T-Wisted Frozen Yogurt

There's a gem of a frozen yogurt shop in Sudbury. T-Wisted!

My kids love it. They love choosing their frozen yogurt from the choices on the wall. They love the bright pink dishes and the colorful spoons. They love the toppings to choose from. They love the bench covered in strawberries and the wooden cutouts they can stick their faces in so they can be an ice cream cone or a pineapple.

I love it. The flavors are diverse and well, it's a frozen treat! And there are toppings galore. Who doesn't like a sundae bar?

But aside from ice cream, it's the atmosphere. When my four year old was supposed to have a playdate at the park with the other twelve four-year-olds in her class last spring, but the weather prevented it, we moved it to T-Wisted. It w as a weekday afternoon, so the shop was quiet -- well, until we arrived. The staff was so accommodating to our baker's dozen of preschoolers running around their store. I had left my Scoopalicious business card there to tell them to look us up (and check back for their write-up -- sorry for the delay, T-Wisted!) and they took the time and used it to email me about a water bottle our group had left behind. It's those little things that show you that a business actually likes interacting with people that brings me back again and again. 

And their engagement with the community is unparalleled. They have a great product. They really do. As I said, the kids and I love the frozen yogurt. But it's how they have made their space a community space that makes them special. It's the free movies they show in the summer. It's the way they hold fundraisers and give profits back to the schools or community groups. It's the weekly raffle they boast on their home page to encourage residents to "shop local." It's the student artwork that adorns the walls and rotates out regularly. 

I like ice cream because it's tasty, of course. But as I write this, I also recognize that ice cream brings people together. In the summer, groups might suggest meeting for an ice cream. Crowds gather around ice cream trucks. While I have never heard of a "hot dog social" or a "cupcake social," I have heard of an "ice cream social." And I think T-Wisted has embraced this to the fullest. Perhaps they are our modern day soda counter -- bringing people together to create a community.

Thank you, T-Wisted!

*My apologies for the pictures. I thought I had better ones but all of the rest had kiddos running through and since they aren't mine, I can't use them! 

Liz Lemon. I want to go there.

I have a small crush on Tina Fey. I think she is a smart, funny, intelligent woman. She's gorgeous but humble. She's an excellent role model for young women.

I love her on 30 Rock -- so sad it ended. One of my favorite movies is Mean Girls -- it's so defining of girl culture. (And I am totally thrilled that Fey and her husband are working on a musical of Mean Girls). I couldn't stop listening to Bossypants. In fact, it was one of those books that actually made me want to go to the gym so I could listen and once I was there, I'd do a few more minutes on the stair machine just to be able to listen to a little bit more of the book.

Exhibit A

And you know Tina-of-this-blog (as opposed to Tina Fey) and my love affair with Ben & Jerry's (note exhibit A. I even dress my children to play the part of major fan!)...so when Ben & Jerry's announced Liz Lemon...I wasn't surprised, because while driving to downtown Burlington with some other bloggers and some Ben & Jerry's peeps when I was at Ben & Jerry's last year, I suggested Liz Lemon ice cream. My idea got pooh poohed, but I have a feeling they only did that because it was already in the works -- that, or they had already gotten that idea from tons of other fans. I mean, 30 Rock and Ben & Jerry's is a match made in heaven and Liz Lemon lemon flavored anything is a gimme.

I wasn't upset I didn't get credit for my (and undoubtedly thousands of other peoples') idea for Liz Lemon Ben & Jerry's. In fact, I was incredibly bummed neither of us on the Scoopalicious team could go to NYC for the launch of Liz Lemon Greek Frozen Yogurt. This would have been awesome. [Sometimes it's hard to be a blogger from Boston, and not NYC. We couldn't make it down for Jimmy Fallon's flavor launch either, and I ♥ Jimmy Fallon as much as Tina Fey (I always kind of thought they should get married...)] But I digress.

