Yesterday morning I woke up to this. Did I just wake up in Ireland or some such?
Everywhere I looked yesterday morning was a sight for sore eyes.
Have we been whisked away to Narnia? Are we in heaven? Is C.S. Lewis here somewhere smoking a pipe?
It’s the only day of the year that there’s a chance for the bed to go unmade. I let it go like this for a few hours and then finally made it up around noon. I have a bed making sickness. I feel strangely exposed if my bed isn’t made—as in—I didn’t even want to show you this picture. But, then it looks so relaxed, like a snow day should! So there’s your only ever glimpse of my bed unmade.
We might not be that experienced in snow, but we’re pros at snow days. This ain’t our first rodeo, good people.
We know that this winter wonderland is liable to be gone in an hour.
So, we put on our snow boots.
We piece together enough clothing to stay cold and wet warm.
And then we head out with our high tech sleds Coors Light boxes for some winter fun. And we hurry, because the sun is out and Narnia is in jeopardy of turning to Spring.
We come back in and start the obligatory breakfast of biscuits and gravy. This is a snow day in the South, remember?
I’ve even converted the midwesterners that live here. Biscuits and gravy in the right hands is manna from heaven. I should post a tutorial. You can’t overwork the dough and you gotta leave them pretty thick.
Also, you must start the gravy with bacon fat and my secret ingredients are a little nutmeg and a little sugar and evaporated milk. All that and a good iron skillet.
I’ve always used shortening in my biscuits but I’ve discovered that butter works better for me. These came out tall and flaky and DEElicious.
By late morning, our Narnia dreams were melting to the ground.
But I won’t let a good snow day go to waste, so we plan an elaborate dinner of Indian food (Nick is a pro at Indian food!) and Stevie and I brave the roads and the elements for a run to the store. We bought ginger root, garlic, jasmine rice, and a plethora of simple carbs. Because SNOW DAY.
Nick cooked and I was his sous chef. We made dahl, naan, and samosas and it was all kinds of wonderful. To eat Indian food in Bean Station on a random week night is pretty special.
Let me summarize our snow day in one word for you: CARBS.
Amen. And amen.
There’s a famous saying around here that if you don’t like the weather, just wait an hour or two and it’ll change.
So true. By the weekend, it’s supposed to be 60 and sunny. Gotta love the South.
Tell me all about your snow days and the carbs that go with them!
(Also, if you haven’t filled out the blog survey, there’s still time. I’ve been so blessed and motivated by all your comments and suggestions!)
Ode to January!
LOVED this! It was very much like mine. Except the biscuits were not homemade. 🙂
We don’t always do homemade either, Jess! They were delicious though.
We’ll see y’all soon!
🙂
Breakfast:
Waffles! I wanted biscuits and gravy but hubby wanted waffles. So waffles won. 😉
Lunch: Hubby wanted mile high nachos…So mile high nachos is what he got.
Dinner: Loaded baked potatoes.
This was the first snow day for hubby in 45-years of working here in N.GA. He always has made it to work whilst I spent snow days alone. He spent a little while on the 4-wheeler and exploring the frozen sights around our community.
We had a good day.
JaG
I think your theme was carbs, too!! So glad you had him home.
Sounds like a great day!
🙂
My carbs consisted of cereal, snow cream, brownies, and calzones. We live in East Tennessee also, so I totally agree with everything you wrote!
Ohio is in a deep freeze but we are headed out today! Think it’s supposed to hit 20° today!
Breakfast: Oatmeal with butter, brown sugar, milk and pecans
Dinner: Meatloaf, baked potatoes with sour cream, steamed Broccoli
last week:
Dinner : Hungarian Chicken Paprikas’ with Dumplings
Dinner: Slow cooker Pork Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Veggies
Snow days are true blessings for us. I know my time with my kids will be growing shorter as they get older and each and every day I have with them here at home is a gift. Today we are also blessed to have the husband home and it is his Birthday, so we plan a Daddy day all day long. Whatever Daddy wants, Daddy gets. I will be making him Roast Turkey with Mac and Cheese for dinner, Something I know he will eat. ( he is sssssoooooo picky!) For the girls and myself I will also fix some veggies and maybe rice. Hope you are enjoying your snow days as much as we are.
