Some might think that snow cones are for kids, but they’d be wrong.

Some think they’re only for cooling off on a hot day, but that’s wrong, too.

For ice-cream-loving dieters, the lactose-intolerant, vegans, kosher eaters and lovers of wine and spirits, they’re an alternative to ice cream, 365 days a year.

We’re not talking about street-vendor snow cones, with neon-colored sticky-sweet HFCS syrups. Nope!

We’re talking about homemade snow cones made with the Little Snowie 2 Snow Cone Machine and really good syrup, regular or sugar-free.

Let’s start with the machine.
 
 
LITTLE SNOWIE 2 SNOW CONE MACHINE

Snowie, the company, is a key player in the shaved ice industry worldwide. The majority of the machines they sell are for shaved ice shops and similar commercial use.

Consumer demand to make snow cones at home led to the development of the Little Snowie 1. Its next generation, Little Snowie 2, is even more impressive, and has twice the ice capacity (approximately 64 ounces).

Modeled after Snowie’s workhorse commercial ice shavers but affordably priced for the home ($199 on Amazon and Bed, Bath & Beyond*), Little Snowie 2 fast and impressive, rated the best home ice shaver in an independent test.

Using regular ice cubes from your freezer, its high-speed commercial motor and 301 hardened stainless steel blade deliver fine, fluffy shaved ice in 3-5 seconds per 8-ounce cup (photo #3). Then, just add syrup (photo #4).

The machine comes with three 16-ounce bottles of syrup (Blue Raspberry, Lemon Lime and Wild Cherry) and 6 sample bottles of other flavors. As a bonus, there are eight Italian-style ice cream spoons, long enough to dig down into deep cups (BYO cups, BTW).

You can purchase additional syrup 3-packs (three different flavors per pack) for $19.99 in:

 
All Snowie-brand syrups are made without HFCS.
 
 
LET’S TALK ALCOHOL SNOW CONES

There’s no need to make frozen drinks in your blender when you’ve got Little Snowie, which gives you the fine, delicate ice you want instead of rough, crunchy blender chips.

Just make your favorite cocktail and pour it over the shaved ice. Frozen Margarita, Frosé, we’re ready for you!

 
Let your first warm-weather cocktail party be frozen!
 
 
LET’S TALK DESSERT

For dessert, make a snow cone version Hawaiian snow ice sundaes with lots of toppings, from American favorites (coconut, fresh fruit, nuts) to Hawaiian favorites: jellies (Jell-O cubes), mini mochi balls, tapioca pearls and a sauce of sweetened condensed milk.

The difference between snow cone and snow ice is the consistency, based on how the ice is shaved.
 
 
It’s all waiting for you at ChocZero.com and on Amazon.

GET YOUR SNOWIE ON AMAZON, Bed Bath & Beyond, and other retailers.
 
 
12 SUGAR-FREE SYRUPS FROM CHOCZERO

Looking for a zero-calorie snow cone that tastes great?

Snowie has sugar-free syrups in Blue Raspberry, Lemon Lime and Wild Cherry, which would have been fine, as would a 1/3 dilution of Crystal Light powder, if we hadn’t discovered the sugar-free syrups of ChocZero, in:

[2] Why listen to ice cubes jangle when you can drink your sangria from a snow cone. Here’s the recipe from World Market Blog.

[3] Little Snowie: Ice cubes go in, shaved ice comes out.

[4] Then, just add the syrup or spirit of choice (photos #3 and #4 courtesy Snowie).

[5] Two of ChocZero’s )) varieties of sugar-free syrups (photo courtesy Bag Snob).

*Also check BuyBuyBaby.com, Costco.com, QVC and Sharper Image.
 

[2] Ready-to-eat Egg Bites from Les Trois Petites Cochons (photo courtesy 3Pigs.com).

[3] You can garnish Egg Bites any way you like, or enjoy them plain (photo courtesy 3Pigs.com).

[4] Two of Upton’s Naturals’ four Thai-inspired pastas (photo courtesy Live Kindly).

