‘Tis the season…
… to go and mix up the ole rat poison. *winks at the Mad Canuck*
What do you get if you mix rose-water with potash and hartshorn salt (aka carbonate of ammonia)? Ah, the name of one of the ingredients suggests it already, doesn’t it? As I told some people last night, the eye-watering mixture smells like something you can clean drains with (or more likely dissolve them).
What sounds like me going totally medieval and meddling with the alchemical arts is in truth the rather antique raising agent used for traditional gingerbread recipes.
Yes, you can truly eat the result. I just did, and I’m absolutely carpooled, the carpet is growing, see if they don’t!
homemade gingerbread
It’s a tad too early to say “Merry Christmas!”, but have a nice christmassy season anyway!!!!!
December 18th, 2006 at 5:16 am
Hello my friend!
Happy Holidays! I know it’s early to say it but I really hope you are enjoying the holidays!
Love,
BT
December 18th, 2006 at 6:56 am
These cookies look like combat ready weapons to me, and some of them look like they are designed for explosive fragmentation!
I hope you enjoy them (btw, you might want to wear eye protection) and Happy Early Merry Christmas! 
December 19th, 2006 at 2:54 am
u sure ur supposed to eat those? i tend to imagine them being used for something else like.. roof tiles? building blocks? erm… endless source of teasing for our poor german friend? :p
Bon Apetite, sis, Happy Holidays and etc. which day exactly did you send the thing you did?
hmph. did you put some cookies for me? 
i’d hate to trek down to outer mongolia just to find its not there yet
and POTASH? is that the same as the stuff we call POTAS? or?? are you fixing a bomb or something? you can do that with ammonium nitrates, just get some soap, then…err. that’s the “fight club” me talking over here. shut up, tyler.. no, YOU shut up, no you… etc. who cares??
December 19th, 2006 at 3:44 pm
merrrrryyyy christmassss and happy holidays and hanukkah and eid and everything!
i tend to forget, so i better say it before i really do… taaaaa
December 19th, 2006 at 8:36 pm
I went on a baking strike this year. No more am I gonna make 13 different kinds of cookies and candy. No, no and NO!
I am limiting myself to only 2 kinds of cookies and 1 candy. Unless of course I make those Thumbprint cookies…hmmm….
Enjoy the Gingerbread.
(I’m a chocolate kind of person myself.)
December 19th, 2006 at 9:26 pm
BT: Thank you!
David: This is not dwarf bread.
Anarki: Please see above. Not dwarf bread. No combat crumpets or anything of that kind.
I sent it last Wednesday, the 13th, you should be able to remember that date.
Outer Mongolia? Hm, that sounds even worse than what the Kid would/could offer, lol. Well, in the letter I included I told him to share. I bet the gingerbread sucks big time compared to mine though…. 
Well, potash is also known as potassium carbonate. This link might explain things even better.
Thank you, thank you, still a bit early though.
Lynnette: I was kind of whipped into baking ‘em, but I’m gonna bake a few more. We haven’t been doing this for way too long!
December 20th, 2006 at 6:24 pm
There’s something about baking where once you start it’s almost hard to stop. lol! Especially if what you started with turns out good.
I have always thought my Chocolate Crinkles were missing something. Well this year I added chocolate chips and that was just the right touch. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before.
Now you can move on to Gingerbread Houses. No, no, I’m not going to say anything about roof tiles! Like you know who above. lol!
December 23rd, 2006 at 7:59 am
Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Almost Christmas!
Are you expecting snow? We may just get some!
December 24th, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Merry Christmas to all!
December 28th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
I can personally testify to the edibility of Mel’s gingerbread. I’ve eaten some of the combat crumpets, er… gingerbread she’s generously brought around on Christmas Day and they were great. I did suffer no ill effects whatsoever. The mice are spinning still and bread goes Murmeltier!
zzahsh…?–>