So naturally, I had to buy it when I saw it on the shelf. I'm kind of an ice cream girl above all else (frozen yogurt isn't my frozen treat of choice) but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It's simply lovely. It's not too tart. In fact, it's incredibly refreshing. The blueberry lavender that runs through it is a sweet treat to offset the lemon. It's creamy and it was a nice change of pace to have Ben & Jerry's without the chunky mix-ins.

Added bonus, it the flavor gives a nod to Jumpstart, an awesome program that Fey is involved with. (Ben & Jerry's site officially says: "We dedicate this lemony-blueberry-y flavor to all the good that both Tina and Jumpstart have accomplished!" but I am not sure exactly what this means besides a "shout out" -- which while seemingly not financial in it's "dedication," at least Jumpstart is getting it's name out there to even more people....

Another indulgent year at Scooper Bowl

 

Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl 2012

Thankfully Mr. Weatherman was wrong. Sun brought crowds and fun. 
We met at 5:30 and looks like we weren't the only ones having an ice cream dinner.

Can you guess what the blue one is? We couldn't!

Volunteer scoopers hard at work.

Ben and Jerry's Greek Frozen Yogurt is a hit.

My favorite of the day...SoCo Creamery.

SoCo Creamery can't scoop fast enough.

Now these are diehards. Looks at all those cups.

All for a good cause. My daughter loves her new hat.


I am almost embarrassed to admit all that we tried but that is what you're there for! Some brands offered their tried and true flavors while some ventured out. Sort of felt like every one was serving up Cotton Candy but then again this is an event for kids too and if I had my daughter there that is what she would be eating...not the Mission Fig. I think the booth that inspired and intrigued us the most was SoCo Creamery. I had heard of them before but never actually tried them. They definitely had a crowd and offered up the most unique flavors. 


And drum roll for all the flavors we taste tested (see below). Funny thing is my husband called me on the way home asking what I wanted for dinner. Silly question...we had ice cream!

Soco Creamery

Lemon Poppy Seed (Tina's top pick!)

Salted Caramel (Bethany's top pick!)

Mission Fig

Cake Batter

Ciao Bella

Passion Fruit Sorbet (SO refreshing)

Malted Milk Ball Gelato
Strawberry Gelato 

Baskin Robbins

Splish splash

Lunar cheesecake (A 1969 flavor revisited! Bethany's second?)

Super Fudge Truffle (worthy of seconds)

Icing on the cake

Hood

Hood Bear Creek Caramel

Hood Maine Blueberry and Sweet Cream

Brighams 

Peppermint Stick

Edys

Espresso Chip

Rainbow Sherbert (Another very refreshing flavor)

Friendlys

Hunka chunka PB Fudge

Graham Central Station

Rockin Poppin Cotton Candy

Byrne Dairy

Mint Chocolate Chip

Holy Cow

Ben and Jerry's

Chocolate therapy (OMG!)

Americone Dream

Blueberry Vanilla Graham Greek Froyo

YoCake...Froyo & Cupcake Become One

What a novel idea! We've done it here with Cupcake Project, that is combining ice cream and cupcakes into yummy creations (if you haven't heard about our annual Ice Cream Cupcake Contest check it out here) and now there is a storefront in the Washington DC area, YOCAKE, that dishes out froyo and cupcake combinations in one tasty cup. Plus you can add toppings like a sundae. Seriously....sounds like road trip time! Unfortunately we haven't actually been there yet but hopefully someday we will because it sounds just fun to go to. Lots of Froyo flavors both sweet and tart options and so many cupcakes to choose from. 

Apparently the only catastrophe is that they make beautiful cupcakes and then you cover them in froyo. I feel bad for the baker who spent all that time designing them. As this Washington Post article states, "In some ways, I’m surprised a shop that produces such elegant little cakes would allow you to drown them in nonfat yogurt. It’s like covering a wedding cake in a mountain of ice cream just to save the catering crew some time. But such is the price of dealing in forced gimmicks: Someone or something is always compromised, this time it’s those carefully constructed and decorated cakes produced in Ellen’s kitchen (based on recipes from her mother, a French-trained baker). I guess in the end it's the taste so who really cares right and it sounds like Ellen's mom made some good cupcakes so I bet they are awesome.

