Snow Days

Tastes like vanilla ice cream

By Katherine (Photos by Greg)

Snow isn’t too common in these parts and a White Christmas, well it had been 80 or so years since we’d had one. (Not for us personally, but the great state of Arkansas.) So in all the years we’ve been here, I’d never gotten a chance to make snow cream for Greg. This was a favorite treat growing up in Maryland. Dad would set out a pan to collect falling snow, then mom would mix up a big bowl using sugar, evaporated milk and vanilla. It was always a let down if the snow was too heavy. Icy snow won’t work. Neither will heavy wet snow. It has to be powdery and fresh. I didn’t have evaporated milk, so my recipe is slightly different than mom’s. My parents don’t drink so they never would’ve put schnapps on top. Also, you probably don’t want to give six little girls even more of an excuse to misbehave.

Snow Cream

• 6 cups, fresh powdery snow
• 1 14-ounce can condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ounce peppermint schnapps per serving (optional)

Mix snow, condensed milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Drizzle individual servings with peppermint schnapps, if desired.

More about that White Christmas: Snow was in the forecast, but it mainly sleeted and thundered throughout the day in Central Arkansas. By nightfall, snow began to fall and it kept falling. We saw almost eight inches. While we were among hundreds of thousands of people who lost power in the state, we were lucky that ours was back by the morning.

And what a morning it was. Mingus took to the snow like a husky. Even Coltrane, who’s about 14, enjoyed his morning walk. We lost a few trees, but they were mostly ones Greg had wanted to cut down. Here are some photos Greg shot of the dogs. Yes, Mingus joined the Polar Bear club.

Where did that bone go?

Almost up to their stomachs

Howdy folks

This creek looks refreshing

The water was colder than he expected