadilla combo – why change a good thing, right? 😉 I accidentally left my camera at home, so luckily there’s a post for reference. Just click on that blue link to refresh your memory.

I’m really looking forward to tonight’s dinner. I will keep it a surprise to keep things interesting for the next post 😉 It’s a new restaurant that my mom has been raving about, so I have high expectations. We’ll see how it turns out!

As Sunday draws to a close, the holiday week may be starting for many people. I wish you all safe travels! I’ll be back soon!

38 Comments

  1. A-FREAKING-MAZING GINGERBREAD HOUSE!!!

    Hell yes for cinnamon toast!! Now all it needs is a Mickey Mouse touch 😉 I’m glad that you know what I’m referring to, hahaha.

    Can’t wait to see the “surprise” dinner!!

  2. What an awesome gingerbread house! I’ve never made one, how shameful…That’s what I get for living outside of the U.S. during my childhood, definitely need to do that!
    Have a fab dinner!

  6. i must say, i have been one of those that hasn’t read the twilight series because it’s such a big hype…but now that you say how diferent the host is i might have to try reading that before i head off to FL!

    have fun at dinner tonight~

    and tell you brother i liked his joke!

  7. Your house looks beautiful 😉 I haven’t made one of those in years but really enjoyed the snacking on candy part of it haha 😉 Hope you had fun at dinner!

  10. That cinnamon toast sounds perfect!!! Aww I wish they made vegan gingerbread houses =( That would be so much fun! I’ve never made a gingerbread house before.

    I just tried reading The Host the other day and I just couldn’t get into it!!! I’ll try again because you said it’s good but man do I miss Bella and Edward

  11. gingerbread house decorating is the best!

    thanks for the review on the host—i definitely think i’ll pick it up once i finish twilight. I’m excited!

  12. ahhh soo fun!! I love gingerbread houses! I can easily see why you love the winter holiday season so much! Your fam has so many great traditions!!!

    happy Monday Jenn! so glad you got to go golfing too!

  13. Oh my. That cinnamon toast is too much. I can’t take it. Drooling over here!!

    I agree – the gingerbread house is fabulous! Spree walkway is the bestest.

    Happy Holidays, Jenn!

  17. what a cute gingerbread house! so glad you had a fun night with your madre! how did you get the cute jenn icon on the address bar?!? that is AWESOME
    hope you have a wonderful night!

  18. hahaha, sweet joke.
    so i’m a newcomer to your blog and i’ve been reading through your previous entries recently and i’m really curious about how you get the eggs so perfectly microwaved? do you have a special bowl, or would any old plastic/glass bowl do? i don’t have a lot of special kitchen apparatus-type stuff but i love eggs (well, egg whites, anyway) which is why i’m wondering.
    hope you’re having a great winter vacation!

  21. Yay for gingerbread houses and wine…too bad those weren’t combined 😉

    AH soooo glad you liked the Host! Stephanie Meyer is incredible, I wish she would write MORE books right now…I’m gunna need something to read, since I’m almost done with Breaking Dawn hahaa. And glad you saw my post with Rob Patt’s new do…I love it!

    Have an awesome day, can’t wait to see dinner! 🙂

  24. Aww I haven’t made a gingerbread house in ages! I love yours!

    I also still haven’t read Twilight or any book by Stephanie Meyer for that matter… I’m being a rebel! Or just waiting to see if someone perhaps decided it would be a good Christmas gift for me heh

    Powered sugar makes everything better. For the past several years on Christmas morning we make french toast and always top it with powered sugar so your toast there is making me crave it! Maybe we’ll have it again this year!

  25. LOVE the Gingerbread house! Too cute!

    I saw The Host at Wal Mart the other day, but waited purchasing it becuase I wanted to see your review of the book. I’m glad you gave the ok. I will have to read it after my Twilight obsession has died down enough where I can feel I can move on. 🙂

  26. Love the gingerbread house. That is such a fun tradition with your brother. I think the wreath is my favorite part.

    Your food looks good as always…especially the cheese/sausage platter. I can never resist the cheese!

    I am so excited about The Host. I finally gave into the hype and read . Don’t know why I waited so long! I can’t wait to finish the whole series. Have a good week, and I hope you enjoyed dinner last night!

  27. I love decorating gingerbread houses- yours is adorable!!

    i’m glad to hear you liked the host. i just got it as a present from my friend and i can’t wait to read it! as someone who went through edward and bella withdrawal, i seriously hope she finishes midnight sun!

    ps be happy you don’t live in minnesota anymore. the wind chill hasn’t been above 0 all weekend!

    • Monica ~ Yikes! I will keep my Arizona sun, please 🙂 I miss you and your blog, lady!

      sheeva ~ Hi! Thanks for checking out my blog 🙂 You can absolutely make egg whites with any old bowl. All you have to do is spray the bowl with cooking spray (and/or dot with butter or oil) so that the egg won’t stick. Then you just put the egg white in the bowl and microwave. For me, I use the Egg Beaters egg whites, so I just pour them in and microwave for about 1 minute per egg. Then I pull it out and move it around a little to make sure it’s cooking, and stick it back in the microwave for about 45 seconds more. The egg white should be puffy and no liquid should be left over. That’s how you know it’s done! I like to top mine with cheese or salsa – it’s great! Let me know if you try it or have any other questions!

  29. Just wanted to let you know that Bear is getting a bit rambunctious while your away! I will try to keep him in line. Nice G-Bread house…

  31. Ooh! I’m excited to see your dinner tonight! I love the gingerbread house. 🙂 The wreath is probably my favorite part, too. I just LOVE hearing about your time with your fam, esp your bro. You guys seem so close and happy. I love it so much!
    I wonder if dinner is a Papa Bender creation!?

  33. Cinnamon Toast! Yummy!

    Haha, I laughed out load with your joke. 🙂

    I just bought the first Twilight book because of you and other bloggers raving about it.. I’ll let you know if I like it!

  35. Cute gingerbread house, btw!

    Ugh.. it’s very cold here! Brr!! I wish I were down south somewhere.. it was so cold yesterday, I could barely breathe when walking outside.. it was too frigid!

    I’m holding up well, though, because I’m staying indoors as much as possible!

    I know you’re not looking forward to coming back in January.. it’s usually the coldest month! Be prepared!

    Also, definitely check out the Chicago Diner sometime.. you won’t regret it!

    Have a great Monday!

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