Scoopalicious

Waffle Sundae

2012-02-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

Tina and I are often get emails from companies asking if we want to try their products. Since we both love getting mail and packages, if we can find a way to work the product in with ice cream, we are quick to agree!

A few months back we got an email asking if we wanted to try Smucker's Snack'n Waffles. Well, sure! I wasn't quite sure how we'd work it in, but we'd figure out a way.

We got coupons in the mail, but took me a while to pick up my box of waffles since my regular store didn't carry them. I finally picked them up today. My husband is at the gym and I am eating a waffle sundae. A chocolate chip Snack'n Waffle, a scoop of vanilla and some hot fudge sauce I had lying around (yes, it happened to be Smucker's Hot Fudge as well!). Not the most beautiful creation, but it sure was good...A waffle-y cone type thing going on, some vanilla, and some syrup flavor (it's baked right into the waffle) and lots of chocolate!

SpiceDish Saturday {January}: Espresso Chip Frozen Yogurt

2012-01-29T01:00:00.000-05:00

When EB of SpiceDish sent this recipe she said: “I HIGHLY recommend [this recipe]. I was kind of shocked how well it came out. Had it for breakfast this morning!” If I liked anything in the coffee family, I certainly would have, but I'll have to trust EB's opinion -- which is usually spot on...

It's that paradoxical time of year when our bodies crave lighter foods after months of feasting but we still have those cravings for sweet treats that became habitual. This is the perfect thing for these January days. It's sweet, but not too sweet, tart but not too tart, creamy but not too creamy.... you get the idea. It's also possibly one of the easiest recipes ever!

Espresso Chip Frozen Yogurt
1cup greek yogurt (either plain or vanilla)
¾ cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
¾ cup whole milk
1 cup cold espresso
1 tbs crushed chocolate covered coffee beans

Whisk together all ingredients and chill completely. Freeze in your ice cream maker, 10 minutes for a shake, 20 for frozen yogurt.

Enjoy!

Fried Ice Cream Friday

2012-01-27T08:24:00.000-05:00

I had never had fried ice cream until New Year's Eve. You would think I would have tried it a the Minnesota State Fair where everything is deep fried, but I didn't see it when I went. Luckily, I have a new source. My brother-in-law is the king of deep frying! ☺ Since almost no one in my family is really that into New Year's, we've kind of started this tradition of "Deep Fried New Year's" -- yep, we go out with a bang, before starting afresh in the New Year.

This year, the hit of the party was fried ice cream. Deep fried ice cream takes commitment. You can't just decide you want deep fried ice cream. It takes preparation. Though I wasn't there for the prep, there's a lot of scooping, coating, and freezing to be done.

My brother-in-law used Rick Browne's The Frequent Fryers Cookbook, which apparently hasn't been purchased by the public that frequently because it is unfortunately out of print.

Anyway, I urge you to try fried ice cream at the store. Order it next time it is offered at a restaurant or find a recipe online (perhaps this one by Emeril?) if you can't procure a copy of The Frequent Fryers Cookbook. I can't quite explain the goodness of fried ice cream, but it's truly worth trying.

Deep fried photo courtesy of Larry Schlegel © 2011.

Happy National Irish Cream Day!

2012-01-26T12:23:00.000-05:00

Sorry I happened to stumble across a National Food and Drink Day calendar and it inspired me for posts! So today happens to be National Irish Cream day...hmmm...gotta say I love it with coffee but that has nothing to do with ice cream. Recently Baileys Coffee Creamers contacted us to see if we wanted to promote their Coffee creamers and the both of us scratched our head thinking but how do we incorporate it into ice cream. We all love free samples but really it has to be relevant, right?! My first thought was a mocha milk shake with irish cream creamer mixed in YUM! Hopefully you'll see a future post on that but in the mean time we've also found some great recipes using the true thing. Here's a recipe straight from Ice Cream Ireland for some great Irish Cream Liqueur Ice Cream...enjoy!

Happy National Peanut Butter Day!

2012-01-24T23:27:00.000-05:00

Just in the nick of time to wish you all a Happy National Peanut Butter Day! If you didn't get your PB fill today there is always tomorrow! Here are some of our favorites plus an awesome recipe we found on Annie's Eats.

Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Tracks

Breyers Blasts! Reeses Peanut Butter Cup

Turkey Hill's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

RECIPE: Annie's Eats Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Look what I got for xmas

2012-01-13T17:06:00.000-05:00

The fun begins and I say fun because I think my addiction is more in designing than popsicles. The Zoku popsicle maker instantly freezes liquid and you can make really cool designed popsicles. Well so the recipe book shows at least but honestly I am not sure if I will ever achieve this after my first take.

Cherry and Grape Koolaid

Vanilla and Fudge with cookies in the middle

I've only tried this thing out once and think its going to be a playdate staple...that is how this got its first test run. The girls thought it was so cool to instantly make popsicles. Mom thought it was cool to make fun designs or at least attempt because really these aren't so cool!

All in all I think its a fun product but I am sure the novelty will wear off. Or hopefully not. I know Bethany got one, had issues, got another, had more issues and finally threw the towel in and Zoku then sent her a free one. Wow...a company that really stands behind their product with customer service. So they get an A for that. Mine worked totally fine out of the box. Oh and they get an A for a nicely designed product too. It's pretty sleek and very compact. It makes three pops at a time (7-10 minutes per 3) and you can get about 9 pops before they just won't freeze anymore. It's probably the size of a Turkey Hill quart.

Expect to see future posts with my creations!

SpiceDish Saturday {December}: Christmas Ice Cream

2011-12-31T01:00:00.000-05:00

I have an apology to EB of SpiceDish (as well as our fabulous readers!). EB has been so great about getting us new SpiceDish Saturday recipes and I completely missed the boat on this one, waiting until the last Saturday (and last day) of December to post her gorgeous recipe...which she aptly titles "Christmas Ice Cream." December always gets me -- I just fall so behind! In my defense, I kind of celebrate the holiday from Christmas to New Year's so I think it will still work as a great New Year's Eve treat. AND this is a "to file" for next year as well -- you can practice and practice for another 360 or so days now to have it perfectly mastered for next Christmas.

Oh, and speaking of Christmas, wondering what to do with that Christmas check you got from Grandma? Head over to SpiceDish's Etsy shop, SpiceDish Vintage and pick up a new dish for your daily bowl of ice cream...! It was just recently that I discovered that our dear friend EB also keeps herself busy with a shop of vintage treasures!

Oh fruitcake, the much maligned dessert of the Christmas season. It's become cliché to hate on this lowly confection. When given as a gift, a single bite may be washed down with real star of the season-- egg nog. Rich, delicious, adored by legions of cream swilling fans. How can the fruitcake compete? It can't. Poor cake. In the spirit of “If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!” I've decided to comine these flavors into what can best be simply called “Christmas.” Yes, “Christmas” flavor ice cream. It combines all the flavors of fruit cake and egg nog and tastes, of Christmas.

Enjoy-

1 cup whole milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups chilled heavy cream

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

4 cloves (whole)

1 pkg crystallized (candied) ginger

1 pkg candied fruits for fruitcake

Bring milk, cloves, several pieces of ginger (to your taste), and salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Turn to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Let steep for 1 hour at room temp.

Remove ginger and cloves. Rewarm the mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together yolks and sugar. Gradually add about 1/4 cup of the hot milk, whisking constantly. Slowly add yolks and milk to the saucepan whisking constantly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until mixture lightly, coats back of spatula. Place a mesh strainer over a clean bowl and pour mixture through. Add cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir until thoroughly combined. Cover and chill completely. Once chilled, freeze in ice cream maker. 5 minutes before complete add the rum, a few tbs of the candied fruit pieces and a piece or two of chopped up ginger. (These should be added to taste, more ginger=spicier, more fruits=more to chew on).

The rum will keep the custard from freezing completely in the mixer so you will need to transfer it to an freezer safe container and let it harden for at least 4 hours.

Easy Paper Ice Cream Cone Ornaments

2011-12-13T13:21:00.000-05:00

How did it become December 13 already? ugh...well if you are like me with lots of free time on your hands these days (chuckle chuckle) you're probably saying when does she expect me to make my own ornaments. Well these are so super cute and super easy. How About Orange shows us how to make Easy Paper Ice Cream Cone Ornaments with only tissue paper and a paper grocery bag. WOW! Have fun and happy decorating!

SpiceDish Saturday {November}: Salt & Pepper Ice Cream

2011-11-19T01:00:00.000-05:00

After a break, the fabulous EB of SpiceDish returns for SpiceDish Saturdays. We are thrilled to have her back. What a treat have EB share some of her fabulously creative ice cream recipes on our blog.

I don't know if we ever mentioned that Jessie of CakeSpy introduced us (virtually) to SpiceDish when we were first starting the blog -- and we became fast friends. A couple of weeks ago, we met Jessie in Boston while she was on her book tour. SpiceDish met Jessie in San Francisco at the end of October. So, if life is going according to plan, the next meet up should be between us gals at Scoopalicious and the ab fab SpiceDish herself. It seems only natural. We can't wait...for whenever that is!

Until then, we'll take SpiceDish Saturdays. Without further ado, here's SpiceDish!

This recipe may be a little strange to some of you, but it makes perfect sense to me. I had the luck to meet Fabrizia Lanza the olive oil expert a few nights ago at a talk she gave at 18 Reasons here in San Francisco. During her talk, Fabrizia treated us to vanilla ice cream drizzled with a fine extra-virgin olive oil. The fruity/sweet combination really worked! My mind immediately went to salty/sweet and I thought that a few bits of sea salt would really have put the treat over the top. On my walk home I decided that one more element would make it unexpected and perfect: pepper. Peppercorn ice cream actually. I went home, infused cream with rainbow peppercorns, drizzled the final product with a McEvoy Ranch olive oil, sprinkled some pink sea salt for crunch and color and voila! Delicious.

Salt & Pepper Ice Cream

1 ½ cups half & half
1/3 cups sugar
1 ½ tbs mixed color peppercorns- cracked
Pinch of sea salt
3 egg yolks
High quality extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
Pinch of pink sea salt (for topping)

Warm the half & half, sugar, pepper and salt in a medium saucepan. Turn off the heat and cover. Let sit for an hour. Set a strainer on top of a large bowl then re-warm the mixture. Whisk egg yolks in another medium sized bowl. Add a few tbs of the warmed mixture to the yolks and whisk. Continue until all of the mixture has been whisked into the eggs then add mixture back into saucepan on a low heat. Stir constantly, scraping the bottom of pan until the mixture thickens and coats your spoon. Pour through the strainer into bowl then cool over an ice bath. Refrigerate until completely cooled then freeze in ice cream maker.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pink sea salt just before serving.

Thanks SpiceDish! Can't wait to try this one!

Perfectly simple Pillsbury Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches

2011-11-11T12:20:00.000-05:00

Start with Pillsbury Perfectly Pumpkin boxed cookie dough.

Just add an egg and butter.

Make teaspoon scoops.

And voila...awesome pumpkin cookies! Just the right amount of pumpkin and spice flavor and for added sweetness I sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top before baking.

Wait we're not finished yet....scoop your favorite ice cream in between two cookies. We chose oreo cookie to get some chocolate in there and then simple vanilla bean.

Roll sides in festive sprinkles or sugar

And you get a perfectly simple and festive and yummy ice cream sandwich!

Scoopalicious catches CakeSpy on her "Tour de Sweet"

2011-11-07T22:21:00.002-05:00

Me and Bethany at CakeSpy's book signing in Boston

What a fun night to finally get to meet Jessie O of CakeSpy after all these blogging years on her Tour de Sweet! Wow, It feels like eons ago that we started our little ice cream blog and at the same time we found a friend and blogger online who not only is an amazing artist but a baker and blogger too. And on top of all that goodness she has recently published her own awesome book, CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life. And that was what led us to finally get to meet. We were super excited that her Tour de Sweet made its way to Boston and stopped at Sweet (how appropriate!) so we immediately saved the date and got our books ready to be signed. So fun to finally meet and so fun to see all her hard work come together in this fabulous book. Congrats Jessie!

And if you missed our interview post with CakeSpy you can check it out here.

Happy Halloween Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

2011-10-31T14:58:00.001-04:00

I was super excited to see these ice cream cone cupcakes by Life's a Cupcake at one of the Halloween parties I went to this past weekend. It of course was the first thing I noticed amongst all the treats and the first thing every kid wanted. What's better than cupcake that looks like ice cream! After giving one to my 6 year old and 2 year old I realized this really is a great idea. The cone takes the mess out of cupcakes and is still fun for the kids to eat. Oh and the cute little chocolate pumpkin was the icing on the cake!

I have to give props to Jen from Life's a Cupcake. She is a friend of a friend who has two little ones and recently decided to turn her love for baking into a fun little local business. She is not only a great baker but super creative and adds fun detail and thought into all her creations. She made the Pumpkin cupcakes you can see in the background as well as awesome Frankenstein chocolate cupcakes. If you happen to live in Southern MA or northern RI definitely check her out. Thanks Jen for the fun cupcakes. Can't wait for Tarah to have another party so I can do some more taste testing!

My own private tasting

2011-10-26T20:29:00.000-04:00

Lucky me got a great surprise from my co-blogger Bethany, who is my ice cream making idol btw. I unfortunately couldn't make it to her annual ice cream party this summer so she so kindly saved me cute little tastings. Only two in and yum! The even more fun part is that she can't quite remember all the flavors so it's a guessing game too!

CakeSpy's Book: We have a winner!

2011-10-24T21:28:00.002-04:00

We are happy to announce that the winner of the book CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life has been chosen. Congrats to a Big Mouthful! Hope you enjoy the recipes and we can't wait to hear what you think of the book!

CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life

2011-10-18T01:00:00.000-04:00

Cuppied Golden Girls!

I "met" Jessie (aka CakeSpy) four years ago on Etsy. I loved her whimsical drawings and her reasonable prices. In fact, I commissioned an AMAZING Cuppie drawing from her for my Golden Girls loving best friend a few years ago, which you can see at right. Jessie does not miss a detail. Look at Blanche's wrapper...

Over the years she has shared amazing recipes, introduced me to sinfully decadant cakes, forged the friendship of Scoopalicious and Spice Dish (which in turn made way for Spice Dish Saturdays), and kept us utterly inspired along the way.

THE BOOK.

When my copy of CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life arrived in the mail, I was thrilled. The book is beautiful. It's 100% CakeSpy. And having now followed the CakeSpy chronicles from very early on, I feel lucky to be one of those who can say "I knew her when..." Haha! Seriously though, having watched Jessie develop into this success in so many ways has been such a joy, but it was the publication of a book -- a book! -- that really took the cake (yes, of course pun intended!). We at Scoopalicious are so proud of you Jessie -- so well deserved.

There are so many treats I wanted to try (oh if the time allowed for them all!) but I was especially tickled by all the ice cream recipes included. Pudding using ice cream instead of milk?! Oh. My. God. Wow. Sounds heavenly. And. It. Was.

Ice Cream Pudding Pie as attempted by Scoopalicious

I brought the pie ("Ice Cream Pudding Pie," as it is so aptly named) to a dinner I was attending. It was super easy to make and ended up being a hit. The rich chocolate filling (ice cream pudding) was offset by the airiness of the Cool Whip. With the Oreo crust, it kind of reminded me of the chocolate mousse pie they served in the Tufts Dining Hall that I have been trying in vain to either buy or make my own version. Not exactly the same, but it might be good enough to fill the void. My pie isn't as beautiful as the one photographed in Jessie's book, but 1. She had a professional photographer. I had an iPhone. 2. She probably didn't drop the pie on the floor before she brought it to dinner guests. I did. (It just became messier looking. The cover was on so the five-second rule didn't even come up.)

As I was basking in the goodness of the book, something even more magical happened. Jessie's publisher got in touch with me and asked if we wanted to be part of CakeSpy's Virtual Tour de Sweet. I immediately agreed, and decided our leg of the tour would be part interview, part giveaway, part review and total awesomeness!

The best part is, this Virtual Tour de Sweet is eleven days long. You can visit these other fabulous blogs for more reviews and goodies tied in with CakeSpy's new book. Not only are we honored to be on CakeSpy's tour, but to be headlining with these bloggers is the cherry on top.

October 10—Cupcake Project

October 11—Bake It in a Cake!

October 12—Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

October 13—Dessert First

October 14—Cookie Madness

October 15—Bake and Destroy

October 16—Piece of Cake

October 17—Not Martha

October 18—Scoopalicious

October 19—Big Girls, Small Kitchen

October 20—Blondie and Brownie

Additionally, you can meet CakeSpy at her live Tour de Sweet book tour. Check out the link for the dates she'll be in a city near you.

Now without further delay, here's our fabulous interview with Jessie "CakeSpy" Oleseon.

Getting Started

Scoopalicious: You went to art school. I went to art school. Let's talk art. Where did you go to school and what specifically did you study?

CakeSpy: I went to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, where Law & Order was constantly being filmed on campus. I began as a Graphic Design major, but a course instructor urged me to switch to illustration very early on. It was a good idea.

Scoopalicious: Did you leave school with a life plan of world famous sweet blog, sweet store, sweet book, sweet life? How did you get where you are today?

CakeSpy: Nope. I left school early--I believe the technical term would be "dropout". My goal was simply to get a job that didn't suck, but what is an art school dropout qualified to do, exactly? Well. I started out working at a rubber stamp store, then graduated to working at a textile company, then was a sort of artistic personal assistant for a while, then I finally landed at a greeting card company, and stuck with the gift and greeting card industry until I started my own business.

The Blog

Scoopalicious: How and when did the blog start?

CakeSpy: It started in the summer of 2007, as a way to unite my three greatest loves: writing, illustration, and baked goods.

Scoopalicious: Why did you start writing a blog?

CakeSpy: I wanted a project that would unite the aforementioned loves, but I didn't know what. I figured I'd start a blog while I figured it out. I never thought the blog would be the project, but it has been!

Scoopalicious: How did it happen that your blog wasn't just another blog getting lost in the blogosphere? Do you think your readers come for the art? The recipes? The reviews? The interviews? Or a combo of all of the above?

CakeSpy: I think it's very much a combo. I am not fishing for compliments when I say that quite honestly, there are probably people who can respectively write, illustrate, or bake much better than me. But there are few people who can do all three, and for me, it seems to be what sets me apart. That is to say -- I'm a triple threat!

Your ~~Art~~ Mom

Scoopalicious: Your (also incredibly talented) mom has a great interview about the technical part of your art, so I am not going to be redundant and I'll have our readers read that interview there. So, I guess this section should be renamed "Your Mom" since now my only art question is about your mom. Your mom is an illustrator and also quite the baker, I've heard. Would you say she has been the greatest inspiration in your career?

CakeSpy: I think that she's been the greatest catalyst for my career, in that she raised me to love baked goods and with both parents being artistic I was not necessarily urged to do artwork, but it was more just a part of growing up--I never knew a household without paints and crayons at my disposal. However, the writing part I will credit to my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Hillman (who is my friend on Facebook, btw), who really encouraged me to develop my writing and who introduced me to some of my favorite storytellers like Roald Dahl.

Cuppie and Friends

Scoopalicious: Let's talk Cuppie. When was he born?

CakeSpy: Cuppie was born as the result of the tiniest bit of leftover cake batter being baked into one single cupcake. He (yes, it is a he, though I realize there are inconsistencies in my artwork) has always had a chip on his shoulder about not being his own complete cake--I think that's where the snarkiness comes from.

Scoopalicious: The first time you drew Cuppie, did you imagine his future in fame and stardom?

CakeSpy: I believe the first time I drew this cupcake was probably in the second grade or so...so at the time, I was probably more focused on wanting cake than on wanting fame and fortune.

Scoopalicious: What is your favorite Cuppie drawing?

CakeSpy: I love the image called "the talk" which is on a card and for sale on my website as a print, which is a three panel cartoon about a cupcake realizing where it came from.

"The Talk"

Scoopalicious: O.M.G. "The Talk" is awesome. So creative. Are you surrounded by (and when I say surrounded by, I mean, eating) cupcakes and other sweets while doing your artwork?

CakeSpy: All too often, yes. This is a good and a bad thing. It's good because, well, cake rules. It's bad because buttery hands make for smudges and fingerprints on artwork. It's my constant struggle.

The Book

Scoopalicious: You. Published. A. Book. How exciting! Tell us a little bit about the process of this book coming together.

CakeSpy: Really, it's the realization of many years' work on the blog, adapting many of my favorite recipes into a curated collection, surrounded by my clever illustrations, color-saturated photos, and of course my witty repartee.

Scoopalicious: The book filled with recipes akin to the adventures of a kid in a candy shop. How do you come up with these magical recipes?

CakeSpy: I love puns and word play, so a lot of them come to me in that way. Many of them will also be inspired by treats I love simply taken to the next level--like, "how can I make this even more fun?"

Scoopalicious: How did you decide which recipes from the blog belonged in the book?

Author's Pick:
Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict

CakeSpy: I had a huge list of all of the ones I thought should be in the book, and my very helpful editor Susan Roxborough helped me weed the list to a manageable amount.

Scoopalicious: What's your favorite recipe in the book?

CakeSpy: Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict.

Ice Cream

Scoopalicious: We love ice cream. Duh. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Ice cream brand?

CakeSpy: My favorite ice cream is the chocolate-vanilla soft serve swirl that I grew up eating by the Jersey shore (boardwalk food!). When it comes to visiting an ice cream shop or buying a pint or gallon, I generally go with vanilla--I love adding toppings to it. However, I once had the most lovely ice cream experience at a place in Connecticut called Salem Valley Ice Cream. I believe it was an apple spice ice cream, special for the fall, and it still makes me smile to think of this ice cream.

Scoopalicious: What's your favorite ice cream recipe in the book?

CakeSpy: Red Velvet Cake Shake.

Scoopalicious: That's next on my list to try. Stay tuned for that upcoming post...Anyway, I want to make a CakeSpy inspired ice cream. What would be an ice cream flavor only CakeSpy herself would dream up?

CakeSpy: Whenever I go to Momofuku Milk Bar I think they've already done the types of ice cream flavors I would come up with. Cereal milk infused ice cream? Red vine soft serve? Be still my beating heart. Some ideas that have occurred to me: Hummingbird Cake ice cream, Pop-tart ice cream, Pain Au Chocolat ice cream, Coconut Cream Pie ice cream...

Scoopalicious: Noted and filed. Keep a look out in the future.

Advice for Our Readers

Scoopalicious: Sometimes -- er, um, always -- I think of you as Superwoman. The baking and testing, the blog, the art, the shop, the book...and you still manage to be great at replying to each and every email. How do you do it? Do you sleep? Do you ever see your husband?

CakeSpy: I won't lie: although this is the funnest job I've ever had, it's also the most demanding--and time consuming, because it's not just a job, it's more like a lifestyle. It's almost like I made myself into a sort of superhero alter ego. On my days off, I eat brussels sprouts.

Scoopalicious: Any advice on coming up with new and creative recipes?

CakeSpy: Start with a recipe or elements of recipes that you trust, so that you have good building blocks. That is to say--learn the rules before you break them.

Scoopalicious: Anything else to add?

CakeSpy: Don't be scared to eat cake. So many people swear off of dessert--I think it's a dangerous idea. Much better to let yourself have a joy-filled dessert experience than to deny yourself and then stuff your face later because you're feeling deprived. I feel like people do that way too often.

Scoopalicious: Thank you to our favorite Spy! We ♥ you and your fabulously decadent treats and your adorable drawings!

Dear readers, I encourage you to buy the book for your sweet-loving self and all your sweet-loving friends and family. You won't be disappointed and even if you never make a recipe from the book, you can drool over the pictures and be magically transported to a land of cupcakes and unicorns. You can buy the book at Amazon, or spend a few extra bucks and get a signed copy of the book on CakeSpy's site. (Or visit this link for more resellers.)

And you can win. We are giving away a copy of the book as well. To enter, simply tell us your ideal Cuppie scene. Is it Cuppie starring in a favorite TV show? Maybe Cuppie visiting your favorite city? Perhaps it's Cuppie in a more daring role -- engaging in battle with a hated food? Leave us a comment by Friday, October 21, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST for a chance to be a winner. Winner will be chosen at random. You MUST include your email address. You can either leave it in your comment or email us at scoopaliciousblog@gmail.com. Unfortunately, we have learned from past experience that even though Blogger asks for your email address in the form, there is no way for me to access it. If we do not have your address, we unfortunately cannot award you the prize.

All images © Jessie Oleson and may not be used without her permission.

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

2011-10-12T01:00:00.000-04:00

I mentioned on Facebook that I may have found the ultimate pumpkin ice cream recipe but I wouldn't know until I froze it. I finally froze it. And...it's amazing!

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

1 can minus 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin (you could use the whole can, and I am sure it would be fine. See below as to why I didn't.)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
a dash of ground cloves

Mix all ingredients and chill. Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and churn according to your machine's instructions.

Here are my thoughts on this ice cream. It's fantastic. My friend and I tried it tonight and we both agreed. It tastes like a perfect frozen pumpkin pie.

My complaints? For some reason a ton of this ice cream stuck to the edges of the canister as it froze and so I had about 1/8 inch of hard frozen base against my canister that didn't get any air mixed in. In fact, the ice cream as a whole was really dense, so with the loss of the ice cream along the edge of the canister, and the denseness of the ice cream, I only got about two good cups.

Secondly, the after the ice cream was churned, I put it in the freezer to ripen. When I took it out of the freezer, it was rock hard. Once I let it soften for about ten minutes, the ice cream was perfect scooping temperature, and ended up being perfect on our palettes. Problem is, I didn't really want to wait ten minutes for my ice cream. I wanted it when I wanted it. But alas, this wait was a small price to pay for the ice cream we were able to savor

As you see, I garnished the ice cream with little star cookies. These cookies -- actually, graham crackers -- are the reason I am short two tablespoons of pumpkin from the can. I wanted to make graham crackers for Violet. I came across Stef from Cupcake Project's recipe for Pumpkin Graham Crackers. Yum! (To be honest though, I couldn't really taste the pumpkin and they really tasted like gingerbread cookies to me, but either way, I really like them!) Problem was, what to do with one can minus two tablespoons of pumpkin. I could have put it in the fridge for another day, but last time I did that, I forgot about it and it got to old to use -- and with the price I paid for a can of pumpkin (I am not sure why it was so high at my grocery store, seeing as there wasn't a shortage this year), I didn't want to waste it. Soooooo, I used it for the recipe that I have been dying to experiment -- pumpkin ice cream made with the simple combo of sweetened condensed milk.

And what a successful experiment it was!

Review: Breyers, Klondike, Reeses, and Popsicle Treats

2011-10-11T01:00:00.000-04:00

I have an apology. I love getting samples. I love sharing samples with friends. I then have a bad habit of taking a while to actually write about the samples.

