Gingerbread Lion Habitat Judging

Gingerbread Lion Habitat Judging

Image by Smithsonian's National Zoo
White House chocolatier Chris Phillips stands next to a winning entry he judged in the Friends of the National Zoo’s inaugural gingerbread contest. The holiday contest put a twist on the age-old gingerbread house; FONZ asked participants to build a “gin‘GRR’bread” lion habitat in honor of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s new seven lion cubs.

“I had a tough time picking winners but I loved the ones that made me laugh and were whimsical,” said Phillips. “It was a lot of fun and next year I hope to see 150 entries!”

In addition to Phillips, members of the Zoo’s animal care, exhibits and nutrition staff judged the more than 30 entries. Winners in three categories won gifts from Starbucks and a special opportunity to go behind the scenes to see the lion cubs with their keepers.All gingerbread lion habitat entries are on display in the Visitor’s Center auditorium during the remainder of ZooLights Dec. 21-Jan. 2, excluding Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. ZooLights runs from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. and is FREE for visitors.

Photo credit: Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

IT'S A NINTENDO DS CAKE!

Image by Rakka
the idea came from this cake.

our cake is two separate parts each measuring 8" x 12" with the bottom cake being slightly larger in height.

the top portion is raised slightly at about a 10 degree slope.

the game on the ds is "animal crossing" and the game inside the cake is as well!

the icing is a standard cream cheese icing used for red velvet cake. the cake itself is a stout chocolate cake.

we used 2 1/2 bottles of edible glitter to achieve the sparkle effect.

recipes and metric measurements coming soon. now to transport this monster to the party!

Squirrel in a Tree - FuijiFilm Finepix S2950

Image by ladytimeless
.. I took nearly 70 photos all together.. I liked this one because he had his mouth open..

..if you have a point & shoot Camera, please consider joining my Flickr Group Learn & Have Fun Contests

What? - FuijiFilm Finepix S2950

Image by ladytimeless
.. this one was busy trying to mingle with the others until I pulled up and started snapping photos..

.. I have a tips page for this Camera HERE and if you have a point & shoot Camera, please consider joining my Flickr Group Learn & Have Fun Contests