If you've ever been we'd love to hear from you.

Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Bars

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?

Think Cold Thoughts With Fro-Zing!

Weather Underground says is is 101.4° in Waltham right now, and it is all I can do to not have another ice crean cone today. Yes, I already had one at 11:40 today at J.P. Licks in Newton Center as I was heading back from an errand -- 8+ months pregnant and 100+° weather -- I thought it warranted a cone. OK, OK...I'm not going to lie. I don't even need either of those excuses, but it did feel extra validated today!

I guess next best thing would be to at least write a long overdue ice cream review...well, a tart frozen yogurt review...it will give me an excuse to put a couple more spoonfuls of a frozen treat into my mouth and perhaps make me think frozen thoughts! Hurrah!

Back in March (I know, it's been a while, but quite honestly, what could be better than a post about frozen ANYTHING on a 100+° day in July!), Kemps sent both Tina and I two cartons of their latest Fro-Zing! and I have to say, I was quite surprised. I am not usually a fan of tart frozen yogurt, but these new flavors have got me double thinking the whole thing!

The blueberry was quite good. The flavor reminded me of the days as kids when we used to put refrigerated yogurt in the freezer and take it out on a hot day, eagerly scraping away at the block of solid yogurt. The bonus was the air that was whipped in -- the effort of scraping away was gone, and I could enjoy the tangy blueberry taste without all the hard work. I found it to be quite refreshing on this summer day.

The raspberry vanilla was my favorite though. The first thing your senses are struck by is the swirl of pink and white frozen goodness as you open the package. The pink is so bright and inviting that that alone cools you off. However, one bite of this frozen yogurt is what really got me. Yes, I was getting live and active cultures which are supposedly good for me, but there was something more to it. It reminded me of a summertime favorite from growing up in Connecticut where my dad grew rows of raspberries, with Mom and Dad collecting quarts of the fresh red berrries at the peak of the season, cleaning them and lightly sugaring them to draw out the juices and finally, adding them to a cup of vanilla yogurt. To this day, it's still a summertime treat I savor when I go home, the only thing better is the raspberry fresh off the plant, still warm from the noonday sun. But I digress. The flavor of this yogurt was just that: the vanilla yogurt mixed with the sweetened berries -- the tart so welcoming because of the nature of the fruit. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the refreshing subtle sweetness of the raspberry vanilla and find it almost to be a comfort food when I can't be home visiting Mom and Dad.

My only complaint with these frozen yogurts is they are "drier" than ice cream. Dry might not be the right word, but as ice cream melts to the spoon and curls right out to the shape of the spoon, I find tart frozen yogurt (all of them, not just Kemp's) to kind of break up more and have a less smooth texture, probably due to the absence of as much fat as ice cream has. Late breaking news (10 or so minutes after this post was finished): if you let the frozen yogurt sit out for a bit, you get a still cold and refreshing, but super light and airy almost perfect texture. So basically, my only complaint came out of my impatience.

Though I forsee the raspberry vanilla being my favorite of the Fro-Zings!, looking through their Fro-Zing! flavors, the next on my list to try is the cherry vanilla. Can't wait!

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

This Father's Day, Dads Get a Free Cup or Cone From TCBY

Somehow, I always neglect TCBY when I am thinking about frozen treat shops (which I have to stop doing because we missed the TCBY Store Giveaway because of my neglect!), but we don't want to forget about them as they celebrate National Frozen Yogurt Month this month. Who knew June was National Frozen Yogurt Month!? We certainly didn't but we are glad TCBY knows because to celebrate, Dads can get a free cup or cone (at participating locations) on Father's Day, this Sunday, June 20th.

As TCBY CEO Timothy Casey says, "As the pioneer of the frozen yogurt industry, it only makes since that we celebrate National Frozen Yogurt month with a bang, and as a gesture of kindness for all that they do, we want to recognize dads on their special day too."