It's not that I don't want to. I do. Here's the thing. This blog, though it's a passion of mine and Tina's, isn't a paid gig. While we love samples, they don't put supper on the table -- well, once in a while we like to consider ice cream our supper, but it can't be all the time! So long story short, it's a hobby for us, and sometimes (all too often) it gets put on the back burner and then sometimes a post gets misplaced until I find the photos on the camera. So Breyers, Klondike, Popsicle and Reese’s, thanks for the treats and sorry for the delay in this post.

A few months ago, the rep for Breyers, Klondike, Popsicle and Reese’s sent us some lovely treats. We broke open the treats during one of our monthly playdates with our daughter's friend Rebecca and her parents.

My favorites were the Breyers Blasts. As Breyers describes the line, the ice creams feature "delicious mix-ins from America’s best-loved candy and cookie brands blasted into every bite." I love love love Oreo ice cream. I usually get it in vanilla or cake base, but I actually really liked the new twist on an old treat with a chocolate base. So my favorite of the bunch was the Oreo Ice Cream.

Husband was a huge fan of the Whoppers Ice Cream. I don't think he was thrilled when the rest of us dipped into the carton -- less for him! As he tasted the first bite he said "It's like Whopper Ice Cream and then there are actual Whoppers in it." Deep, husband, very deep thoughts. But it was. It was a perfect marriage of a Whopper (or malted milk) base dotted with actual Whoppers.

Fifteen month old Rebecca also gave the Whopper's Ice Cream glowing reviews. As her mom said, "Rebecca, who only likes strawberry [ice cream] now officially likes malted milk ball [ice cream]...sans milk balls." So she liked the flavor, just not the chunks. Chunks might be a bit much for a toddler. Either way, Rebecca, who is most definitely a picky eater, chose to include Whopper Ice Cream into her discerning list of foods she will eat. Husband will be hiding that ice cream next time Rebecca comes to visit.

While I wasn't a huge fan of the What the Fudge? Brownie Sandwich, the rest of the gang was. "It's like soft cookies, except they're soft when frozen. It's magic!" "The right combination of gooey and gooey." "Double gooey -- so good!" "Gooey goodness." "Like gooey brownies right out of the oven except their cold." 'Nuff said.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups fantastic. Ice Cream is fantastic. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups + Ice Cream = Super Fantastic. Quote of the evening: "Where's mine?!...oooooooooh!"

The Jolly Rancher Awesome Twosome Popsicles weren't shared that night because I think we reached our limit on treats! But, I tried those on my own. They brought back fond memories of fifth grade, where Jolly Ranchers were the candy of choice that year. I'm not a huge popsicle eater (I prefer ice cream when I go into the freezer for a frozen treat) but these popsicles made me happy in taste and in memories!

The samples I got in the mail didn't disappoint and I certainly felt like hostess of the year as I brought the treats to the table! Thanks Breyers, Klondike, Popsicle and Reese’s!

P.S. This isn't really relevant to this post, but as I was gathering the links for this post, I saw this little thumbnail of a sundae that looked super yummy. The I followed the link and there were lots of little thumbnails of sundaes that look super yummy.

Interview with Jeni of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

2011-10-10T00:40:00.000-04:00

When my friend Pam lived in Ohio, I told her about Denise's Ice Cream (now closed), that had moved from Somerville, MA to Columbus, Ohio. I had loved Denise's and was so sad when they left us to move "west". When I told Pam about it, she said she had never been because she lived on the same block as Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. I'd never heard of it, but clearly she thought it trumped even "thinking" about other Columbus ice cream, so it was something I had to look into.

Years later, Pam now lives in New England, and though I have never had the opportunity to visit a Jeni's, I have made a few of her fabulous recipes from her new book, and I too am now a fan, and Tina and I were so honored to have Jeni herself grant us an interview.

In the next week or so I head to visit Pam and her new(ish) baby girl, so in honor of that occasion and the person who first told me about Jeni's, here's the wonderful interview we conducted over email. And do read all the way through -- not only is the interview great, but she has so graciously supplied us with one of their recipes. Thanks Jeni! (Oh, and thanks Pam, for making the "introduction"!)

Getting Started...

Scoopalicious: Before you started making your own ice cream, what was your go to ice cream?

Jeni: Haagen-Dazs.

Scoopalicious: How did you make the leap from home churner to selling your ice cream?

Jeni: In the mid ‘90s I was experimenting for a few months at home—always with the intention to start a business, but for a party one evening I blended cayenne essential oil with store-bought milk chocolate ice cream and my guests went crazy—“It’s hot! It’s cold!” That flavor, made today of course with our ice cream base, is Queen City Cayenne, a nod to Cincinnati and it’s spicy chili (made with a touch of chocolate and pepper).

Scoopalicious: What equipment did you need to buy to make the leap?

Jeni: A really awesome stainless steel ice cream machine from Italy, some ice cream cabinets, and freezers.

Scoopalicious: Did you still make your ice creams out of your home or then move to a commercial space?

Jeni: When I opened Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002 in the North Market, a public market city market that’s a ready-made, entry level commercial space, I made and sold everything there pretty much by myself. Great time, very long days.

Design and Ice Cream (our two favorite things!)

Scoopalicious: Your book is gorgeous. We read you went to art school—did you design it?

Jeni: Thank you very much. I studied art for a bit at the Ohio State University but dropped out. I would say that I art directed the book. I had a pretty well-formed idea of what I wanted it to look like and I worked with our in-house designer at the time, Casey Carmell, freelance photographer Stacy Newgent, and our publisher, Artisan Books, to pull it off. We did a lot of sample layouts here in our office, and the end papers. Artisan has an awesome design team, so we worked with them closely. I also styled the photos in the book on our office’s conference table with Stacy Newgent.

The flavors...

Scoopalicious: How did you decide which recipes to put into your book?

Jeni: Most are just my favorites from over the years. You’ll notice that fall and winter have the most flavors; it’s because those are my favorite flavor seasons.

Scoopalicious: Your flavors are not run-of -the-mill. Do you find kids to be turned off by the flavors? Are there any flavors that kids really love?

Jeni: Kids are a lot more open-minded than people give them credit for. People assume kids won’t like certain flavors all the time. It’s ice cream. Kids like it. I never treat kids as kids. I treat them as thinkers. Allow them to explore the same way grown-ups do. Many kids love bitterness—many people don’t realize that—but they do. They love stout, coffee, grapefruit, and, like grown-ups they like anything with bright colors or chocolate.

Scoopalicious: Do you create all the flavors yourself or do you have help?

Jeni: I create them all, but I’m not opposed to anyone’s ideas. Of course, I have a kick-ass team who helps bring it all to life. We tweak and taste together, but we are very secretive during the process so there are only about 7 people working on new collections at any given time. One artist, two ice cream makers, one writer, one project director, and myself. The first batches start with me in my test kitchen, which is upstairs from my office. Then I work with my other ice cream makers and we taste together. When it’s almost perfect, we invite the rest of the team in for tasting. Then the process of design begins and eventually we will train the kitchen team to make the flavors and our shop keepers how to serve. We operate under a very strict schedule and deadlines or we won’t make the three month flavor drops. We don’t think everything has to be perfect or appeal to everyone. We see every collection as temporary, experimental. When it’s gone—poof! It’s gone, probably forever unless I can’t live without it.

Scoopalicious: How often do you introduce new flavors?

Jeni: We release six new flavors every three months. Our next collection will be available Nov. 2011 through Jan. 2012, followed by a collection Feb-April, May-July, and Aug.-Oct.

Scoopalicious: How often do you rotate flavors?

Jeni: See collections answer above. Signature Flavors are around all year, but something isn’t selling or if I decide it’s time to go, it’s time to go.

Scoopalicious: Are all your signature flavors constants on the menu in your shops?

Jeni: Every single day. We never run out. Which isn’t exactly easy, but we are committed to making sure those flavors are always available to anyone who walks into a shop and orders online.

Scoopalicious: How do you decide which are your "signature" flavors?

Jeni: Whatever is the most crave-able has made the list. Some have always been Signature (Salty Caramel), others made the list through demand (Brambleberry Crisp, which initially was introduced as a seasonal flavor).

Scoopalicious: Do you ever take flavor suggestions from your customers?

Jeni: My inbox is loaded with them. But the truth is I have a backlog of flavor ideas that will last years. I’ve got to get through all those first. That’s why I wrote the book and shared the recipe for a great base: so anyone can make the ice cream of their dreams.

Scoopalicious: What is your favorite flavor among your creations?

Jeni: Meyer Lemon Yogurt. I never get sick of it, probably because it’s so uncomplicated.

The "Business of Ice Cream"...

Scoopalicious: What part of Jeni's are you involved in on a day to day?

Jeni: Almost every part. Once I develop new flavor collection, I work with our creative team to do photography, artwork, and copy. Then we train the kitchen and our shop ambassadors how to make it and talk about it. And then the process repeats.

What I don’t do is worry about something like how to get Ugandan vanilla beans through customs/homeland security, or manage ice cream distribution, our 401k program, etc. That’s what we hired CEO, John Lowe who does that stuff and so much more.

Scoopalicious: Is your current role at Jeni's what you want to be doing? I mean, are you now wrapped up in the business when you'd rather still be doing the creative, etc?

Jeni: I’m right where I want to be.

Scoopalicious: How many people work in your kitchen helping with the creations and the production?

Jeni: About 40.

Advice from a Pro...

Scoopalicious: How do you keep from eating all of your ice cream all the time?!

Jeni: I eat ice cream all the time. I do not try to prevent it. I love it very much.

Scoopalicious: Any ice cream-making advice for our readers?

Jeni: All you need is the perfect base. Mine from the book is scoopable, and super creamy even on home machines. Then you can adapt the recipes in the book to make any flavor you can dream up.

Looking forward...

Scoopalicious: Do you have plans to expand retail stores outside of Ohio (like, um, Boston and Providence!)?

Jeni: Hell, yes. Can’t wait! But, we are not in a hurry to open another shop and we’re definitely not going to franchise. We own all 10 of our shops and manage them.

Scoopalicious: We cannot wait for you to come our way! Your 10th anniversary is coming up at the end of the year. Any big plans to celebrate?

Jeni: No plans yet, but we will have to think of something! I’m thinking we ought to throw a concert. Can you hook us up with Foreigner, the Civil Wars, Glen Campbell, Van Halen, what’s left of Queen, and Burt Reynolds to emcee?

Scoopalicious: Seriously, wish we had the connections so maybe we could bargain some free ice cream out of the hook up!

In case we forgot to ask...

Scoopalicious: Anything we haven't covered that you want to add?

Jeni: Not that I can think of! Thanks for the interview!

Thank you, Jeni! And thanks for the recipe! By the way I love the black raspberry part. My parents have tons of black raspberries growing on their property, but while you find many recipes for raspberries or blackberries, there are relatively few for the sweet black gems of a black raspberry -- which are truly my favorite.

Oh, and one other thing I forgot to mention...the forum on Jeni's site is AWESOME. It's full of great advice for people using her book. What a great ancillary to the book -- I wish more cookbooks came with something like it! Check it out if you have any questions or concerns with the recipes in the book!

Sweet Corn & Black Raspberry Ice Cream

A sublime summer match—initial hits of milky sweet corn give way to the floral nose of sweet black raspberry.

Ohio sweet corn is milky-tasting and shockingly sweet. I like to eat it raw straight off the truck. We add sea salt and fresh cream and milk to make a delightful peak-harvest ice cream, then swirl it with black raspberry sauce. This is the taste of summertime in Ohio, especially in Columbus, where this flavor has had a loyal following since I first made it over ten years ago.

Sweet corn ice cream is delicious on its own. My initial reason for adding black raspberries was visual, but black raspberries offer a perfect sweet-tart perfume to the flavor (complementary colors often make complementary flavors). If you can’t find good black raspberries for the sauce (some years they are all seeds—don’t bother), use half blackberries and half red raspberries, so the color is still a deep purple to complement the yellow corn.

Makes a generous 1 quart

1 ear sweet corn, husked
2 cups whole milk

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Black Raspberry Sauce (see below)

Pairs well with: Blue corn cakes with lots of powdered sugar and Queen City Cayenne Ice Cream. Bumbleberry crumble. Honey Butterscotch Sauce

PREP

Slice the kernels from the corn cob, then “milk” the cob by scraping it with the back of your knife to extract the liquid; reserve the kernels and liquid.Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.

Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

COOK

Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn and juices, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and force the mixture through a sieve into a bowl, leaving the corn “cases” behind. Return the mixture to the saucepan and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

CHILL
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

FREEZE
Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

Pack the ice cream into a storage container, alternating it with layers of the black raspberry sauce and ending with a spoonful of sauce; do not mix. Press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Black Raspberry Sauce
This sauce will not freeze fully when it’s frozen, so it’s perfect to swirl through any ice cream. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

2 cups black raspberries
1 cup sugar

Combine the berries and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 220°F (5 to 8 minutes). Let cool slightly, then force through a sieve to remove the seeds. (Or leave a few seeds in there just to prove you made it.) Refrigerate until cold before using.

CakeSpy's awesome book comes with 4 weeks of giveaways

2011-10-07T09:44:00.000-04:00

So excited one of our favorite bloggers has an awesome new book that just arrived...CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life. We are so proud of you CakeSpy! It looks amazing. Stay tuned for our very own write up on Scoopalicious about this yummy book!

And she is in the Halloween spirit and wants to share the joys of sweets with all of you. So this month CakeSpy is raffling off one book a week for four weeks. All you have to do is answer her one simple question....Candy Corn or Mellowcreme Pumpkins on her blog or her Facebook page.

I know what my answer is...Mellowcreme pumpkins all the way! Mellowcreme topping on pumpkin ice cream sounds even better!

