Nothing's more enticing than an awesome, lusciously decorated gingerbread house. With designs for holidays and birthdays, these exquisite projects include a cottage, chalet, and two-story house--and customized windows, doors, chimneys, paths, trees, and even lighting add to the charm. Hundreds of helpful process shots; advice on tools and techniques; and patterns, piping templates, and tips on baking and assembling all assure magical results.

"Exhilarating...A wildly imagined, head-spinning, deeply intelligent novel." - The New York Times Book Review "[W]ildly inventive…[Helen Oyeyemi's] prose is not without its playful bite." –Vogue The prize-winning, bestselling author of Boy Snow Bird, What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, and Peaces returns with a bewitching and imaginative novel. Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children's stories, beloved novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites readers into a delightful tale of a surprising family legacy, in which the inheritance is a recipe. Perdita Lee may appear to be your average British schoolgirl; Harriet Lee may seem just a working mother trying to penetrate the school social hierarchy; but there are signs that they might not be as normal as they think they are. For one thing, they share a gold-painted, seventh-floor walk-up apartment with some surprisingly verbal vegetation. And then there's the gingerbread they make. Londoners may find themselves able to take or leave it, but it's very popular in Druhástrana, the far-away (or, according to many sources, non-existent) land of Harriet Lee's early youth. The world's truest lover of the Lee family gingerbread, however, is Harriet's charismatic childhood friend Gretel Kercheval —a figure who seems to have had a hand in everything (good or bad) that has happened to Harriet since they met. Decades later, when teenaged Perdita sets out to find her mother's long-lost friend, it prompts a new telling of Harriet's story. As the book follows the Lees through encounters with jealousy, ambition, family grudges, work, wealth, and real estate, gingerbread seems to be the one thing that reliably holds a constant value. Endlessly surprising and satisfying, written with Helen Oyeyemi's inimitable style and imagination, it is a true feast for the reader.

Updated with a brand-new selection of desserts and treats, the fully illustrated Sally's Baking Addiction cookbook offers more than 80 scrumptious recipes for indulging your sweet tooth—featuring a chapter of healthier dessert options, including some vegan and gluten-free recipes. It's no secret that Sally McKenney loves to bake. Her popular blog, Sally's Baking Addiction, has become a trusted source for fellow dessert lovers who are also eager to bake from scratch. Sally's famous recipes include award-winning Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies, No-Bake Peanut Butter Banana Pie, delectable Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Cupcakes, and yummy Marshmallow Swirl S'mores Fudge. Find tried-and-true sweet recipes for all kinds of delicious: Breads & Muffins Breakfasts Brownies & Bars Cakes, Pies & Crisps Candy & Sweet Snacks Cookies Cupcakes Healthier Choices With tons of simple, easy-to-follow recipes, you get all of the sweet with none of the fuss! Hungry for more? Learn to create even more irresistible sweets with Sally’s Candy Addiction and Sally’s Cookie Addiction.

With full-color photographs of the finished houses, tips on the construction schedule, baking and candy resource guides, and instructions for lighting the houses from within, this volume is the complete guide to classic American homes made out of gingerbread.

Magical Transformations on the Early Modern Stage furthers the debate about the cultural work performed by representations of magic on the early modern English stage. It considers the ways in which performances of magic reflect and feed into a sense of national identity, both in the form of magic contests and in its recurrent linkage to national defence; the extent to which magic can trope other concerns, and what these might be; and how magic is staged and what the representational strategies and techniques might mean. The essays range widely over both canonical plays-Macbeth, The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Doctor Faustus, Bartholomew Fair-and notably less canonical ones such as The Birth of Merlin, Fedele and Fortunio, The Merry Devil of Edmonton, The Devil is an Ass, The Late Lancashire Witches and The Witch of Edmonton, putting the two groups into dialogue with each other and also exploring ways in which they can be profitably related to contemporary cases or accusations of witchcraft. Attending to the representational strategies and self-conscious intertextuality of the plays as well as to their treatment of their subject matter, the essays reveal the plays they discuss as actively intervening in contemporary debates about witchcraft and magic in ways which themselves effect transformation rather than simply discussing it. At the heart of all the essays lies an interest in the transformative power of magic, but collectively they show that the idea of transformation applies not only to the objects or even to the subjects of magic, but that the plays themselves can be seen as working to bring about change in the ways that they challenge contemporary assumptions and stereotypes.

This two-volume encyclopedia profiles the contemporary culture and society of every country in the Americas, from Canada and the United States to the islands of the Caribbean and the many countries of Latin America. From delicacies to dances, this encyclopedia introduces readers to cultures and customs of all of the countries of the Americas, explaining what makes each country unique while also demonstrating what ties the cultures and peoples together. The Americas profiles the 40 nations and territories that make up North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, including British, U.S., Dutch, and French territories. Each country profile takes an in-depth look at such contemporary topics as religion, lifestyle and leisure, cuisine, gender roles, dress, festivals, music, visual arts, and architecture, among many others, while also providing contextual information on history, politics, and economics. Readers will be able to draw cross-cultural comparisons, such as between gender roles in Mexico and those in Brazil. Coverage on every country in the region provides readers with a useful compendium of cultural information, ideal for anyone interested in geography, social studies, global studies, and anthropology.

First Published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

""Ginger What?"" offers a comprehensive exploration of the versatile ginger root, delving into its culinary uses, cultivation methods, and health benefits. This engaging book traces ginger's 5,000-year history from Southeast Asia to its global spread, highlighting its significance in various cuisines and traditional medicine systems. Readers will discover intriguing facts about ginger's botanical characteristics and nutritional profile, as well as its potential in modern cuisine, sustainable agriculture, and healthcare. The book progresses through three main sections, each offering valuable insights. It begins with ginger's role in global culinary traditions, exploring flavor pairings and preservation techniques. The cultivation section provides detailed information on soil requirements, planting methods, and harvesting, appealing to gardening enthusiasts. Finally, the medicinal properties of ginger are examined, discussing both traditional uses and modern research findings. Throughout, ""Ginger What?"" balances scientific accuracy with practical advice, making it accessible to a general audience while still offering depth for those seeking detailed information. By combining elements of cooking and gardening literature with botanical study and herbal remedies, this book offers a unique, interdisciplinary approach to understanding ginger. It empowers readers to harness the full potential of this aromatic rhizome in their own lives, whether through cooking, growing, or exploring its health benefits.