When I woke up to get ready for work last Friday morning, after a warm-but-kind-of-rainy evening in Northampton the night before- my heart dropped into the pit of my stomach when I looked out my window and saw the beginnings of what looked like a horrendous blizzard. The roads were awful (not only did my car slide all over the place- but so did I when I tried walking to the entrance of my office), it was so bitterly cold outside- and no one knew when it was scheduled to stop- making being trapped at work for the weekend until my co-workers and I could dig ourselves and our vehicles out of our parking lot an actual possibility.

To say I had panic-inducing flashbacks of last Winter’s endless onslaught of snow and ice storms would be an understatement- and not even the large quantities of pizza my company sent us to get us through the day could put my mind at ease. I just kept thinking about the shoveling, the cabin fever I experienced throughout last January-March, the shoveling, dodging sliding vehicles when I braved the outside world- the shoveling…

Thankfully, by the time I left for the day- the snow had stopped and the sun had actually come out. Sure, it took the help of two of my co-workers to dig my car out of the snow so I could get home (and the roads weren’t nearly as bad as they had been in the morning!) but it was the post-storm scenery that stopped me in my tracks. In all the years I’ve lived in New England- I’ve never, not once- seen the trees look the way they did on Friday afternoon. They were all covered in so much snow that they didn’t even look real. I had to stop and take a few photos before the temperatures rose again and everything began to melt.

I’ve been keeping warm these past few days between my home and my office in my usual fashion- bundling up in all the layers ever, drinking plenty of hot cocoa (with marshmallows, of course!), and getting as much writing done as I can here on ‘Legally Redhead’ from the comfort under my fleece blankets.  It’s been a fun little balancing act between work, play, and blogging- one that has definitely kept me busy!

But, of course, I managed to put aside the time this past weekend to enjoy the Super Bowl, the advertisements (I’m still really, really confused by that “Puppy Monkey Baby” thing,) and do what everyone does during the big game- stuff my face with the unhealthiest foods imaginable. Last year, my contribution to my friends’ annual Super Bowl party was an impressive buffalo chicken dip. This year- I opted for tater tot nachos (served on paper plates, because amped up football fans and breakable dishware is not a good combination.)

Like conventional tortilla chip nachos, there are literally 100+ ways to prepare tater tot ones depending on your tastes and how much time you have to get the ingredients together and do a little cooking- but I chose the fail-proof old fashioned method of cooking up the tots, spreading an even layer of seasoned ground beef and shredded cheese over them in a glass bowl, heating them in the stove until the cheese melted- and then smothering them in shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and sour cream (salsa and guacamole were separate!)

They were a pretty big hit. I’m thinking my next attempt will incorporate Monterrey Jack and maybe some Gouda cheeses. The possibilities with these are endless!

And now that you’ve all been given the updates on the past few snowy days- I’m getting ready to share some fun collaborations I’ve been working on, review a couple of my monthly subscription services, and dive into my February Hits List in the coming days!

‘Til next time!

xx