Call me crazy, but I love the first snow of the season. After staring at brown grass and empty fields for awhile, the blanket of snow makes everything look so fresh and clean.
Traditionally, I bake the first batch of Christmas cookies during the first snowfall. Even if it happens to be October!
When Jonathan and I were first married, we lived in a tiny house across the section from where we now live. We didn’t want to turn on the fuel oil furnace too early in the fall, so sometimes the house was pretty chilly. I think it was the first October that we were married, on the day of the first snow the house was very cold. I decided to bake some cookies to warm up the house. The snow reminded me of Christmas time, so I baked Christmas cookies.
I have kept this tradition just about every year, maybe baking the day after if I didn’t have the right ingredients on hand. The other part of this tradition has remained as well. None of the cookies make it to the end of the week.
This year, our first snow fell while I was out of town. (Which is a funny term, since I don’t live in town-maybe I should rephrase with out of the county?) When I arrived home that evening, I was tired from the long day of meetings and driving on slick roads. I still had to go to the grocery store to buy ingredients for a large batch of chili that I was making for a chili cook off at church the following morning. Cookies didn’t even enter my mind.
When I arrived home from the grocery store, I made my chili, a batch of corn bread (from a box), and caramel for the rolls for the high school Sunday School class. I think I went to bed around 1:30 am. After the very fun chili cook off, I came home and propped my sore ankle on some ice, and vegged out for awhile. Again, cookies didn’t even enter my mind.
I’m kind of sad that the excitement of the first snow was lost due to a crazy weekend. As I am making my Thanksgiving pies today, I will try to slip a batch of Christmas cookies in the oven.
Today I am making Double Layer Pumpkin Pie:
| Double Layer Pumpkin Pie | |
| 4 | oz cream cheese, softened |
| 1 | tablespoon milk |
| 1 | tablespoon sugar |
| 1 1/2 | cups thawed Cool Whip |
| 1 | prepared Graham cracker crust (6 oz) |
| 1 | cup milk |
| 1 | can (16 oz) pumpkin (not the canned pie filling, just pumpkin) |
| 2 | pkg. (4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding |
| 1 | teaspoon ground cinnamon |
| 1/2 | teaspoon ground ginger |
| 1/4 | teaspoon ground cloves |
| Mix cream cheese, 1 tbsp. milk and sugar in bowl with wire whisk | |
| until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread onto | |
| bottom of crust. | |
| Pour 1 cup milk into large bowl. Add pumpkin, pudding mixes | |
| and spices. Beat with wire whisk until well mixed. (Will be thick.) | |
| Spread over cream cheese layer. | |
| Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. |
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Ohh yummy pie! I am glad you made it home safe. Those roads were rough. My kids begged to get the Christmas decorations out on Sunday. It was wonderful seeing you. Happy Thanksgiving
Emily