A VERY DIFFERENT WINTER 2015-16

Since I moved to Syracuse, a little over 26 years ago, we have not seen such as winter as we just had, Winter 2015-16. This has been a winter with the least amount of snow in a very long time. Some said this winter was similar to that of 1966. On the other hand, I do remember the other extreme of excessive amount of snow in the winters of 1993 and 1994. One of those years we had a 4 day blizzard during which school was cancelled for its duration. 

This past winter we were in the El Nino weather system. In the Northeast we generally see more bitter cold and less precipitation during the El Nino winters. However, it was a very mild pattern in the sense that we didn't see much of the bitter cold, only about 3-4 times and we were definitely light on the precipitation aspect. 

According to Goldsnowball.com here are the stats for this past winter: Syracuse

GSB Cities

This Year 2015

Normal Average to Date

This Time  Last Season

Normal Seasons Average

All Time Season  Snowfall Record

---

Syracuse	80.5	122.1	119.1	123.8	192.1 inches (1992 - 1993)
Rochester	63.7	97.5	101.4	99.5	161.7 inches (1959 - 1960)
Buffalo	55.1	93.4	112.9	94.7	199.4 inches (1976 - 1977)
Binghamton	31.9	81.3	92.9	83.4	134.0 inches (1995 - 1996)
Albany	16.9	59.2	75.9	59.1	112.5 inches (1970 - 1971)

When speaking to your average Syracusean, almost everyone was excited that we had a very mild winter. On the other hand, those that snowmobile and ski, weren't very thrilled with the snow levels. 

Looking back at all of the months starting in October 2015, we had at least one 70 degree weather day with an additional 2-3 days of temperatures in the 50's and 60's. 

12/18/15

12/19/2015

I was excited about a potential weather system hitting Syracuse but as seen on the Doppler, both systems missed us by a long shot. 

12/24/15

Christmas Eve: I had to run some errands and it was in the low 70's so it was nice to wear some shorts.

January 1st 2016

With the snowmobile all ready to go, I finally got my first snow. It started on first day of the year and over the course of 4 hours (photo below) we had 5 inches fall. In less than a week were back to green grass and no snow. 

1/5/16

We barely had snow and the deer were already on our property pick at our decorative pear trees. Apparently there were still some dried pears on the branches which they picked off pretty well. 

1/12/16

We had a litte clipper system on 1/12/16 which brought a minimal accumulation. 

1/13/16

 The meteorologist got most of the folks excited in the Syracuse area that we were going to get 7 plus inches but as seen on the Doppler above, the cloud stayed a mile northeast of my house and we got nothing out of it.

1/17/16

At last we got our snow. The predictions made on 1/17 were correct and we got almost a foot of snow on 1/19. Some snowblowing in the morning and a nasty commute to work. I was eager to get back home and go sledding.

1/19/16

1/19/16

1/19/16

Although we had so little snow, Lesya, my lovely wife, expressed an interest in learning how to snowblow. With the kids in bed, we had a little date on the front driveway, taking care of the fresh snowfall. 

1/20/16

With so little snow this past winter, I didn't have to get on my garage roof and shovel off 2 plus feet of snow. A week later it was all gone. 

1/26/16

2/2/16

2/12/16

2/13/16

A day before Valentine's we got a few more inches of snow. There was enough to go sledding for the last time this winter.

2/14/16

2/19/16

From this point forward we had very little snow, instead it was rain. 

The first week of April we had a few inches of wet snow for 3 days however it has melted since then. We are back to green grass, as we have seen so often this past winter. 

SANTA'S WORKSHOP & LAKE PLACID IN DECEMBER!

The many time we traveled to Lake Placid, it has always been in the summer or fall but never in December. So we decided to take our kids to the North Pole and we adults would also enjoy one of our favorite towns in the Adirondacks. It was nice and all to travel without any weather hazards however it would have been a prettier experience had there been a little bit more snow.

Once we got into town, we had lunch at our favorite sandwich place called Blue Mountain Deli or 46 Sandwiches. It's traditional that we have our favorite choice, Saddleback Mountain fish sandwich. And the awesome things about this place are that food always tastes fresh, they have great choices of bread, there is an endless choice of sandwiches, great crepes for dessert, and most of all it's a nice cozy place on Main St.

To jump ahead to the next day, the crowd was a lot smaller  and the owner walked around asking the customers how their food was, I had overheard that he was from Syracuse, so it was an easy conversation starter. We learned that there is a Deli coming to the Fayetteville area sometime late next year, which was exciting news. And possibly another location because they had franchise opportunities.

Saddleback Mountain

Gray Peak

After a great lunch we walked around town because it always fun to check out the stores. And over the years we have our favorites and must-shop stores like GAP Outlet, House of Jerky, Critters, and several chocolate stores.

Best Jerky--exotic meats

One of the favorite spots is the little park along Mirror Lake. This is also the spot where our kids found snow, which they tried picking up and throwing it into the lake. Its a beautiful spot with mountains to the north and west. 

As were heading back to the car later that afternoon we saw this rainbow in the sky! 

We have always wanted to stay at the Marriott Courtyard but it has been booked every time. So after checking in we had a couple of hours to kill before heading up to Wilmington. We watched the Polar Express on TV with the kids. 

