When I was a child and a snow day was called, there wasn’t much better in the school year. A free day of no study! My brothers and I would head out to the sandbank across the road, sleds and flying saucers in tow, and we’d play outside until we nearly froze to death. It didn’t matter if our mittens were not insulated or waterproof, we could care less if our boots leaked a bit and filled with snow, and we were glad to offer our hats to any snowmen we made. By the time we made it into the house, red faced and probably soaked through, we knew there would be hot chocolate waiting for us and a line strung over the kerosene stove to dry all our various outside clothes. There would probably be soup for supper as well. We’d warm up on the inside as well as the outside.
A chill in unlikely places
I still love and look forward to a snow day! We’ve been expecting this for days, and it’s been quite a week for weather. Below zero temperatures most nights and very little improvement in the day. But you still have to keep going despite the chill, but I like to pick my moments wisely. My girlfriend Leslie and I headed out to a local cafe at the Gardener’s Supply greenhouse. Yes, they serve right in the greenhouse next to the fountain, and it was worth leaving the house for, and delicious too. Another bright spot, literally, this week was two-night show of the aurora borealis for many of us in the north. I think when I went out to photograph them, quickly I’ll add, it was about -4 F., but it was well worth it. The snowstorm that hit much of the country in the last two days also brought temperatures that hovered around zero and dipped below, even at my friend’s house in Kentucky! Not the best weather for making the most of a snow day outside. I don’t think the skiers were amused by the bitterness, either.
Finally plowed out
While a lot of the gleeful kids enjoyed sledding today, still oblivious to the cold as when I was a kid, but perhaps not quite as wet with today’s more waterproof fabrics, it was inside for many adults, a time to enjoy some down time while waiting to get plowed out. As of 1:30 p.m. today, our snowplow guy has just arrived and our yard now boasts some very tall snowbanks. It’s still snowing rather hard, so he’ll probably have to come back for another swipe at the snow.
Time is fluid
I’ve spent my time reading, baking bread, and making soup. What I love the most about a snow day as an adult is that I realize I stop looking at the clock. I have no errands to run, no appointments to keep, no class to attend, and nothing that pulls me away from the house, so this precious expanse of time needs to just be savored. Maybe take a bubble bath in the middle of the day. The seed catalogues tempt me. I eat when I want to eat, write when I want to write, dance when I want to dance. And of course, cook when I want as well. I let my stomach decide and not the clock.
Let’s make chowder
With a lovely bunch of oyster mushrooms from this week’s winter market, I focused on a chowder. I took the extra step of hydrating some lovely local dried mushrooms as a base for a stock, they plumped up beautifully. In the freezer, I had stashed a few weeks’ worth of mushroom stems and onion peels that would also contribute to the broth of the finished dish. Once the dried mushrooms were rehydrated, I removed them and mingled the soaking liquid with the freezer scraps, an onion, and a few herbs and let a lovely stock simmer for a while. Not sure how long, it didn’t matter, but it was ready to strain when I was ready to make the soup, which took relatively little time once everything was chopped. By the way, if you have some corn cobs saved from last summer, you can toss those in while the potatoes simmer as well for more corn flavor.
Always options
You can use any dried or fresh mushroom for this dish, any color onion or potato, and if you don’t like corn, use another vegetable such as peas. I made mine with evaporated oat milk, but you can use regular dairy evaporated milk or evaporated skim milk, even the skim will add nice creaminess to the broth. Or, there’s always half-and-half! I used corn frozen from last summer, but you can use any frozen corn or fresh if it is in season where you are.
Old school potato flakes
To thicken ever so slightly, I used potato flakes. Look for a brand that has one ingredient only, dehydrated potatoes. There are a lot of brands out there that have a long list of additives and preservatives and they are not necessary at all. Easily found is Bob’s Red Mill dehydrated potato flakes with just the one ingredient. If you can find a variety that is also organic, all the better.
