·:[ Jason On A Shtick ]:·
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We finally got our first good snow since Lindsay has been old enough to appreciate it. We went out in the morning, played in the snow and had a good time. When it was time to come in, Jenny had hot cocoa ready for us. I asked her for a bowl so that I could bring in some snow to make snow cream. She looked at me strangely and asked “For what?” as if I were speaking some other language. I was shocked that she didn’t know what I was talking about. I thought snow cream was a Kentucky tradition, but I guess those folks in the “deep south” around Bowling Green don’t get enough snow to enjoy this delicacy. Just in case you were robbed of it in your youth, too, here’s how to make it.

You need:

• a bowl of unsoiled snow
• sugar
• vanilla extract
• milk

Start by taking a bowl outside and skimming the edge of it along the top of some fresh snow. Obviously, the snow has to be deep enough so that you don’t pick up any grass or muck. Next, add some sugar. I’d guess I put about three quarters of a cup into a medium sized bowl of snow, though I never measure exactly. Same goes with the vanilla extract – I probably use about two tablespoons of it.  You just have to experiment and figure out your particular taste.

Finally, add in milk and stir everything together. You want your snow cream to have a consistency similar to a milkshake, but don’t add too much or it will be too runny. You can even store the extra snow cream in the refrigerator (best to use a stainless steel bowl to help it stay cold enough), but it won’t last for very long. Now, pour out a cereal bowl portion of snow cream for everyone and slurp up this delicious winter treat along side your hot cocoa!

In the spirit of comparing apples to apples, the Go, Diego, Go! Live show is much better than that Disney Playhouse crapper. All the things that were bad about the Disney show – the poor sound, the terrible seating on the side (they didn’t even have those edge sections open at the Diego show) and the general cheapness of it all – were not a problem at the Diego show.

My only small complaint is about the “flying birds”. During the show, there are many animals that are controlled by sticks and wires off stage. But in a couple of scenes, a human in some crazy camouflage garb walks right out into the show while holding one of these birds up in the air. There are certainly less obtrusive ways to get the bird to go across the stage, such as hanging it from wires or having the operator hide further behind the backdrops.

Something I also found interesting was the absence of the “gauntlet of flashy, expensive toys” while entering the show. At the Disney show and every other kids’ event we’ve been to, booth after booth of the stuff lined the path from the Rupp Arena entrance to the doors of the arena. However, there was not a single vendor to be found outside. I do think I saw some inside, which is fine with me. I like having the option of choosing whether to approach that booth.