2011-09-30T13:42:00.000-04:00

A Sweet Car Named Desire Ice Cream Trolley in Old Forge, NY. Closed for the season :( but hopefully we'll make it back here next summer to try.

Sweet dreams of ice cream!

2011-09-05T21:00:00.000-04:00

Way too cute! This reminds me of my daughter who has to have her ice cream before bedtime no matter how sleepy. Sweet dreams of ice cream!

Smucker's Giveaway Winner!

2011-09-01T09:33:00.000-04:00

I used random.org to pick a winner, and then counted down the number of entries to get a winner. And the winner is...#14, Kathy!

Congrats Kathy, and thanks to all for playing! Please check back for future contests and giveaways!

Thanks to Smucker's for this fun giveaway basket as well!

Schwan's Part Deux

2011-08-28T15:09:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here watching the rain pound down outside. (Is this now only a tropical storm and not a hurricane? Either way, it's quite a show, Mother Nature...) I'm craving ice cream. What's new? Unfortunately, I am not sure Schwan's delivers this quickly and I'll bet they aren't even delivering in this weather...I'm particularly craving Schwan's Loaded Waffle Cone Peanut Butter Swirl ice cream.

Back in June we got an email from Schwan's asking if we'd like to try some samples of their new summer flavors. Of course. I'd never heard of Schwan's before but Husband had. I think it's from Minnesota and that's why he is familiar with it. A quick check to their "history" page confirms I am correct:

It all started back on Tuesday March 18, 1952, when 23-year-old Marvin Schwan packed up his beat-up 1946 Dodge panel van with 14 gallons of his family's signature ice cream with a plan to deliver it to rural families in western Minnesota...

It has happened more than once than we have gotten samples from somewhere I have never heard of and Husband was familiar with them because they were a Minnesotan company.

A couple of months ago, we got a package from Schwan's Home Delivery. They sent the ice cream cake that Tina wrote about and two cartons of ice cream.

I digress. So anyway we got a carton of the aforementioned Loaded Waffle Cone Peanut Butter Swirl ice cream as well as “Monkeying Around” Banana ice cream, "the winning flavor from [their] Facebook contest last summer."

I liked the Monkeying Around, but I am not a huge huge fan of banana ice cream, and even the chocolate covered bananas and graham cracker swirl could convince me that it was going to be a favorite. Husband really liked it though, as did a friend who is a huge banana anything fan.

For me I was taken by the Loaded Waffle Cone Peanut Butter Swirl. I loved the peanut butter swirls and the fudge covered cone. I love in ice cream how the peanut butter hardens but isn't too hard...The fudge surrounding the waffle cone kept the cone from getting too soggy, as can be a problem with once-crispy mix-ins. And "loaded" it was. Schwan's does not skimp on the mix-ins.

I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed to be the polite daughter-in-law and tell my father-in-law he could finish the Loaded Waffle Cone Peanut Butter Swirl. But I was a great daughter-in-law, let him finish it, and I hope I get brownie -- er, um, ice cream -- points for that!

Since it's delivery, it seems like their prices are a bit on the higher side than you might find for a carton you'd buy at the store, but c'mon -- ice cream delivered to your door?! I think it's worth the extra buck. I'll definitely be hitting up Schwan's again sometime in the near future.

Storm's letting up. Do you think they'll deliver in this wind!?

Smucker's Giveaway

2011-08-26T11:35:00.002-04:00

I'm not going to lie. I love getting mail. Any type, as long as it's not junk mail. I love postcards and packages, letters and magazines. One of the added benefits of blogging is that you get things in the mail -- samples, treats...

I didn't know this when we started or we would have gone with something more mailable. Ice cream can be quite expensive to mail! I'm only kidding. I wouldn't blog about anything else AND quite honestly, we have been super spoiled with the samples and giveaways we have gotten.

The latest was a super cool basket of goodies from Smucker's. What's even cooler (no ice cream pun intended) is that they have offered an additional basket for one of our lucky readers.

The giveaway package will include:

Set of four premium ice cream dishes
Smucker’s ice cream scoop
New Smucker’s ice cream toppings varieties including spoonable Blueberry Topping and Microwavable Hot Caramel Topping and our classic Microwavable Hot Fudge Topping
$75.00 gift certificate to Cooking.com to purchase whatever additional ingredients you need
Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk and other ingredients to make homemade ice cream – it’s easier than you think!
Recipe booklet full of ideas and coupons to help you celebrate every moment this summer!

(Estimated retail value: $125.00).

My basket just arrived Wednesday and I haven't had a chance to play around with any of the recipes on their main site or their Facebook site, but I can't wait to try a Chocolate Overload Sundae: "Rocky Road ice cream topped with Smucker's Marshmallow Topping and a generous portion of Smucker's Microwaveable Hot Fudge" (#6 on the list here on smuckers.com). I also love blueberry and I want to try making some ice cream with a blueberry swirl.

It's a busy time of year, so we don't need you to make recipes but we do want your opinions and ideas. What sounds good to you? What frozen treat would you make with your winning prize pack? Would it be something of your own creation or one of the ideas from the Smucker's website?

Let us know what ice cream treat you would make with your prize pack. Leave us a comment by Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST for a chance to be a winner. Winner will be chosen at random. You MUST include your email address. You can either leave it in your comment or email us at scoopaliciousblog@gmail.com. Unfortunately, we have learned from past experience that even though blogger asks for your email address in the form, there is no way for me to access it. If we do not have your address, we unfortunately cannot award you the prize.

Good luck!

SONIC: And the Winner is...

2011-08-25T10:44:00.001-04:00

The entry period has closed for the SONIC gift card and fun straws giveaway. I was thinking of using random.org, but decided to go old school, put the names in a bucket and have my one year old choose the winner...So, ~~Jenn~~, Julian, you can thank Violet! Congrats!

(9/5/11 Update: I didn't have Jenn's email and she didn't get back to me so I picked the next winner using random.org...and Julian was the winner! Congrats Julian!)

SONIC Sundae Shakes: Tested

2011-08-24T15:00:00.000-04:00

The whole family took a trip to SONIC on Saturday afternoon to use our gift card that the folks at SONIC sent us. It's a great date-with-a-baby spot since all potential tantrums take place in the car, not in a restaurant surrounded by others who really don't care to hear screaming. Lucky for us, we didn't have any tantrums.

We did have some yummy Sundae Shakes though. I had hot fudge and Husband had the strawberry. We both were happy, though Husband felt the shakes weren't particularly "sip-able" (as they are advertised) until they have melted a bit. Husband is a bit impatient. But then again, they were good, so it made sense he was impatient. It was, as appropriately named, just like a sip-able soft serve sundae. Very familiar and very refreshing and fun to drink!

We did just get word that the Sundae Shakes are there for a limited time -- so you'll have to hurry on over to try them. We also got word that the next SONIC treat to arrive on the scene will be Pumpkin Pie Shakes. Um, yes, sister Arianna (of Librarianna and Real Art Ways Archivist fame -- yeah, I am kinda proud of my sister's new profession as a librarian), this news is for you.

There's still time to enter the giveaway so you can win a SONIC gift card -- to try the Sundae Shakes, the Pumpkin Pie Shake, or anything your SONIC heart desires!

OK, now tantrum awaits, so I have to jet. More soon!

SONIC Sundae Shakes & Giveaway

2011-08-18T22:40:00.002-04:00

SONIC contacted us a couple weeks ago about their new Sundae Shakes, offering to send both a lucky reader and us at Scoopalicious a $20 gift card to SONIC as well as some super fun drinking straws.

Here's how they described the shakes to us since we have yet to try them:

Available for a limited time in three delectable flavors: Turtle, Classic Hot Fudge and Strawberry Dream.
100% sippable (no spoons necessary!) and served in a new metallic cup.
Made with SONIC’s Real Ice Cream.

The weather is perfect for a drive-in treat, but with a teething daughter who hasn't been sleeping too well, we haven't gotten a chance to head up north to our nearest SONIC to try them.

But that shouldn't keep us from sharing our good fortune with one lucky reader.

For a chance to win do one (or more) of the following by Wednesday, August 24th, at 11:59 PM PST:

Comment on below on which flavor you'd like to try most (one chance)
Like Scoopalicious on Facebook and let us know you did! (one chance)
Like SONIC on Facebook and let us know you did! (one chance)
Send a friend (or friends) over to like Scoopalicious on Facebook and let us know. (One chance per added friend.)
Send a friend (or friends) over to like SONIC on Facebook and let us know. (One chance per added friend.)
Repost this post on Facebook or your blog -- yep, let us know... (Two chances per post, I am feeling generous!)

Whew!

Happy SONIC!

Note: Please leave your email address in case you win. If you don't want to post it here, you can email us at scoopaliciousblog (at) gmail (dot) com.

Cruisin' New Hampshire's Rte 16 for Ice Cream

2011-08-10T01:32:00.004-04:00

It's been a long week since the family trip to NH in the outdoors of New England with Scott and Holly and Chace just enjoying each other and all that is great about New England in the summer….Storyland, outdoors, and ice cream. I had intended to upload some ice cream pics as we enjoyed it but wherever we were service was spotty so now i get to showcase it all and more.

So we were on our way to North Conway, NH for a family vacation, described in tourism magazines as the shopping mecca of NH which makes me snicker quite a bit. Many of you know that it's a quick ride up there but with two kids in tow it's never that way but we somehow managed to get up there rather quickly and only stopped for ice cream once along the way. It was a good old rest stop novelty item had by Holly. Anyways, on our way up Rt 16 heading towards Conway we saw the cutest shop, The Dam Ice Cream Shop, located amazingly on a dam. We took a mental note and continued on.

Well our first night didn't consist of ice cream but it did entail stopping at the local grocer to stock up on a half gallon for the week(great thing about renting a condo instead of a hotel…a fridge for cocktails and ice cream!) which my daughter chose the Hannaford's store brand, Overloaded Peanut Butter Cup Infusion. It was actually not so bad. Day one….called for clouds so the hubby took the kids to an indoor water park and well I shopped at the "mecca" with my BFF and the highlight of the day was our last stop to Molly B's Ice Cream. Located on Rt 16 just past the center of town in what seemed to be an old storefront. And when I say old probably 1800s old. Upon walking in it was sort of cute and really bright pink but definitely needs some TLC in the decor department. There are a couple small tables inside and some picnic tables outside. Regardless I was there for ice cream and I immediately saw a flavor I had to have….Peanut Butter Caramel Cookie Dough. Seriously what else could be in this. It was exactly what it sounds like…vanilla base with mini peanut butter cups, swirls of caramel and chunks of cookie dough. Yes it was very sweet but awesome and then because I always have to try two flavors, I chose Maine Wild Blueberry. Some fruit to balance out the sweetness. Both were awesome and I would take seconds any day. The ice cream isn't homemade but made by Gifford's which is a great New England brand. Portion sizes were quite good too. I ordered a small with two flavors and it was more than enough.

Next stop and one we also had our eye on when we drove in was Lickety Splitz, this too located on Rt 16 in North Conway but before the main part of town. I think it was the playground that did it for me knowing i could enjoy my ice cream while the kids played. This is more of your typical ice cream shop but pretty neat decor with all vintage decor and lots of seating. They had these old phones lined up against the wall and my son who is just starting to talk found it amusing to pick up every phone and scream "heeewwwwwooooooo!" which entertained the whole place. Too cute! So ice cream time…my choices of the evening were Cake batter and Mint Chocolate chip. My daughter chose Chocolate Lovers (or something like that) which I was quite jealous of after the fact and Scott's Strawberry looked suuper refreshing.. The Mint was what I expected nothing special but still good and the cake batter was the traditional yellow cake batter and was really good and nice and smooth. Always a favorite. They also had a sundae bar with tons of toppings which Holly of course had to get and smothered her ice cream with homemade whipped cream and sprinkles. It was late but we had plenty of time for the kids to enjoy the small playground as we enjoyed our ice cream. Oh and my guess is they too serve Gifford's ice cream.

Next day, next stop…back to Molly B's and only because it was closer to the condo and late and my daughter was growing many heads at the thought of not getting ice cream before bedtime so we made a quick stop. I had to go back for seconds of that Peanut Butter Caramel Cookie Dough and it was as good this time as it was the first. But three days in a row of ice cream was getting excessive so one flavor in a very small dish did it. The family…they had Rum Raisin (Scott's all-time favorite) and the kids had Oreo Cookie and Vanilla. Poor Chace gets vanilla wherever we go..less to stain!

And then we saved the best for last on our drive home, the Dam Ice Cream shop. This is the true New England ice cream shop on a charming little dam serving homemade Bobby-Sue's ice cream. And it was right on our way home on Rt 16 in Chocorua, NH about 20 minutes south of Conway NH. It has two little take out windows on a deck with some seating and and cute little eat in area but also picnic tables and seating by the dam. They also have a little gift shop but it was all way too little trinkety country things for me so we just enjoyed the ice cream. I have a laundry list of flavors we all tried. I had Kahlua Brownie and Black Raspberry and the rest tried Cappuccino Crunch, Peanut Butter, Cookie Dough and Vanilla. I have to say I was impressed by them all. I loved the Kahlua Brownie. Just the right touch of Kahlua flavoring to not be too strong and the brownie pieces were sweet and just the right amount distributed throughout. The Black Raspberry was quite good but again nothing too out of the ordinary. It was the Peanut Butter that stood out to me. It was just a smooth peanut butter flavor with no mixins. You might have thought it was vanilla had you seen it but it was super smooth and creamy. Scott is lucky I only had one bite. I didn't try his Cappuccino Crunch but he said he really liked it and said it wasn't strong at all which is what his concern was when ordering it. I loved the atmosphere, the service and the ice cream and the serving sizes were very good too. Apparently Bobby-Sue's has been a local homemade ice cream for 29 years and is located in Freedom, NH serving local restaurants and shops. I had never heard of them before but glad I had the chance to try it. I know we will definitely be back.

