Mini Gingerbread Houses

 As you can see I made very tiny Gingerbread Houses from real Gingerbread cookie dough. I decided that a teeny house was just going to be ridiculously cute so I set to work. Hope you like it!
For toppings use mini M&M's, coconut flakes, frosting, cake glitter, and sour patch people.

For larger houses, I built the house on a small dessert plate.

For super mini houses I used the mason jar lids covered in foil. 

I frosted the approx size of the little houses to lay it out on.

 Seen here the mini being built on the canning jar lid, already looking pretty stinking cute!

I found mini candies, sour patch people and coconut flakes to decorate, add more ideas of course to make it your own. I used basic frosting from the store and used the smallest fitting on the piping bag keeping the frosting cold as possible when not in use. 

Here is the larger of the mini Gingerbread houses.

PS If you get real create make a hanger into the roof and frost over the wire and you can turn it into an ornament.

Savory Stuffed Pastries AKA Healthy Homemade Hot pockets

Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Serves 4
Oven heated at 350 degrees

These calzone shaped mini pastries are great with a hearty side salad or by themselves and are quite filling. The great thing about these pastries are they are extremely versatile, if your making them for breakfast you can use bacon eggs and cheese, you make a bunch at once and freeze them for "healthy hot pockets," and this is also a fun "party dish" to allow your guests to create their own unique combinations. Whatever you decide you will love them so much you will want to make them again and again.

Options for my guests were:

-steamed brussel sprouts

-broccoli, sauted onions and peppers,

-marinara

-feta, cheddar and mozzarella cheese

-cooked chicken sausage

Ps they are a huge hit with the kiddos, especially if they get to choose the fillings and be a part of the process.

Ingredients for Crust:

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour1 cube of real butter (cold)
2 tsp salt
1/4-1 cup of water

Ingredients for Filling:

Depends on what you want to fill them with!!


I tried a few flavors and variations, you can try my'n or you can always create your own, most of all HAVE FUN!!!


On hand ingredients you can use;

-Veggies of any kind, cooked up
-1 red or yellow bell pepper
- 1/2 onion
-2-3 cloves of garlic
-marinara or cooked down tomatoes with fresh diced garlic
-10-15 steamed brussel sprouts

-1 head of steamed broccoli
-Several kinds of cheese
-Prosciutto, bacon, sausage, chicken. 

Directions for making Crust and Savory Pockets:

1) Crust is a tricky one, butter must be cold!!! Mash cold butter with pastry tool into flour and get as small a possible. Add salt.

2) Slowly mix in water until sticking, kneed together, the right consistency will be sticking without falling apart.

3) Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick and create 4-6 inch circles. Cut these in half and put aside.

4) Fill with ingredientts, and cut away edges create semi circle shape.

5) Use fork to stick edges together and place on floured cookie sheet to bake.

Variations to try:

Calzone- Canned or homemade marinara, warm on low with wine, minced garlic and seasonings.
Sauted Veggie and Feta

Broccoli Cheese and Brussel's
Chicken Pot Pie- fill with cooked peas and carrots, cream of mushroom soup w/o milk and cooked chicken diced small and cheddar cheese
Philly- Sauted onions and peppers with strip steak and provolone cheese
Breakfast- bacon, eggs, and cheese