Black and Whites

When you move to another state, you gain many things, but you give up others. We moved to Vermont almost 25 years ago and, don't get me wrong, I love it here. We have great skiing, a beautiful lake, Ben and Jerry's, King Arthur Flour, and the least angry city in the US (Burlington). However, one thing I really miss is New York bakeries - cakes with buttercream frosting, apple turnovers and black and white cookies. The bakeries here make great bread, but that's about it. I have yet to find one that makes a birthday cake that meets with my approval.

When my FIL was alive, DH would go to Long Island regularly and he would always stop at the bakery near his sister's home. He would bring two apple turnovers for me and two black and white cookies for DS#2. Now we rarely travel to Long Island, so I decided that if I wanted black and white cookies, I would have to make them myself. I searched online and found a recipe, but there was never an occasion to try it out. I certainly didn't want to make a batch of them for just DH and me.

Last weekend was the annual family ski trip when DH's cousins come to Vermont. It was fun to have a house full of company and it seemed like the perfect time to make the black and white cookies. The kitchen was a mess, but they came out looking pretty much like the real thing. The chocolate frosting could have been a little shinier, but the relatives thought they came from the bakery. I guess that's an indicator of success.

Too Much Snow and Too Much Time Equals...

I haven't been much of a blogger lately, but I'm back.

So after the the Ground Hog Day storm, we asked our snow plow guy to push the snow onto the front lawn instead of in from of the wood pile. He complied and this is the result.

I posted some photos of our giant pile of snow on FaceBook and my nephew suggested that it would make a palatial quinzee. I had to google the word because I had no idea what it was. It sounded like a good idea, so DH began the excavation.

As he did the burrowing, I removed the snow. First by snow shovel and then by bucket.

Soon the hole was big enough for me to fit.

I curled up for a little nap, but DH wanted the quinzee to be big enouogh for two, so we continued to dig.
It took all afternoon, but we did it. Our neighbor came over to take a photo of the two of us comnfortably ensconced in our creation. It is actually big enough for both of us to get fully inside.

So now we have this extra room for any guests who would like to come for a visit. It's very private although the it does not have a lot of amenities.