Day 6 - Welcome to my listing

[Katie]

It’s Day 6 of the Month of Celebration, and I thought it was about time I welcomed everyone to my new listing.

It's freshly constructed and recently decorated, I had a lot of fun with it and I hope you’ll all like it too 😁  

...

Rustic, Tiny House/Cottage in Snowy Woods

Entire home hosted by Katie

4 guests - 1 bedroom - 2 beds - 1 bathroom

Entire Home

You’ll have the whole place to yourself!

Enhanced Clean

Gingerbread is very easily bleached so no germs here.

Self Check-in

Contactless check-in as you only need to speak to the resident bear to get the key (no human contact required).

Cancellation Policy

Add your trip dates to get the cancellation details for this stay (despite its charm, this place is not in high demand, so I'm pretty flexible at the moment).

House Rules

This host is happy to welcome well-behaved children (Hansel & Gretel loved it), but no smoking (the house is highly flammable) and no pets (they tend to nibble on the furniture if left to their own devices). 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Private, rustic cottage retreat in the middle of the woods, perfect for anyone looking for a getaway.
• Despite being in a secluded spot, the local amenities are surprisingly accessible (I can particularly recommend the local corner shop - it has everything you may need in case of an overnight lockdown. Luckily there’s no chance of starvation here as the cottage itself can feed a family of four for 4-6 weeks). 
• Wonderful wooden deck at the side of the house, perfect for sitting on to enjoy a coffee and breathe in the fresh, gingerbread-scented air. 
• Very artistically landscaped flower beds (the bears help out with a bit of gardening to keep it looking manicured).
• Lovely stained-glass windows which cast a purple glow over the whole house when the sun shines.
• Inside, the cottage is compact, open-plan and sparsely furnished - I spent a lot of time on the outside of the house in order to attract people in, so I’m still working on the furnishings inside. Please do let me know if you have any suggestions.

Guest Access:

Guests will have access to the entire home for their stay, and only need share with the local bears, who luckily are very friendly. You can also take a walk in the nearby forest (see pictures) - and there are fairy lights to guide you along the path to the house should you arrive after dark (they also add to the festive feel of the cottage). 

Things to note:

The roof can be a bit leaky at times - I built the house myself so I can vouch for it being very well constructed, but sadly this is one of the consequences of creating a great architectural marvel. Luckily I live and work right next door, so can be on-hand to help out if you have any issues!

[Katie]

Hahaha thanks @Jason1470 - funnily enough I used my nan's recipe and actually made double, as I was worried that one batch wouldn't be enough for the whole thing (turns out that was a bit overzealous, so I have a whole batch of gingerbread dough left...). However, this does means that you can, in fact, eat it and I can just do a bit of baking repair work for you 😊  

[Nutth0]

House Rules:

1) Do not Eat

2) If you hungry see the first rule

[Katie]

😂  😂  😂  

@Nutth0 it seems like you know the rules very well here, would you like to be my co-host? 😉  

[Yuan100]

@Katie i would love to stay at your sweet house 😄  

[Helen427]

That's such a sweet story @Katie , here's to an addition to your Gingerbread House about 2 boys and Gingerbread their mother made them in the hot oven back in 1890.

Do you have a favourite Gingerbread recipe to share?

A Sweet Pillow

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST18900513.2.25

@Katie @Yuan100 @Nutth0 @Jason1470 @J-Renato0 @Cathie19 

@Anastasia296 @Helen350 @Dale711 @Clara116 

@Kath9 @Sandra126 @Ginger9 @Ginger8 @Ginger6 @Ginger77 @Ginger5 @Ginger49 

@Bread0 @Bear2 @Teddy2 @Teddy1 @Teddy8 

[Katie]

Thanks @Helen427! I actually used my Nan's recipe to make the gingerbread so it's all in ounces rather than grams - it makes a fine gingerbread which is sturdy enough to hold the snow though 😁

Do you bake anything as a Christmas tradition?

[Helen427]

oh @Liv that's fine if it's in ounces.

Is it a Gingerbread recipe that has been handed down through the generations?

I used to bake and share treats when I had English Language students who also joined in creating things and of course eating the goodies like Churos,  Chocolate Expresso Cheesecake, Christmas Cake, banana cake , Courgette Cake ( ever so easy to make and delicious) and a very simple Tea Cake but not so much now.

I prefer to make home made fresh salads and fruit salads with a twist..

