really, we can’t get enough of the sprinkles.

so, ho ho, we made gingerbread, at the start of the month, and again on tuesday. any excuse to break out the all-natural-coloured sprinkles, the startlingly fake-coloured flowers, and the silver dragees. that long-ago gift of a tin of pink dean and deluca sugar came in handy too. we even went out in search of tiny candies, and returned with a package of pez (with a very blond disney princess dispenser) and a tube of mini m’n'ms.

small was crucial, because the gingerbread-house cutters i had found were for gingerbread houses about two inches tall. and the gingerbread-man cutter i’d been given for my birthday (thanks, sonya!) were for similarly-statured gingerbread men.

the kid takes a somewhat freeform approach to decorating the little men: as many little m’n'ms as she can fit. which makes for quite a lovely, chocolatey biscuit.

and so i leave you with this: the waitrose gingerbread recipe. i used backstrap molasses instead of golden syrup –

[ now. given the choice between a locally-produced molasses, which is a by-product of the sugar-refining process, or the organic molasses produced solely for its end result of molasses... way the hell over in peru, which would be the ethical choice? do you buy local, or organic free trade air miles? does it make a difference if the organic one has a pretty label, while the local one is kind of plain and has a black trickle down the side of the jar where it has leaked out like a by-product of say, a petroleum-refining process? these are the thoughts that went through my head as i stood in the aisle of the health food shop. imagine the thoughts i had while debating whether or not to use a raw egg white icing recipe! ]

– and a couple more teaspoons of a couple more spices (cinnamon and nutmeg), and ended up with a dark brown biscuit, crisp and crunchy. it was very sweet, and still not really spicy.

my plane leaves in about three hours. my fingers are numb.

happy xmas to you.