Thanks Dads, for all you do -- you are pretty "cool" in our book!

Stone Ridge Creamery Frozen Yogurt (Part 1)

Lucky you, readers! I am catching up on a bunch of posts that have been queued on my agenda for a while -- posts to which I haven't had the time to commit the full focus they deserve.

Mid last summer, I got an email from a PR firm that represented Supervalu. They asked us if we wanted samples of Stone Ridge Creamery Tart Frozen Yogurt and Culinary Circle Chocolate Truffle Gooey Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Dessert. Um, yeah!

Like many readers, she was taken with the guest post by my husband, Kevin, who had written about his astronaut ice cream.

I told Kev we would be getting samples in the mail, but since he was such a hit as a writer and analyst, he would have to co-write this blog with me. However, since we can't seem to coordinate our schedules, he'll be following up with Part 2 in the near future).

Coincidentally, the samples arrived on a Thursday that kicked off a long weekend in Vermont with my parents, my older sister and her husband. I packed up the frozen treats and the dry ice in a cooler and we drove up to Vermont. When we got to Vermont, we opened the door and flipped the light switch. Nothing. My first concern was in fact, my cooler of ice cream and no power. We decided to put the frozen goodies in the freezer along with the dry ice and hope for the best. When my sister and brother-in-law arrived, we thought that it would be safer to break out the Culinary Circle Chocolate Truffle Gooey Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Dessert. Yum. The power came on as we took our first bites. Ah, the magic of ice cream.

We saved the frozen yogurt for the next day -- a treat we would enjoy with my parents when they arrived the next day. With four quarts of frozen yogurt, we were quite sure there would be enough for all six of us to enjoy. With spoons in hand, larger spoons in the carton, and large dishes, we proceeded to taste and discuss.

We ranked our favorites (from favorite to least favorite)

• Brother-in-law, Liam: vanilla, strawberry, pomegranate blueberry, peach
• Dad: vanilla, peach, strawberry, pomegranate blueberry
• Kevin: peach, strawberry, vanilla, pomegranate blueberry
• Mom: vanilla, pomegranate blueberry, peach, strawberry
• Sarah: vanilla, peach, strawberry, pomegranate blueberry
• Me: vanilla, peach, strawberry, pomegranate blueberry

I have to say, the biggest surprise was the number two ranking of the peach fro yo by my father. Below is a scenario that used to take place when I was younger:

There's been a middle school concert and on the way home, the family stops at Friendly's. I don't remember what anyone orders, except my older sister, Sarah. Peach. As is tradition, we pass our cones around, tasting each others' flavors, just to confirm we chose the right flavor...the chunk of conversation I recall ensues.
Dad: "Lemme try peach, Sarah..."
Sarah: "Ok. Here."
Dad: "It tastes like dirty socks." (Clearly, this is not a reflection of Friendly's but of my dad's own taste buds, because people ordered it enough to put it on the menu, and Sarah certainly enjoyed it.)
From the peanut gallery of the three of us sisters: "Ewww!" "Dad!" "How do you KNOW what dirty socks taste like? Gross, Dad!"

To this day I can't see peach ice cream without automatically thinking of a pair of dirty socks. Thanks, Dad.

Here are some thoughts from the night:

• It has a cultured taste
• Kevin: "I'm eating strawberry, but it tastes like lemon."
  Dad: "No, strawberry tastes like strawberry...I like the strawberry."
• Dad: "I like the tartness of it, Bethany." (As if I were the one who whipped it up.)
• Kevin tastes tart. He comments that he can't really taste the difference in the flavors, he can only taste the tartness. (I'm wondering if we should count his ranking above...?)
• Dad: "I like the vanilla."
• Dad: "Peach is the most distinct."

Overall, there was a feeling of liking it, though no commitment to buying it in the future (with one exception, to be discussed below), but this is perhaps because I do come from a family of ice cream purists, who would choose ice cream over frozen yogurt any day. Besides, the dirty sock review from years before kind of ruins my dad's taste bud creds.

