First went down the pound cake layer on the wooden board. Then went the slab of chocolate chip ice cream. A ridge of gingerbread defined the height of the roof as I shoveled trifle on top to make the roofline. Then the whole was slathered with a meringue made of ten egg whites. I popped it in a 500 degree oven for three minutes, then took it out, just turning brown. Whap! I slapped the decorated gingerbread sides and ends of the "house" up against the meringue, where it stuck. Finally, I took a piece of a 3 Musketeers bar and put it on the very top as a chimney, and brought the monster in.
Our +3 Vorpal Cake Knife sheered through the whole thing, including the gingerbread, beautifully. Huge slabs of sweetness went on plates.
siege had two pieces, somehow.After dessert, we chitchatted further. One family had to scoot off, but the other family had a ten-year-old daughter who wanted me to help her with a research project. She had to interview somebody older than forty who was not one of her parents, so she chose me. She asked me all sorts of questions about gifts and toys from my childhood. I even had a few left to show her. Her mom shuddered when I showed her my model guillotine (the poor French aristocrat with the detachable head went missing long ago, but, hey, c'est la vie, you know?).
Sassafras and Cuthbert behaved very nicely. It was a wonderful evening, the most fun I've had other than camping in I don't know how long.
Tomorrow, I've got to do a bunch more baking, plus the women's bazaar is serving turkey dinner tomorrow night, and I've got to show up and be part of it all. But, I've got a light heart.