2006 Gingerbread Houses

It's our 11TH YEAR OF GINGERBREAD! That's fantastic beyond belief, though it does make us feel incredibly old.

This year we had yet another theme, and selected FAIRY TALE FALLS. Everyone came up with really neat ideas, and nobody went for the obvious Hansel and Gretel. See, aren't we all creative?

Now, on to the photos...

Rapunzel. Erica Cleary stacks cubes of cheap Brach's caramels ("One That Would Make You Puke First if Eaten") to construct Rapunzel's tower, with gobs and gobs of yellow fondant ("Best Hair", "Most Copious Use of Fondant") flowing from the upper window. A gingerbread prince tries to climb up, but alas the heat ("Al Gore Honorary Victim of Global Warming") and brilliant architecture defeated by unstable caramels got the better of everything and the structure slowly collapsed.

The Queer House. Gabe and Sarah Morgan made a complement to a structure from 2003 ("Most Evocative of Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary") in their home. Color-coordinated gumdrops decorate the roof ("Best Use of Color"), while the ridge of the roofline itself is scented by a row of whole cloves ("Best Smelling"). Gingerbread folks are garbed in contrasting icing, happy occupants of the "Most Likely to be Built in Greenwich Village" home.

The Three Little Pigs. Laura Duggan recreates this childhood favorite ("Most Likely to be Made by a 5-Year Old") house of straw ("Most Likely to be Blown Over"). Spaghetti stands in as straw, covering the walls and roof, while pretzel sticks create a door and mini wheat cereals form a path ("Highest Carb Count"). A marshamallow pig ("Pig o' Riffic"), with candy button nose and spiral pasta tail, cowers on the roof looking down at the cookie wolf covered in black sugar.

The Wizard of Oz. Mia Wagenberg, Steve Mazer, and John Gardner ("Rookie of the Year") collaborated on the house that's fallen on the poor witch ("House Whose Occupant is Least Likely to Live Happily Ever After"). Colored marzipan and brown jimmies make the obligatory yellow brick road ("Best Movie Reference"), while the roof is left open allowing view of the the other half of the witch.

Baba Yaga. Mike Dashow drawed upon Slavic folklore ("Most Obscure Fairy Tale") to create Baba Yaga and her hut. The marzipan hag ("Scariest to Children") stands alongside her hut, whose gingerbread-and-icing chicken legs splay out in front ("Chic'n Lick'n Good"). A cinnamon stick, cut gingerbread, and strands of pasta with a green band denote the broom, while more cut gingerbread and wavy green icing indicate wings ("Most Avian").

Talia Ehrlich Dashow arrived in time for voting, earning a "Most Prompt Arrival" award. Her lack of a constructed house garnered the "Most Diabetic Friendly" award as well.

Puss 'n Boots. Molly and Martin Stoufer create a literal cathouse ("Stickiest") in their depiction of Puss 'n Boots. Frosted Shredded Wheat give a snow-covered roof, and green corn flake treats offer up shrub landscaping ("Kellogs Award of Merit"). Blue icing lines the window, with red sugar crystals filling the panes with indication of the hot times inside this "Jerry Falwell University Prestigious Design" award-winning structure.

The Tooth Fairy. Scott Pullman and Erin Peltzman bring to life this beloved tale ("Fairy Tale that Children Believe in Most"), with gingerbread fairy waiting outside her home identified by pasta letters. The exposed roof reveals gold coins ("Richest") used to purchase all the collected teeth ("House That Will Take the Longest to Decompose"), formed by split Good 'n Plenty's.

Amy Trimmer unfortunately couldn't make it at the last minute, but that didn't stop her from winning the "Eric Brooks Annual Honorary Award for Biggest Waste of Adam & Erica's Time Baking Gingerbread, only to have their Work Made a Mockery of" award on account of the undecorated house PIECES made for her.

Jack and the Beanstalk. Ego Alert, this one's mine. Braided gingerbread supports a sky platform ("Tallest", "Best Construction Technique") where the evil marzipan giant looks down upon a descending marzipan Jack, gold-luster-dust-coated-marzipan-and-pasta harp safely in his brown marzipan pack ("Best Use of Marzipan"). Cinnamon sticks and tootsie rolls create the fence, while dill grass covers the entire scene ("Healthiest"). Candy chocolate rocks are icing mortared in place for the chimney, with marshmallow smoke coming out. Off to the side, a cinnamon stick log pile shows Jack's earlier hard work.