Gingerbread Houses
Gingerbread houses are the architectural wonder of the baking  world, and every year around the holidays, constructions of all shapes  and sizes spring up everywhere. Some have Tootsie Roll mailboxes,  shredded-wheat roofs, and gumdrop bells, while others are covered with  snow and icicles and have balconies, garlands, and brightly glowing  candy glass. But no matter how elaborate a house is, one doesn't have  to be an expert baker (or architect) to build one.Gingerbread  Houses: A Complete Guide To Baking And Decoratingis for  ginger-bread bakers who want to build their first or their fiftieth  house. With easy-to-follow instructions, it shows beginners all the  basic techniques, including how to assemble the walls and roof without  breaking the gingerbread. But it also shows more advanced bakers how to  illuminate their house, use a glue gun, and even give last year's house  a face-lift. The whimsical, two-color drawings and patterns are a  wealth of new ideas for doors, windows, wreaths, bells, mailboxes,  lampposts, fences, and trees. And for those who feel the  entrepreneurial urge, there's even a section on marketing, packaging,  pricing, and selling gingerbread houses. With wit and humor, Christa  Currie, champion gingerbread baker, makes building gingerbread houses  fun for the entire family.Gingerbread Housesis the perfect  stocking stuffer for the baker or architect on your Christmas list.