From our hotel to was 22 minute drive to Santa's Workshop. We wanted to see the Village of Lights, which takes place only on Saturday and Sunday from 4:30 to 8 pm. We got there a few minutes earlier to find a short line of people at the main entrance. After purchasing tickets, we headed back outside. Its an outside event, with the occasional stop at the different buildings in the village. 

The first stop was the Reindeer Stable. I was surprised to find that it was open because the website had indicated that they no longer had Caribou onsite. Nevertheless, the kids loved to feed them hay, and pet them. 

He was the kids favorite

As we made our way further into the village there were carolers standing around an open fire, singing Christmas songs. We stopped by the cafe to get some hot chocolate. Downside there was no ice to cool it down so we used the old fashioned technique of pouring from cup to cup. 

So the next stop was Santa's House. Thus far our kids have grown up knowing that there is no Santa and that presents come from Mom and Dad and other family members. Once inside the house, Alexis, our 6 year old, started to develop a new theory. She now thinks Santa is real because she saw him. She also said that the only way that he wouldn't be real if he didn't bring her what she told him, a Christmas book. So we have to make a decision...never thinking we would be in a little dilemma like this. 

Adrian refused to sit on his lap like many kids before us. It was hilarious to see the show that they all put on. Santa even tried playing Peek-A-Boo with him and he still refused. 

 Next stop was the candy store and gift shop. The kids got candy and we had the joy of wiping their sticky hands, coats, and faces during the ordeal. 

  

It was a very pretty location, well decorated with lights, and it was set up to represent Santa's Village. 

Another stop was the workshop. It had a slide and a place for the kids to decorate things and coloring pages. At the end of the tour we visited the Carousel. It was new experience, being wiped around in 30 degree temperature but they liked it. 

 Overall we had a great time. We ended up staying there for just a little over 2 hrs. It was plenty of time for the kids and us. On our way to the hotel we stopped by and picked up some pizza for dinner. We spent the evening hanging out in the room and watching Christmas movies. The kids eventually fell asleep to one of them. They slept together in the same bed for the first time and it worked out really well.

DEEP FRIED THANKSGIVING TURKEY EXPERIENCE!

Year after year several people would say, "I can't wait to have some deep fried turkey." So this year I decided to try it for myself. I ordered a Bayaou Classic kit on Amazon. I already had an outdoor portable stove. And I purchased a 20 pound bird from a local grocery store.

When mentioning deep frying, the first thing that many people said was, "don't blow yourself up." With that warning I did plenty of research. The best video was by Alton Brown. I was surprised how easy the preparation was. Key instruction to the whole ordeal, allow at least 2 days to defrost the bird. The lack of proper defrosting is what causes the "big boom."

After the turkey is defrosted, Alton instructed to place it in a simple brine of brown sugar and salt for 12-16 hours. In retrospect, the meat should have been injected with the brine as well. To be able to hold the brine and turkey, its wise to use a large container like a 5 gallon drinking cooler. Place the cooler in a cool place during brining process. The legs and wings of the bird always flare out a bit so I used some meat rope to hold it together better.

The next day, take the turkey out of the brine and allow it to sit at least an hour before placing it in the  oil. This time frame allows for any additional defrosting if necessary. 

Meanwhile, I did the deep fryer step and Alton Brown contraption to lower the bird into the bubbling oil without getting too close to it. Its a very simple set up with a pulley system, a strong rope, a ladder and carbine.  

On Thanksgiving I ran into a frequent problem we have on the hill is some strong wind gusts. So I had to set things up in the least windy spot, behind the house and only 5 feet from the house. I was pretty confident the bird had defrosted all the way. 

The next few steps had a bit of a learning curve. None of the recipes and instructions actually indicated how long it takes to bring the peanut oil to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. On top of that, it was 54 degrees outside. I was grateful it wasn't freezing or else it would have taken much longer. So about an hour before we were "supposed to eat" I lowered the turkey into the oil. It took me about an hour to bring the oil temp to 250. 

Walmart brand oil

Had this handy just in case!!!

Alton Brown recommendation--it worked well!

Alton Brown's recipes called for checking the turkey temp at 45 minutes of cooking. My 20 pound bird was only at 120 at 45 min. I had to cook for another 45 min to get it to 151 degrees of internal temp of the breasts. 

Then after it is removed from the oil it should rest for 30 minutes to finish cooking up to 165 degrees. The honest truth is I only waited 15 min. and checked the temp to be at the proper cooking degrees. It was nice and crisp on the outside and most on the inside.  So I set it on the plate and craved the turkey. 

Overall review:

1. I am not a great fan of bland tasting meat. I could have used a lot more spices and meat injection. Some coworkers said a dry rub would have been a good thing as well. 

2. If you know that your turkey is defrosted well then it would have been better to get the oil temp to 350 degrees and then placed the turkey into it.

3. I would definitely give myself a lot more time to deep frying process before desired time of eating.

4. Don't deep fry when the weather sucks outside. It would have been a very miserable experience had it been raining or snowing or brutal cold.

5. Next time I would definitely use a smaller bird. It really doesn't have to be 20 lb. For our family a 15-18 lb would have been just fine.

I really enjoy cooking meat, and although the meat turned out cooked but it was an OK success only. I feel like I have to redeem myself for myself. So I will deep fry a turkey again but with a few changes as indicated above.