And finally….home where I finished off the Ciao Bella Fat Free Mango Sorbet! No guilt since the days prior did enough damage!

Schwan's delivers something sweet right to your doorstep

2011-08-09T01:35:00.001-04:00

I always love to come home to a styrofoam container on my doorstep because that means some great brand wants me to test out their ice cream and let you all know how it is. So really, who turns down ice cream especially when it is delivered to your doorstep. This time around the ice cream was from Schwan's. Honestly I hadn't a clue who or what Schwan's was so quick to my computer I went to and turns out they are an online grocer and food delivery service providing "delicious, easy-to-prepare meals and friendly personalized service". Hmm..let's see a full time job, two kids, and a blog to keep up with…sadly prepared foods are right up my alley. When I said the name most friends said "hey I've seen those trucks" but I can't say I know anyone who has used the service. Unfortunately we didn't get any pizza or crabcakes but we were lucky enough to get a 1/2 gallon of Loaded Waffle Cone with Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream, another of Monkeying Around Banana Ice Cream, and a Rainbow CONFETTI™ Ice Cream Cake.

Lord knows I could probably eat all this ice cream we get myself but I really do try to share it with others so they can also give their opinion because one person's opinion might not always be the best review. So lucky enough I had a playdate planned…the perfect occasion to break out the Rainbow CONFETTI™ Ice Cream Cake. I can't even tell you how excited the kids were to have ice cream cake. Why do ice cream cakes only seem appropriate for parties? All it is is ice cream in a cake form. Why not eat it every day? So anyways we broke open the box and saw a sort of sad looking cake but I have to take credit for that as I don't think the 40 minute ride there did it any good. It is not so big either, about 7", but plenty for the small group we had. So I think I have to let this video speak for itself about how much the girls loved this cake. And there truly was no prompting as they loved it and came back for seconds.

The adults had a different take on this and I am in this pool of thoughts. I was totally expecting the "confetti" to be more like sprinkles but as the kids described they were sort of like Nerd candy. Very sweet and it was throughout the ice cream so there was no avoiding. What I do have to say I loved was the whipped topping. Very similar to the Carvel cake frosting..ooh so good. In all the cake goes for $12 and serves about 8 people. I think for a small kids party this would be a great dessert but not an ending to an adult dinner party.

Have you ever used the Schwan's food service? I really am interested to know how it is. Some of the products really look good and I heard the service is supposed to be top notch. Drop us a note if you have. We'd love to hear more about it.

Happy Birthday to Me!: Oreo Ice Cream Cake

2011-08-02T01:00:00.000-04:00

My birthday was two days ago and my dear friend Anisha knows the way to my heart. She surprised me with an ice cream cake...Oreo.

Maybe it's because I never had Oreos as a kid except for when they were swirled into ice cream to make Cookies 'n' Cream, or maybe it's the Cookies 'n' Cream that makes me nostalgic, but Oreo Ice Cream/Cookies 'n' Cream is one of my all time favorite flavors.

This cake was perfect. Cookies 'n' cream ice cream with a giant oreo in the middle. It was edged with vanilla frosting which was then covered with Oreo cookie crumbs. I loved it.

It certainly was a happy birthday to me -- ice cream cake after dinner and Richardson's ice cream for lunch before Harry Potter.

Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Bars

2011-08-01T01:00:00.000-04:00

Lisa, who I mentioned in yesterday's post, reminded me of something I have been meaning to bring up: self-serve frozen yogurt bars (I think that's what they are called...)

Please note (especially you, Ashu) these are very different than tart frozen yogurt places like Pinkberry I have blogged about before. These bars are: Self-serve. Tart or Creamy. Tons of toppings.

When I was visiting my inlaws in Prescott, Arizona, they took Husband and I to my first self-serve frozen yogurt bar: Frozen Yogartz. While I had never heard of them before, Lisa says there are a bunch of them in Boulder, Colorado as well.

Photo by uhhhlaine.
Used under the Creative Commons License.

It's a fun concept. You choose a flavor of frozen yogurt and pump as much of it as you want into your container. At Frozen Yogartz, there were about ten flavors to choose from, some of them permanent, some of them rotating. Then you go to the toppings bar and top, top, top. They charge you by weight, so you just have to be sure your eyes aren't bigger than your stomach, because you are paying for it!

I "yelped" frozen yogurt bars in the Boston area and found at least one. Truthfully, I am surprised ice cream sundae bars never appeared before this. I love "make your own sundaes." Why didn't I think of this?

Happy last day of National Ice Cream Month!

2011-07-31T21:50:00.000-04:00

Wow...made our final post in the final hours of the last day of National Ice Cream month. It's been an awesome month posting daily and I think we both have to admit it's a lot of work but in the end so much awesome stuff to share and we too learn lots along the way and eat way too much ice cream.

BUT summer's not over yet and there's definitely more to come including an awesome giveaway so stay tuned!

Happy 402nd Post to Us!

2011-07-30T01:00:00.000-04:00

(↑) Above, 400 ice cream cones for 400 posts!

We missed it! A couple of days ago, while posting about liquid nitrogen ice cream, I should have been patting us on the back for our four hundredth post! How exciting! I guess we'll have to celebrate number 402 today!

We have loved blogging and interacting with all of our readers. Even though it is a lot of work, I especially love doing a post-a-day during July, National Ice Cream Month.

We have more exciting interviews and recipes to come, so stay tuned and thanks for reading, responding and interacting with us!

Black Raspberry Gelato

2011-07-29T01:00:00.006-04:00

I wrote about The Ultimate Frozen Dessert book a week or so ago. I mentioned I made the raspberry gelato, only I used black raspberries and upped the amount of berries from two to three cups. I made it a couple of weeks ago and hadn't tried it since it ripened (hardened).

I was making the gelato for my annual ice cream party. As a rule, I make the ice creams/gelatos/sorbets in advance of the party and don't taste them again until the party. However, my dear friend Lisa was visiting from Colorado and she wanted a tasting since she is never around for the party, so I let her, as long as we didn't leave much of a mark. We tried a few of the flavors and I asked her what her favorite was...black raspberry gelato. As I had tasted it too, I had to agree that it was pretty darn good.

So then I did the unthinkable (especially since I still have tons of ice cream to make for the party) -- I suggested we each have a dish of it. But first, I had to call my parents to see if they had more berries for me to take from them, so I could remake the gelato for the party. Thanks to my parents for looking in the freezer to check -- they do have another quart! So...Lisa and I dug in.

This gelato is not only gorgeous but it is amazing. It's rich and sweet, while at the same time being light and refreshing, if that is possible.

I do suggest you try it.

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

2011-07-28T00:28:00.000-04:00

Husband, if you are reading this, I know you will want to be in charge of the actual "Let's Try It!" post, which means that all of our lucky readers will get to see how liquid nitrogen ice cream turns out for Scoopalicious. Readers, stay tuned for our own experiences sometime in the future.

Someone I know that works in a restaurant -- or is that someone I know that knows someone who works in a restaurant -- told me that they use liquid nitrogen to make their ice cream and the liquid nitrogen makes the ice cream super creamy. I wish I knew who told me this, because I would for sure have them be a guest blogger, but since I don't, we'll have to use this very well done video from Food Science with Dr. Kiki Sanford on 5min.com:

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

That looks like so much fun! And mixing and churning in under 5 minutes?! Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Dr. Sanford!

So Husband, get your cryogenic transfer container so we can get our liquid nitrogen and get this ice cream churning!

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

The "If-That-Was-A-Small-This-Is-How-Big-The-Large-Is" Ice Cream

2011-07-27T01:00:00.001-04:00

At the beginning of July I posted The "If-This-Is-A-Small-I-Don't-Want-To-Know-How-Big-The-Large-Is" Ice Cream...

Unfortunately I never got a good picture of the "small" that showed the true size -- remember in the last post I was just fighting to keep the ice cream on the cone and out of my lap.

In the name of science, Kevin decided to fork over the $3.95 and get the large -- what a sport. At right, you can see what we got back with our nickel when we handed over four dollars. The large looked to be about a pint of ice cream and weighed in on the postage scale at over a pound.

So I lied. I said "If-This-Is-A-Small-I-Don't-Want-To-Know-How-Big-The-Large-Is," but truth be told, I did. I wanted to know. And now we do.

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

Ultimate Coupons' Cool Ice Cream Infographic

2011-07-26T01:24:00.007-04:00

We've posted about this topic in the past but none have had a fun Infographic for this same important question. In honor of National Ice Cream Month, Ultimate Coupons created this fun graphic based on "what does your favorite ice cream flavor say about your personality?" and we thought it'd be fun to share. Funny according to this chart I am a "romantic" (mint chocolate chip) and my husband is a "wildcard" (Rum Raisin). I was amused by his chuckle at that one. Must admit it's the other way around but still fun none the less. As Ultimate Coupons says, it's as accurate as reading your daily horoscope, but lots of fun to read. Check out what your favorite flavor says about you."

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

Grape Ice Cream FAIL

2011-07-25T11:28:00.000-04:00

Someone once suggested I make grape ice cream. I did some research but was hard pressed to find recipes. I read somewhere that the reason it's hard to find good recipes is that natural grape, when used in recipes, isn't so much a flavor as a sweetener. It kind of makes sense, seeing as a lot of recipes that avoid sugar use grape juice as a sweetener.

I did try to make grape ice cream -- though I don't recall it very well -- which goes to saying that it wasn't that memorable -- I think I used grape juice concentrate and it came out very mildly flavored and pretty sweet.

When I came across a recipe in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Homemade Ice Cream for grape ice cream, I had to try it. I had to remember to half the recipe, since the recipes are always at least two times the amount that will fit in my ice cream maker. I don't know if I messed up on the conversion or the translation of tablespoons of gelatin to packets of gelatin, but the ice cream didn't work out. Go me, failing at a recipe in a complete idiot's guide!

I hate throwing stuff away, but this ice cream was too "chewy" and chunky -- it actually had clumps of gelatin in it! In fact, when I took it out of the bowl to put it into the ice cream machine, it was actually pretty solid -- kind of like a grape mouse.

Either way, I'll have to try this one again. Or should I? Have I not learned my lesson about gelatin and ice cream?

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

The Ultimate Frozen Dessert Book

2011-07-24T19:47:00.000-04:00

Anyone who reads this somewhat regularly knows I am a huge fan of Bruce Weinstein's book, The Ultimate Ice Cream Book. It's my go-to ice cream making book, my bible of ice cream making, the only book I have ever had to have rebound from so much use.

Last year, after finding out on their Harper Collins bio that Bruce Weinstein and co-author Mark Scarbrough live in the small county in Connecticut where my mother grew up, I emailed them just to say hi and let them know what a big fan I am.

Mark wrote back suggested I try out The Ultimate Frozen Dessert Book, which does not disappoint.

I haven't yet made too many flavors, but wow, I was blown away by their raspberry gelato recipe -- though I actually used black raspberries and admittedly a few more than the two cups the recipe called for (I told you before, my parents had an overwhelming crop of both black and red raspberries this year!) -- It was amazing. I would gladly take all of my parents raspberries and make pint after pint of this gelato.

I have also tried the marscapone gelato recipe, which was also very good, but I found myself a little disappointed since I was trying in vain to reproduce Perry's cannoli ice cream, which I still can't buy around Boston. The Ultimate Frozen Dessert marscapone gelato was very good though -- I was just hoping it would be a magical reproduction of the flavor I so desperately love.

I can't wait to make more recipes from their book. I honestly don't know why it took me so long to add it to my library.

Thanks again, Bruce and Mark...we love building our Ultimate collection (we have The Ultimate Peanut Butter Book, too) and I also have plans to get my sister your knitting book soon, too.

An awesome Ciao Bella guilt-free Sorbet Bar

2011-07-24T10:39:00.003-04:00

A perfect treat on a 100 degree New England, or anywhere, day! Ciao Bella does it again with their Blueberry Passion Sorbet pops. Somewhat tart and super refreshing. I was very psyched to have these in the freezer yesterday when it hit 103 degrees. What's even better is that I felt no guilt eating it. It's simple... all natural Blueberry sorbet swirled with all natural Passion Fruit sorbet. Love it and it was honored with Self Magazine's "Best Fruit Pop" award in their 3rd annual Healthy Food Awards lists being dairy and fat free and a lonely 70 calories. Love it even more! The photo of my bar is a little sad because they didn't survive the heat all that well, or the delivery (thanks Ciao Bella for sharing with us!) so it's actually missing part of the bar along the bottom (see pic of it on box below...much bigger) but I had to share what's inside the box because these are super good and look yummy too. There are 3 to a box and definitely a decent size.

Happy Vanilla Ice Cream Day!

2011-07-23T01:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Vanilla Ice Cream Day!

The most popular flavor of ice cream in the United States is said to be vanilla. Honestly, it's not what I ever choose first when there is a big list of choices, but it is familiar and simple and at the same time it's the only flavor I will ever have in a sundae.

I'd have to say my two favorite vanilla ice creams are the now non-existent Brigham's French Vanilla and Carvel Vanilla (but this might not even count since 1. It has to be covered in rainbow sprinkles and 2. It might just be for sentimental reasons). I do recall once having an amazing vanilla gelato at Papa Razzi years (maybe 15 or so years) ago, but this could be a glorified memory and/or maybe it was a one time thing. I don't know enough to really count it among my favorites.

