Snow Day!

Since moving back to the northwestern part of Georgia, my little family has seen more snow in two and a half months than the previous six years combined. In fact, prior to making this move, we hadn't seen ANY snow in the past six years. As such, I feel ill prepared every time I look outside to see a cascade of fluffy white stuff, but it still makes me giddy. I'm sure the novelty will wear off in time, but we're not there yet.

The down side of our winter wonderland has been a lack of outdoor adventures for my little girl. I miss our walks, but I'm not sure she has noticed. What she did notice for certain yesterday were the birds outside the kitchen window as we sat inside and watched the snow falling. She was absolutely smitten, and we watched until it was time for our late afternoon nap.













After a short nap, we got back up to find the snow had continued to fall and most of our feathered friends had moved on after their dinner had become buried.













With my infrequent snow experiences, I tend to remember those that I have had very well. One of the most vivid from my childhood involves something called snowcream. As a kid, I was always in a rush to run out and places my mother's mixing bowls all over the yard to catch snow so that we could prepare this special treat. When I saw this snow beginning to fall, it didn't take me long to find myself regressing and searching the kitchen for a few bowls to set out on the porch.

The contents of those bowls came in this morning (as the snow was melting fast) and quickly became something sweeter and creamer than their previous state. My daughter, who was not interested in the snow when she first experienced it in late December, was fascinated with the cold, white stuff she spotted in the kitchen today. I think we've already found some basic common ground as mother and daughter. Frozen treats are yummy, and snow is at its best when you can enjoy it while staying warm!




Recipe for snowcream:
-1 bowl of snow
-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream for every 1 cup of snow (add more if you prefer it to be a bit slushy)
-1/2 tbs powdered sugar (more if you like it sweeter)
-1 tsp almond extract (you can also use vanilla)

This works best mixed outside where it's cold, and done in a metal bowl, but who wants to freeze?
Pour the cream slowly into the snow, folding it in with a spatula. It should develop a more icecream like texture, but may not be completely smooth. After this stir in your flavoring. Finish by sprinkling with powdered sugar and then stirring it in as well.

Enjoy!