This week’s picks can be served to guests or relished on one’s own.

Nothing requires cooking; at best, two of the three are heat-and-eat. In alphabetical order, try:
 
 
1. CHEVOO: MARINATED GOAT CHEESE

Chevoo is a new, high-end marinated goat cheese treat from northern California.

Cubes of goat cheese are marinated in infused extra virgin olive oil: an “ultra-gourmet life hack for busy epicureans” says the brand, and we agree.

The olive oil marinades are infused with crushed botanicals: chiles, herbs, pollens and spices. Flavors include:

 
The flavor combinations are irresistable, and there’s a bonus: After you’ve consumed the cheese, use the delicious EVOO for salads, as a bread dipper, a pasta dressing or a finishing oil.

You can use the cubes in any traditional goat cheese fashion (eggs, salads, pizza, etc.), but at $6 for a jar of seven cubes, these are delicacies. We use them:

 
The company recommends adding to burgers, pasta, pizza, grilled vegetables. Each substantial rectangle of cheese can be sliced in half or thirds, or crumbled to make one jar go further.

We like giving two or three jars to fellow foodies when we’re invited to visit.

DISCOVER MORE AT CHEVOO.COM, which includes a store locator on the home page.
 
 
2. LES TROIS PETITS COCHONS: SOUS-VIDE EGG BITES

Les Trois Petits Cochons, long revered for its pates and charcuterie, has launched a new line of products: Sous-Vide Egg Bites (photos #2 and #3).

The sous-vide (soo-veed) method of cooking, which has become more prominent in the U.S. over the past 10 years, allows not just for foolproof cooking with no pots to scrub, but yields a tender texture and refined flavor elements.

The 2.5-ounce Bites, made with cage-free eggs are sold individually, ready to heat and eat (or, eat them chilled or at at room temperature). Each Bite has 10g protein, 1g total carbs, 0 sugar.

At just $1.99 each, the Bites are available in four varieties:

 
You can enjoy them for a quick, healthy, breakfast, lunch or snack; but we particularly enjoy them in gourmet mode:

 
DISCOVER MORE AT 3PIGS.COM. (That’s a lot shorter URL than TroisPetitsCochons.com, which means three little pigs in French.)
 
 
UPTON’S NATURALS: THAI-INSPIRED PASTAS

Upton’s Naturals focuses on meat alternatives made with real, recognizable ingredients. Their latest line of Meal Kits is our favorite: pasta-based mains with Thai-inspired flavors.

 
The products are not dehydrated, and are packaged in a retort pouch to maintain freshness (photo #4).

Upton’s Naturals’ Meal Kits are available at select Whole Foods Market locations, independent stores and natural food chains across the country for an SRP of $4.99 each.

DISCOVER MORE AT UPTONSNATURALS.COM.
  

Since the avocado toast craze began, fancy toast has become the new normal, a dish to eagerly anticipate. But how about more fancy toast toppings?

Toast toppings are now as diverse as the people making them: savory, spicy, sweet, and perhaps a mix of all three.

Our colleague Hannah Kaminsky of Bittersweet Blog, looked at the nut butters in her cupboard and made the following toasts with nothing more than other basic ingredients found in the same cupboard.

Some are obvious, some are a bit more avant-garde, but all are thoroughly delicious.

Hannah’s toasts are vegan, but you can substitute nut butter for cream cheese, dairy butter, hummus, ricotta or other spreadable, and add or exchange breakfast or other meats or seafood.

And don’t forget the base element: bread. Baguette, brioche, challah, ciabatta, English muffin, fruit bread, olive bread, nut bread, peasant bread, pita, pumpernickel, rye, soda bread, sourdough, whole grain, even white bread: The world is yours to toast.

As Hannah says, “This is just the beginning of an endless tale.”

> February 23rd is National Toast Day.

> The different types of bread.

> The history of bread.
 
 
 
20 WAYS TO TOP YOUR TOAST: SWEET & SAVORY

Get inspiration from the following, then design your own for breakfast or snacking.

