Spring Treats for Springy People

Yesterday, if you didn’t hear, was National Chocolate Mint Day.

And apparently, almost everyday is some kind of celebratory, national day. Like Create a Vacume Day…or Be Humble Day.

Sort of silly. Right?

Well. You won’t be able to guess what day it is today (and no…we are not talking about President’s Day).

Today is Hoodie-Hoo Day (and I would like to point out that it is a copywrited “holiday”, so it is official).

I know what you’re thinking, heck I thought the same exact thing. What in the world is Hoodie-Hoo Day?

Hoodie-Hoo Day is a day to chase out winter and bring in spring. People who live in the northern hemisphere are sick of being stuck in the house with no warmth and good sunshine…so they go outside around noon, wave their hands over their heads…and say Hoodie-Hoo multiple times.

I don’t know about you guys but my first thought was “What kind of crazy birds do this?”

Google image search “Hoodie Hoo Day”.

And just to ease everyone’s mind, I do not believe this was made up by some magic witch cult. Apparently a few people created a lot of “National” holidays including Hoodie Hoo Day and even No Housework Day (which is in April, if you’re curious).

So instead of my neighbors calling the looney bin because someone (me) has been running around the street singing “Hoodie-Hoo”…I’m going to make a sweet spring treat to “show” winter that I am ready for spring.

Bird’s Nest Spring Treat

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 4-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 cups chow mein noodles
• 1 cup jelly beans or candy eggs

Directions:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and marshmallows until smooth, stirring occasionally. Add the peanut butter and chocolate chips; heat and stir for 2 minutes or until smooth. Remove from the heat; stir in chow mein noodles until well coated.
•    Divide into 12 mounds on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Using fingers, shape each into a nest; press an indentation in the center of nest. Fill each nest with three or four jelly beans or candy eggs. Cool and serve.

*If you want to go all out, make the nests a little bigger…and add a marshmallow peep. Voila. Completes the spring look.

Have a Hoodie-Hoo day!

Let It Snow?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who likes snow?

I don’t like it…I love it.

Sure, it’s cold and wet. And like you, I dread that snowball that smacks your face and falls into your coat.

But when you’re sitting inside wearing your favorite sweater, drinking hot cocoa, and listening to that christmas music that repeats itself starting the week of Thanksgiving to New Years Eve, the snow completes the scene.

Sure spring has the pretty flowers in bloom, but there is also tons of pollen and muddy.

Summer is nice. You get to swim and lick the dripping ice cream off the cone.

Fall is equally pleasing, apple cider and for about two weeks the leaves are perfect colors.

In my opinion, winter is the best. Why? I’ll explain in my Top Tens.

10. Deals at the stores are amazing

9. Peppermint coffee in every coffee shop

8. You get to use those nice, fuzzy, warm sweaters that you save just for winter

7. Christmas music (you could argue that it should go on the worst part about winter Top Ten list, but I differ)

6. Decorating. Who doesn’t love pulling out the tree (or picking one out) and making the house oh so festive?

5. Spreading holiday cheer by donating or volunteering. A bit cliché? Yes. Still makes you feel good? Of course.

4. Re-gifting. Got a horrible gift last year? You can give it to someone else this year. Money saved and more space for other useless items your going to receive this year.

3. Christmas Eve/Day.

2. Presents. No one wants to admit that they love getting gifts because they don’t want to look selfish, especially when this is the “time of giving”

1. The view from your window. I could put family on number one but I have to say that looking at the snow on the trees and bushes, makes everything better. Christmas lights top it off at night.

I would do a Top Ten-Hate edition but I am not going to.

I noticed a lot of people in the midwest complaining about the snow and how they hate the snow.

This confuses me.

Why?

Because they live in the midwest…where snow always arrives. Every winter it snows. Every winter people complain.

And I am not just talking about teenagers here. Adults who are fully capable of moving complain.

unfortunately, they complain during all the seasons. Its rainy, its hot, the bugs are everywhere, its cold, its sunny.

Now I admit I have done my share of complaining. I can’t stand the heat and bugs so I probably complain about summer the most. I used to complain about winter but I was also getting face washes from my family.

Anyway,

This season we should take a vow to not complain about the weather. We should be grateful. Greatful that we can even see, hear, and feel the seasons.

To further appreciate the snow this season, I have a recipe for snow ice cream.

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup white sugar

1 gallon snow

-In a big bowl, combine evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla and sugar until smooth. Gradually stir in snow until mixture reaches desired consistency.

Eat at once.

See? Good things do come out of snow.

Now I do recommend that the snow isn’t yellow. I also recommend that you have at least 2 feet of fresh snow on the ground before getting your gallon. And by fresh I mean, just snowed last night or this morning.

If your worried about the eggs, I guess you could exclude them from the recipe…however it won’t be the same consistency.