Chicago finally got it’s first significant winter storm. A solid 28 hours of blizzarding dumped nearly two feet of snow, and even though the streets and alleys are a mess I think we’re all not-so-secretly excited about it. Everyone here is joking that the East Coast got five days of news coverage for their storm, but humble Chicago gets slammed with 20 inches of snow and it is barely mentioned in the national media. I guess we’re just tougher in the Midwest!

Mercifully, the kids had a snow day from school on Monday. After the late night up with their friends on Sunday for the Super Bowl, an early morning wake up would not have been appreciated. Plus, I really love tucking in to a cozy home with the littles. While Ben napped and Mack constructed Lego space ships, the girls and I read “Little House in the Big Woods” under a pile of blankets in Vivian’s bed. Perfect.

Perhaps one of everyone’s favorite parts about the snow day was the homemade snow ice cream we made with snow from our balcony. Fluffy and pristine, it was the perfect base for an early morning treat.

Snow Day Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (we use homemade vanilla extract)

dash of kosher salt

4-6 cups of freshly fallen snow

In a large bowl, whisk milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. Pile in the fresh snow and stir well. Scoop into cups, top with sprinkles and serve to happy kids.