 @Liv @Katie @Nick @Cathie19 @Yuan100 @Lizzie 

@Brian  and others do you have any specialty Christmas Recipes?

We've seen photos of @Brian  making Cookies, or as we call them in New Zealand, Biscuits!

[Nick]

Those cakes and the Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake sound so yummy. Please feel free to share any recipes @Helen427 (maybe in a new post). We'll have so much free time during the holidays, maybe we can replicate those. I'd love to hear the twist on fruit salads, especially if there is alcohol involved 😛 

[Katie]

Sure, here you go @Helen427:

12oz plain flour

1 level tsp baking powder

2 level tsp ground ginger

1 level tsp mixed spice

6oz demerara sugar

4oz butter

1 egg

4tbsps golden syrup 

1. Mix all ingredients together until a dough forms (I actually mix the butter and sugar, then added the egg, then the dry ingredients). 

2. Roll out the dough to about 0.5cm thickness, cut out the walls and roof, and if there is leftover dough then shape it into trees (or whatever you want - get creative!).

3. Bake at 180 C (Gas 4) for 12-15mins (my oven cooks this really quickly so keep an eye on it!). 

4. Assemble! I stick it together with melted chocolate, and go piece by piece, starting with the walls. 

5. Decorate with icing and sweets 🏡 🍬

I'm not sure where my Nan got it but it's definitely been handed down from her generation 👩‍🍳

I love a courgette cake, and the chocolate espresso cheesecake sound delish! You'll have to share your recipe with us too @Helen427 😋

[Yuan100]

Hi @Helen427 !

I have a celebration cake recipe, Sugee cake to share from my part of the world. The cake origins were from the people of Eurasian and Asian ancestry in Singapore/ Malaysia. It's a resemblance of butter cake but with more depth in terms of fragrance and texture, paired so well with a strong black cup of coffee! 

One loaf ( 9 x 5 inch)

Step 1

125g butter

90g sugar

3 egg yolk

*cream the butter and sugar till it's fluffy and slowly add the egg yolk, one at time

Step 2

62g semolina flour

62g self-raising flour 

25g almond flour

25g almond nibs 

1/2 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

*mix it up together and combined with Step 1

Step 3

1/2 tsp orange peel 

1/2 tsp vanilla paste/ essence

40ml milk

*pour it into the batter

Step 4

82g egg white

*whisk the egg white till stiff and combined with the above batter

Bake it in 170c for 45mins. Brush some spiced rum when it's done! 

Enjoy! 

[Nick]

I want to share my experience after booking @Katie's place for the holidays. Reluctant at first as it's a new listing and didn't have any reviews, my partner convinced me it was exactly what we needed to get into the holiday mood.

We booked and haven't made a better decision all year!

The place was fantastic and even more taste-ful than it looks in the listing. There is a fantastic smell of cookie dough and ginger everywhere you are. We loved the privacy and the fact it was in a secluded spot, as everything we needed was there and you could unwind and enjoy our selves.

In addition, the forest provided the perfect scenery for long walks and exploration.

You might experience the occasional leak from the rooftop, but even that was pure joy as, surprisingly, what was pouring was delightful frosting! A definite must.

Strongly recommend. Will re-book next year.

[Katie]

@Nick and his partner were the perfect guests. Respectful, no unauthorised parties, and they didn't eat the decor. Would definitely host again.

😉😂

[Liv]

Hey @Katie, I'm planning a trip with a couple of gummy bear friends and we've got a few of questions:

1. Are there any chocolate rivers nearby?
2. Are the mattresses made of jello or cotton candy?
3. Do you provide candy canes for hiking?

Many thanks,

Liv

[Katie]

Hi @Liv, thanks for your enquiry. I hope your gummy friends like the chocolate of their species - as you'll see from my listing, my bears are very friendly so I'm sure they will get on great. 

1. Why yes, funny you should mention it: over the hill in the marshmallow valley there happens to be a lovely fresh-chocolate river, I do hope you'll be keen to visit it. 

2. The mattresses are top-of-the-range cotton candy, with extra bounce. Previous guests have said it's like sleeping in a cloud ☁️

3. I don't currently have any candy canes for hiking, but a few others have suggested I purchase some, so I might ask Santa for some this year - hopefully it's not too late to add to my list. 

I can't wait to welcome you to Casa de Gingerbread 😊

Thanks,

Katie

...

I think I'm having a bit too much fun here  😂 💭

[Nick]

Just in case is not clear, I'm having a blast with this topic @Katie @Liv ❤️