according to our local weather guru, cliff mass, and something one learns as a native, it takes a very rare and special confluence of events to bring significant snow to my city. that being said, even as a child, i awaited snow with a kind of ferocity because i believed it meant participating in a shared, mythical, event.

as children snow days were rare, but they were wonderful. we often used up every bit of snow in the yard constructing snowmen, forts, and snowballs. then we’d run inside where my mother had snacks and hot chocolates waiting for us. we might walk to the library, stopping for hot drinks along the way. and every now and again i’d gaze up and see the snow falling against the tall evergreens.

in other words, it doesn’t snow often here. when it snows, it’s almost like a winter festival/holiday has spontaneously erupted. the city shuts down. the university closes. everyone lives on a hill and cannot drive their cars. and people bundle up into their make-shift snow gear and run into the streets.

somehow, my neighborhood breakfast diner is miraculously open, and my husband and i begin the day with strawberry topped belgian waffles and steaming mugs of hot chocolate topped with a tower of whipped cream. nothing tastes better than strawberry waffles when one is sitting by the window of a cafe and looking out into the white and silent streets, while the snow keeps falling down. and piling up. it’s so good that we stuff ourselves silly. way too silly. and decide to work off breakfast by a walk in the snow.

we walk down about 40 blocks past the zoo and wonder if it’s open? (no.) but we think about how much fun it would be to see the animals frolicking. my hat is literally frozen with ice that’s collected on it, and his shoes are starting to soak through, so we turn around and head back to our cozy apartment. on the way home we see other snow animals outside the local bookstore–which amazingly, is open. along the way we see the local pubs, pizzerias, cafes, and markets bustling with people–enjoying the snow day. like a more public version of conventional winter holidays–it has community feel. we say hello to each other as we pass on the streets, and ask our barista if he had troubles getting in to work. we tell our server that we hope his commute home is safe.

the neighborhood kids congregate at hills that have been blocked off because of the snow, and sled down. our local hardware store sells out of sleds and toboggans.

when we get home we shake off our coats, gloves, hats, scarves and knock our shoes against the steps. we hang our wet outer ware in the bathroom to dry and we open the curtains and sit together, looking out onto the snowy streets. we have a cup of chocolate.

snow days are about daily pleasures–little things. brightly colored scarves and hot drinks. baking indoors and the purity of the snow, covering up all the imperfections in the streets. it’s about a normal daily walk turning into something wondrous. sitting in front of a fire with friends and family. rituals for an unofficial holiday, which comes but only once-in-a-while.

image borrowed from simplestthings.com

baking lore tells us that snickerdoodles are an old-fashioned soft cookie–stuffed with butter and rolled in cinnamon-sugar. meant to be crispy on the outside and deliciously chewy on the inside, the snickerdoodle is close to one of the most perfect cookies around. and, i have to say, pretty easy to make. in the early days of my foray into baking, i disturbingly “fudged” every possible cookie there was. (not including fudge, which i have still not attempted to make.) burnt, too sweet, too salty, inedible, full of rancid almonds…there was literally no end to the way i could mess up cookies.

my mom shared my great-grandmother’s recipe for snickerdoodle cookies with me at some point. i had no idea what a snickerdoodle was. but the first time i made them, they came out perfectly, and were so uniform they looked almost store-bought (unlike the uneven mess that usually came out of the oven for me).

then, not-too-long-ago, i discovered cougar mountain cookies. these became one of my guilty pleasures, especially as i had discovered the lemon snickerdoodles on one of my speedy trips through a local grocery store to procure treats on the way to the outdoor cinema. what a lucky discovery! recently a colleague of mine was selling this cookie dough by the pound for her daughter’s school fundraiser. needless to say i bought it and baked it up. i took them to work and they were a big hit!

then i realized–why not make lemon snickerdoodles myself? i have a great recipe, just sub in lemon extract for vanilla, and voila! fully homemade lemon snickerdoodles! one lovely detail i’ve seen is to sprinkle poppy seeds on top. it’s like a breath of spring in this lovely season.

image borrowed from twopeasandtheirpod.com

makes 48 cookies

1 cup of shortening or margarine (or 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup shortening)

1.5 cups of white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of lemon extract*

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

2.75 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

.25 teaspoon of salt

set aside some white sugar in a bowl (1/4 cup)*

1. preheat oven to 400 f
2. cream the shortening and 1.5 cups of sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer. add egss and vanilla/lemon extract and mix again with mixer.
3. add in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt and mix until doughy.
4. roll dough into 1 inch or so balls.
5. roll dough in the sugar you set aside
6. place onto an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
7. flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.
8. bake 8-10 mins
9. remove immediately and let cool.

