2007 Gingerbread Houses

It's our 12TH YEAR OF GINGERBREAD!

This year our theme was AD-VILLE (the Product Placement Place). And just like in previous years, the ideas were really cool. Enjoy!

Charmin. I'll go first this year. This one's mine. The Charmin Compounded is surround by a piped gingerbread fence topped with a pasta-and-lustre-dust barbed wire ("Least Likely to be Consumed"). Within the Compound, rolls of gumpaste toilet paper ("Most 'Crap'-Tastic") are strewn about, while off to one side an unfortunate victim has lost his marzipan hand ("Bloodiest") due to an undisclosed severe squeezing offence.

The Jolly Green Giant. Amy Trimmer and Erin Peltzman used a plethora of green in their icing, base color, and marshmallow selection ("Most Eco-Friendly") to create a home for the Jolly Green Giant. The Trix vegetable vine climbing up one end ("House Most Avoided by Trick or Treaters") and pool of jelly bean cheese sauce in front ("Cheesiest") helped earn them the "Highest Vitamin Content" award.

Massengill. The family in this home by Erica Cleary has sold out ("Most Lucrative") and changed their name to Massengill ("Least Appetizing").. The pile of chewing gum money out front is testament to the fortunes garnered (in total disregard to the distraught teenage daughter about to leap from the roof), while a gumpaste fountain off to the side actually shot a tall stream of vinegar-and-water ("Best Use of Non-Dessert-Type Food Substances") when the houses were presented for voting at the end of the party.

Spam. That lovely canned meat product ("Meatiest") was the inspiration for Gabe and Sarah Morgan's colorful ("Best Use of Color") house. Blue and yellow M&Ms spell out the popular name, while poppy seeds arranged in horizontal lines represent the adjacent can's barcode. Miniature candy hamburgers ("House That Would Give You the Most Indigestion") surround the structure, winner of the "Best Represents their Corporate Sponsor" award.

M&Ms. Those adorable ("Most Irresistibly Squeezable") and universally popular ("Least Offensive") M&M characters are cheerfully present outside this home by John Gardner and Stacey Mullins ("Rookie of the Year!"). Colorful M&Ms line the roof, while a blue icing pool provides cool respite out front.

Advertising. Martin Stoufer's candy stained glass sign ("Most Creative") brightly announces to all in AD-VILLE the dominant ingredient in the houses. Pre-baked gingerbread had lettering cut out and then filled in with crushed color candies ("Best Use of Materials for Nonstandard Purposes") that melted and set after a short time in the oven. Unfortunately, the supports for the sign didn't have enough time to dry and the entire piece cracked ("Michelle Teague Award for Overly Ambitious Construction Goals"). Nevertheless, when held up to the light, the sign gloriously blazed out its sweet message.

Baskin Robbins. Marzipan ice cream scoops ("Coolest") rest atop this house by Mike Dashow. A yellow marzipan path tempts all ("Worst for Overeaters Anonymous") to come and partake of the dessert and its topping running down the front and sides of the house ("Stickiest"). An actual ice cream cone coated in green icing, green sugar, and Trix makes a colorful tree out front.

Advil. Scott Pullman was most literal ("Best Expression of Theme") in his creation by building a house decorated with a single tablet of Advil. The injured person out front has suffered an arm injury ("Most Disarming Presentation"), with the pool of red icing indicating the severity. The minimalist decorating scheme left the house open for significant design opportunities, earning a "Best Home for a Wedding" award.