I live in Minnesota, so every day is a snow day. LOL
BTW, below the post where there are options for “other posts you may like,” I clicked on the one about not being a fan of snow globes, but the link seems to be broken.
I’m in NC & we woke up to 5″ of snow Wednesday morning & it hasn’t melted a bit …. we had snow cream for breakfast & dinner!!!!!
LOVE-LOVE-LOVE!!!
Thank you Edie.
It’s been freezing cold here in Louisiana as well.
Homemade soup that was delivered by dear friends AND homemade crawfish cornbread-
Mmmmmmmmmm Good!
Happy Thursday 🙂
I’m on my way to TN for some of your gravy! 😉
Any chance you could provide a recipe?
Oh Edie, will you share your naan recipe? My hubby and I were introduced to naan through an Indian coworker of his – and oh my, we don’t get that treat near enough!! 🙂 Thanks….and I was sure I saw Mr. Tumnus in one of your photos..haha
You are more than welcome to come take all the snow you want! It’s been sub zero temperatures for days now! It was actually colder here than one point in Alaska on Tuesday! But your pictures do look gorgeous.
I loved your relaxing post about a snow day. Unfortunately, I’m in Atlanta and I’m officially “over” snow. I left the office at 1pm Tuesday in an attempt to get home. After five hours on the road and only getting about two miles from the office, I just came back and have been here ever since. I’m going home today – by hook or crook.
Thanks for the “happier” side of snow.
Carbs are my love language.
Love your post! I live in Connecticut and we are sooo used to the snowy weather. Lately, I’ve been making chicken dishes, soups and chili. The other night for the first time I baked “No Crust Swedish Apple Pie”. We all liked it and the recipe is really easy! I can post it, if you like. Thanks for the beautiful pictures. P.S. I like to have the beds made before I start my day:-)
I love your snow photos! What a view, ever changing, always beautiful. After having to leave my car halfway up the neighborhood hill on Tuesday afternoon due to icy roads (and husband rescuing it that evening,) I worked yesterday. Roads were pretty good! I did make it home after a grocery store stop for low carb favorites as we are watching our carbs. Cooked two steaks in a pan, and made a delicious chicken lazone (boneless chicken breasts/thighs rubbed with chili/onion/garlic powders and salt, cooked in skillet with 2T butter about 8 min flipping at half point, then add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2T butter, cook about 4-5 more minutes, serve meat on platter with yummy sauce on side to pour over, lots of green beans too.) Delicious meal on a cold winters night in Knoxville! Must say all your carbs look fabulous.
every day is a snow day here! (Minnesota) but it is snowing right now; looks like we might get a lot. I made a cinnamon loaf yesterday that I am going to turn into french toast casserole for tomorrow and working on a lasagna for tonight. That screams comfort food to me. we are all tired of the weather here–its refreshing to see someone enjoying it!
So Tuesday lunch started our snow day extravaganza. We ditched our lunch boxes we brought home untouched from the ‘early dismissal’ and started with chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. We went sledding in the dark and snow coming down that night. Woke up to pancakes and more sledding. Over the course of yesterday we had several different soups, hot chocolates, and teas in between 3 more extreme sledding adventures. We have found several hills facing the ‘right way’ and still had snow and ice by the time it was getting dark last night. My family really wants to try again this morning but I haven’t thawed out yet and don’t have a lot of hope of anything left. Maybe I can entice them into exploring without me while I start into fixin’ a huge, carb filled meal. 🙂 Loving these snow days. Any chance an arctic wind could hit east TN tonight and we get to stay home again tomorrow?!
Had to let you know I ended up staying home Friday too! I am loving this short winter vacation . . . May have a hard time working a full week next week. 😉 Might be ready for spring and daises by then too.
I think the food theme of my day was lazy. Breakfast was leftover waffles or french toast, Lunch was pizza (not homemade) & Dinner was bean soup in the crock pot. I did get my atrocious laundry room cleaned up though!
