Stopping by My Home on a Snowy Morning

I fully intended to post the chocolate and coconut checkerboard brownies I made yesterday in honor of National Brownie Day. Fellow Slainte contributor Kileen came over to enjoy them and can attest to their goodness. However. This happened overnight:

The forecast was calling for anywhere from three to seven inches of snow to fall after midnight, but I always anticipate the opposite of what I want to happen and figured that there would maybe be a dusting. But when I opened my eyes this morning and saw the soft white-blue light filtering through the blinds, I knew. We have about eight inches so far, and it’s almost 6:00 pm now and still coming down.

This means that I cannot post about brownies right now because there is something more urgent to be made that must be started the moment you know it’s not going to stop snowing for a little while yet. You need to get a bowl out in your front yard as soon as possible, you see, so it can fill up with fresh snow.

When I was growing up, snow in Washington State was an exciting and not-so-frequent weather event, and as long as I can remember, whenever the big flakes started falling, we’d quickly deposit metal bowls out in the yard to fill up for snow ice cream. At home it’s made with half & half, since we were almost never without a half gallon of it in the fridge for Dad’s morning coffee. I don’t have the morning coffee ritual in my own little place, but with a dollop of coconut cream standing in (left over from yesterday’s brownies, happily), it almost tastes better than I remember.

Snow Ice Cream

2 cups freshly fallen snow

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon half & half OR 

1 tablespoon coconut cream (skim off the top of regular canned coconut milk)

2 tablespoons milk (may need more)

Sprinkle the sugar over the snow. Drizzle snow with vanilla extract. Stir in the coconut cream with a rubber spatula. Drizzle milk in a tablespoon at a time until the mixture blends together and is more slushy than snowflake-y. Don’t be afraid to smoosh it into submission with a spatula if it doesn’t look like it’s coming together at first. Serve immediately, before it melts. Makes about 1 cup.