Who's Afraid Of A Blizzard? Sharing Snowcone Recipes & Winter Childhood Memories Over An Open Fire

I'm a big baby. Every time there's news of a blizzard I get anxious. Year after year. I'm not sure why because I grew up with them. But I guess I'm someone who has to get anxious about something. And it may as well be the freezing white-outs that will kill us all in our sleep. Yes?

I have a couple of snowcone recipes to share with anyone experiencing any kind of snowfall. Some of my fondest memories were spent eating snowcones in winter over hot home fires.

Ever Since I Can Remember

My younger brother and sister and I would have our 'special snow bowls.' If we were good we got to place them outside overnight to fill up with the freshest snow. We reasoned it was the best snow because it had never touched the ground if it had collected into our bowls.

The next day, after breakfast and making our bedrooms super clean were we allowed to collect.

My first flavoring recipe is the simplest to make. Any child can help with the stirring even if they have to stand on a chair to do it.

Place 2 1/2 cups of your favorite juice into a saucepan with a 1/4 cup of extra sugar. Place the saucepan on the stove for 30 to 50 minutes, stir on occasion. Until the juice becomes syrup. Cooldown and pour over your snow.

The kids can take 'shifts' if they get too bored with the simmering process.

Chances are you have plain old OJ in your fridge. Dad would only let us kids have the dregs of the orange juice. I suspect my Dad thought everything was like fresh milk, the cream of anything found on top, or in the first slice.

At night, Dad would throw a huge log on the fire and we kids would sit in front of it. Wearing woolen sweaters, thermal underwear, and beanies. And the game would be to 'cool' ourselves down with our snowcones. During the scariest snowstorms, I remember sweating, giggling, and crunching on 'fire snow'. Or, we imagine it was crystal oranges and other things.

One Year,

Dennis (my brother), wouldn't eat his snowcone and kept giggling at us girls for making out how tasty it was. Then Rea (my sister), cracked it and demanded to know what was so funny.

"You're eating yellow snow," Dennis started laughing.

Confused, I said, "It's orange flavor." Dennis found it so funny.

One bright morning he got Rea and me to follow him out to our backyard which was our little square of unspoiled snow. He undid his button and fly and started peeing. Dennis got sent to his bedroom for the whole day!

Then Rea and I were sour about eating 'yellow snow,' and that was when Mom thought of a brilliant addition. A few drops of food coloring gel to turn anything suspiciously yellow into - well - anything else. Crisp green apple. An angry sunset, or a fiery sunrise. Grape purple, all the while it still tasted like orange flavor.

Once we were 'experimenting' and our snow turned black with this alien green tinge to it. We threw it out on the fire. We just couldn't make ourselves eat it! When the flames hissed Dad sent us to bed for trying to put out the fire!

The Great Experiment:

Have the kids choose a flavored juice to turn into their special syrup: orange juice, cherry juice, mango juice, grape juice, pineapple juice, or apple juice. Remember that they need 2 1/2 cups. Add 1/4 cup sugar (you can put in less or more according to your tastes). Try experimenting with the flavor of brown and white sugars.

Now, add food coloring gels to make you think it's an entirely different flavor.

By the way, you can put the (uncolored) leftover fruit syrups into a container and use them again the next day. The kids can make a different color every day.

I found out my wife has a similar childhood snowcone-in-winter recipe. Though her version is very indulgent!

Collect your snow, at least 4 cups. Add sweetened condensed milk or 1/8 cup sugar (to your tastes). Add 1/4 cup of milk. Add a capful of vanilla essence (or extract). Add your chocolate syrup. Go wild with sprinkles!

You can caramelize the condensed milk, too!

I Love Her Chocolate Idea & She Loves My Fruit Syrup Idea

We don't have an open fire like I used to. But, I love it when my footrest on the top of hers (with socks, of course, neither of us likes cold feet!) and we're snuggled under a blanket on the couch.

It's times like these we can believe that nothing bad will happen to us. Not even the severest white-out, or black-out caused by a storm.

To The International Audience of Vocal:

To those lucky enough to have summer right now, if you wanted your own snowcone all you need to do is get a lot of ice cubes.

Put your ice cubes into the food processor for many short bursts. Scrape down the sides in between each burst. Pour over your own fruit syrup, or chocolate, and what-have-you. And that's it! Enjoy!