And I ALWAYS make my bed.
Beautiful photos! isn’t snow so surreal – it is like the whole world stops.
We have only had ice here in North Texas, this year. Snow is way more fun than ice. We are hoping for at least one good snow day.
We get the yo-yo weather too. Yesterday’s high was about 36, tomorrow’s will be 70!! UGGG!!
I would love your Naan bread recipe too 🙂
Stay warm!
Oh Edie, I too, suffer from the make the bed sickness! Drives my family crazy. A made bed changes the whole feel of a room and who can crawl into an unmade bed? Yuck! We are in North Louisiana and it all bypassed us, but I think I now want biscuits and gravy for supper!
Same as Central VA…just wait a few minutes and the weather will change. Our snow is hanging around longer this time because it is SO COLD!!!
An Indian man from Tanzania used to bring samosas to my work years ago and they were delicious. Please post your…I mean Nick’s…recipe and a tutorial please. I would love to have them again! Thank you.
I live in MN and snow days are really just another day around here. BUT… true snow days, when the snow is blowing around heavily and insanely, then people stay in and get cozy.
We start baking cookies and breads. But maybe we should try biscuits?
My snow day in Wilmington, NC was more about saying, “Yes”. At 60 now, (I still can’t believe it), I’ve learned to say yes to “opportunities” that are scary. Jesus -following means when I ask for bread (or even direction) He won’t give me a stone. I’ve recently said yes to a large speaking event highlighting my organizing business; yesterday I said yes to “ice-sledding” with 2 kids on a boogie board. In a coastal town, down-hill sledding on ice can be treacherous, but I said yes and made 2 little kids happy and I didn’t give into fear. Oh, the food part; my sweet daughter had white bean chili awaiting when I returned!
Happy for you that you got to enjoy some real winter weather. Your mid-western readers would love a biscuit and gravy recipe! Oh, and I am a fellow reader who absolutely CANNOT leave the bed unmade!!! Great post.
Oh yes! Please post a recipe for your biscuits and gravy!
We are in Upstate SC, and our snow day was just like yours. Biscuits and gravy breakfast and sledding afterwards. Multiple trips in to toss the kids clothes in the dryer and have hot chocolate. By afternoon, the melting sounded like rainfall. Your’s is a favorite blog of mine to read, thanks!
Yes! Please do a tutorial for biscuits and gravy!!! I’m a SC girl so I’ve eaten my share but have never made them!
We just had our 7th snow day of the season. I find that I always need to have lots of extra groceries “just in case”, during this time of year. Our carbs mostly consist of cookies and homemade bread. We also make a lot of soups, stews and roasts when the weather is this bad.
Please, please share your biscuits and gravy recipes. It is my main comfort food and yet I have never made it myself! Bet your southern version would be delish!
Such beautiful photos Edie! These should be apart of your book, as many of your photos should. They are just inspirational. We spent our day sledding a bit down our “Mountain” and enjoying being in jammies all day. I’m like you and can’t stand my bed to go unmade (I’ve been known to make them in hotel rooms even.) I hope y’all are enjoying this winter vortex. But I do sing God’s praises for the warmer weather expected this weekend. Love to you and yours!
My sweet, sweet 14 year old daughter my her fabulous swedish pancakes. Light and fluffy and wonderful! Then, later I made the girls snow cream……is that southern? Love a good snow day as much as I love the sand in my toes! Love all the seasons God created for us!
Sounds so fun! I am the same way about our bed! Snow day here consisted of homemade chocolate chip cookies (my fave!) and lots of snuggling on the couch!
Oh goodness, we have had way too many snow days here in Southwest Virginia!! Living on a hill stinks too because we end up having to walk or slide off our hill like I did Sunday morning! :/ When my kids were home I used to make biscuits with chocolate jam (some call it chocolate gravy or chocolate butter) at least once or twice when they would miss school. Like you, I just started using butter in my biscuits a couple of years ago and oh my, they are so so good!! 😀 Comfort foods I’ve made the past couple of weeks include: chicken and dumplings, chicken noodle soup, bean soup, cornbread, biscuits. Haha, the list could go on and on. 😉 Thank goodness we are going to get into the 50’s by Saturday!!
