HEAD FOR THE HILLS-THE SNOW IS COMING!

Watch Falling Snow Sign (Photo credits: www.mysafetysign.com)

Yes, I'm being kind of sarcastic.  Maybe more than kind of sarcastic.

The St. Louis area is under a Winter Storm Warning for a storm that will hit us Thursday midday and end Thursday night.  I just saw a weatherman on TV call tomorrow "a really rotten Thursday".  Schools are closing for tomorrow, and it's only about 6:30 Wednesday night.  REALLY?

When you look at the official forecast map from the National Weather Service, it doesn't look like it's going to be quite the mess the TV people are warning us of.  And when I scan some of the geeked out raw weather data, it's not that much different than the photo below.

I'm not sure 1-3 inches of snow and sleet, which is what the NWS is still calling for, should create the panic in the minds of the TV weatherpeople and the citizenry of the St. Louis metropolitan area, but everyone seems to be freaking out in a big way.  If you're in a place like Kansas City and they're predicting 10 to 12 inches of snow, THEN you freak out.  1-3, not so much.

So the grocery stores are jammed, people are buying their milk, bread, and eggs so they can have french toast while they're snowbound, Sears sent me an e mail telling me it was going to snow and I should run right in and buy a snow blower, and my kids tell me there's no reason to do their homework because they KNOW they won't have school tomorrow.  UPDATE: My kids' school district is closing school tomorrow due to the threat of icy conditions in the afternoon.

Maybe it's my Chicago roots, maybe it's my cynicism that my friends who do the weather around here are blowing this up so they can seem really important and grow their ratings, or perhaps I'm just delusional and we'll all be paralyzed by the storm tomorrow.  Regardless, I'm still not buying it.

I'll be posting video updates on the storm throughout the day tomorrow. Check my Facebook page, my 15 second video updates on Tout, and other outposts on the Interwebz for updates.   Unless the storm completely immobilizes me and those around me.

Related articles

• MoDOT, IDOT prepping roads for winter storm
• News 4's Kristen Cornett follows snowstorm headed for St. Louis
• Storm's arrival in St. Louis could be late-morning on Thursday
• How Does Your Company Stay Productive When a Big Snow Storm Hits?
• Storm may dump a foot of snow on Midwest

French Toast Cupcakes | Foodbeast

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Cupcakes for breakfast? Someone must be on one. In our friend Rachel‘s latest trip to her test kitchen, she came out the other end with these French Toast Cupcakes With Maple Frosting. This little piece of gourmet cupcake heaven is iced out with a sprinkle of brown sugar and is depicted as being more of a lighter cupcake than a richer one.

For those of you looking to get your scrumpdidliumptious on, here’s the wonderfully written recipe:

 

French Toast Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

Cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup organic sugar
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup (or vanilla)
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 large eggs, separated

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy; Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon; Set aside. Now, in a small bowl, whisk together milk and maple syrup; Set aside. (You should have 3 bowls set aside.)

Add the egg yolks (saving the egg whites in another small bowl or cup) to the creamed butter/sugar mix one egg yolk at a time, waiting for each to be fully incorporated before adding the next yolk. Then, alternately, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and milk in 2 additions, again, waiting for each to be fully incorporated before proceeding with the next. Mix until a smooth batter is formed. Set this bowl aside.

With an electric mixer (yes, in another bowl), whip the 3 eggs whites you have saved until stiff and peaks form. Working in 3 batches, fold the egg whites into the batter, just until incorporated.

Divide batter evenly amongst the pre-lined muffin cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick tester results clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Maple Frosting:

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Mix butter and sugar on low until incorporated. Then, mix on high until light and fluffy. Reduce speed and add maple syrup and heavy cream. Beat until light and fluffy. Can be stored for 3 days in the fridge.

via foodbeast.com

If only I could cook in the Willy Loman Motel I'm living in, I'd be making these RIGHT NOW.

Posted via email from Mark Edwards 3.0