Sarah and I (who have never once compared any frozen treat to dirty socks) polished off the vanilla over the weekend, with a promise of buying Stone Ridge Creamery Vanilla Frozen Yogurt again in the future. We had made a fruit salad earlier in the day, and fell in love with the vanilla topped with a mix of peaches, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and cherries. Summertime perfection.

Additionally, all agreed that any of the above flavors tasted good topped with the family tradition of sugared summer berries.

Looking out the window at the rain that has been falling heavily for the past three days, it's hard to imagine spring is days away, but since it's not snow, the future looks warmer. This being the case, I see cartons of Stone Ridge Creamery Vanilla Frozen Yogurt piled high with fruit just around the corner.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this review by Kevin, the newest member of our blogging team!

Size matters. Eat more.

So funny and how true in the world of ice frozen yogurt/ice cream. So here lives Frolick ("fro" and "lick"..love it!) and the creator of these awesome pins. Well not really here since if you are visiting Singapore soon then you can actually try it but none the less its a fun spot we've heard about and had to talk about. Who knew a fro-yo place could be edgy, anti-establishment, fun, politically incorrect, and health conscious all at the same time. Move over Pinkberry with your holier than thou attitude. Note...I have never had Pinkberry and do admire the brand but in tough times we all need something to make us smile and Frolick sure seems to do the job. If only it was nearby. Not sure how I even came across this place but its about time someone put the fun in frozen yogurt. Is their a reason one must feel like raising their pinky when they eat frozen yogurt? Well Frolick figured out that ice cream's skinny friend, frozen yogurt, could let its hair down once and for all and be good all at the same time. Check out their web site to see what we're talking about.

As for the yogurt, according to their web site, tasters claim it to be tart and refreshing. In the world of fro-yo that surely is no differentiator but their vision sure is. Unfortunately we can't visit a shop to truly see if this fun brand that lives online is actually carried out in stores and lives up to the raves but I get the feeling it wouldn't disappoint.

And as for these fun pins, get em while they're hot on their site.

What are the odds we can find someone who has actually tried this? If you are that lucky person I am sure we have some prize for you (well maybe if you can prove it!).

Zagat's Rates Frozen Treats...what do you think?

ZAGAT’S TOP ICE CREAM/CUSTARD SHOPS
1. Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops [WINNER]
2. Rita's
3. Culver's Frozen Custard
4. Baskin-Robbins
5. Carvel

Scoopalicious analysis: Of course Ben & Jerry's tops the list....awesome ice cream, awesome attitude, awesome style. Only downside I see is its a little more expensive and let's face it they don't offer the largest scoops but it is well worth the price. My fave...Phish Food. So their other picks are tough cause I think this depends on where you live. And as for Carvel...well they all closed near me but you can still get the Whale cake at our local grocery store! Final thought: Although hard to find Ciao Bella rates up there and there's always the local Friendly's that is sure to please.

ZAGAT’S TOP SMOOTHIES/FROZEN YOGURT
1. Smoothie King [WINNER]
2. Jamba Juice
3. Pinkberry
4. TCBY
5. Orange Julius

Scoopalicious analysis: Where can I find me a Smoothie King in New England cause I must try before I can truly give my scoopalicious opinion? Have to be honest I am not a smoothie expert so if anyone has thoughts on these winners let us know what you think. Does TCBY still exist? And Orange Julius reminds me of my younger years....mom used to make them at home too. YUM!

ZAGAT’S BEST MILKSHAKE
1. Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops [WINNER]
2. Dairy Queen
3. McDonald's
4. Cold Stone Creamery
5. Wendy's

Scoopalicious analysis: How did the Frosty at Wendy's make #5...seriously those are so good. Is it ice cream or is it a shake cause Lord knows you get instant brain freeze trying to immediately suck it through a straw but its worth the effort! Gotta say though that these are all good contenders. I might just have to hit a drive through on my way home from work today!



