lambscapearchitect: snow day

As you may have heard by now, we had ourselves a little blizzard here in the midwest.

Even with all the hype and the warnings and the discussions and the predictions and the even more hype I still found myself standing in my kitchen this morning, in my pajamas, with my mouth hanging open in disbelief at what I was seeing. It was amazing.

We are fortunate that there was really nowhere we needed to be and, of course, school was cancelled so we just settled in for a long winter's nap--that may last until Saturday. We are only midway through the day we have already played in the playhouse, done 3 crafts, made Valentines, put on 2 musicals, baked bread, ventured out into the yard, watched some T.V., read books, and attempted naps. We are going to have to pace ourselves.

Always on a snow day I feel compelled to make a special lunch. One that is all warm and comforting and one that reminds me of being a kid. For me, there is no other choice that even comes close.
Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Done and done.

Grilled cheeses come pretty regularly in our house for the kids but I don't eat them very often unless an occasion such as 22 inches of snow calls for it. I have been told that I make the best grilled cheeses in the world!!! (this just in..."except for Edzo's"). Mine are nothing fancy, wheat bread, lots and lots of butter and whatever cheese happens to be in the fridge without mold on it---or, sometimes you know you can just cut that off. Shhhh.

I do make my own tomato soup and, yes, I can feel your eye roll. Listen, it is simple simple simple. I have never liked soup from a can that much and I have a basement full of tomatoes so this is a no brainer. I used the tomatoes I canned with my dad this summer and, even though it took me 20 minutes to get the lid off of the jar because he had screwed it on so tight, it was totally worth it. The recipe I link to below calls for tomatoes from a can which would be delicious as well. Most of this stuff you should have in your pantry and if you don't, feel free to improvise. This recipe is very forgiving and not fussy at all.

Treat yourself to a comforting and warm meal and try to stay warm and stay safe. You know where to find us if you need anything, we're not going anywhere. God, help us.