I can remember when I was a kid, we didn’t have the internet or these high-tech forecasting models. We never knew in advance if we would be out of school. We had to wake up early and watch the news to see if our schools were closed. Some of my favorite memories are of my daddy bursting into my room yelling, “It’s snewing! It’s snewing!” Then he would step across my room and pull back the curtains so I could see the milky white blanket of bliss that had fallen during the night. I still have no idea why he said jokingly it was “snewing,” but, at the time, it was the best word in the whole wide world. I grew up way out in the country and we had cow pastures and lots of wooded areas on our property. I can still remember propping up in my window sill and seeing the sparkling snow on the pastures and the woods beyond. It was magical. Our pond froze over more than once and we had this crazy mallard duck that never would migrate with the rest of his family in the winter. His name was Kirk and he would waddle out onto the ice and skid and skate all over the pond, quacking angrily the whole time. We made snowmen and had snowball fights and Mama made soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. By the way, my daddy never got a snow day. After he woke us up to spread the happy news of snow, he had to brave the icy roads and go to work at the paper mill.
We found out yesterday afternoon at 4:00 that our schools would be closed today due to a threat of winter weather. The funny thing is that this announcement was made when our outside temperature was 78 degrees. Seriously. But last night, in a matter of hours, our temperature dropped almost 50 degrees! We awoke to 28 degrees and rain, freezing rain, sleet, and a few powdery snow flurries.
I slept late.
Funny how the excitement I felt over a “snow day” as a child translates to “Oh, great! I can sleep late and try to catch up on the dishes and laundry!” as an adult.
My kids were excited, but this really wasn’t the kind of weather that they could go out and play in. We let Brees out and he came back in frisky and happy – the way he always does in cold weather. Then he curled up on the couch and slept for most of the day.
But it has been lovely to have a day to catch our breath and relax. Weekends are rarely rest times. There are ballgames and cheering and choir practice and lesson plans and all manner of busy-ness. So this was a great day to just watch t.v. and breathe.
The best part of this day is that I will have to change out of my current pajamas and into another pair of pajamas before I go to bed!
Oh, wait! The best part of this day was the hot chocolate!
You can keep your instant stuff and even your coffee stand hot chocolate.
This stuff? The best in the world!
Snow Day Hot Chocolate
- 1 12-oz. bag of milk chocolate chips
- 1 14-oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 pint of whipping cream
- 1 quart of half and half
Combine ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours, stirring every twenty minutes or so.
Well Duh #1: This hot chocolate is not for the faint of heart! Chocolatey and rich, you will probably not be able to drink more than one blissfully glorious cup.
Well Duh #2: I have made it with low-fat and fat-free half and half. It’s still yummylicious. Yes. That’s a word.
Well Duh #3: We serve this with a squirt of whipped cream. You can also top with marshmallows or – have you seen these?
They’re just like the little marshmallows in the instant hot chocolate packets! You know how you always wished there were more of them in your cup? Well, here you go!
Well Duh #4: You can add a splash of vanilla before serving, if you’d like.
Well Duh #5: Cooking time will depend on your slow cooker. Just stir it every so often and serve it when it’s as hot as you like it.
Well Duh #6: About halfway through the cooking time, I used a whisk to make sure everything got mixed in. Until then, the chocolate chips were melted, but not joining the party.
I also took today to clean out and organize my pantry. You know how there are some things that you buy every time you go to the store because you can’t remember if you have them or not? Well, apparently I have more than a passing obsession with purchasing:
- Sweetened condensed milk (8 cans)
- Sesame seed oil (4 bottles)
- Chopped green chiles (9 cans)
- Canned pumpkin (11 cans!)
- Barbecue sauce (6 bottles)
I’m not even going to talk about bags of chocolate chips and assorted cans of pie filling and cream of something soup! And black beans? Wow.
Anyway, if you’re having a snow day – or just a quiet day at home – try this hot chocolate!
Recent Comments