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

Boston's J.P. Licks' Frozen Yogurt X

Yesterday my dear friend Amanda and I went to J.P. Licks in Harvard Square. Though I did settle on my favorite Oreo Cakebatter, I did want to try J.P. Licks' new Frozen Yogurt X (soon-to-be-named -- by you!): "Tart, tangy, non-fat, refreshing, no cholesterol, less sugar, millions of probiotic bacteria..." Hm, sounds a lot to me like Pinkberry...I asked for a taste and the scoop girl kindly agreed. Fancy that! It was much sweeter than I remembered Pinkberry to be (read my previous post on my Pinkberry thoughts), and I didn't actually hate it! Actually, it was good, but the truth is, I would never ever walk into an J.P. Licks and order it when I am surrounded by rich, sweet, creamy real ice cream.

But, if this is up your alley, run over to one of J.P. Licks' many shops in the Boston area before September 30, 2008 and taste for yourself, and then visit their site and suggest a name for a chance to one free medium serving of the new concoction every day for a year! (Or don't bother to taste it, as you can still technically name it without tasting!) 

Added bonus? Visit the flagship store on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain the weekend of September 28 and 29th and enjoy your frozen yogurt while visiting the 15th Annual Jamaica Plain Open Studios. (Stop by my old studio space at 128 Brookside Avenue and give a shout out to Gordon, Catherine, and Amy!)

 

15 Mile Weekend with Two Scoops of Ice Cream

This weekend was quite a crazy one. I went down to NYC on Friday with Kevin to visit Ashu. Saturday we walked up to the Guggenheim and then walked all the way down to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (to see our estimated route, click here). Seeing as we had walked some on Friday and at least a couple of miles today, and our route (especially across Central Park) on gmap wasn't perfect, we estimate about a 15 mile walk total this weekend...so I am not going to feel too badly about the two different ice cream places I sampled this weekend.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

The reward at the end of crossing the Brooklyn Bridge was a sweet and creamy one. As we walked into the quaint little shop that was once a Fulton Ferry fireboat house, we stood for about 5-10 minutes in line -- a line that was 1. Much shorter than the one we passed at Grimaldi's Pizza on the way to the Factory, and 2. much shorter than the line that was there when we walked out with our ice cream. The line gave us time to take in the atmosphere -- a simple shop that has probably changed little since it was first opened October 13, 2001 (Interestingly enough, the shop was slated to open September 12, 2001, but the events of September 11th inevitably changed that). The focus of this shop is it's smooth, eggless (one might say "Philadelphia Style") ice cream, not the atmosphere in which it sits. The shop though clean, is cluttered with freezers and there isn't too much room to sit down. It is fine this way, as the best way to savor your ice cream is to go outside and enjoy the view of the Manhattan Skyline, and as one most likely does, lament on the broken skyline's missing twin towers.

The eggless ice cream is this way because eggs, owner Mark Thompson believes, give ice cream a "greasy flavor." Instead he uses a Pennsylvania recipe -- a recipe he found sans eggs.With only eight flavors, one isn't overwhelmed with choices, which is a relief this day and age. When I got to the counter I asked for vanilla chocolate chunk, but the kid at the counter told me they were out. Kind of disappointed, but also knowing any of these flavors would be good, I changed my cone to the same as Ashu's -- chocolate chocolate chunk. The ice cream wasn't a disappointment: rich, creamy, and just the perfect amount to satiate my sweet tooth and refuel us for our walk back across the bridge. A taste of Kevin's vanilla was lighter, and just sweet enough. A taste of the vanilla made me wish that they hadn't run out of the vanilla chocolate chunk -- I can imagine that would have been ice cream perfection. But alas, I still can't complain. It was good either way.


Pinkberry

While my passion is ice cream, my husband Kevin enjoys a good hot dog, and Ashu indulged us by taking us to some hot dog hot spots. Friday we found Papaya Dog in Hell's Kitchen as we walked from the bus station to Ashu's apartment, Saturday we stopped at a few street vendors, and today she took us uptown to Brooklyn Diner at 57th Street (where they weren't yet serving hot dogs but we indulged in some yummy breakfast as well as a Christopher Meloni sighting) and then up to Gray's Papaya on Broadway at 72nd to try their world renowned hot dogs and see their big sign in the window that supports Obama (Ashu is a huge fan!).

