Seasonal Delicacies

If I am begged for hot chocolate with marshmallows one more time, I just might snap.  I'd be a bit more sympathetic and patient if my kids just really liked it, but somewhere along the line they got the impression that the mere presence of snow on the ground entitled them to a steaming cup.

So when I ran out of the prepackaged drink mix, I feigned ignorance about how to make it from scratch and searched the recesses of my mind for another winter treat that the boys could get excited about.  But as I looked around the kitchen, there wasn't much to find.  All of the Christmas candy was long gone, save for one smashed mini candy cane that had seen better days, and an odd number of chocolate coins that I couldn't easily divide.

But then I got an idea.

I remembered making snow "ice cream" for Cael two years ago, and although it was a messy mistake that time, I had since seen several recipes on Pinterest with hints for a more successful batch.  So I threw on my coat and boots and headed outside for some fresh snow, far away from the dog's backyard turf.

I packed a plastic container full of clean snow and let it stay in the freezer for about an hour before I worked with it.

Once it was good and cold again, and nearly frozen solid, I added in milk, sugar and vanilla until the flavor was right and the texture was creamy.  Although it would have been fine to eat right away, it had softened considerably so I popped it back in the freezer for 30 minutes until it had thickened up to soft-serve consistency.

I scooped some into a bowl and topped it with a cookie and some chocolate syrup, and fed it to a troupe of hungry boys that devoured it in record time, awed by the new-found discovery that snow could be as delicious, if not more so, than the hot, chocolaty treat they'd come to love.


"Isn't it good?" 

"Yeah, it's yummy, Mommy!"

"Do you like it, Cael?"

"Yes, it's good."

I put one point on the board for me, and smiled at the thought that they might remember these special moments and silly smiles we've shared. 

"But Mom?"

"Yeah?" 

"How did you make this brown 'mud sauce' taste so much like chocolate?"