A little more time
I’m going to toss another log on the fire and make a cup of tea. Maybe I’ll feed the sourdough starter for more bread making tomorrow, I might enjoy another day to just stay put, the soaker tub is calling my name.
Oyster Mushroom and Corn Chowder
- 15 g. (1/2 oz.) dried mushrooms, they don’t weigh much!
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 24 g. (8 oz.) fresh oyster or other mushrooms, torn or sliced
- 1/3 cup dry sherry
- 300 g. (10 oz.) purple or red potatoes, small dice
- 4 cups mushroom or veggie stock
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
- 1 can evaporated oat or dairy milk
- ¼ cup potato flakes
- 2 tbsp. chives
Place the dried mushrooms in the boiling water and let sit until plump. Remove the mushrooms and save the soaking liquid. I made my own mushroom and onion stock from scraps for this recipe, but you can use any mushroom or veggie stock or even water, just include the soaking liquid in your four cups as it has tons of flavor.
In a soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onion until soft. Add the fresh mushrooms, rehydrated dried, and cook until the mushrooms are fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the sherry, and add the potatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes depending on how small your dice.
Add the corn, evaporated milk, and potato flakes. Let everything mingle for about ten minutes, then serve, garnishing with the chives and croutons if you like.
To further warm you up:
My mom always made her hot chocolate with unsweetened cocoa powder and sugar and milk, built-in memories with every sip. As an adult, I often used the simple method of melting really good chocolate into warmed milk, more decadent but on the expensive side. What I discovered one day when comparing the two batches, that a hybrid of both was even better than either original version. This is how I make it now.
Better than Mom’s Hot Chocolate
- 2 -3 tbsp. unsweetened Droste cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp. organic white sugar
- 3 cups milk or plant milk, any percentage
- Pinch of salt
- 4 ounces (or a little more) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
In a medium saucepan over medium low, heat and stir the cocoa powder and sugar into the milk along with a pinch of salt. Let warm to a simmer, remove from the heat, and add the chocolate. Gently stir until melted.
Pour into cups. If you really want to be naughty, top with a bit of whipped cream.
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“I love snow for the same reason I love Christmas; it brings people together while time stands still,” ~ Richelle E. Goodrich
We were lucky that it was a clear night with just a sliver of a moon in which to view the northern lights. Always amazing.
A delicious way to keep warm.
Thanks Karen! Warm from the inside out!
The soup looks fabulous for a snowy day. What a heap of snow you have. Years ago when I lived in the UK we were snowed in to our little village with 15 foot snowdrifts and -21 temperatures. Those were the days!! 😂 Luckily, it wasn’t a yearly occurrence! Bring on the hot chocolate with masses of whipped cream……….
Mary :))
I’ll make sure to serve yours with lots of whipped cream Mary!
That sounded like quite a storm!!!! Definitely something to remember.
Love It!!!
Thank you!
Snow days. Delicious!!
It’s the best, and I did take time for a bubble bath!
The best combination for a snowstorm. ❄️❄️🧊❄️
Shall I make yours with whipped cream Gail?
A dollop of marshmallow creme. No judgment. Dorothy. 😜🍃☕️
Never!
I could offer a fluffernutter to go with that…my personal favorite childhood sandwich.
🤣 Those memories sustainable us.
Snow means slow. You have the perfect combination with soup, hot chocolate & a bath. There’s aImost always a pot of soup in the fridge. I know there’s some borscht in the freezer & some leftover cabbage soup in the cold room. A recipe is just a suggestion as I look to see what needs using up.
That’s the best way to cook, my friend! I think of my recipes as suggestions, how I made it on a certain day, and I seldom make anything exactly the same from time to time. There’s always wiggle room, and using what we have on hand, and definitely what we’ve wisely tucked in the freezer, goes a long way in curbing food waste.
Exactly. I keep soup in the freezer for those warm and toasty lunches. ✅
I do too, and my husband is a little picky about eating leftovers unless I disguise them, so if I pop the soup in the freezer, it’s a new dish a few weeks (months) later.
