A Gingerbread House Massacre

Craftiness and creativity are in the eyes of the beholder, or in the slightly delusional state of someone sick.

For a family activity over the weekend, Dallin's mom bought three gingerbread house-making kits. We all split off into teams and started crafting away, with Dallin and his older brother, Kevin, on my team. 

Everything was going pretty normal for the first little bit. Dallin was feeling sick so Kevin and I were working on putting up the house and starting to decorate it. We added peppermint stepping-stones, cotton candy snow, just your basic gingerbread house amenities. And then Dallin got ahold of one of the gingerbread men and started decorating it. 

That's when things started to get a little weird. 

Dallin made this: A speedo sporting pirate who is flipping everyone off. 

So Kevin and I decided it would be a PIRATE gingerbread house. We decorated the roof, made an "X" marks the spot, and stuck a skull and crossbones over the door, all while Dallin was working on his other gingerbread man.

We were ready for the next pirate, but instead Dallin gave us this...

A zombie gingerbread man, who is coming up out of the ground and eating a poor, defenseless gummy bear. 

According to Dallin, this zombie is a shipmate to the pirate, but he stole a piece of cursed gold and now will forever roam the earth as a zombie. But has no connection to Pirates of the Caribbean.

By this point, Dallin's mom had stopped calling our house cute, but Dallin and Kevin were on a roll, so of course the most logical thing to add next would be

Gummy bear heads on stakes. All along the peppermint walkway. With their decapitated bodies laying to the side. 

And finally, the piece de resistance, 

A "Ye be Warned" sign out front.

All in all, our house ended up looking like a Gingerbread House Massacre. 

But, hey, at least it's got some flare.

A Sukiyaki Special

Everyone. College is crazy and I apologize wholeheartedly for the giant gap between this post and my last. But to reward you for your patience, I'm going to share something very special with you....

The Recipe for Sukiyaki

Last year, Dallin's parents hosted a lovely little lady from Japan, and during her stay, she shared the very authentic and very delicious sukiyaki recipe. 

So let's mix up your holiday turkeys and hams and get a little merry with some sukiyaki!

Gathering the Goods

First you will need to visit an Asian market. 

Unfortunately, some of the ingredients are not carried in normal grocery stores. 

Once you are at the market, you will need to find the following ingredients:

Napa (which is a special kind of lettuce)

Green Onions

Whole Mushrooms

2 Packages of Broiled Tofu

2 Packages of Shirataki (also called yam noodles)

Thinly sliced beef or pork (having a butcher cut this for you will help save some time, as you want it pretty thin)

1-2 Bottles of Special Sukiyaki Sauce (I'm honestly not sure what this sauce is called, as the label is in Japanese, but if you ask, someone should be able to help you find it)

Rice (this can be found at normal grocery stores)

Note: The quantity of napa, green onions, mushrooms and meat should be added according to taste. For example, Dallin's family really likes mushrooms, so there is usually a fair amount of them. If anything, you want an equal amount of each. 

Getting Prepped

Napa: Wash the napa, cut lengthwise, then into pieces. 

Green Onions: Cut diagonally and separate the white ends from the green.

Mushrooms: Wash and cut in half. If the mushrooms are especially big, cut in half again.

Broiled Tofu: Open package, and before removing from package, drain and cut into squares.

Yam Noodles: Open package, and before removing from package, drain and cut into smaller pieces.

Note: The yam noodles will be slightly difficult to cut. Just do your best. 

Meat: This should already be sliced into thin pieces. 

Sukiyaki Sauce: Open the bottle.

Rice: Follow the directions on the package and start cooking it.

Add Some Heat:

Using either a wok or an electric frying pan, set your temperature to 400 degrees and add some oil. 

Once your pan starts getting warm, add the white ends of the green onions and sauté. 

Then add the meat and sauté again. 

And as difficult as it can be, try not to mix your ingredients together.

Add some sukiyaki sauce to cover and keep on cooking. 

Next, add your mushrooms.

Then, add the yam noodles.

Add the rest of the green onions, and some more sukiyaki sauce. 

Add the tofu.

And finally, add the thicker pieces of the napa. 

As you can tell, things can get a little tight with all the ingredients. The napa will cook down and you can continue to add it to the pan until you have your desired amount. Also, if your ingredients mix a little, don't worry too much about it. It takes some practice. 

You can also add more sukiyaki sauce at this point if you would like. Sample a mushroom or other ingredient to test the strength of the sauce. If it's too weak, add more. If it's too strong, add a little bit of water. 

Once the napa is cooked down... Voila! You are done!

Slap some rice into a bowl, add a little bit of everything from your pan, and enjoy! And if you're feeling extra adventurous, try to eat it with chopsticks. But beware. Table manners, sukiyaki, and chopsticks do not always mix.

Questions about the recipe, the ingredients, or the taste? 

Leave some comments below!