Above all, it's not that I don't like vanilla, or even that I haven't enjoyed the vanilla that I have had -- the thing is, I just don't think I have been blown away by any vanilla -- there aren't many vanilla's (see exceptions above) that really stand out and make me want to order vanilla above all other flavors.

I want to know what you think. What's the best vanilla ice cream you've ever had? Was it in a carton? Homemade? At a stand? At a shop? Was it french vanilla? Did it have specks of vanilla bean? Please do tell!

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream: Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet

2011-07-22T01:00:00.001-04:00

A month or so ago I got Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. I have never had Jeni's but have heard some really good things about it. I think the first time I heard about it was from my dear friend Pam, who at the time lived on the same block as one of Jeni's locations in Columbus, Ohio. (Coincidentally, Pam now lives five minutes away from Tina -- even though they don't know each other).

When purchasing Jeni's book, I don't think I knew what I was in for -- there are some very unique and daring flavors!

I decided to try out her Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet. I didn't know at the time, but this is one of her signature flavors, so it was a good one to start with. Um, it may be a good one to finish with. I may never make another recipe from that book since now I am addicted to the sorbet and I want to make it all the time. My husband thinks it is too sweet, but to me, it's perfection. I am not a big drinker, but I do love my Riesling. And lately, when making baby food, I always steal some of Violet's cooked pears. I love cooked fruit, but I particularly love cooked pears. (On an unrelated note, here's another great recipe for poached pears.) Anyway, the Riesling and cooked pears is a perfect combo to me.

I pretty much followed Jeni's recipe but might try something different next time, too, because there are two things I don't like to do that I was supposed to do in this recipe (one of which I already avoided -- see line item number 1 below):

Since I hate taking out my food processor, I put the mixture through the food mill instead. I don't think this made a difference, especially since you then push the mixture through a sieve.
Another thing I dislike is peeling pears. I wonder if I really needed to do this. I mean, first of all, I wonder if the specs of pear skin (especially if you used a red pear) would look kind of pretty -- that is, if they even made it into the final stage -- I kind of feel like the pear skin would have been strained out when the mixture was pushed through the sieve anyway. Next time, I'm skipping the peeling part...unless you completely disagree, Jeni.

Jeni, I'm a fan. Please open up a shop in Boston. Thank you!

Another year at Kimball Farm in Westford MA

2011-07-21T01:01:00.005-04:00

As I've mentioned before I am a working mom and by day I am an art director at a big corporation. Well one event we have that I actually do look forward to is our company summer outing. I know, who really gets excited about company outings. Well I do for this one because it's at a Kimball Farm in Westford, Massachusetts where since 1939 the scoops are huuuuge and at our private event the scoops are endless. Even better! Although I hate to look like a glutton in front of my coworkers so I do exercise restraint.

This is how it goes...we do our company games where someone inevitably gets hurt in a mean game of tug-o-war, then we eat a good old BBQ picnic lunch and then the rolly carts loaded with ice cream comes out and two fun and friendly teens with awesome summer jobs of scooping ice cream all summer serve us their to-die-for ice cream. And we can go back as many times as we'd like.

Unfortunately they can't fit all 40 flavor in these carts so our choices are limited but we have some great options. My first picks: Mocha Almond Fudge and Mint Oreo (pictured below). There is something about Mint ice cream that isn't green. I know it doesn't alter the taste but the natural aspect of it is so refreshing. As I've said before Mint is my favorite and this was great. The Mocha Almond Fudge was well, exactly that with just enough almonds and fudge not to take over the taste of the mocha ice cream. Well both flavors did not disappoint. My partner in crime on the 3-par course chose good old Chocolate and Kahlua Crunch as pictured on the top. I couldn't go back for seconds but I did taste test his. The chocolate is sooooo good. Oh I forgot to mention we also get fudge, marshmallow, caramel, sprinkles, and this keg of whipped cream that I wanted to take home but I couldn't get away with it. I did have to dip into the fudge a little.

If you've never been to Kimball Farm is is worth the trip. It not only has awesome ice cream but really is an event with all the activities it has to offer. It's an awesome place to take a family, friends, or date night for mini golf, bumper boats, friend foods, batting cages and more. I do wish I lived closer but it's probably a good thing that I don't!

My Summer Classic

2011-07-20T01:00:00.001-04:00

I grew up in Connecticut on a main street (actually, Main Street) and while we had a nice sized yard, it wasn't huge by any means, but what we always had was a garden and a very large patch of raspberries. (This season alone, my parents have picked 59 quarts to date.)

When I was younger, I don't think I appreciated the raspberries we had, in all their varied presentations. We had raspberry shortcake, crisp, muffins...yes, it did feel a bit like Forrest Gump, except with raspberries.

In all seriousness though, living two hours away from where I grew up, I realize what a special thing these raspberry plants (and my parents) are!

What brings me home during the summer, even when I can't be in the same state as my parents, is the common summer treat of vanilla ice cream with sugared raspberries (to bring out the juices). To me, there is nothing that says summer more than this.

In honor of mom's birthday (yesterday) and dad's birthday today (and to a lovely visit these past few days), here's a shout-out to a summertime tradition and a family treat...

Which state consumes the most ice cream?

2011-07-19T01:15:00.047-04:00

This is the question I found myself in the middle of during a lunchtime debate and of course the group looks to me as the expert and this time I came up empty-handed so I had to look it up. Everyone's guess around the table was Massachusetts. Well maybe we're a little biased seeing as that is where everyone guessing was from and all they can recall are New England summers and ice cream. What's a summer here without it? Then we thought well maybe it's one of the warmest states? Or is it a state known for having lots of dairy farms? I thought it was Alaska, as noted by Turkey Hill back on 2008, but trends may have changed because it seems like the Northern Central States keep coming up in my searches as the most ice cream consumed per capita. Unfortunately no specific state has been targeted but that narrows it down a little bit at least. My lunchtime crew is going to be disappointed. I wish I could say Boston is at the top of the list of cities with the most ice cream consumption but Portland, Ore., St Louis, MO, and Seattle, WA come out on top. Oh well this just gives us more reason to eat more ice cream to come out on top next year.

Interview with New York's MilkMaid, Owner of MilkMade!

2011-07-18T01:00:00.000-04:00

Froot Loop Ice Cream (©MilkMade)

The other day my husband sent me this link. Froot Loop Ice Cream?! Lucky Charms Ice Cream?! Why didn't I think of it and how can I get some? Upon further looking, I found that this was the creation of MilkMade, a small batch ice cream company out of New York. Immediately I pondered the move to New York, just so I could subscribe to their hand-delivered ice cream service. Unfortunately, right now moving to New York for ice cream just isn't feasible, so second best was getting in touch with the the MilkMaid herself and learning a bit about MilkMade.

Scoopalicious: Who are you?

The MilkMade: I'm Diana, the founder of MilkMade Ice Cream.

Scoopalicious: What were you doing before you started MilkMade?

The MilkMaid: Prior to launching the business I was working as a biz dev consultant for small businesses in NY, and had just received my MBA from NYU Stern.

Scoopalicious: How did you start MilkMade?

The MilkMaid: One summer I decided to start making ice cream. I wasn't satisfied with my local pint offerings -- I want a natural product made with local ingredients with unique and sophisticated flavors. I decided I could just make that for myself, so I bought a machine and started crafting 'scream. I began serving to friends, serving at parties, and found that I wasn't the only one seeking a better pint. So I launched MilkMade and have been sharing my creations with New Yorkers ever since.

You can read a bit more about how we got started on our website and in some of our latest press.

Scoopalicious: You source local ingredients -- AWESOME -- since I am assuming there aren't any cows in Brooklyn, how what area defines your "local"?

The MilkMaid: Yes, all of our ingredients are as local as possible. Our dairy is from a farm in Ancramdale, NY, about 100 miles upstate, and all of our mix-ins are sourced from the best local artisan producers in New York and Brooklyn.

Scoopalicious: How did you learn to make ice cream?

The MilkMaid: I bought a little Cuisinart machine and taught myself. After many trials, I created the right base recipe for MilkMade and I always manipulate that recipe based on what mix-in or flavor add I'm using.

Scoopalicious: Adorable logo. Who designed it?

The MilkMaid: The logo is the result of a gchat conversation between some MilkMade friends. Instead of a heart, <3, we double scooped, ,<00, and thought it would serve as a perfect logo. We'll know we've made it when Google turns it right side up.

Scoopalicious: (That would be awesome if Google turned it right side up! We'd love that too!) What is your favorite flavor among your creations?

S'Mores Ice Cream (©MilkMade)

The MilkMaid: After crafting almost every new flavor, I declare it my favorite. Recent favorites have been Strawberry Shortcake and S'Mores.

Scoopalicious: Before MilkMade, what was your go-to ice cream?

The MilkMaid: I started MilkMade because my go to ice creams weren't cutting it anymore for me. My palate had become a bit more sophisticated, I wanted a natural product, and I wanted something locally produced. Nothing quite met that, so I decided to do it myself.

Scoopalicious: Any ice cream making advice for our readers?

The MilkMaid: Get creative!

Scoopalicious: Is it still just you in a kitchen with a single ice cream maker? Do you have help?

EVOO Ice Cream (©MilkMade)

The MilkMaid: I still craft and produce every pint myself in a commercial kitchen. We have some help in the form of friends and interns, and we're hoping to bring some full time help on soon.

Scoopalicious: I notice on your blog you have a flavor a day. How many of these flavors make it past your palette to the customers?

The MilkMaid: The flavors of the day are typically trial flavors for future flavors of the month, flavors for friends or events, or just fun experiments for me. Quite often something makes me go WOAH and I change the planned flavor offerings around to fit it in for our members.

Scoopalicious: Do customers get any say in what is delivered? For example, can someone with allergies sign up for your service or would they potentially end up with ice creams they can't eat? Additionally, could a customer request something from your blog for their next delivery?

The MilkMaid: We make two flavors every month and announce them to our members about a week before delivery. Members have a choice of which flavor they'd like to order. We always take suggestions, and as you can imagine, people are always willing to suggest an ice cream flavor. if a member has an allergy, we allow them to defer their pint that month and extend the membership a month.

Scoopalicious: Who are your "testers"? Are you hiring any testers?

The MilkMaid: Ha, we don't need to 'hire' any testers, as we have a long and growing list of volunteers. My main testers are my boyfriend, my roommate, and really, anyone who drops by my apartment/test kitchen. I'll often pull out 5 different iterations of the same flavor and ask people to rank them.

Scoopalicious: Do you have plans to expand? Mail order? Local shops?

The MilkMaid: Yep! But we'll always keep it real and hand-craft each and every pint.

Scoopalicious: We can't wait.

There are many ways you can follow MilkMade and/or learn more:
Check out the website.
Sign up for the mailing list.
Visit the MilkMade blog.
Like MilkMade on Facebook.
Follow MilkMade on Twitter.
Watch as the MilkMaid visits the Rachel Ray Show!
If you live in New York/TriState Area, become a member! (We're totally jealous.)

Thanks so much to the MilkMaid for such a fabulous interview!

Photos and logo © MilkMade.

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

Happy National Ice Cream Day!

2011-07-17T01:13:00.034-04:00

Two ways to celebrate....eat or make ice cream!

Nothing says summer like ice cream and nothing says summer like strawberries. And here you get both!

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

Recipe from Real Mom Kitchen

1 pint (about 1 1/2 cups) fresh strawberries, diced

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar, divided

1 cup whole milk (I only had skim so I used 1/4 cup cream and 3/4 cup skim milk)

2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup sugar, strawberries, and lemon juice; gently stir. Allow the strawberry macerate for 1 to 2 hours.

In a medium bowl, mix together milk and remaining sugar with a hand mixer or, about 1 to 2 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Stir in heavy cream, vanilla, and juice from strawberries.

Pour mixture into the bowl of an ice cream mixer and turn on the machine. In the Cuisinart, it took about 25 to 30 minutes to thicken. In the last 5 minutes pour in strawberries.

If desired, place ice cream in freezer about 1-2 hours before serving to allow ice cream to ripen. Yields 1 1/2 quarts.

Ice Cream Bread: Part Two

2011-07-16T01:00:00.041-04:00

Back in February I posted about ice cream bread. It's now July and you probably want to be eating ice cream, not turning on the oven and making bread with it -- well, you can file this one for later.

Using Friendly's Fudge Berry Swirl Frozen Yogurt. (I wanted to use Cherry Garcia*, but the store didn't have any, so I tried something somewhat similar.) I tried the recipe as is (equal parts ice cream and self rising flour) but I found it a bit dense -- more like a scone. I thought maybe it was the frozen yogurt that made it dense, but it looks like even the photos on the original post came out very scone-y looking.

I decided I wanted to try something a bit different the next time I made it. Using the same frozen yogurt I had used to make the scone-y ice cream bread, I tried again and made it this time with 4 parts melted ice cream (um, in my case, frozen yogurt) and 3 parts self-rising flour, baked it at 350° for about 30 minutes as suggested...much better. It rose better and was much moister.

So easy peasy. Just to reiterate...Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together 4 parts melted ice cream with 3 parts self-rising flour. Add add-ins if desired (see below). Place in a greased bread pan. Bake for 30 minutes (or until the toothpick inserted in center comes out clean).

I'd say with all those rich ingredients, it might be considered a cake, so...

A few days later, I made it for company. I used vanilla ice cream and added some cut up strawberries and some chocolate chunks. I frosted it with some extra cream cheese frosting I had left over from the red velvet cupcakes. So good. Everyone loved it. (Thanks for the photo, Jenn and Curtis!)

Thanks for the easy and yummy recipe, Bindlestiff.

