Roo has never seen this much snow before and loves sniffing, digging, and bounding across the yard. The snow is up to her neck, so her bounding looks more like bouncing (she's our Kanga-Roo), and it is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.
I am also delighted to report that I enjoyed a major limbic system retraining victory after the snow fell:
I went cross country skiing!
We all did, actually.
It was much easier than walking anywhere.
A few months ago I got motion sickness just turning my head, rolling over in bed, or walking across the room, so it was wild to be gliding across the snow and feeling fine.
The second day we skied it was much icier.
Much, much icier.
So icy that I took a hard fall on my tailbone.
The fall seemed to have caused some whiplash, and since then my body has been in a bit of a tizzy that feels like a flare-up in my chronic symptoms. So, I've decided to cozy up with Anne of Green Gables and some maple syrup snow candy for the rest of the afternoon.
If you've ever read the Little House on the Prairie series, then you may remember that in Little House in the Big Woods Laura enjoys maple syrup snow candy at her grandmother's house. I first made this candy after reading the book as a kid and was so excited to make it today.
It's super easy (and delicious!), and I've posted the step-by-step recipe below for those of you with snow outside your window.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
2 TB butter (optional)
A pinch of sea or pink Himalayan salt
Instructions:
1. Put the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Boil for a few minutes until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage or 235 degrees Fahrenheit for those of you who have a candy thermometer.
I didn't have a thermometer, so after the mixture had boiled for a few minutes, I drizzled a bit of it into a glass of cold water. It formed a soft ball upon hitting the water, so I knew it was ready.
3. Once the mixture is ready, take it outside and pour it into a clean bed of snow. Be sure to wear your boots while you're cookin' so you can make a mad dash outside when the mixture is ready!
I recommend you use a rubber spatula to coax the mixture into the snow in bigger ribbons than the ones I made, since the thin ribbons can be hard to fish out of the snow.
You could also pack snow into a pie pan and bring it inside for this step.
4. After you've finished pouring your candy, it is ready to eat!
And boy oh boy is it GOOD.
I hope you are all having a lovely Friday!
Cheering for you, Home Skillets,
Sarah
© by scj
Go Sarah! That is such a big DNRS victory to celebrate! I have been rereading the Little House on the Prairie books for the past few weeks and I was in the middle of "These Happy Golden Years" when I stopped to spend some time on my computer, and then I read your blog post! Your candy looks so delicious...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nicole! It's so fun to celebrate these victories. I hope and pray you are enjoying DNRS victories of your own. And how delightful to be rereading the Little House on the Prairie series. I've been thinking of doing that myself, and now you've inspired me to really do it.
DeleteThe candy was so delicious (though it turns out my tummy was not ready for butter -- better to just use pure maple syrup next time). If you have snow in your neck of the woods, it's definitely worth trying!