Smart lady. 🤣
Can’t beat a bowl of soup
Especially when you’ve just got nearly two feet of snow!
Especially then
Thank you very much for sharing your process and recipes. Your soup in particular sounds and looks sooo good!
Oh, you are very welcome! My pleasure to share with all of you.
There’s nothing better for a snow day than a steaming bowl of homemade soup. I love oyster mushrooms and I haven’t cooked with them in ages, this recipe looks perfect!
Thank you J M! Soup is definitely the way to go, especially when the temperatures dip. Where are you located?
Love the soup! And your photo! The potato flakes are an interesting addition. Are they what people use to make mashed potatoes??
Yes, sometimes they are called instant mashed potatoes and they taste terrible as such. But I use them for two purposes, to thicken a soup, and to coat fish that I shallow fry, the latter being a really pronounced fried potato flavor that goes really well with the fish.
Snow days as a child were always so much fun, thanks for the memories! The soup looks simply delicious!
Thank you! It was really tasty, and warming through and through.
Your chowder looks so yummy, D, and now I’m craving hot chocolate and biscotti. Off to the kitchen!
Dunk away sis!
I dunked and it was delish!
Amazing photo of the lights!! I love hot chocolate, but will readily admit I’ve never made it from scratch. It looks delicious. I envy you your plow guy, because I’ve snow blowed twice with another one scheduled for tomorrow morning. I also remember the days of not feeling the cold like I do now. 🙂
Our driveway is a quarter of a mile long. We wouldn’t finish one pass until spring!
In the middle of heat wave conditions coming and going it’s hard to think of snow and cold. But, your images almost blow me away! So much snow… Enjoy your heat creations, especially the hot chocolate – and the bubble bath…
The bubble bath was divine! Cleaned out all the chakras, too!
As we are unlikely to get snow here its lovely to see pictures of fresh fallen snow…Thank you for the memories Dorothy as children like you we spent all our time outside in the snow…The soup looks and sounds delicious and I love my hot chocolate made with real chocolate me and Lils made some over Christmas and she won’t have it any other way now….Stay warm , Dorothy xx
Thanks Carol! I’m staying in as much as possible for sure! But after a couple of days, I don’t mind braving the cold to get out into the frigid but very fresh air!
We don’t get as many snow days as you do. But when it happens , it is so beautiful with the snowflakes in the air. A bowl of soup and hot cocoa would make a perfect day!
Simple pleasures, Jan!
Snow days were always such a treat. Lovely post! Chowder looks great!
Thank you Angela! Snow days are a good reminder to slow down.
You had me at soup and I’m glad I stayed for the hot chocolate! Perfect way to forget it’s cold out.
You’re so right! It’s a steamy diversion, like bubble baths!
Looks good! That is a lot of snow!
Hopefully the groundhog will give us good news Monday!
I had forgotten all about the groundhog!
👁️ the perfect, cozy retreat.
Thanks!
Delicious! I still have some fresh/frozen from the summer, so I know exactly what I’ll be making this weekend! Love the idea of thickening the chowder with potato flakes.
As for the hot chocolate, you’ve definitely found the best of both methods! 🙂
Potato flakes are such a great hack for soup. Your soup is full of color just like the beautiful Northern Lights picture!
Thanks Diane!
Oh, soup and a snow day go well together!
Since we have been back here in Pennsylvania (leaving soon, though), we have been eating meals I had in the freezer. Two different soups were frozen in the fall and have made it to the table now in the winter. There’s nothing better on a cold, snowy day! Thanks for another great recipe. Stay warm!!
Ah, a wise woman with a treasure trove in her freezer!
Wow, look at your backyard under all that snow! Loving this mushroomy chowder. There’s something so comforting about those firm and chewy shrooms. 😋 I find that I do the same thing when we are snowed in (as we were in North Carolina, too); I stop caring how long it takes to make or do anything. In many ways, I relish these snow days!
I love a snow day, not just five of them in a row!