First, the bad news….
NO SNOW.
If you heard the sound of weeping and wailing this morning, that was the sound of all upstate South Carolina children as they woke up to find, not snow, but freezing rain. Oh, the disappointment in this house was pretty severe. Several children expressed a great interest in packing up and moving to North Carolina, where “at least they get snow in the wintertime.”
Sigh.
But, after many tears were shed and understanding hugs were given, the kids rallied and tried to make the best of it. Kathryn made up a game on the trampolene with the little bit of ice she could scrape up…
…and Grace just wanted to dress for the season.
And, of course, after being outside for a few minutes in the freezing cold, they all asked for hot chocolate (which, truly, is part of the magic of snow anyway…. so I’d like to think they aren’t too deprived.)
Now, the good news.
First, the “making-yogurt-in-a-crockpot” recipe really worked! The real test, of course, is in a few hours, when I try to add some sort of flavoring to it so that it will be palatable for my crew. I admire those who can muscle down plain yogurt, but to me that’s just vile. (blech)
I do cook with plain yogurt quite often, though, so it will be helpful to have plenty of the homemade variety on hand!
Second, on a day like today, the kitchen just beckons. I’m not sure what to bake first! Will it be bread? Homemade hot pockets? or just a batch of benne wafers? (that is the state cookie of South Carolina, you know!)
I do know what’s for lunch, though… Greek Lemon Chicken Soup!!! (I am not free to share the recipe here, since it’s copyrighted, but if you click on the Amazon link above, and scroll through the pages they let you see, you can see the recipe for Greek Orzo, Chicken, and Lemon soup. You will be doing yourself a HUGE favor if you try this recipe! Of course, buying the book would be great, too… ) As a huge testimony to this soup, I can say that even my younger kids, who are NOT soup eaters, beg for this soup. In fact, when I told Thomas that I would be cooking it today, he grabbed my legs, gave me a huge hug, and said, “this weekend is going to be the best weekend EVER!“
Such is the power of soup.
Coupled with a warm slice of colonial bread (h/t Margaret in Minnesota), my kids will feel like they can conquer the world!
We live in Buffalo, NY. Want some of our snow?
Ah, it’s a kind offer *grin*, but I don’t think I could handle that much snow…. day after day… getting kids bundled up (and unbundled a few minutes later)… brrrrrr. Just thinking about it makes me shiver! *grin*
That’s the beauty of South Carolina snow. You’ve got it for the morning, and by afternoon you’re all “funned out” and it’s melting!
Of course, that’s also the downside. When it snows, you HAVE to go out IMMEDIATELY, or you’ll miss the only opportunity to play in it.
Like last night. It actually snowed (it was a dusting at best) starting at 7:30 at night. My kids jumped from the table and begged to go outside. You guessed it — then entire group of neighborhood kids was out at that moment, whooping it up and making mini-snowballs.
I think snow was merely created so the kids would have an excuse to ask for hot cocoa.
And BENNE WAFERS! Oh, the sadness that I have not add any of those in years! Hmmm….perhaps I’ll have to find the ingredients.
And I am inspired – I’m going to look at your yogurt recipe – just because you said it worked! (and thinking back to a previous post – I totally agree that overnight crockpot oatmeal was a VERY BAD IDEA!)
Ah SCG, you’re going to have to have some benne wafers to “remind you of home”! They are addictive, aren’t they? (and they must be really good if I’m willing to eat them… not being chocolate and all…)
And speaking of chocolate (the hot variety, that is), I do think that that is the big reason why kids go out in the white stuff to begin with. Kinda like banging your head against a wall, ’cause it feels so good when you stop! *grin* They go outside so that they can come in, drink HC, and get warm. Bizarre…
The yogurt is wonderful with a teaspoon of sugar (or honey), some fruit, and about 5 heaping teaspoons of yogurt. That seems to be a good ratio.
The biggest (and best) testimonial came from my friend Malia, who makes yogurt in a yogurt maker. She tried the crockpot recipe and said it turned out just like the stove method, with less fuss (I think she had to stay at the stove and stir the milk carefully, etc).
So, give it a try and let me know what you think!
I am going to try this yogurt! I even have the ingredients!
It’s a REALLY simple recipe… hope your family likes it!