#MEwx Winds, blowing snow and icy conditions with Colonial dipping sticks

Good Morning Augusta

We remain under a WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON.

This morning we have snow early, then a slight chance of snow showers this afternoon. Total snow accumulation of 5 to 8 inches. Highs in the lower 30s with northwest winds 15 to 20 mph. Gusts up to 35 mph early this morning.

Tonight we'll have mostly cloudy skies during evening hours, becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 20s with northwest winds around 10 mph gusting to 20 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Our outdoor temperature is 31.6°F, the humidity is 87% the Dew point is 28.2°F and a wind chill of 22.6°F.

NOTE: My anemometer is now encased in ice and is not operational. Yes, it's that crumby out there.

The wind direction is North between x.x MPH and x.x MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.23, the Absolute pressure is 29.03 and steady with a weather graphic indicating snow/rain.

If you want to see real-time instrument readings from my personal weather station click Here. That will take you directly to my weather station.

Visibility is poor at best owing to the wind-blowing snow. Stay the hell off the roads.

The UV rating is  0 out of 16, The moon is 67.1% illuminated, the moon phase is     Waning Gibbous, Sunrise is 7:00 am↑ 121° Southeast, sunset is 4:00 pm↑ 238° Southwest, Moonrise is 10:06 pm↑ 69° East, Moonset is  and we'll have 8 hours 59 minutes of daylight today.

We received 0.33 inches of measured rain and  roughly 7 inches of ice-covered snow with some frozen rain on it here over the past 24 hours and it's still coming down.

It's miserable out there. Stay home.

How about a true colonial era treat for the holidays?

Colonial Dipping Sticks

by American Heritage® Chocolate

Colonial Americans loved chocolate cake, but it isn't the same chocolate cake we eat today. Early Americans dipped biscuits into a rich hot chocolate drink just before eating them and called that chocolate cake.

This Recipe makes 36 dipping stick cookies

Ingredients

6 ounces American Heritage® Collectible Tin OR SillyCow Hot Cocoa Mix, or other good hot cocoa mix

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, whisked

4 cups flour

2/3 cup chopped roasted almonds

½ cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Step 1

Planning ahead:

Freeze the dough: Shape the dough into three 5"x12" pieces and wrap them tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze the dough for up to 2 months. When you are ready to bake, thaw the dough overnight in your refrigerator. Sprinkle both sides of the dough with the cinnamon sugar, cut into sticks and bake.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set the oven rack to the center.

Step 2

In a large bowl, cream the butter, ½ cup of sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and blend. Slowly add the flour, one cup at a time. Mix well and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in the chocolate, almonds and cranberries. Divide the dough into equal three pieces and set aside.

Step 3

Combine the remaining ½ cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/8 cup of the sugar mixture on a clean work surface. Using your fingers or a rolling pin, press the dough into a 5"x12" rectangle, ¼-inch thick. Sprinkle another 1/8 cup of the sugar mixture over the top of the dough, covering it completely. Cut 12 strips, 1-inch wide and place them on a non-stick cookie sheet. Repeat this process with the remaining two pieces of the dough and cinnamon sugar.

Step 4

Bake the cookies until the dough firms up and turns light golden brown, approximately 16 minutes. Remove the baking cookie sheets from the oven and set on a cooling rack. Cool the cookies on the pan before transferring them to an airtight container.