bowl of snow ice cream

We Made Snow Ice Cream (Yes, Really)

Last week, we experienced one of the larger snow storms we’ve had since moving to Springfield seven years ago. While it was still fairly modest in our area (coming in at around eight to nine inches total over a few days), we took the opportunity to stay home and observe the snow from the comfort of our apartment. However, a suggestion put forth by our local meteorologist Abby Dyer caught our attention: make snow ice cream. When we first heard her say this sentence, we figured she must be joking. But, once the recipe hit the screen, we knew we had to give it a shot.

So what is snow ice cream, exactly? Well, it starts by collecting half a gallon of fresh snow. Obviously, you’ll want to be cautious in your sourcing to ensure it’s clean. In our case, we looked to our deck, where enough accumulation allowed us to scoop off of the top without coming close to the wood planks below.

Once you’ve collected your snow, the next step is to grab one can of evaporated milk. Sidenote: as someone who doesn’t do much cooking or baking, evaporated milk has always struck me as being one of the most confusing names for a product – is the can just empty? Dad jokes aside, you’ll also need one cup of sugar to sweeten things up. Lastly, you’ll also add no more than one teaspoon of vanilla extract for flavor.

With these ingredients in the bowl, it’s just a matter of mixing it all up. My wife says she started by whisking the evaporated milk, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl and then stirring the mix into the snow bowl a bit at a time. Once everything was added, she continued to stir until she got the consistency she was seeking. Then, once you’re done, just scoop the finished product into a bowl and serve. While we didn’t bother adding any extra toppings, I imagine they’d actually work pretty well if you did.

The first thing that surprised us with our batch of snow ice cream was the consistency. While it wasn’t as smooth as real ice cream, it was also far from the Sno Cone-esque texture I was fearing. Next, I was also fairly impressed with the flavor, which was refreshingly creamy and rich (all things considered). That said, it also wasn’t the best ice cream I’ve ever had and the icy elements did become more obvious as I continued to eat.

Now for the question I’m sure you’re wondering: what does this have to do with personal finance? Well, I suppose that if you’re looking for a thrifty treat, then you can save a trip to the story and rely on mother nature instead. However, I think that this would actually be a great, fun snow day activity for families with kids — and, yes, still might save you a bit of money. Nevertheless, childless 36-year-old me still enjoyed our snow ice cream experiment and will look forward to our next serving… whenever that might be.

Author

Kyle Burbank

Kyle is a freelance writer and author whose first book, "The E-Ticket Life" is now available on Amazon. In addition to his weekly "Money at 30" column on Dyer News, he is also the editorial director and a writer for the Disney fan site LaughingPlace.com and the founder of Money@30.com.

Other Articles by Kyle Burbank

Alaska Airlines plane

Travel Tuesday: Alaska Airlines is Offering a Status Match Challenge to Delta Elites

A few weeks back, Delta announced numerous changes impacting their most loyal customers. While I personally focused on the SkyClub entry rules and restrictions that are on the way, the adjustments made to the SkyMiles program were arguably even more disruptive. Not only did the airline move to a model...
Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

My Quick Review of the Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

A couple of weeks back, in my column on Fioney, I somewhat lamented a recent splurge purchase — not because I was necessarily upset with what I bought but what the process of doing so said about some of my personal finance failings. The item in question was the Fellow...

Should You Buy, Lease, or Finance Your Next Smartphone?

Remember a few years ago when you thought that friend of yours who always had the latest model iPhone was crazy for spending that much? That’s changed in recent years as carriers and others now allow you to essentially lease your device. Taking a page from the auto industry, you...
The "Email" field is empty, you must enter some text to proceed.The text you entered in the "Email" field appears to be invalid, please edit it and try again
Get Posts in Your Inbox
Featured Articles
Alaska Airlines plane

Travel Tuesday: Alaska Airlines is Offering a Status Match Challenge to Delta Elites

A few weeks back, Delta announced numerous changes impacting their most loyal customers. While I personally focused on the SkyClub entry rules and restrictions that are on the way, the adjustments made to the SkyMiles program were arguably even more disruptive. Not only did the airline move to a model...
Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

My Quick Review of the Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

A couple of weeks back, in my column on Fioney, I somewhat lamented a recent splurge purchase — not because I was necessarily upset with what I bought but what the process of doing so said about some of my personal finance failings. The item in question was the Fellow...

Should You Buy, Lease, or Finance Your Next Smartphone?

Remember a few years ago when you thought that friend of yours who always had the latest model iPhone was crazy for spending that much? That’s changed in recent years as carriers and others now allow you to essentially lease your device. Taking a page from the auto industry, you...
Bilt and Curve credit cards

Bilt Has Seemingly Shut Down Rewards on Curve Transactions

Ya know, some weeks I really struggle to find a quick tip post to share. And then there are weeks like this that are so overflowing with news that I don't even know where to start. So, since I trust you've already read about the big news regarding Delta SkyMiles...