We are on our 3rd snow day here.  That’s a lot of snow days.  I was all up in arms about the media coverage.  The bad weather wasn’t supposed to start until Wednesday.  On Tuesday at 4pm it was still 57 degrees and had drizzled a little around 1pm.  But media coverage started on Monday.  We have been in “storm mode” on local stations SINCE MONDAY!  Ridiculous.  We live in the midwest.  There will be snow.  Calm down everyone.  It’s like no one here has ever heard of it before.  If we lived in Texas or something then all the snow would be news.  It is not a surprise here.

I’m not saying people didn’t need to stay home the last few days.  They should have stayed home if that was an option.  There is ice under the snow and that is dangerous.  BUT we don’t need to talk about it for a week straight.  People know what do do for a storm.  And if #NoBuyJanuary taught me anything it is that we will survive in this house without a trip to the grocery store for a few days.  We might not have everything we want or have the most balanced meals but we will be just fine.  Leave the roads open for those that really need them.  Ok, I’m done complaining now.  Let’s move on to fun stuff.

I walked into one of my girls’ rooms yesterday.  A had woken up E (not great) to show her the snow (very great, in their eyes).  Then they just sat there and looked at it.  This is what I walked into…

It made me really happy.  It was going to be their second day home but the first day they could actually play in the snow.  That made them happy.

The best part of playing in the snow is coming back in for hot chocolate.  That is what I remember most about my childhood snow days.  You’d put on 9,000 layers and play in the snow.  Then, you’d come inside and get hot chocolate in front of the TV.  And we never got anything in front of the TV so it was a big deal.  Thanks Mom!

E has been begging to make the Cinnacreme recipe out of her book, Keeper of the Lost Cities Unlocked by Shannon Messenger, for quite some time.  I never have all the ingredients we need so she just keeps asking and I just keep saying sorry.  As luck would have it, I had all the ingredients to make it yesterday.  It is described in the book as a melted snickerdoodle and that is a great description.  We really enjoyed it.  It is sweet and rich so I only needed a little but the kiddos gobbled it up! We will definitely make it again!

When I say I had all the ingredients, I had enough ingredients to do a decent job of subbing for what I didn’t have.  The recipe calls for half & half and whole milk.  Not kidding, we had finished the whole milk 2 days earlier (I always keep a little on hand for baking).  But we did have heavy cream and 1% milk and I knew I could make that work.  Anything that called for half and half I just used half cream and half milk to come up with the measurement.  For the milk I just used the milk with a tiny splash of the heavy cream.

I made our Cinnacreme slow and low.  The girls were still playing in the snow and I wanted it to be fresh and warm when they came inside.  Because of that, I think I would put less cinnamon in the recipe.  The cinnamon stick was in the milk for like 30 minutes so adding another 1/2 tsp of cinnamon was a too much. Cinnamon is a strong flavor and a little goes a long way.  The recipe only makes 2 cups of this delicious hot beverage (the perfect amount).  The regular sips were delicious but no one would want that last sip in the bottom.  So much cinnamon settled down there it would just taste gritty.

I brought their bean bags and blankets downstairs and put them in front of the TV.  Then I gave them their Cinnacreme in front of the TV and turned on a movie.  They were so excited.  It’s the little things that they will remember.

I would highly recommend you add this drink to your warm beverage repertoire.  Especially for the kiddos after playing in the snow.  Thanks to author Shannon Messenger for getting my girls excited about cooking something because they never want to!  Stay warm everyone!

Cinnacreme*

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/4 c + 3/4 c Half & Half, divided
1/2 c White Chocolate Chips
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 c Whole Milk**
1/8 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 c Mini Marshmallows

Combine 1/4 c of half & half, white chocolate chips and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan and cook over low heat.
Stir until chocolate chips are melted and everything is combined.
Add remaining 3/4 c of half & half, milk, salt and ground cinnamon and stir constantly with a whisk until smooth and cinnamon is evenly distributed.
Add mini marshmallows and stir until melted.
Pour into mugs and serve warm.

* Recipe slightly adapted from Shannon Messenger’s book Keeper of the Lost Cities Unlocked

**You can use whatever milk you have on hand. Whole milk will just make it a little thicker and creamier.

Print Recipe

Cinnacreme*

Described as a melted snickerdoodle and perfect for snow days!

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Beverages, Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cinnamon, Hot

Servings: 2 People

Author: Emily ~ Garlic & Olive Oil

Ingredients

• 1/4 + 3/4 c Half & Half divided
• 1/2 c White Chocolate Chips
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1 c Whole Milk**
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 c Mini Marshmallows

Instructions

• Combine 1/4 c of half & half, white chocolate chips and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan and cook over low heat. Stir until chocolate chips are melted and everything is combined.
• Add remaining 3/4 c of half & half, milk, salt and ground cinnamon and stir constantly with a whisk until smooth and cinnamon is evenly distributed.
• Add mini marshmallows and stir until melted.
• Pour into mugs and serve warm.

Notes

* Recipe slightly adapted from Shannon Messenger's book Keeper of the Lost Cities Unlocked

**You can use whatever milk you have on hand. Whole milk will just make it a little thicker and creamier.