Lord we have been carbing it up here in Charleston, SC….working on day 3 of snow, ice, bridge closings, and school closings…hanging with three littles (1,5,8) and the hubs wandering around;) I have whipped up all kinds of old school recipes from my grandmother and her friends;) beef stroganof, brownie pie, Mac and cheese, breakfast for supper, etc…all made with butter, cream, and lots of love;) something about being held up in the house and homebound makes me get to cooking, game playing, Valentine crafting, coffee drinking, reading, and dreaming! I might have cussed a time or two as well…close quarters will do that to a southern mama! Enjoy bc we know the days are fleeting!!!
No snow here on the Georgia coast. 🙁 Oh well, we did have a “snow day” though…just in case. I’m am a bed maker as well. Even if the rest of my bedroom is a wreck, I have to have the bed made. I wish I could make decent biscuits. I have tried SO many times and failed. It’s the one baking thing that I truly can not do. I can make a mean pot of grits though, so that’s our usual breakfast carb. For our snow day, I made egg salad (totally not a winter food, but I had boiled eggs calling my name) and a Chicken & Rice soup with Greek flavors: lemon, oregano and garlic. Pretty yummy!
Edie ~ we have had several “Snow Days” here in Souteast Tennessee! After letting out early on Tuesday due to the snow we have been out of school since then and will be tomorrow! (I am a Kindergarten Para-pro…teachers love Snow Days also!) Enjoyed your blog today. I will for sure try nutmeg and sugar in my bacon grease (YUM) gravy the next time! These days don’t happen very often here, but when they do…us southern gals know how to relax and welcome them!
I blogged about snow days today, too! Love them in the South!
We NEVER get snow days in Sacramento CA! Looks like fun. However we are only about an hour from excellent skiing. Our claim to fame; we are close to everywhere fun. Lake Tahoe, Napa, San Francisco…
However, we are still good at Carb Loading. Some fan favorites around our place are Chicken Pot Pie, Lasagna (that caught me a husband), Chicken Tetrazzinni, Shrimp Scampi Linguine, Apple Pie, Kahlua Cake, Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars…
btw ms. edie – That bed looks waaaaayyy too neat. Let it go Sister!
“Simple carbs, because… SNOW DAY.”
hahaha I laughed pretty hard.
Will Rogers said that about the weather changing, I think, so it’s famous here in Oklahoma too. Gorgeous photos, very Narnia-like indeed.
How many times did you brew coffee?
So glad you seized and enjoyed the day. xoxo
My first ever comment, but I’ve been following for months. Beautiful Narnia! So glad you captured it for us to see. I live on a small lake in Kansas City, rebuilt a home 6 yrs ago with shake shingles, more of an ocean/white cabinet “something’s gotta give” flair, only our lake froze this year and we ice skated, and I took photos of bald eagles and ice boats. 🙂 Anywhoo… I’m stuck on your bedding, even in it’s messiness! Can you share where to buy duvet, skirt, sheets, etc?
Love your photos! I would love it if you would share your Indian food recipes – what a perfect cozy meal on a cold day! Oh, and Edie, I just was introduced to The Strumbellas on another blog and when I heard them, I immediately thought of you! Maybe because the music sounds like you could clog to it?? All I know of clogging I have picked up on your blog, but it is some fun music!!
Oh, I love your early morning pictures. The fog and the frost/snow on the trees-breathtaking.
I’m also in the deep freeze are of Ohio. I’ve been out several times trying to photograph the cardinals at the bird feeder. No success yet, but I will not give up!
Tonight we are having roast chicken and mashed potatoes. A big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup appears to be in our future.
Oh Edie, we’ve had oh so many snow days this year already! We live in southern Ontario, Canada and four days this winter every road in 3 surrounding counties (including our own) were closed down! We’ve got drifts 10 feet high (like the pictures of my parents childhoods in the 60’s) it’s quite dreamy, I just wish it wasn’t so cold so we could enjoy it!! Our last snow day was Monday and I made chocolate chip cookies at 6:30 am because what else is there to do when your kids are still too young to know that snow day =sleep in?! So we had cookies and hot chocolate for breakfast and sweet potato soup and bread for supper.
