Snow Days!!!

As snowy, frigid weather sweeps through the Midwest, its nice to take a break and focus on being cozy.  Luckily, I hit up the market on snow-themed books in the children's section at our local library. But books and hot chocolate and movies can only get your kiddo so far when the wiggles start to set in.  By noon, we took it outside for about an hour to shovel the pathways and romp in the snow.  

After drying off and warming up, we were both content to stay in the coziness and do crafty things together.  We made snow scenes with paint and construction paper shapes, then we whipped up  Coconut Snow-Cream.

Most days I try to avoid using tempera paints and go for the Crayola no-mess sets, but sometimes real paint is just more fun.  I had an empty egg carton and cut off the lid.  I filled the lid with a couple tablespoons of water and laid paper towels over the water to absorb it and work as a sponge for paintbrushes.  Then I mixed pastel colors separately in the grooves of the crate.  I left a space between each color mixtures so we wouldn't have spillover issues and muddied colors.  It worked out great!  The most non-messy painting session we've had to date!

I picked out a dark color of construction paper for the "canvas" and white for the snowman shapes.  My little girl helped me find different sizes of circles in the house to trace our snowman shapes. It was good practice the size sequence concept - each time we cut or glued the shapes, I would ask her to point out the biggest circle, bigger circle and smallest circle.  We cut-out the shapes and glued them to our canvas to make our snowy scene.

We glued cotton balls on the bottom as snow and used the end of a pencil eraser dipped in white paint as snow.  It was a fun!  

But the main event was definitely making ice cream from snow - my little one was amazed!  We happened to have some coconut milk and coconut shreds and one thing happened after another … yada, yada, yada … and we had ourselves some fluffy, coco-nuty, sweet, snowy goodness!

Coconut Snow-Cream

Yes, it does taste as good as it looks!

5-6 cups of fresh snow (or enough to fill up a large mixing bowl)

1 can of Coconut Milk

1 cup of granulated white sugar

1/2 cup shredded coconut (chopped finely in a food processor)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Just put all of this in a really big mixing bowl and whip on high with an electric beater.  It mixes up pretty fast - like under 3 minutes.  Serve immediately or store in the freezer for later, but definitely eat within 3 hours of making it.  I would be prepared to use the mixer again for snow-cream stored in the freezer because it hardens up.

French country brunch on a budget

Surprisingly, a French brunch is easier, healthier and cheaper to create than you might think ... and can quickly become a weekend favorite for your family.  About a year ago, a friend of mine introduced me to crêpes.  Versatile and simple, crêpes are a great alternative to the run of the mill pancakes or waffles.  Although my first few attempts at making a crêpe weren't very successful, I've finally found my niche and now enjoy how easy and affordable they are to make!  

Here are a few things you need to know about crêpes:

1)  They really only require four ingredients: flour, milk, eggs and butter

2)  They aren't just for breakfast ... savory crêpes are just as good as sweet ones!  Take some inspiration from the Atlanta-based crêpe specialty restaurant, Crêpe Revolution

3)  Although whole eggs are traditionally listed as an ingredient, you can also make them with just the fluffy whites (at least, to my taste!)

4)  Don't let pictures fool you - there is no perfect crêpe!  

5)  Chemistry is truly what achieves this French delicacy ... so your recipe is everything!

Have a country, French breakfast with your family or girlfriends this weekend!  And here are some ideas to set the table:

Abbey's Perfect Crêpe

makes 10-12 medium size crêpes

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups 2% or whole milk

6 tbsp melted butter (or about 4 tbsp canola oil)

2 dashes of salt

2 tbsp sugar (optional)

8 eggs, whites beaten until foamy (tip: save the yokes and cook separately for added protein)

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar.  Stir in the milk and melted butter or oil.  In a separate bowl, separate the egg whites from the yolks.  With a fork or small whisk, rapidly whisk the egg whites for about a minute ... you'll know they are ready when they begin to feel like a liquid (rather than separated and lumpy) and a thick foam will settle on the surface.  With a spatula, fold the foamy egg whites into the main bowl with the flour, milk, and butter mixture.  I gently fold it in, letting the foamy egg whites achieve a light, airy mixture.  Although there are really nice, expensive crêpe pans, I just use a rounded edge non-stick pan over medium-low heat.  Cook the crêpe almost as you would a pancake, and remember that crêpes are supposed to be nearly paper thin, light and a little stretchy.  Once cooked, glaze with yogurt, sprinkle with fresh cut fruit, roll, and serve! (For a really good visual tutorial, check out the Summer6676 video on Youtube)

Lemon & Honey Yogurt

Mix the following ingredients to make a zesty yogurt topping for your crêpes

2 - 7 oz containers of Fage 2% Greek Yogurt

Zest from two lemons

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

4 tbsp honey

Strawberry Iced Tea

2 Celestial Seasonings strawberry herbal tea bags 

2 cups boiling water

4 tbsp honey

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

4 cups ice

Bring water to a boil and add tea bags.  Use tea package instructions to achieve a strong brew of tea.  Add tea brew, honey and lemon to a half gallon pitcher and stir.  Add ice and then fill with cold water about an inch from the brim.  Serve over ice and with a sprig of mint for garnish.

Note to Reader: This recipe is one that I've created to my taste and preference.  For a more traditional crêpe, go to the Food Network website ... Alton Brown has a really good crepe recipe and a great tutorial on Youtube.