It is Christmas season and we love to start off the month with a making a family gingerbread house. This year we have been trying to tie more of our activities into the true meaning of Christmas. So, this year we decided to make a nativity scene. I was so busy with other things and so I decided to take advantage of Walmart's new grocery pickup. I love it so much. You simply go to grocery.walmart.com then follow these steps.
- Select a pickup location.
- Choose the groceries you want and add them to your cart.
- Choose a time the following day you want to pick it up.
- Finish up by paying for your groceries
PICK UP YOUR ORDER
You will receive a confirmation and info do download the app for Walmart grocery. They send you a notification when your groceries are ready. Once you have received the notification that your order is ready:
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- Arrive on at your selected location. There are signs posting to the designated pickup area. At my Walmart it was around the side near the back.
- Call the number on the parking sign. Tell them your name and which parking stall.
- They brought my groceries out within 3 minutes. Everything is kept cool in the refrigerated area until you arrive. My milk eggs and ice cream with perfectly cold.
- They show you your grocery list and the checklist they made as they gathered your items. You sign for it and then they load your groceries in your car. They even gave me a little tote bag with a bunch of free samples and a water bottle.
Like I said before, IT WAS FANTASTIC and FREE! I know I saved a ton of money too because I stuck to my grocery list. I didn't walk through the store tossing in items I hadn't budgeted for. Life saver and money saver, in my case. I bought all of the ingredients that I needed for our gingerbread nativity.
Find your closest Walmart Grocery Pickup.
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup light molasses or dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water12Royal Icing:
1 pound (3-3/4 cups) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
1 to 2 large egg whites, or substitute 4 teaspoons packaged egg whites and 1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon almond extract, vanilla or lemon juice
food coloring (I colored mine a brown color to blend a little with the gingerbread)
Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
Gingerbread House:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda together until the mixture is smooth. Blend in the flour and water to make a stiff dough.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut out the following paper patterns for the gingerbread house template:
Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes until dough feels firm but it can burn really quickly.
Place patterns on top of the gingerbread again and trim shapes if needed. Leave to cool on baking sheet.
Place royal icing into pastry bag with a writing tip and press out to decorate individual parts of house. Let dry until hardened.
Glue sides, front and back of house together at corners using royal icing. Place an object against the pieces to prop up until icing is dry (it only takes a few minutes).
Glue the roof piece to the pitched roofline of the house. Then, similarly, glue the sides and roof of the entryway together with icing. Attach the entryway to the front of the house.
Royal Icing:
Mix all of the ingredients together using an electric hand mixer, until the icing is smooth and thin enough to be pressed through a pastry bag with a writing tip. Add more lemon juice, if necessary.
Adapted from the Food Network
What do you think?