ginger 2014: group 1

Behold! Your first grouping of ginger masterpieces. I like to call this set of entries Ginger Classique. Cast your vote at the bottom of the post to help determine the winner of the 2014 People’s Choice Prize.

(For more information on how this competition will go down, click here.)

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Loreta’s Ginger Train and Depot

Loreta, like a number of this year’s competitors, completely ignored my request for ginger BUILDINGS zoned residential, agricultural and/or commercial. In her four page entry email she stated:

I’ve been creating gingerbread houses for umpteen years, and the time to do something new was upon me. So I created a Gingerbread Train.  

Tired of making gingerbread houses for gingerbread house competitions? MAKE A TRAIN.

There is also a Gingerbread Train Depot on the property, and that is a building, therefore I believe I am within the rules.

I’d argue, Loreta, but some of your fellow competitors submitted boats, trolls, carousels and books, so… I give up.

… the only thing that required any baking of actual gingerbread was the locomotive.  Everything else is store-bought graham crackers and candy. Lots of candy. Oh wait, I also built a gingerbread train depot, with lots of baked gingerbread.

Loreta? I feel like you did lots of baking. Maybe when writing your four page entry email, you forgot about it? Loreta went on to discuss kids that live on ‘that’ side of the liquorice tracks, and how her creation didn’t require much baking except that, oh yah, it did require a lot of baking.

Now, look at that train. To be honest, trains carrying confections are the only sort of train I’m interested in. Did you notice the Twinkie car? Or are those Ho Hos? Never mind, it makes no difference! The wheels are made of cookies and the cars are filled with candy! I’d ride the Santa Express to Sugar Town any day. Next stop, Coma City! Wooh! Wooooooh!

Loreta would like you to know that the patterns for her gingerbread train and depot are offered for free at www.gingerbreadexchange.com. You can join the gingerbread forum there, which Loreta claims is the coolest gingerbread forum out there. TOO. MANY. JOKES.

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Rebecca’s Santa Comes A Callin’

Rebecca writes:

Everything on this Victorian is eatable. My first set of reindeer I had to put down, they did taste good though. I just happened across the red, green and white candy corn, I love the way it made the roof look. I think I ate more of the fondant than I made presents to put on the board, but hey it’s Christmas. 

Know what my favourite word is, Rebecca? EATABLE. And I’d happily eat that Victorian from the roof down. Speaking of eatable, I’m sorry to hear about the first set of reindeer. Let us bow our heads for a moment of silence.

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Now, let’s take look at that ginger scene, shall we? Gingerbread? Check. Santa trying to squeeze his belly down a chimney? Check. Carcinogenic candy corn? Check. Second generation reindeer pulling Elmo in the sled? Check and che… wait… that’s just a red blanket and yellow gift. Never mind! Copious quantities of perfectly piped royal icing and professionally pruned trees give this home serious curb appeal. Ginger perfection!

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Dan & Cassie’s Dinosaur Take Over

Dan and Cassie enter Ginger every year. Usually they enter as Cassie and Dan, but this year they’ve changed things up a bit and entered as Dan and Cassie. Their ginger masterpieces tend to include dinosaurs and/or violence. I’m starting to think we’d be great real-life friends.

Cassie and Dan Dan and Cassie write:

Help, the reindeer stable has been taken over by a dinosaur! Watch out Comet or you’ll get bit again! 

Yup. That reindeer is bleeding. But I’m not entirely convinced that the dinosaur acted alone. LOOK AT THAT SNOWMAN. He looks quite sinister. Or French. Either way, I’m betting he told Comet that there was a big pile of lichens and willow leaves in the stable, and Comet was all: thanks, Pierre! And then, when all of the other reindeer were hollering about a blitz attack, Comet probably thought they were talking about Blitzen, so his defences were down when he came face to face with the dinosaur. This is, of course, just a theory.

As an aside, I’d like to live in that tasty stable. Pretzel walls are my favourite construction material.

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Jenn’s Classic Ginger Scene

Jenn writes:

We have been making a gingerbread house as a family from scratch since 1998! Here is house #17 complete with a hockey rink, santa going down the chimney, a dog house and a peeing dog! 

Say no more, Jenn. You had me at peeing dog. Also, this candy-laden abode is perfectly charming – the rink, Santa stuck in the chimney, a creepy dude lurking behind the marshmallow fence that joins the main living quarters to the dog house (?), and the peeing dog. Wait. Where’s the peeing dog, Jenn? Is it… is it laying down on the pathway in front of the dog house? Jenn? How long has the dog been laying like that? JENN? That dog isn’t moving. Oh god, Jenn. Don’t let the children see…

Possibly dead dog aside, this classically constructed home is a delight for the eyes! All houses should be so sweet…

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Dawn’s Detroit Fire House #23

Dawn sent the following information with her entry:

My house is a replica of Detroit’s Fire House #23 and was originally created in a gingerbread house making class at PME Cake Decorating. Due to unseasonably warm and damp weather, many of the house’s roofs caved in; mine was one of those houses. I rebuilt the house outside of the class and here is my final result. The house is decorated with fondant, royal icing, licorice twizzlers, red twizzlers, gum ball snowballs, stick gum, mini York peppermint patties and a marshmallow snowman.

LIKE A PHOENIX RISING FROM THE ASHES THIS GINGERBREAD FIRE STATION RISES AND PUTS OUT THE FIRE THAT CREATED THE ASHES IN THE FIRST PLACE!

(That atrocious writing up there is exactly why I got fired from my job composing slogans at the advertising agency.)

Look at that fire house! The liquorice roof is making me drool, but I’ll be careful about getting any near the structure, as we don’t want a repeat of the 2014 Cave In. The colours are delightful, and it looks remarkably like Detroit’s Fire House #23. Did you know that Detroit Fire Fighters have a slogan? Stretchin’ and Lovin’ It! To be honest, that’s the sort of slogan that gets one fired from advertising agencies.

Still, I adore this sweet fire house!

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Kathleen’s North Pole Fire Academy

Kathleen sent the following note with her entry:

My entry is the North Pole Fire Academy. Santa’s fire elves are taking instruction from the best firefighter there is! 

Proof again that Ginger is gingercational. Did you know that elves work as firefighters in the off-season? How many of those elves would it take to put out a fire at a large skyscraper? I’m guessing a lot. And why isn’t Santa paying the elves a fair wage? Isn’t enough that they make toys for every freakin’ child on the planet? Now they’ve gotta earn bank saving some dummy’s life when he accidentally sets his house on fire making homemade doughnuts? Honestly, little elves? You’d make more money pole sliding, if ya know what I mean.

Still, if you’ve gotta take on a second job, this seems like the place to do so. Look at the tastefully decorated buildings and generous use of royal icing! Did you see the wee life net that the elf escaping from the burning building is jumping into? (This training centre is hardcore!) Delightful gingering, Kathleen!

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Cast your vote below! The overall winner of online Ginger polling will win the 2014 People’s Choice Prize!

Repeat voters are blocked by cookie and IP address.
Polls close at 10 am AST, Saturday, December 20, 2014.

Follow the links to see the second grouping of Ginger 2014 entries, and here for Group 3.

Come back tomorrow to see Group 4, Group 5, Group 6 and Group 7. Polling for these groups will remain open until 10 am AST, Sunday, December 21, 2014.