Check that off

There are a few things that make a kid's year complete. Finding the golden egg in the egg hunt, jumping off the high dive, and eating pumpkin pie with mounds of whipped cream are all important things to check off in the yearly bucket list. But topping that list is something every kid wishes for and waits for and plans for. A thing they have no control over but the very mention of the word brings excitement and promise. A thing that southern kids may have only heard of from their older siblings....

A real snow day.

Not the day the town shut down at the forecast of flurries but the day they really do wake up to white powder covering every blade of grass and not a sidewalk or porch step is showing. 

Today was a real snow day. Yesterday it was looking like it might be another bust, but nope-we woke up to the satisfaction that the boots and gloves and ski pants by the door weren't waiting in vain! 

The post was shut down, too, of course, so Dad got in on the fun. Here is our day in pictures: 

This was yesterday and those poor kids were waiting at the park with their sleds in tow. They had a long wait.

It was worth the wait.

Lunch was these delicious little yummies. Because every snow day needs mini meatball subs.

Photo credit-Nick Gercken

There was a lot of hot chocolate drinking, and an epic game of War.

For dinner I made a repeat of this yummy soup I made a few weeks ago. It has been pronounced Nick's favorite meal that I make. And guess what! I used the chicken stock I just made last week for the base. Soooo warm and delicious and healthy. I may have some for breakfast; it's that good. Want the recipe? You can find it here:  http://www.againstallgrain.com/2013/01/30/leftover-roast-chicken-soup-with-roasted-vegetables/

The only thing I did differently than the recipe was that I just cooked up some chicken breasts and used whatever veggies I had on hand. I used a different squash and not as much sweet potato the first time. And this time I used only sweet potato as I didn't have any squash at all. Also, I used the Tastefully Simple rustic herb seasoning on both the roasted veggies and the chicken instead of the seasoning the recipe calls for, although the rustic herb has a lot of the same seasonings in it. 

Photo: Nick again

I found a recipe for 30-minute yeast rolls, which would go perfectly with the soup. The recipe is here: http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/30-minute-rolls/

And it really did take just 30 minutes. They turned out beautifully and who doesn't love a warm yeast roll with melted butter? The only advice I would give you would be to flour up your hands generously before you shape the rolls so you don't end up with this problem: 

I don't actually have a picture of the finished meal-when it was ready we scarfed it down almost before we sat down! 

Then there was Clue and tea and possibly Nutella....

And the word that the fun continues tomorrow with the coveted second snow day! Stay tuned.....