It’s that time again, our annual Johnson Gingerbread Contest. Whether it’s houses, trains, chapels, ski lodges…we go to town with gingerbread, frosting, and candy. Last year’s competition was our first, and this year it was taken to new levels of awesomeness! Below I’ll show photos of each house along with some detail shots. Your job is to vote for your favorite. We’d also love it if you leave comments on why you picked the one you did. Mainly so we can rub it in each others’ faces 
Holiday Cookies are a part of the Christmas season, they’re perfect for gifts, parties, or just to have on hand. These Persimmon and Ginger cookies are a special Christmas cookie recipe to me. When I imagine holiday cookies I think of these soft, chewy, and delightfully spicy cookies. They may look simple, but their texture is almost muffin like, and the flavor is so complex. Plus they’re made with persimmon puree so the cookie is actually pretty healthy.
I was asked to try making a Safeway holiday recipe of my choice this weekend. I decided to try out three of their recipes! I love our local Safeway, and not just because my husband used to work there (Yesterday was his last day! Woo-hoo!) Although I’m getting reimbursed for my ingredients for these three posts, I am only doing this because I shop at Safeway and Eric and I both enjoyed these dishes. Check out the fudge ring and lemon dill marinated shrimp.
The final recipe I made was gingerbread cookies. Eric and I love gingerbread and I’ve been trying different recipes for our annual gingerbread house competition so I thought I should test this one out. As you can see, I’m no expert with the frosting, in fact I didn’t even use a frosting bag or tips, just a ziploc bag with the corner cut off or a toothpick.
I was asked to try making a Safeway holiday recipe of my choice this weekend. I decided to try out three of their recipes! I love our local Safeway, and not just because my husband used to work there (Yesterday was his last day! Woo-hoo!) Although I’m getting reimbursed for my ingredients for these three posts, I am only doing this because I shop at Safeway and Eric and I both enjoyed these dishes. Check out Lemon Dill Marinated Shrimp and Gingerbread Cookies.
The next recipe I made was the fudge ring…that’s right…FUDGE RING!!!!
How could I not make this beautiful bounty of chocolate sweetness? You’ve got milk chocolate, butterscotch chips, m&ms and Oreos. Sign me up!
I was asked to try making a Safeway holiday recipe of my choice this weekend. I decided to try out three of their recipes! I love our local Safeway, and not just because my husband used to work there (Yesterday was his last day! Woo-hoo!) Although I’m getting reimbursed for my ingredients for these three posts, I am only doing this because I shop at Safeway and Eric and I both enjoyed these dishes. Check out Gingerbread Cookies and Fudge Ring.
The first thing I made was the Marinated Shrimp with Lemon Dill Sauce. Part of why I picked it was that the photo on the site didn’t look that appetizing and I felt a challenge to do better! I discovered the key is to not have so much sauce on the shrimp for the photo, and that toothpicks are really tough to make look attractive. Anyway, we ended up liking it better with less sauce anyway (and it’s better for you!) so next time I make these (and there WILL be a next time) I’ll halve the sauce or use more shrimp.
