LET IT SNOW
Turns out there’s more to build in the snow than rotund little men with corncob pipes and button noses. While high-country merrymakers can don boots and parkas and tackle this project today, those of us at lower altitudes may need to tuck this idea — from “Snow Play,” by Birgitta Ralston ($14.94, Artisan Books, 2010) — away until January’s predictable doldrums.
In addition to rounding up a collection of innovative outdoor winter activities, Ralston has gone one step further by including an appendix of snow and ice festivals worldwide. Among them are the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge beginning the last week of January (), Snowdown in Durango Feb. 2-6 () and the Winter Carnival in Steamboat Springs, also Feb. 2-6 ().
And the author’s final word on the subject? “Now go outside, and play!”
Glow Cones
At dusk, these radiant snow sculptures are giant, earthy luminarias. The author writes that they “look amazing in the dark. The candle flames melt the snow, and the lights slowly sink inside the cones, making them glow from within for hours.”
You will need
sticky snow
bucket (at least 20 quarts)
hand shovel and larger shovel
outdoor candles
Directions
Using a shovel, fill the bucket with snow. With your (gloved) hands, compress the snow tightly into the bucket; add more snow, and compress again. At its widest point, the finished cone will be as wide as the bucket you use.
Pick the spot where you want to place your cone, and flip the bucket over, tapping the bottom with your hand shovel to release the cone. To make taller cones, stack compressed bucketfuls of snow on top of one another. Try making cones of different heights, using 1 to 3 buckets of snow for each.
Compress the cones gently using the hand shovel or your hands. Add snow to even out the transitions between buckets. Then, holding the shovel at an angle, scrape the sides of the cone to remove any excess snow. Smooth the surface by brushing it with your hands.
Use the hand shovel to carefully carve out a hollow in the top of each cone; these indentations will hold the candles. The indentations should be deep enough to shield the candles from the wind but shallow enough to allow you to reach in to light them.
Finally, carefully place one outdoor candle in each indentation, making sure the candle sits straight so it will burn evenly. Light the candles as soon as darkness falls, then head inside to watch the cones glow brightly from the warmth of your home.
LET’S GET BAKING
Need a gift on the fly? Or perhaps an easy, yummy dish to round out the holiday table? This tried-and-true soft gingerbread works in a pinch. The ingredients are simple, the smell in the oven trumps even the most aromatic Christmas candles, and the bread’s subtle sweetness appeals to dessert lovers and non-dessert lovers alike.
This recipe from “The Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Home Baking” (Yankee Publishing, 2005) calls for whipped cream or powdered sugar topping. Either is delightful when the gingerbread is served warm and fresh from the oven. For a more festive presentation, consider decorating mini-gingerbread cakes with cookie frosting.
Old-Fashioned Gingerbread
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tsps ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water
Whipped cream, confectioners’ sugar or cookie frosting (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square pan. (Loaf and muffin pans work nicely, too.) Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and molasses. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Add to the batter alternately with the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream, dusted with confectioners’ sugar or decorated with frosting.