*note: for traditional snickerdoodle cookies, use vanilla instead of lemon extract, and mix cinnamon into the sugar set aside for rolling the dough in.

if you read this blog, or if you know me personally and happened to wander over here, you may know that i’m a little bit obsessed with tea. particularly tea rituals, tea ceremony, and baking tea goodies. as much as i enjoy baking, you may have also guessed that i am a little baking phobic.

so i’ll admit it! the freshly-baked scones for my tea parties, brunches, and office-meetings-when-it’s-my-turn-to-provide-the-snacks come from a box! that’s right! fisher’s fair scone mix, to be exact. i like it because it’s, first of all, good, and i only have to add water (not additional cream or butter), and because it’s plain i can customize it easily (adding cranberries, almonds, blueberries, raisins…anything!). it works for me every time, and everyone loves them. that worked until i took a load of laundry home to use my parent’s washing machine and left a tea towel i bought last time i went to the empress hotel in victoria, bc. the towel had a recipe for their signature scones on it, and apparently my dad gave it a go.

now my dad teases me about “my” scones. he says he doesn’t want them unless they are made from scratch. when i retell the story to friends i get responses like “scones are a quick bread! it’s so easy!” to “i’m sure you could make them from scratch if you wanted to!” but i kept resisting. my fisher’s scone mix is trustworthy. we were buddies.

so the other week, it WAS my turn to bring treats for the staff meeting. i had planned to grab something on my way home from visiting my parents when my dad decided to make scones–his coworkers had been asking for them. he asked if i wanted to help him out (since he was making a double batch), and then it clicked–i could just take my dad’s scones in to work!

so we rolled out over 70 scones, and ate at least a dozen straight out of the oven–hot with butter and cherry preserves. he sent me home with 2 dozen, which were a huge hit at work. (something about all the butter and heavy whipping cream makes these scones irresistible–and FULL of calories.) now i know why the empress only serves 1 to each guest!

Victorian Empress Scones–Fairmont Empress Hotel Recipe (makes 35 scones)

2 lbs. 4 oz. Flour (about 4.5 cups) | 9 oz Sugar (about 1 cup, 2 Tbsp) | 9 oz butter (cold) | 2o oz Baking Powder (about 1/4 cup) | 6 oz Raisins (about 2/3 cup) | 5.5 eggs | 16 oz Heavy Whipping Cream | Pinch of Salt

1. Crumb flour, butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.

2. Add beaten eggs to crumb mixture slowly.

3. Add raisins to mixture.

4. Add heavy whipping cream to mixture, mix dough until smooth.

5. Roll out on floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut to desired size/shape.

6. Using the remaining half-egg, egg wash the tops of the scones, and sprinkle course sugar on top.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

8. Eat at least one straight out of the oven with butter and jam.

9. Share!

i included some of my home-made “jam.” i’ve learned recently that one cannot market something as jam if it isn’t made with pectin. i love making jam, but i end up with so much of it. and i always feel guilty about the 1:1 fruit:sugar ratio. so i recently had started buying a french fruit preserve that is sweetened only with fruit juice, and with no pectin. when i looked up what the jar meant by “old french recipe” i realized it just meant letting it reduce with a little sugar. so i’ve started making my own “preserves” to use at home with fresh fruit. one small jar at a time.

making it this way lets me experiment with the flavors. probably the most popular one was a vanilla-satsuma spread. but another popular one was a red zinfandel-white peach preserve. my favorite, and the one i brought to work, was a simple autumn blackberry preserve with a small amount of sugar. it thickened up enough to spread on scones and peanut-butter sandwiches, and i don’t feel like i might as well be eating candy. and more of the fruit flavor comes out. more or less, i just cook down fruit with a bit of sugar to taste, and let it cook for a long time. i don’t even smash it very much–so that the fruit flavor and texture comes out in tact. so far, so good! and cheaper than making, or buying, high quality jams!

two-and-a-half years ago, we didn’t think about it. we didn’t see it coming. sure, we’d been to like 25 weddings, but we were so wrapped up in the food, drink, dancing, friends and gossip, that we didn’t think about the 25 babies that were heading our way. in just about 2.5 years.

