Bog of the Lost Scholars has a nifty entry today Kachinas and Muppets.

And I found this nifty site via LiveJournal's cooking group: 500 Years of American Food.

(I got this one from Recipe Source. Great site.)

2 cups shortening (no substitutes)
2 cups sugar
2 cups dark molasses
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
9 cups all-purpose flour -- 9-10 cups

(I added 1 Tablespoon ginger, 1 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves to this recipe.)

In a 5 qt pan, heat shortening, sugar and molasses on low, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; add cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough can be formed into a ball. Using remaining flour, lightly flour a wooden board. Turn dough onto the board; knead until even in color and smooth (not crumbly or dry), adding more flour if needed Form into a log. Cut into 5 equal pieces; wrap in plastic wrap.

I cut patterns out of paper, but you can use cardboard; one for the front and back and four simple squares (two sides and the roof). Roll your dough out directly onto the cookie sheet. (It'll be near-to-impossible to transfer it once it's rolled out.) Lay your template out on the dough and cut out your design. Then bake at 375 degrees for 10-14 minutes or until cookie springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven, replace template and trim the excess. Let it cool on the cookie sheet fr about 3 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Repeat for all your patterns.

Put your sides together using the Royal Using like "glue" (a pipette bag works WAY better than just spreading with a knife) and a couple of heavy cans to hold the walls up while it dries and hardens. Let the base set for at least 24 hours before setting the roof.

It's best to do all this on a non-humid day. When I baked my gingerbread patterns they came out nice and stiff, but the next day a storm rolled in and the humidity caused it all to soften a bit. As a result I couldn't keep my roof from sagging a bit as it set.

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