I decided to make two small gingerbread houses for a company holiday party. This was my first foray into the art that is gingerbread house decoration, so I decided to keep them small and simple — and try a couple of different things on each house. I’m relatively pleased with how they turned out. Incidentally, the day after I completed these, I watched the gingerbread competition on Food Network Challenge and I realized how impressive and detailed gingerbread houses can get. A larger more intricate gingerbread house may have to be planned for next year (time permitting!)

Trying out something new, I decided to cook the below galette for a dinner party this weekend. Not only was it really easy to make, it was very yummy! The recipe for this galette is from the William Sonoma Essentials of Baking cookbook, which a friend gave me for my birthday. Now that I have successfully made my first galette, I can’t wait to make other variations of my very own…