What’s on your Snow Day grocery shopping list?

Here today and gone tomorrow…that’s winter weather around here.  This time last week the temperature hovered in the 20s, today we’re 30+ degrees warmer.  But wait, winter’s not done.  More cold, dreary, snowy, icy, miserable days could be in our forecast…or not.   And there’s certainly nothing wrong with being prepared, even if we are just bracing for a possible dusting.  But I have recently found out that being prepared for a snow day doesn’t exactly mean the same thing to everybody.
I headed to the grocery store last week when the “s” word was mentioned in the forecast, as it seems did most of you.  On my list were, of course milk and bread, and coffee!  That I cannot run out of.  I did take a little inventory before leaving home…toilet tissue, laundry detergent, chili ingredients, peanut butter, eggs, and sugar.  If you’ll remember I consider chili a necessity when snowed in so those ingredients were on my list. And I also like a new magazine to peruse while stuck inside.
Don’t forget necessities.  Better check medicines, flashlights, batteries, paper plates, pet food, baby formula, and diapers if needed. Don’t forget to charge your phone if there’s a threat of losing power.  And if you use propane better check your supply.
And just in case we do loose power  better add nonperishable foods like nabs, granola bars, protein bars, peanut butter, bottled juice, water, snack cakes, even canned meats like tuna or salmon, crackers, and canned fruit to the list.  Get charcoal for the grill or a new bottle of propane.  Oh my, we learned how to cook just about anything on the grill during the infamous ice storm of ’94. And we can do it again, but let’s hope that won’t be necessary.
My mother’s snow day list takes her to the library so she can stock up on good mysteries.  When we were growing up her list would include milk, sugar and vanilla flavoring for snow cream.  DW wants pork chops, but he always wants pork chops.   My sister will get ingredients for vegetable soup and then deliver a bowl full to everyone in her neighborhood.
I looked around to see what others were buying while I was in the store:  frozen pizza, hot chocolate ingredients, marshmallows, popcorn, cereal, and lots of snacks.  Seems that snow days cancel out healthy snack choices because most shoppers were choosing Cheetohs, potato chips, cookies, candy, colas, hot dogs, even ice cream.  Luckily most of us can get to the store in the next day or so after the snow falls and replenish our supply of fresh fruits and healthier snack choices.
What got me to wondering what everyone rushes in to get before the snow was a friend who was also in the store.  Her list wasn’t very long, and she, like me, wanted to get in and out and on home as quickly as possible.   She pushed her empty cart toward the flowers and pulled a bouquet of fresh cut pink roses out of the cooler.  She turned and showed them to me, “Aren’t they lovely?” she asked.  Yes, why of course they were.  Flowers in the snow!   I liked the way she thinks!  So I choose a bouquet of white hydrangea.
And the flowers lasted longer than the snow!
Recipe of the Week
No Bake Cranberry Cookies
Enjoy this crunchy, healthy cookie with hot chocolate!

4 cups cereal: wheat Chex, fiber one, or similar cereal
1 cup chopped dried cranberries
½ cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup cashew pieces
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup white corn syrup
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Mix cereal, cranberries, sunflower seeds and cashews.  In 2 quart saucepan mix brown sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter.  Heat to boiling over medium high heat stirring constantly.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour syrup over mixture, stirring until evenly coated.  Drop mixture by tablespoons onto wax paper and let cool.