Alas, I digress. While on our way back from Gray's, we saw a Pinkberry (warning: you might want to turn off the sound; this site is kind of annoying!) and after Ashu's negative raving, I had to try. Though not actually an ice cream, but a frozen yogurt, Ashu tells me this is all the rave in the city and the lines at the shop we passed on Saturday proved case in point.

We walked into the stark, clean, stylish shop. There was one other customer in the shop, but he was gone minutes after we arrived. What I found so strange is that this woman took my order (I was the only one that ordered) and she took my name -- as if she would lose my order in the empty restaurant (Later I saw they had printed a little label with my name and stuck it on my cup -- I guess it would be useful when the shop was busy.) I ordered a original with raspberries ($3.95 plus 95¢ for a topping) and the server actually put my order on a scale! Then she used tongs to carefully place about 10 raspberries on the yogurt. The yogurt was just that: frozen yogurt. It wasn't the sweet, ice cream-tasting soft serve you get when you usually order frozen yogurt. It tasted cultured like actual yogurt that had been frozen. It had a bit of a lemony taste. The best part was the amazingly fresh raspberries. I agreed with Ashu in the sense I couldn't understand the lines. It wasn't that good. But it wasn't terrible. Just not something I would choose again. But as Ashu says "If someone were holding a gun to my head, and telling me to eat it, I'd eat it, but..."

Well, enough of ice cream eating in NYC...

Additional information for this post found in the article "Fire and Ice Cream" from the New York Times, Novemeber 25, 2001.
Thanks to Kevin for such great photos and Ashu for being a great tour guide!

Yo! Cinnamon Fro Yo!

I guess that wasn't the most creative of names, but I am trying! I had this yogurt that I made my Donvier yogurt maker that was just not the right consistency so I thought to make it into frozen yogurt. Perfect idea. I didn't waste the yogurt and made a fairly healthy treat of cinnamon frozen yogurt (see right), that even my husband liked!

I used the recipe from Bruce Weinstein's The Ultimate Ice Cream Book for Vanilla Frozen Yogurt, but altered it a bit to my liking. My yogurt was a little sour (yogurt is more sour the longer you "cook" it and even with the added sugar and the two tablespoons of vanilla, this recipe was a little too sour for my liking. I added a teaspoon of cinnamon and voila! it was just to my liking! The other little change was I replaced the light cream with a mixture of 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 cup skim milk. With the skim yogurt I had made, this recipe was pretty light and some what healthy, as far as ice cream goes -- and the texture was pretty creamy as well. Yes, I am of the belief (just like Tina) that ice cream is ice cream and one shouldn't cut corners on the fat or sweeteners, but in my case I had to use what I had in my house (it was late and I didn't feel like going to the store) so I experimented and I'd say it came out pretty well!

Bruce Weinstein (of the UltimateCook website) is one of my favorite ice cream book authors -- his book is full of diverse recipes and each recipe is followed by a plethora of variations. My husband loves peanut butter, so we are also a big fan of The Ultimate Peanut Butter Book.

On another note, I had little bit of a fun experiment last week. I wanted to draw ice cream at the studio last week. I bought an Haagan Daz Vanilla and Almonds Ice Cream Bar at the store next door but soon realized that I had to run out and that I wouldn't be able to draw the ice cream bar before I left. Luckily living recent weather has dumped a lot of snow in New England and I decided to bury the ice cream (box, wrapper and all) in the snow. When I came back four hours later I had about a half an hour of drawing time! (The drawing wasn't worth showing!) In addition to the snow freezer I made, I am sure the chocolate shell kept the ice cream a bit in tact too, because as soon as I cracked the shell, the ice cream was a soupy mess...Long story short, snow makes a good freezer in a pinch, though I am sure our ancestors figured this out well before I did!