Ms Edie~
I read this blog post this morning whilst still all cozy in my warm bed and thought I would die without biscuits & gravy. Even though Houston shuts down at the mere threat of a winter storm, I had to go to work. I then spent a majority of my time at work daydreaming about Indian food. I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to have the recipes for all three. Because, you know, as a fellow carb addict, it’s how we roll!
Thank you!
I am addicted to your blog! Great Post! Looking forward to get more information from you. I have an older home with so many ideas in my head, but I also have 2 little ones that make doing things difficult. So for now I will decorate vicariously through you!
We had no snow – just sleet and ice here in South Georgia but the weather called for biscuits and gravy all the same 🙂
Love to see the lake with the snow! In Jefferson City it seemed to have stuck a little longer than in your neck of the woods. Snow days are for slow. They are for thinking and for snuggling and for EATING too.
Here’s what our neck of the woods looked like just down the road a piece:
http://kmaccreations.com/blog/2014/01/available/
Loved the biscuits. Nice trick on the gravy.
.mac 🙂
Another Minnesotan here, and this has been brutal, just brutal winter. While the kiddos have had many snow days due to -30 windchills, unfortunatley, my job requires I still venture out. I take care of people in their homes, some who cannot get out of bed without help. Others who don’t need as much care must just enjoy the company because they don’t even think about cancelling come snow or below freezing weather. Some days I feel more like the mail lady then a nurses aide, Lol. I do enjoying bringing some leftover homemade soup or baked goods to my clients though, and they do appreciate it. I think we still have alot of winter left here 🙁
Yes, a typical snow day in the South. The unmade bed is perfect for this post. We had pecan waffles and bacon for breakfast and leftover chicken gnocchi soup for lunch for our snow day. Our snow is still around so I had to cut back on the carbs today; it was salad with grilled chicken tonight. 😉 Who has proper winter clothing? We used to use bread bags over our socks in our shoes to keep our feet dry. Did you do that in your younger years? Seems it was a pretty common practice back in the day.
When we lived in Tennessee we laughed ourselves silly at southern snow days… Now that we are back in Maine we have proper snow days… It takes 12-18 inches of snow before they cancel school so we only get a few a year. The world is magical and we don’t venture out into it… Except my hubs who insists shoveling is something he enjoys and he is not too cheap to pay a plow man! 🙂
M daughter and I stay in yoga pants and hoodies all day… We drink cocoa and I make soup… Last blizzard it was meatball and kale, the one before it was chicken and wild rice… We watch old movies and 80’s tv on netflix and stay cuddled under quilts… I LOVE snow days!
YES! Love it…perfect snow day in the south and you gotta have carbs to make it though. We are constantly saying if you are too hot or cold just wait a day or two it’ll change. I saw on facebook “The South the only place you can get frostbite and sunburned in the same week.” Looks like y’all had a great day, we enjoyed ours too!.
Oh, I did grow up on biscuits and gravy! My mom and aunt both made them with ground sausage grease and my mom always said browning the flour in the grease made the difference. My aunt used Pet milk and it was SOOOO good! I will have to add the bit of sugar and nutmeg – sounds good!
V
Beautiful pictures! And, yep, we loaded up on some carbs down here in SC, too. Made breakfast for supper one night (scrambled eggs, grits, bacon) and then decided we needed some homemade banana nut bread for dessert. 🙂
Those pictures of your yummy biscuits make me want to whip up a batch today. Thanks for sharing!
Sheesh, with a husband on a low-carb diet, I had to sneak handfuls of chocolate chips from the cupboard for my snow-carbs! But I can’t say we didn’t eat well – there’s some good low-carb comfort food out there: salmon cakes & sauteed mixed greens for lunch, quiche loaded w/zucchini and summer squash and parsley rescued to the back porch, eaten with tasty baked chicken drumsticks…I could almost, ALMOST have done without the chocolate chips…