it’s always been fun to include kids in our circle of friends–when the first baby arrived in our little circle of friends about six years ago, we quickly figured out how cute baby stuff is, and how much fun it is to shop for babies. a couple years later, two more little boys came and my “uncle” husband and auntie me have a lot of fun shopping for our youngest friends.

of course, uncle husband had a few rules. like, we should always buy books. and auntie me preferred to buy baby goods from local vendors. as some of the older kids in our group grew up, though, we rediscovered the magic of toy shopping. in our new neighborhood there is an amazing locally owned toy store. the first time we walked in, looking for a toy (having disappointed the recipient for about 2 years with book gifts), we both gasped. i felt like i was 5 years old again and everything i had ever dreamed or wanted was contained in the store. costumes, rocks, miniature kitchen toys, model cars, robots, stuffed animals, and giant bubble wands. my husband got caught up with the toy trains and stuffed elephants, and a paper book of monster-dolls that can be punched out and put together with glue. we were both glad that we had a “legitimate” reason to be seen in a toy store… because we had an awesome time.

now we have a little godson (just turned 1) and some friends who are 6, 4, 3, 2–and a bunch of new friends we’re patiently waiting to meet. and all the sudden it seems like everyone we know is expecting. it’s an exciting time for us–though probably more exciting for the parents-to-be. and we’re kind of broke. and to avoid some of the pitfalls of the summer-of-25-weddings, i decided to literally take matters into my own two hands. because, who is more local than me? what is more hand-made than something i worked hard to make? and when i can walk down the street to the local yarn store to buy soft merino/camel wool yarn in bright colors to produce something that every new baby needs…i feel like we have a recipe for success. and if i can produce a thoughtful, hand-made, high-quality product by replacing some of the $$ cost with some of my time, then it’s time well-spent, and a well-given gift.

so, this winter, i’ve been knitting away. these little hats are so fun to make because they can be colorful! some can be in traditional gendered colors, and others intentionally ignore the classic pairings in favor of bringing a little brightness into the winter baby’s new little life. they take a couple hours to make, and the pattern is fairly simple–and so not difficult to mass-produce. what might be best is that i knit to relax regardless. and feeling productive–like i’m doing useful work, and creating something thoughtful–producing something to give, helps me relax and makes me feel good to boot!

having had no idea how big a baby’s head is, i finally came up with a general size. on size 7 circular needles, i cast on 50 stitches. you can either do all knit, all the way around and get a cute curled up lip, or do a knit/purl for 5 or so rows to get a little rib. then i knit all the way around until the body is about 4-4.5 inches, and i start doing decreases on every 5th stitch. then when i get down to about 10-15 stitches, i loop the yarn through the open stitches and synch the top closed. then i use the extra yarn to start a little braid at the top, or a poof. i like to stripe the yarn, which is really easy–at the end of each row, just change up the yarn. it is easiest with just 2 colors, one row each, but the i started to get creative with some other patterns and wider stripes. and i don’t waste any of the yarn, so some of the designs are definitely leftover-yarn-inspired.

i’ve felt really happy to be able to give something to my lovely friends as they venture into parenthood. something i created and made with my own two hands while i thought about the little ones who would wear them soon. and something that is meaningful. it’s a way to connect and celebrate that feels a little more personal than clicking something off a registry. even when our friends, and their little ones, are far, far away–we can send them a little bit of ourselves. we’re thinking of and missing the ones that we haven’t even met.

image borrowed from: http://www.vashonhistory.com/

another year has flown by, and i can’t believe it! that makes 4 since the day my husband and i were married. it doesn’t seem all that long ago, yet in some ways, it feels like ages. we’ve both grown and changed… and both grateful that our relationship has grown and changed to accommodate who we are individually.

this year we’re continuing to explore our home region and going to places that (especially i, as a northwesterner for 24 years) we have little excuse to not have gone to. we’re looking for a relaxing adventure, a change of pace, some beautiful vistas, good eats, and a little wine.

and, as much as i love the city–a little absence makes the heart grow fonder.

so here’s to a weekend full of famer’s markets, museums, square dancing lessons, live big-band music, quaint bed & breakfasts, boat rides, and bicycling to mark 4 years of love, compromise, change, growth, disappointment, elation, adventure, and double-love we’ve shared!

i can’t wait!