Gingerbread Cookies 101

So during my phase of baking, I decided for Christmas I wanted to make Gingerbread Cookies (as I've probably mentioned before). So I set out to find the cliche gingerbread man shape. Not the one with a fat body and tiny head, not the one with spindley arms, not the one with hands and feet...just your typical American 3"x3" gingerbread shape.

I searched high and low through all the shops in my area...and then the ones outside of my area...and I even went so far as to ask an online friend to source one for me from America (thanks, Christy :))...and then I found it!!! Hidden in an obscure location was a catalog on a baking website....the Wilton's 101 Piece Cookie Cutter Set!! {cue Hallelujah choir singers)

Only one problem...its in Pretoria. I'm in Cape Town. To make a long story short, eventually after a lot of thinking, I managed to find someone who was willing to collect it for me, and post it to me :)

They arrived today!!!! I hastely unpacked the 101 pieces, found the gingerbread man (right at the bottom!) and sighed in relief. This Christmas shall be complete with Gingerbread Man. Of course now I have 100 extra cookie cutters hahaha. Not to worry, with extras like dog bones, I plan on making doggie biscuits (for dogs), with the pumpkin/ghost/bat/scaredy cat cutters I can make halloween cookies, with the snowman/Christmas trees/stocking/candy cane/gingerbread men (there are actually 4: two small, two large - male and female of each) I can make Christmas cookies, and then there are some random themed ones like footballs and helmets (American Superbowl...not really our thing here though), hands and feet (for baby shower), transport (I assume for a bon voyage gift), animals like ducks, eggs, dinosaurs, etc for random cookies, and then the numbers and letters of the alphabet (and a question mark...hahaha I'll wait for the "Will you marry me?" baking expedition from my bf....LOL)

Then I had to rush off to a Canon EOS Roadshow talk (very entertaining and believe it or not, R-18 what with the vaginal flatulance jokes and all! Dont ask haha). Came back, went through the cutters more slowly to check they were all there, and then......I couldnt pack them back into the bucket they came in. Whoops!

But, no fear, I'll survive with my 101 cookie cutters haha.

My Gingerbread Man - the perfect shape!!

The entire set laid out on the kitchen counter (taken with my cellphone)

Introducing: Ramoth & Wirenth!

So finally the day of my new babies' arrival dawned upon us, and after a short wait this morning, they arrived at around 10:30!! After chatting to Ang of Wheatfields Rattery (now online!!), their breeder, I settled them into their temporary cage to wait out the day until they could come home with me (they were delivered to my office). Of course, after spoiling them with morsels of almond and apple pieces, I took some photos!

Wirenth (aka Worms)

Ramoth (aka Rams and "Creepy")

Ratty hands!!

*LICK* :D

And then for my mother's gym halloween party, I made some "Spooky Witch Fingers" which tasted and looked great!! Just a basic butter cookie recipe, molded into fingers with almonds for the fingernails (with some red icing under the fingernails for "blood"). Apparently they were the hit of the party and people even took them home for their families!

Apple Pie

I finally got around to making my Apple Pie that I've been talking about for ages! I must admit, I cheated and bought the dough to use for the pie, but then when I thawed it and rolled it out, there wasnt enough for both top and bottom crust :( So I decided to make it without a base...*gulp* I mixed and matched a few recipes so I was very worried about how it would turn out. I also wasnt sure if I should put foil around the edges to prevent the edges of the crust from burning, but I decided not to in the end. So, after preparing it, and baking it for an hour and 10 minutes, it was done! I was like a kid on Christmas morning, running to peek into the oven-glass every 20 minutes or so and I even squealed with glee when I set it down on the table :D I've yet to taste it (the bf is keen!) as I'm waiting for my mom and sister to come and taste it with us :)

The pie filling

Ready for the oven

The finished Apple Pie!

In other news, my new babies arrive on Monday, and I finally worked up the courage to go officially get permission to keep my rats in my apartment block! When most people hear "rats" they think smelly, diseased, sewer creatures, which of course could not be farther from the truth, so I was very worried they'd say NO RATS ALLOWED! But, they didnt! She seemed a bit put off by the thought, but after assuring her that I dont breed, and my girls are kept in a cage, she said fine. So yay for us!! Now I can bring my rats from my car to my flat (and vise versa) without worry!