[2] From top left: mashed avocado with radish and sweet chili drizzle, cream cheese with roasted squash and stir-fried sage, yellow bell pepper spread with kmarinated red peppers and grilled mushrooms, cream cheese with mandarin segments and chia, hummus with blackberries, chopped egg whites and beets with watercress.

 
 
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE WAYS TO TOAST?
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Become a pancake artist with the PancakeBot (photo courtesy Crate & Barrel).

[2] Have a bite of Stormtrooper (photo courtesy Home Depot).

You may not be able to make pancakes with your 3-D printer, but you can make them in any shape you like with Dash’s revolutionary PancakeBot.

It’s the world’s first pancake printer, actually printing pancakes by automatically dispensing batter directly onto a griddle.

You can load an existing designs (like the Eiffel Tower, shown in the photo), or design your own with the included software.

Once you have your design, simply fill the dispenser bottle with your favorite batter and watch the pancake maker go.

You can also become part of the PancakeBot online community, that’s updated weekly with fun, new designs.

A great gift for a pancake-loving family, we’ve found that the price for the PancakeBot varies widely:

 
 
MORE PANCAKES

The History Of Pancakes

The Different Types Of Pancakes

We’ve polished off the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers, enabling us to focus on Christmas.

Our first effort is our annual batch of fancy Chex Mix, great for home snacking, visitors, and handing out in small gift bags to delivery guys.

This year, the folks at Chex have outdone themselves with Merry Grinch Mix (photo #1).

Fun for kids and adults alike, this Chex Mix is fancy enough to be given as a gift in a mason jar or other container.
 
 
RECIPE: CHEX MERRY GRINCH MIX

Ingredients For 20 Servings

 
Preparation

1. LINE 2 large rimmed cookie sheets with waxed paper. Add the cereal to a large bowl.

2. MICROWAVE 1 cup of the vanilla chips uncovered in a small microwavable bowl, on Medium (50%) for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Stir after 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.

3. DIP the pointed end of each Bugles corn snack, one at a time, into the melted chips. Coat the top two-thirds of each, allowing the excess to drip off. (If necessary, reheat mixture 5 seconds at a time as needed for dipping consistency.)

4. SPRINKLE the coated Bugles with red sugar. Place the Bugles on one of the cookie sheets in single layer; let stand about 20 minutes or until set.

[2] Rice Chex.

[3] Rice Chex (all photos courtesy General Mills).

6. POUR on top of the cereal in the bowl; stir well to coat evenly. Transfer to the remaining cookie sheet, spreading the mixture apart. Immediately sprinkle with the green nonpareils and sprinkles; let stand about 20 minutes or until set. Carefully break apart into bite-size pieces.

7. MIX the coated cereal, corn snacks, chocolate candies and heart sprinkles in large serving bowl. You’re ready to snack!
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CHEX MIX

Wheat Chex cereal was introduced in 1937 by Ralston Purina; Rice Chex (photo #2) in 1950.

The debut of Chex Party Mix followed in 1952, in an advertisement in Life Magazine. The original recipe (photo #3) included both Rice Chex and Wheat Chex, plus mixed nuts, mini pretzels and bagel chips, blended with butter, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder and onion powder. (Here’s the recipe.)

The original Chex Party Mix mix became popular as a holiday treat when purportedly, in 1955, the wife of a Ralston-Purina executive in St. Louis served it at a holiday function.

Chex Party Mix was not the pioneer; it was one of numerous “TV mixes” that were developed in the 1950s, as snacks to accompany the wide adoption of home television sets (a 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook includes a recipe for a snack mix made with Kix cereal).

In 1958 Corn Chex was introduced, and added to the recipe. In 1985, pre-packaged Chex Party Mix was introduced, so one could snack right from the bag.

Between Chex-developed recipes and consumer contributions, a vast proliferation of savory, sweet, spicy, and chocolatey recipes now exists. Here are Chex brand’s recipes and a creative array of uses.

Today, the Chex brand is owned by General Mills (source).