The Sugar Village

 On Friday we made our annual gingerbread houses. They smell as good as they look.

 We now have Sugar Village set up in our classroom!

You are welcome to come visit our village. It will be taken down before our winter break and sent home house by house.

Also if you are looking for a fun activity to do over the break these are always fun. The frosting is super easy. The secret is to use a small box inside your gram crackers for sturdy construction. Butter boxes, or single orange juice cartons work great. 

Here is the frosting recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup pasteurized egg whites (3 large egg whites)
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation:

1. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine. Scrape down sides. Turn the mixer to high and beat until thick and very white. Mixture will hold a peak. This should take at least 7-10 minutes.
2. When finished, cover with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the royal icing so a crust doesn't form. Royal icing dries out quickly, so make sure it is covered all the time. Otherwise there will be lumps in the icing and they will never pass through an icing tip.
3. I prefer white icing, but you may tint it by using a small amount of paste food color. For 1/4 cup tinted icing, dip the tip of a toothpick into desired color, then into the icing, and stir well. Repeat until desired color is achieved. For strong colors, such as red, royal blue and dark purple, use 1/8 teaspoon color to 1/4 cup icing.