*On an unrelated note, while I was looking to link to Cherry Garcia, I am came across these yummy looking cupcakes.

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

What's Hot: Ciao Bella Key Lime Graham Squares

2011-07-15T01:46:00.056-04:00

Just when I thought Key Lime Graham Gelato couldn't get any better Ciao Bella goes and makes it into a cute and tasty gelato square. As you may have read in the past, this is one of my all time favorites (free samples or no free samples) and I was genuinely super excited to try these new squares that were sent our way. Although I still prefer eating the gelato straight up out of the pint these are quite good. And are perfect for on the go or perfect when I only have one hand available...thus life with children. Same tart and refreshing taste but sandwiched between two soft wafer grahams. This has been a very humid and hot New England week so these were the perfect after dinner dessert this week.

Now as you can see a little one in my household can't wait for mommy to take a photo of it for this post. I held him off briefly.

So I could take a couple bites myself to see how awesome these are.

But in the end I lost! Thankfully there are four squares in a box so I have three more for just me.

Nutrional Value: Calories: 280, Fat: 13g, Carbs: 36g, Protein: 4g
Size of square: 3 x 3 x 1.5

SONIC Ice Cream Social

2011-07-14T01:00:00.000-04:00

My daughter Violet is 11 months old now. I say this because before she was born we got a gift certificate in the mail to hold an ice cream social at SONIC. Violet being my first baby, summer came and went, but we never made it to Sonic. Fall came, and in October I gathered my husband, Violet, and six dear friends, and we headed to Sonic. It was our first time to SONIC and I was under the impression that in addition to the car service, there was also a seating area. I was wrong, and felt badly for having dragged my friends to an outing that had us sitting in two separate cars while we enjoyed ice cream, which is partially why I saved this post until the spring when the weather would be more promising for an outdoor gathering between the cars. However, what a great group I was with. There were four adults (Claudia, Yenny, Kevin, and me), one teenager (Veronica), three kids (Rebecca/8, Alex/6, and Sammy/5) and one baby (Violet) -- all girls except for Kevin (He loved it. The girls love him!). We parked next to one another, and I climbed out of our car and into the car with Yenny, Rebecca, Alex, and Sam) and Claudia and Veronica joined Kevin and Violet. We placed our orders, the girls (and I) watched excitedly as our food was delivered by carhops on roller skates and then we spent the next hour enjoying our frozen treats and scrambling between the two cars. The weather was a bit cold but we were still able to enjoy the experience nonetheless.

Kevin enjoys his SONIC shake.

The ice cream was good and though I think they only had vanilla soft serve, they offered it in a variety of ways -- with mix ins or syrups, in a shake or in a soda. The girls in the car with me ordered solely ice cream treats, but the gang in the other car also ordered food as well. When I asked Kevin if the food was good, and he replied "yeah" in a tone usually reserved for "duh" -- as in, "yeah, Bethany, it was. I can't believe you need to ask."

The ice cream was good, and the servings were huge. The "cups" (though they weren't really cups, but these funny containers) were so full it was hard to open them without making a mess.

Eight ice cream treats and three meals later, we still had money left on the $50.00 gift card. Enough money to go up to SONIC a few weeks later to get dinner on a new-parents-friendly date, a date you an bring your new baby on and you don't have to worry about disturbing others if she starts to scream. ("N-no, Violet, we are here for ice cream, not you scream.")

The weather is warm again, and Violet is older, so it's due time we planned another trip to SONIC! Yum!

Reena's Ice Cream

2011-07-13T01:00:00.002-04:00

I was hanging out with my daughter and my dear friends from high school the other day, and mango ice cream came up. (Really, when does ice cream not make it's way into my conversations?) I said I really wasn't a fan.

The friends said I had to try Reena's Mango Ice Cream. I was willing to give it a shot -- I mean, once upon a time I didn't even like mangoes, but now I really do!

Today another friend and I went to the Waltham Indian Market on Moody Street and (hurrah!) they had Reena's.

I have so much ice cream in my fridge as I stock up for the annual ice cream party, and I had also mixed up a batch of the Nutella ice cream Tina just posted about for my husband (this turned out to be amazing, by the way), so I really didn't have too much room to bring home more ice cream, so I picked up three single serves...two mango and one tutti frutti...there were a lot of other flavors I'd like to try, but I didn't even know where to begin -- I couldn't even tell what the flavors were from their pictures and unfamiliar names.

Both were, um, awesome. The tutti frutti was different than I expected (ok, in full disclosure, I don't know what I expected, as I never really knew what tutti frutti was -- until I just looked it up!), but still very good. The mango was super creamy and not too sweet as mangoes can sometimes be. It was best after it had melted just a bit (right out of the freezer it seemed a little too hard/icy.) It kind of inspired me to try my hand mango ice cream this year and one of the two high school friends I spent the day with suggested this recipe, so I might just have to try it! (The recipe says "super chunky" but there is also a smooth variation, which, after trying Reena's, I am leaning toward.)

Anyway, mango ice cream, I may have had a change of heart.

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

Tips for Making the Perfect Scoop

2011-07-12T01:31:00.006-04:00

Three years go I started making homemade ice cream and at the time I had no clue what I was doing. So of course I turned to the good old trust-worthy web and amazingly found barely any info. Interestingly that is how this blog started but today there is definitely lots of great insight and advice. At the time we figured there had to be others out there looking for tips on making ice cream so we said let's document our ice cream adventures and share it with others. We know we share many reviews and recipes but also want to make sure we share tips we pick up or learn ourselves along the way. So awhile back I found this great list of tips for making ice cream on Serious Eats that I found useful, some of which I had already discovered while making my own ice cream, specifically number 4 and 9. I live by covering my ice cream with plastic wrap to avoid to avoid ice crystals and then always, always go slow when tempering the egg yolks. I do have a couple tips of my own that I added to this great list.

10 Tips for Homemade Ice Cream Success

1. The bowls of most ice cream makers take at least 24 hours to freeze. Get in the habit of storing the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer, wrapped tightly in a plastic bag. That way it's always ready to go.

2. The "batter" for your ice cream can never be too cold. I pour mine into an old quart-sized yogurt container and chill it in the fridge overnight.

3. Don't overfill your ice cream maker! Three-quarters full yields the best results. It might look a little empty, but trust me, if you fill the bowl up to the top, the ice cream won't aerate properly.

4. No matter what the recipe's instructions say, when tempering egg yolks for custard-based ice creams, never pour more than 3 or 4 tablespoons of hot cream into the yolks before whisking them back into the cream. And go very slowly. Nothing is worse then creating an accidental scramble.

5. As with drinking, when using alcohol as an ingredient in ice cream moderation is key. In my experience, anything more than 1/4 cup (in a recipe that yields 1 quart) interferes with the ice cream's ability to freeze.

6. Add extracts (vanilla, maple, almond, etc.) after the ice cream batter has cooled, but before churning, for the best flavor.

7. Add mix-ins, such as chocolate chips, nuts, and candy pieces, for only the last minute of churning. The ice cream should already be done. You just want to distribute the mix-ins evenly.

8. Shallow, flat containers are best for freezing and storing ice cream. While in America ice cream is usually sold in tall round containers, in Italy gelato is kept in low, rectangular ones, which promotes an even consistency.

9. To prevent ice crystals from forming, cover the surface with a layer of plastic wrap or wax paper before closing the container.

10. Homemade ice creams keep well for up to a week. After that, they begin to lose their flavor and creamy texture. Eat quickly—you can always make more!

Couple of best practices of my own...

11. Cool custard mix over an ice bath. This quickly stops the cooking process as to not overcook the custard base.

12. Invest in a set of nesting bowls. Each bowl has a use in the process and two are perfect for the ice bath process. And they store neatly too.

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

Review: Nudo, Newton, MA

2011-07-11T01:00:00.008-04:00

My dear friend Nicole works in Newton. For the past few years we have been meeting pretty much weekly to go for a walk. Nicole is six months pregnant and keeps threatening to stop working when the baby is born. I am selfishly saddened by the fact that she won't be so close for our regular walks, and this was compounded when she took me to the new gelato place by her work. What?! We can't go for gelato weekly?!

Nudo is a small shop on Watertown Street in Newton. It's a small shop that has a European feel to it as well as a charming, friendly staff with a great sense of humor. Oh, and did I mention that their gelato is really good?

Nicole and I each ordered small raspberry blood orange gelato (I had still been deciding when she offered me a taste of hers and I was completely taken). It actually reminded me more of a very creamy sorbet, but who cared what it was or wasn't called? It was sweet, but incredibly refreshing -- perfect after our walk in the hot noontime sun.

Nudo is definitely worth more visits. Nicole, you can leave your job to have that baby of yours, but let's make the most of the next four months and make lots of trips to Nudo!

Photo of Nudo storefront from the Nudo website.

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

Recipe: Super Simple Nutella Ice Cream

2011-07-10T01:47:00.001-04:00

Seems like times have changed in our house. Once Peanut Butter was a staple but now it's Nutella, the european sensational chocolate hazelnut spread that is becoming popular here in the states. So what got it started was the whole "can't bring peanut butter to school" issues. Seriously where were the kids with peanut allergies when I was in school. But it's my understanding that Nutella is made from tree nuts and kids with allergies shouldn't have that either so hopefully this sticks around. I digress because this has nothing to do with ice cream but really it does link up here. I sadly haven't made much ice cream these days. Working full time and two kids makes it difficult to find the time but when I came across this super simple recipe for Nutella Ice Cream on the Chocolate and Zucchini blog I thought this was a keeper. Now I haven't tried it yet but it's next on my list. My daughter is obsessed with Nutella and ice cream too so I have a feeling this one will fly out of our freezer. And with only two ingredients....its not expensive to make and I have a feeling really good!

Enjoy!

Super Simple Nutella Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon unsweetened evaporated milk

Makes about 3/4 quart

Combine the chocolate hazelnut spread and the evaporated milk in a medium mixing bowl, and stir with a whisk until they become one and nice and smooth. This may take a few minutes. To speed things up, you may use a blender/stick blender/stand mixer, or gently heat the evaporated milk beforehand. If you think its too thick you could loosen it up with a little cream.

Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Whisk again and churn in your ice cream maker.

Real Simple Interviews Ice Cream Authority David Lebovitz

2011-07-09T01:10:00.006-04:00

If there is a god of ice cream David Lebovitz is it. I am so lucky to have an awesome coblogger who sent me his book, The Perfect Scoop, and ever since I have been a follower. He has made success out of making premium ice cream and really really interesting recipes. Tonight while catching up on all my favorite blogs, one being Simply Stated, I stumbled upon an interview that Real Simple just did with him. It gives some insight into his beginnings, some quick tips, and his take on some good flavors. I love his foolproof advice....use good ingredients. Seems so simple but when you taste the difference between farm fresh ingredients vs Stop & Shop you'll see why. Don't get me wrong I make plenty of ice cream with good old Hood products and the end result isn't so bad, actually it's pretty darn good but when I get the chance to hit our local dairy farm it definitely kicks it up a notch. Regardless, check out his interview and if you are new to making ice cream or even if you have had your hand in it for awhile David Lebovitz is one to follow.

Here's an easy and awesome recipe of his. And as David says, if you can't find Blood Oranges you can use tangerine, grapefruit or plain old orange juice. Just be sure it's fresh for the best taste.

Blood Orange Sorbet
1. Juice your blood oranges. The measure the juice.
2. For each 1 cup (250ml) of juice, figure 1/4 cup (50g) of granulated sugar to be added.
For example: Use 1/2 cup (100g) sugar for 2 cups juice (500ml).
3. Put the sugar in a small, non-reactive saucepan. Add just enough juice to saturate it very well. Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Stir the sugar back into the reserved blood orange juice.
5. Chill thoroughly, then freeze in your ice cream maker.

Rhubarb Ice Cream at The Catnip Mouse Tearoom

2011-07-08T01:00:00.012-04:00

Rhubarb Ice Cream

My sister is due to have a baby any day now. In fact, I need to get this post up soon, or she'll have the baby and I'll have to write this intro again. Anyway, it's become kind of a tradition with my mom and sisters to have lunch and ice cream to celebrate pregnancies (we aren't really a "shower" type of family…) so at the beginning of June, my sisters, mom, and my sister's friend Rebecca headed over to The Catnip Mouse Tearoom on Route 20 in beautiful Riverton, Connecticut (yes, Patrick, I now understand why your dream house is in Riverton) for sandwiches, to be followed by ice cream sundae making at my parents' house.

Lunch was what you might call "light" if the sandwiches weren't as huge as they were. I think we all enjoyed the mint basil soup we ordered, as well as our sandwiches (which were good, but not as memorable as what I was hoping I would find there -- the "very yammy" sandwich I had read about in a review on teaguide.net…)

Our bellies stuffed from lunch, and the promise of ice cream sundaes at Mom and Dad's surely should have dissuaded us from ordering dessert at the tea house, right? Wrong! Not only did the owner have a chalkboard with her tempting desserts quite descriptively written out and staring at us the whole time during our lunch, but she also had a pretty persuasive waiter and a charming demeanor herself.

Cobbler and Cinnamon Ice Cream

Minutes later our table was piled with desserts to share. Cobbler and cinnamon ice cream, strawberry shortcake, and rhubarb ice cream. The ice creams were homemade and while all the desserts were quite wonderful and the cinnamon ice cream was definitely worth the calories, it was the rhubarb ice cream that blew me away. "This is the rhubarb ice cream I aspire to," I told the owner. And I meant it. Rhubarb sits in my freezer waiting (hoping) to be churned into something as creamy and perfectly tart-yet-sweet as the rhubarb ice cream we tasted at The Catnip Mouse. I keep putting it off because I am not sure I can achieve the perfection.

