Gingerbread House & Gift Tins - 12/12/2007

I'm sorry I have not posted in a while. I have still been a busy (cooking) bee, I swear. Final exams, graduate school applications and research have dominated my free time. But now exams are over and I have one application left, so here's the latest on my cooking: one post is sweet and the other one is savory.


Don't be too impressed because this house is from a kit. I decorated it initially and lost some interest. Then I decorated it again the other day to finish it off. I'm glad with how colorful it is, but the gingerbread is rather hard and not that delicious. Anyways, now for the good stuff:


For two of my lab friends who are leaving this semester, I made gift tins filled with some goodies. Above are my cranberry-pistachio coconut macaroons that have been streaked with chocolate. Below is an assortment of spiced, sugared pecans. Here is a close-up:


The pecans are different spins on my stepmom's classic recipe that uses cinnamon. In these tins, I put the sets made with the following: cocoa powder; cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; and, lastly, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon. I have some other versions of these nuts to make, so expect to see more variations plus other holiday treats coming soon.