Thatched gingerbread house 01 - country living

1 house

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
½ Recipe Gingerbread Dough
Paper for patterns
Corrugated cardboard
Thin cardboard
Masking tape
3 Recipes Royal Frosting If house will be eaten, make frosting using meringue powder.
2 10-oz packages shredded- wheat biscuits
Red and green gum bears for decoration
1 Green gumdrop
1 teaspoon Unsweetened cocoa powder
Green and red paste or powder food coloring
Small red-and-white peppermint candy cane
Cotton batting, Christmas tree light, artificial trees, coarse or kosher salt, confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Prepare Gingerbread Dough following steps 1 and 2 of recipe. Divide dough into 2 balls. Wrap and refrigerate at least 1 flour.

2. Make paper patterns by enlarging diagrams on this page to fit 1-inch squares. Trace each pattern onto a separate piece of paper; label and cut.

3. From corrugated cardboard, cut out frame for gingerbread house: For main house, draw and cut 2 front/back pieces (pattern 1), 2 sides (pattern 2, cut out windows on one piece), 1 front roof (pattern 3), and one 8-by 5¼-inch rectangle for back roof. For house wing, cut out 2 front/back pieces (pattern 4),1 side piece (pattern 5), and two 5- by 4 ¼-inch rectangles for wing roof. For base, cut an 18-by 11-inch rectangle. If you wish to illuminate house, cut a 3-inch square from center of base.

4. For chimney, from thin cardboard, cut 1 front (pattern 6), 1 back (pattern 7), 2 sides (pattern 8), one 1 ½-inch square for main chimney top, four 2-by 1-inch rectangles for chimney extension and one 1-inch square for chimney extension top. From thin cardboard, draw and cut a 3- by 2 ½-inch rectangle for side-window overhang.

5. To assemble cardboard frame: On main-house side with windows, make a 3-inch-long horizontal cut 1 ½-inches above bottom window. Push thin card-board side-window overhang through cut so that ½ inch of cardboard goes inside. Turn cardboard down and tape to inside of house. Lay side piece, outside up, on a flat surface. Place main-house front (turn piece so window is at left side) to the right of side piece and main-house back next to left side (turn piece so window is at right). If you wish to illuminate house, cut a 4-inch square from center bottom of remaining side piece. Place piece next to right side of front. Tape all pieces together. Set up to form a box. Tape remaining edges to- gether. Tape main-house roof front onto house with front-door overhang to the right. Tape roof back to house and to roof front. Repeat to assemble cardboard wing frame. Tape wing to windowless side of main house about 1 inch from front comer.

6. Lay chimney front on flat surface. Lay a chimney side piece on each side of front with longest edge next to front; place back next to one side. Tape pieces together; set up to form a box. Tape remaining edge. Tape 1 ½-inch square onto straight end of chimney for top. Tape chimney to roof just to the left of the front-door overhang. For chimney extension, tape the 2-inch sides of the 4 rectangles together to form a box. Tape 1-inch square onto one end; set aside.

7. Cut seven 3-inch squares of plastic wrap; tape one over outside of each window. Country Living/Dec/91 Scanned & fixed by DP and GG

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