A couple of notes to add: The Catnip Mouse has no website and it also doesn't have super long hours, so call ahead (860-379-3745) to make sure she'll be open. If she's not, there don't seem to be too many other eating establishments in the immediate area.

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

10 Best Ice Cream Shops in the World

2011-07-07T01:01:00.015-04:00

If only I was traveling around the world this summer! Folks over at VirtualTourist.com have compiled this list of the “10 Best Ice Cream Shops in the World” just in time for summer travel. After 8 Ice Cream is definitely a good excuse to go to Madrid. Pack your bags!

1. SCOOPS, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

Scoops is perhaps Los Angeles’ best-kept secret. Unlike other popular creameries, this hole-in-the-wall establishment attracts theme park-length crowds, with unbeatable prices and rotating exotic flavours. With surprising options like foie gras and onion, Thai iced tea and strawberry Riesling, you’ll find yourself waiting in line every day, just to see what’s on the menu next!

2. GIUSEPPE RICCI, MADRID, SPAIN

Love at first lick? Locals boast that Giuseppe Ricci serves the best gelato in Madrid, and the growing lines are a testament to this belief. You will undoubtedly experience instant gratification once you dive into this luscious, creamy dream. Don’t leave without trying After 8, a refreshing blend of mint and chocolate.

3. THE ORIGINAL CHINATOWN ICE CREAM FACTORY, NEW YORK, N.Y.

The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory puts an Asian flair on an American staple. Over the years this establishment has evolved from a sweet treat into an iconic representation of the Big Apple’s melting pot of culture. OCICF recently introduced its newest flavour, Zen Butter, a delectable blend of toasted sesame seeds and peanut butter.

4. GROM, TORINO, ITALY

Grom takes high quality to a new level. Made from only the freshest ingredients, Grom’s desserts use cacao and coffee from Venezuela, fruit grown from their own farm, and Lurisian mountain water for its sorbets. Grom’s commitment to premium products has helped propel this franchise into a widely recognized international chain, including shops in Malibu, Paris and Tokyo.

5. LEOPOLD’S ICE CREAM, SAVANNAH, GA.

Founded in 1919, Leopold’s Ice Cream has been a mainstay in Savannah for many years. This classic, yet modern shop prides itself in continuing to serve original recipes from the early 1900s. You can indulge in signature flavours like Tutti Frutti and Butter Pecan, or try a scrumptious new treat like Bananas Foster or Thin Mints and Cream. No matter what flavour you choose, your taste buds will thank you!

6. FENOCCHIO’S, NICE, FRANCE

Experience gelato at its finest. Fenocchio’s has served happy faces for many generations, and continues the tradition in this family-owned business. With more than 94 flavours, 35 of which are sorbet, Fenocchio’s has perfected the art of Italian-flavoured ice cream with Tomato & Basil, Rosemary and Thyme. For a less traditional treat, try the Cactus, Violet or Beer sorbets!

7. MOLLY MOON’S ICE CREAM, SEATTLE, WASH.

You’ll run around the neighbourhood looking for Molly’s mobile ice cream truck once you get a taste of this mound of melted heaven. Molly Moon’s Ice Cream uses locally grown, organic ingredients to create popular and unique flavours like Mandarin Chocolate Sorbet or Rosemary Meyer Lemon. Check out Molly’s Twitter page for the latest scoop on seasonal flavours, and coordinates so you can stalk that truck!

8. JENI’S SPLENDID ICE CREAMS, COLUMBUS, OHIO

Featured on the show “Best Thing I Ever Ate,” Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams lives up to its motto, “less sweet, more flavourful.” With an enticing assortment of mouth-watering flavours, Jeni’s pleases the tongue with seasonal sensations like Backyard Mint and Corn Syrup Custard with Whiskey & Pecans.

9. IS FRA SKARO, SKARO, DENMARK

Healthy ice cream. This concept sounds counterintuitive, but at Is Fra Skaro, you can enjoy the goods without the guilt. Situated on a remote island off the coast of Denmark, this shop is not your average creamery. Instead of sugar, Is Fra Skaro utilizes the island’s local birch trees as a natural sweetener.

10. LULA’S SWEET APOTHECARY, NEW YORK, N.Y.

Even the pickiest of palates can experience silky satisfaction at Lula’s Sweet Apothecary. Lula’s innovative creations are vegan friendly, nondairy, and gluten free. Lula’s has mastered the use of coconut and cashew milk, and creates cone after cone of heavenly bliss.

www.VirtualTourist.com

Tweet Tweet...here comes the ice cream man

2011-07-06T01:46:00.000-04:00

As much as the good old ice cream truck jingle is nostalgic I love the idea of hearing the ice cream truck via tweets. So 2011. That's what RCN Boston, a local provider of digital tv, internet and phone, is doing to grab the attention of anyone in the Greater Boston and Metro west areas who loves free, with a capital F, ice cream. Regardless if you have RCN, like em or hate em, the ice cream is yours free. They have their very own summer ice cream truck that travels through neighborhoods handing out ice cream to local residents. The trick is you must follow the RCN Boston Ice Cream Truck Twitter handle @RCNBoston1 on Twitter to learn where and when the RCN Sumer Ice Cream Truck will be. Pretty cool concept. Now if only it would roll through Post Office Square this summer we'd be golden. I am going to follow it and see if it ends up in one of our areas. Stay tuned.

The "If-This-Is-A-Small-I-Don't-Want-To-Know-How-Big-The-Large-Is" Ice Cream

2011-07-05T23:25:00.002-04:00

Today on our way to Maple Grove Farms to pick up maple sugar candy, Kevin and I stopped at ~~Barney's~~ Barnie's for ice cream.

While the Gifford's brand cake batter ice cream I had was very good -- it was yellow cake batter with swirls of chocolate frosting -- and Kevin enjoyed his coffee ice cream, this post actually brings up a few issues/questions.

As I got into the car with my small cone, I struggled to buckle my seatbelt while at the same time keeping my ice cream from dropping off my cone and onto my clothing. This was one of those "if-this-is-a-small-I-don't-want-to-know-how-big-the-large-is" cones. It was huge.

This cone -- which I didn't get a picture of, because I was struggling to keep it off my clothes, so I got a photo of Kevin's dish instead -- raised some important ice cream questions for which I am still forming my opinions.

Is it a bonus if you get an ice cream that seems much larger than the size you thought you ordered? Do you feel like you should finish it all anyway?

Do you find you can enjoy ice cream cone that is falling/dripping all over you/your clothes? Do you find yourself rushing through the cone or do you enjoy the mess that is assumed with the purchase of an ice cream cone?

Finally, do you find yourself choosing a cup over a cone to avoid this situation? (This also raises a scientific question about the enjoyment of your ice cream.)

Food for thought. In the end, ice cream is ice cream, and whether we enjoy it a bit more or less one way or another, it's always good!

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T01:45:00.008-04:00

Stand tall and salute all the men and women who serve our country. Happy fourth of July!

(Just in case this photo inspires you here is the recipe to make these cute ice cream inspired cupcakes )

Ice Cream Mixes?

2011-07-03T01:00:00.005-04:00

I was at the store the other day and saw this package (except in cherry vanilla -- I couldn't find the package online) of ice cream mix on sale -- marked from $2.36 to $2.00 -- what a deal! Immediately what went through my head was "why go through all the trouble of making your own ice cream if it's only going to taste artificial and not homemade?" But then again, I thought, I can't really judge until I try it. So into the cart it went and a week or so later I took to churning up the mix.

Here's my feeling. It has a lot of ingredients. More than most of the recipes we make. It tastes too sweet. It's icy. The main directions on the package say to mix the package with four cups of milk. Down lower, in smaller italics, it says to replace the milk with half and half if you want creamier ice cream. I should have done that. I know better. Milk is going to make ice milk. But for the average consumer who doesn't obsess about ice cream as much as we do? They might not think about that and be surprised by the icy texture of the outcome.

Would I make it again? Nah. Would I eat it if someone made it for me? Sure.

In conclusion, what's the point of powdered, just-add-milk, and churn in your churner mixes? The only thing I can think of is maybe you are a parent whose child likes to hand crank the ice cream machine but you don't want to do all of the backend work. Or maybe you like "mixins" in your ice cream and I suppose this could be the way to go without having to cook up a base.

Me? I'm either an ice cream making snob or I'm lazy. I'm going to make my ice cream from scratch or I am going to buy a carton of premade ice cream.

One thing I should note though is that I had some people over and they tasted it, reporting back that they found it refreshing and it might be something they'd choose on a hot day. Good to know.

Do keep in mind I only tried one brand, one flavor (one flavor, which, by the way, was on clearance so maybe they won't even make it anymore). I'd be interested to hear other people's opinions, because maybe I am a snob when it comes to making my own ice cream!

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

CakeSpy breaks the tie....the ice cream cupcake contest winner is......

2011-07-02T15:07:00.001-04:00

60 entries later and an exciting ending of a tie breaker by CakeSpy finally brings us a winner. Drum roll please.....the winner of the 2011 ice cream cupcake contest hosted by us and Stef at Cupcake Project is the Honey Hazelnut Cupcake with Gianduja Gelato by Vivian of Vivian Macaron. She is going to get an awesome library of cookbooks.

A special thanks to our celebrity judges...

Nicole Weston from Baking Bites

Jessie Oleson from CakeSpy

Naomi Robinson from Bakers Royale

Thanks to all who entered and for bringing even more creativity and flavors then we've ever seen! Can't wait to see what the 2012 contest brings!http://bit.ly/kne75a

Happy National Ice Cream month!

2011-07-02T01:56:00.004-04:00

Happy National Ice Cream Month!

How can it already be July? Seriously we were just complaining up here in New England about all the nonstop ridiculous snow and now we are in the thicks of summer. Well no better time than now to focus on what makes super summer memories.....ice cream! We all love it or we all hate to love it but one thing is for sure I bet we can all bet we will have our share or at least a scoop of our favorite ice cream this month, National Ice Cream Month. My long time favorite is Mint Chocolate Chip but I find myself steering away these days because so many ice cream brands or shops have come up with such innovative flavors that it's so hard to just get my tried and true. On the flip side it's hard to pick a flavor hoping you like it. So this month I am going to go outside the box and make an effort to try new flavors. Make sure you celebrate this month with plenty of your old and new favorites!

Visit Turkey Hill's blog for a fun ice cream fact a day all month!

Ice Cream Cupcake Contest: Third Celebrity Judging Review

2011-07-01T10:44:00.001-04:00

Totally realize we are about to announce the winners but it's only fair that we get to highlight every awesome judge and their top choices for the ice cream contest. Last but definitely not least, Naomi from Bakers Royale weighed in on her top three favorites by focusing on the ice cream cupcakes with the best flavor choices and lots of creativity. Visit her post to see what her top 3 choices were...and a special bonus of two runners up because, as we all agreed, it was so hard to just pick three.

Stay tuned...winner to be announced very soon!

2011-06-29T22:38:00.000-04:00

For those who haven't been stalking the judges' blogs to see who they voted for in the 2011 Ice Cream Cupcake Contest, here are the links to to the posts with their votes: Baking Bites, Bakers Royale, and Cakespy.

As a testament to how incredible our entries were this year (check them all out if you haven't yet), there was no entry that was unanimously selected by all three judges. However, you'll notice that the S’mores Cupcake Ice Cream Sandwiches by Stephanie of 52 Kitchen Adventures as well as the Honey Hazelnut Cupcake with Gianduja Gelato by Vivian of Vivian Macaron each received votes from Nicole (Baking Bites) and Naomi (Bakers Royale) - making them the strongest contenders. Since Jessie (Cakespy) didn't choose either of them, we decided that she should have the tie-breaking vote to determine the contest winner.

Jessie will be announcing her tie-breaking vote for the grand prize 2011 Ice Cream Cupcake Contest winner tomorrow on Cakespy! I'll update this post when she does (or if you are Stephanie or Vivian, you can check her blog nonstop with bated breath). Good luck to Stephanie and Vivian and thanks again to our judges and everyone who participated.

Let's take one more quick look at what either Stephanie or Vivian will have on their bookshelf in the near future:

From author Krystina Castella:

From authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough:

From Nicole Weston, author and contest judge:

From Jessie Oleson, author and contest judge (to be delivered upon book release):

From Bakerella:

From Emma Hand, creator of Snap Stories and designer of our amazing new Ice Cream Cupcake Contest logo:

A special thanks to Stef of Cupcake Project from us at Scoopalicious for all of her hard work (as always) putting this contest together!

Ice Cream Cupcake Contest: Second Celebrity Judging Review Posted!

2011-06-29T21:35:00.000-04:00

Boy are we late to the boat on this posting..sorry :( seeing as the winner is about to be announced. Regardless check out what our second celebrity judge, Nicole Weston from Baking Bites, has to say about her top picks for the ice cream cupcake contest. Each judge has their own approach to choosing their faves and Nicole said she chose her top picks based on the combination of flavors as well as overall concept of the cake. Visit her blog post to see what ice cream cupcakes she chose as finalists...definitely some good choices and I have to admit...one of them was in my top three too!

Ice Cream Cupcake Contest: First Celebrity Judging Review Posted!

2011-06-25T09:43:00.000-04:00

Visit Cakespy's blog for the first celebrity (yes, Cakespy, you are a celebrity in our eyes) judging of the Ice Cream Cupcake Contest. She writes a wonderful review of her favorite entries!

We love her honorable mentions, too...two words. Andy. Warhol. Yes. You will have to visit her post to see what I am talking about!

Check back in the next few days for links to the other reviews and the final winner!