Mother Nature certainly had a wild snowy winter planned for us New Englanders! And to boot, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so there is “definitely” 6 more weeks of winter. Seriously, if you look out my window, I don’t think spring flowers will be popping through the ground before June! And the girls may be in school until August July with all these snow days.
Curling up in front of a nice warm fire with a book and cup of cocoa is my ideal snow day. But let’s face it, it’s not always the ideal snow day for a couple of kids. But what to do when the snow is falling and the wind is whipping and you can’t go outside to build a snowman or dig a tunnel? Well we all know that the staple snowstorm items to stock up on are wine and cheese bread and milk; but next time don’t stop there, add a few extra dairy products, such as cream and yogurt, into your cart to open up even more possibilities.
Open your fridge, pull out the dairy and let’s get started! You could start your day with a little snow ice cream? Or go a little more traditional with whipped cream*?
How do you make your hot cocoa? Do you make it with milk? Not only will it warm you and your family up but you’ll be getting 9 essential nutrients and 8 grams of protein for each 8 oz. serving of cocoa made with milk!
A steaming cup of milk and chocolate with homemade whip cream is the perfect way to warm up after shoveling snow, digging tunnels, making snow forts and indulging in a neighborhood snowball fight.
There are so many fun recipes and ideas to make and do with dairy and we all need to make the most out of this record breaking winter. So before the next storm arrives, stock up on bread, milk, cream, yogurt and cheese. The bread and cheese are quite essential when the neighborhood kids all end up at your house for lunch!
*Interested in making your own whipped cream? Grab 1 cup heavy cream, 1-2 tablespoons sugar, a deep mixing bowl and a mixer. Beat the heavy cream until peaks form. Add in the sugar and continue to beat until the peaks reappear. Avoid over beating. Thank Martha Stewart for the easy recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/268190/whipped-cream