When the weather reporters claimed that we would be getting 3 – 6 inches of snow in Atlanta. I said, “Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it.” I really didn’t expect much more than a light dusting. I mean, come on, this is Hotlanta. I’ve lived here almost twelve years and never seen anything like what transpired this past week.
Well, that’ll teach me not to doubt mother nature.
Last Saturday, a client called nervous about the impending storm. I was scheduled to shop for him on Monday, and he suggested that I may want to go before the snow started. So, Adam and I headed to the store hoping to avoid the mayhem that ensues before a storm…only to find that the Farmer’s Market had already been cleared out of bread! Unreal. It felt strange in there, this looming force hanging above all of the shoppers- like we might never to be able to get out of our homes again. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Adam and I stocked up a little too, thinking we might just be trapped for a day or two. Milk, eggs, meat, a few veggies, and supplies for pesto and creme brulee. (Adam got a new torch and ramekins that he was dying to try.)
Sunday night, we ate a delicious dinner of homemade raviolis in pesto sauce over at our friends’ place. When I went to retrieve Adam’s creme brulee from the porch (God’s refrigerator), there was still no sign of snow. About 20 minutes later, after practically licking our creme brulee bowls clean, the snow had started to fall as if it was running low on time. An inch of icy snow had already accumulated on our car and everything else in our southern town. It sounded like Tic Tacs were falling rapidly from the sky. We said our goodbyes, scooted out, and spent the rest of the evening amazed at the quickness with which the snow blanketed our world.
Monday morning, not only were schools closed, but Adam Price had a snow day too! Unheard of!
The government shut down, the stores did not open, and the all-weather postman did not report for duty.
Woohoo! Snow day! The first day was fun, exciting, new, and full of adventure.
Cheese-filled garlic and herb biscuits with eggs over easy made for a lovely, late morning breakfast.
Then, we bundled up (I had on so many layers I could hardly button my coat!), slid into our boots, and crunched through the tundra to visit our neighbors.
Strawberry snow-mosas are totally festive and delicious! Though we enjoyed that brunchy cocktail, we could not stay, we had to venture on…Realizing that we would be trapped for more than just a day or so, I recognized a visceral need for more CHEESE!!! How is anyone supposed to make it through a snowstorm without copious amounts of cheese?!?!? So we continued on our walking adventure.
We slowly and happily made our way to a very eerie Walmart at the end of our neighborhood. I felt like we were in some strange post-apocalyptic movie. Only a few folks were in the ginormous mega-super-store, and the shelves were looking pretty bare already. Ironically, we still had to wait in line at the register.
Cheese in our backpack, we headed back to the house.
It was a perfect day for soup, and thankfully, I had made a big ole pot of chicken tortilla soup before the snow started! Just what the doctor ordered. I’ll tell you all about this simple bowl of goodness another time.
Over the next few days, our town continued to be on lock down, and we cooked and ate a motley collection of meals, some of which did not follow my usual guidelines of fresh and healthy. I’ll share with you all the gory details in chronicling my snowpocalypse experience so you can really come along for the ride. You gotta be resourceful and have a sense of humor in times like these!
On day one, we got down our fryer, battered up some chicken,
double dredged it in corn meal and flour,
and fried it to a beautiful golden brown. We made BLCCs for dinner. Bacon, Lettuce, Chicken, and Cheese sammiches with polenta fries. Delish.
The next day, our front yard still looked like an iceberg and our street was still very much like an ice skating rink. The schools and everyone else stayed closed, and we did not put the fryer away. Nope. Instead, we embarked upon fried chicken nachos.
My husband revealed a jar of Cheese Wiz- usually reserved for one very special holiday dish- bacon rollups. But, desperate times call for desperate measures, people.
We spiced up that Wiz and fried up some corn tortilla chips.
Oh, the crispy, salty perfection of homemade chips! Why have we not done this before?!?! Oh- because I try to ignore that fryer as best I can- to insure that I will be able to fit into my jeans another day. But, the snow day was an exception to the rule.
We layered those crispy delights with fried chicken, cheese sauce, pickled jalapenos, and lettuce. Hey- there’s a vegetable or two!
They disappeared with a quickness.
Every bite was like a little gift in my mouth.
Ahh. Then we watched a silly movie, played a bunch of cards, and even had time (haha) for a round of Scrabble. On to dinner, my friends.
Only one picture of the most delicious patty melt in America.
I think I was too hungry to take any more photos, but please imagine a perfectly red, juicy center on that burger and the sweetest caramelized onions ever on thinly sliced French batard with just the right amount of chew to it. Mmmm.
On day three, my hubby had to go back to work. Schools were closed again- well, they stayed closed all week long. My car was still trapped at the top of my steep, icy driveway. More soup and dreams of warmer days got me through.
That night, I had to have something healthy to eat! I needed some variety in my life!
I marinated my pork in the last of my fresh thyme, Dijon mustard, garlic, and lemon juice. I snapped fresh green beans and cooked up some toasted whole wheat Canadian couscous, which I tossed in an herby vinaigrette I had in my fridge.
Ah, the freshness made my body smile!
On day four, my sanity was beginning to wane and my refrigerator was looking pretty bleak. I waited until the sun had melted at least some of the ice on my driveway and inched my car on down. Narrowly avoiding my mailbox, I did manage to move my car to the street, pointed in the direction of the rest of the world, and the grocery store…It was Thursday, and there were rumors about warming temperatures on Friday. So, I pulled out the last of our meat in the freezer- ground turkey and breakfast sausage, and I plotted an Everything Including the Kitchen Sink Turkey Meatloaf.
The last of the scallions, garlic, and carrots plus an onion, homemade breadcrumbs, the last of the Parmesan cheese, and some hot chili sauce. That sauce is sort of like Asian ketchup. I have a major aversion to American ketchup, unless it’s on a burger. I would normally make a lovely roasted pepper glaze to top my meatloaf, but, of course, that was impossible. This is what the grocery shelves were looking like:
So, I made do with what I had in my kitchen and topped the meatloaf with Asian hot chili sauce and buffalo sauce. Normally, I would not condone such mixtures, but I had to just cross my fingers.
I also roasted an acorn squash- one of those few vegetables I had grabbed pre-snow.
And boiled the last of our peas and lima beans for some green veggie goodness.
And, I am so happy to report that this last supper of the snowpocalypse lock down week was truly scrumptious.
The turkey meatloaf was full of flavor and moisture. The squash was subtle and warming. The peas and limas were a sweet complement.
It was a surprisingly yummy ending to an unexpected week of forced snowy relaxation. And in hindsite, a great way to clear out our refrigerator and freezer!
Friday, I made my way to the Farmer’s Market and slowly drank in the beautiful colors and kinds of fruits, vegetables, breads, flowers, cheeses, meats, and people. I felt grateful to be out of my house and back in my happy place- a land of creative opportunities and delicious possibilities.
Ah, all stocked up again! Now I feel much better!
Hope you all made it through the snowy mayhem safely, happily, and with a full belly.
What did you eat during the snowpocalypse? I would love to hear what got you all through the snow and ice!
Here’s to warmer times!
ashli
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