What an awesome snow day.
Flurries started not long after noon and I picked Eli up from school early. We watched the snow fall and whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies to enjoy with Papa, Uncle Eric, and Cousin Margaret. By late afternoon there was enough snow tucked into the grass to make it slippery. The photos look a little pathetic, but like true Southerners we had a grand time making do with a dusting.
Tired and cold, we came inside for a supper of homemade pumpkin waffles with scrambled eggs on the side. Then back out -- this time in the dark -- for more sledding, snowball fights, snowball target practice, and rolling snowballs for a snowman. Can't waste any time on a snowy day in Georgia!
Worked up an appetite again! We gathered a big bowl of snow and whipped up some Snow Cream. (Yeah, there's a part of me that sadly fears this world has become too polluted to eat snow, but I'll be crooked if I'll go without old-fashioned fun once in a rare while!)
Snow Cream
Gather a gallon of clean, fresh snow and set aside. Or use shaved ice. In a medium bowl, add one cup of granulated sugar and one tablespoon of real vanilla to two cups of milk. Stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Drizzle the milk mixture over the snow, stirring well. (We used skim milk. For richer snow cream, substitute whole milk or a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk. If you use the latter, omit the sugar.) -- This recipe originated with friends from my days living in East Tennessee. (For a Molasses-On-Snow Candy recipe, click HERE.)
Oh, but our snow day wasn't quite over yet. Uncle Eric is wise to the ways of four wheel drive. We went to a nearby field and he hooked a sled to the back of his four-wheeler. We popped a helmet on Eli's head and slid waterproof pants on him. Long past his bedtime, Eli was whooping with glee as the sled skimmed across the snowy ground.
In the dark night, the adventurers were just a camera blur.
Eli and I often end the day with lullabies in the rocking chair. Tonight he conked out before the second verse. I hope he dreams of snowballs and sleds. With a chilly night ahead and no school to follow, tomorrow holds a lot of promise.
UPDATE: I posted this entry to Facebook and my friend Andy commented that his mother used to make homemade snow cones using juice concentrate. Hers were grape and sounded very good. I'm snowed in and all I have is some orange juice concentrate, so I started monkeying around with it. Here's what I came up with...
Yellow Snow You Want to Eat
(Orange Creamsicle Snow)
1 quart lightly-packed clean snow
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Collect clean snow and set aside in the freezer or outdoors in a safe place. Mix remaining ingredients with a whisk until OJ concentrate is melted and all is blended. Pour over snow and stir. Serve immediately.
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