Holiday Shopping Fuel

Cuz I deserve it...Chocolate hazelnut and Gingerbread swirl...yum!

Best office holiday gift yet

Tis the season for cookies, popcorn, fruit and more to be sent to the office. This time we hit the jackpot! A case of Graeters ice cream which I have to admit I haven't tried yet so I am pretty psyched. Happy holidays to me! Oh and the rest of the office if they manage to get the spoon out of my hand :)

To Mix-in or Not To Mix-in? Part II: To Mix-in

I wrote last time about mix-ins that I didn't think added to the ice cream. I also talked about how there was another ice cream I thought that I wouldn't like because of the mix-ins and how I was wrong.

I really didn't think that the Cannoli Ice Cream (from their site: "Mascarpone Ice Cream with Fudge Covered Cannoli Pastry Shell Chunks & a Mascarpone Swirl.") from Ben & Jerry's needed fudge when I read about it for the first time. Chocolate? I am a cannoli purist -- I lived in Boston's North End for seven years (I loved it there) and can have debates with friends over whether Maria's or Modern is better. (Ok, ok, maybe a real purist wouldn't even want to try Cannoli Ice Cream.) But I did. I wanted to try it anyway.

I looked a lot to find this ice cream. At first I was too early and it hadn't hit the shelves yet. Then, apparently, it was harder to find than other flavors and they must have gotten a lot of questions about it, because they produced a total social media driven "Cannoli Finder." My local locations weren't showing up yet, so I would just hope I'd see it at the grocery store and I would be the one to be able to add it. Finally, one day, when I thought I was out of luck at my local Shaw's, BAM!, there it was at an end cap. I bought a pint. Bad idea...*

Ok, so, um, I loved it. First of all, I realized it would only be "Marscapone Ice Cream" with out the shells mixed in, but without being enrobed in fudge, the shells would be soggy, so I think that it was almost necessary  Second, the fudge didn't take away anything for me. In fact, I hardly noticed it. It wasn't an overwhelming flavor or anything. Just enough. Finally, Ben & Jerry's is kind of defined by its mix-ins. (Their site does say, "The road to Euphoria is paved with chunks and swirls!") I don't think it would be the same if there weren't chunks to search for! The flavor itself is rich but light at the same time. Does this make sense? I think my husband says it best when we had this conversation after first breaking open the pint:

Husband: What flavor is Cannoli?

Me: Marscapone but doesn't it taste like pistachio? (I have since changed my mind on the pistachio opinion...)

Husband: No. It tastes like "good." (I agree, but I might say great!)

*So then I ran into a problem. At the time of this writing, I was very pregnant and I started to crave it. I made my husband and daughter and I go back to the Shaw's (not our closest grocery store, I might add) to go shopping...and guess what?! They were out. So, I have polished off a pint of Cherry Garcia (still an excellent standby) but I was still craving Cannoli. I'll just have to keep looking.

It's a good thing I found this. Just the other day I realized my other Cannoli supplier would never be my supplier even if they did arrive out in these parts. They no longer make it.

Ben & Jerry's...please don't do this to me and take it off the shelves in the end. Make this a permanent flavor. I would be so grateful.

So here it is. To mix-in.

To Mix-in or Not To Mix-in? Part I: Not to Mix-in

I'm having a bit of a mix-in mix-up. Usually I like mix-ins. In this way, I do not take after my mother. She's not a fan.

Here's what happened. I bought two ice cream flavors recently -- one that I expected I wouldn't like as much because of the mix-ins and another I thought I would like because of the mix-ins. In both cases, I was wrong.

My sister suggested I try Talenti's Sea Salt Caramel Gelato. Amazing ice cream. Really amazing. Creamy, smooth, and a perfect salty/sweet flavor. But, while I usually find myself searching out the mix-ins, I found myself digging around the mix-ins. First of all, I couldn't tell what they were. The container doesn't tell me a thing. I read chocolate on one site. Didn't taste that way to me. Second of all, the gelato was smooth, wonderful perfection -- smooth and creamy -- it just did not need anything else. I found my frozen euphoria broken up by chunks of...

Well, I'll be..."small sea salt caramel truffles that have been bathed in chocolate." You got it, Ice Cream Informant! I don't know why I doubted you except for the fact that  it just didn't taste that way to me.

Anyway, would I buy this again? Yes. But would I be happier without the mix-ins? Yes.

Stay tuned for my next post where I am happily surprised with the mix-in.

Recipe Repost: Apple Cider Cider Donut

I posted this recipe out of season, and now since it is smack dab in the middle of apple season, I thought it was time for a relink.

Apple Cider Cider Donut Ice Cream. Enjoy!

Banana-Rama Eight O’Clock Coffee Milkshake

So I received this recipe from Eight O'Clock coffee and was perplexed at when to try this recipe out. Do I go for it at breakfast, it does have bananas and coffee in it,  or why not kick it up with some Kahlua for a fun party cocktail. Well....I opted for neither since shakes aren't my thing at 8am and a school night wasn't the best timing for a cocktail so I made this exactly as you see  below and made it an early evening treat...just a little before Eight O'clock (get it!). Just looking at the amount of coffee made me realize probably not a good idea too soon before bed. But you be the judge it is 12am and I am writing this post! 

Banana-Rama Eight O’Clock Coffee Milkshake

1 1/2 cups cold Eight O’Clock Coffee Original Blend

2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 Banana
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
Crushed ice

Preparation: Combine ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired.  

Variation: If you really want to pump up the coffee flavor, start by crushing frozen coffee ice cubes. Switch to chocolate ice cream for a truly chocolaty treat! Or kick it up and add some Kahlua!

RESULTS: 
Perfect coffee and banana blend. I was worried about a heavy coffee taste but it was just right and that little drizzle of chocolate brought it all together. Next time I am definitely going for the adult version!

Now that summer is over...

...it's time to get my butt back in shape! Too many margaritas, hot dogs, cookouts, and of course ice cream cones for me. Funny I was talking to a friend recently who said summer is her season to get in shape. You can be outdoors all the time, go for a quick run, do a triathalon (well not me!) and so much more than you can do any other time of the year. For me it's the opposite. Our weekends are so overbooked in the summer and we try to get in every ounce of sun with the kids that no time is left for me. So now I am kicking myself into gear and at bootcamp class at 6am three days a week. Problem though is...ice cream. Who knew that would be a problem!

So this week when I went to the grocery store I was strategic about my choices....portion control and sugar free. Seriously there are actually good options out there without having to suck on flavored ice!

I ended up bringing home two different options to see which I preferred and also know if I don't eat them my ice cream loving child will. Girl after my own heart! My strategy.... one option that was premium ice cream but in a small portion controlled size or go for quantity and choose a larger bar but one that is sugar free. My daughter and I had differing opinions of which would be our favorite. More on that later.

Here is is the ongoing question.....quality over quantity VS quantity over quality!? I always pick one way. And here is what I ended up bringing home....

Magnum Mini Classic
(1.85 oz bar - Box says serving size is 2 bars so I cut nutritional facts in half)

150 calories

10 gram fat

25 grams sugar

Klondike Krunch Sugar Free

(4 oz ice cream bar)

170 calories

10 gram fat

7 grams sugar 

Once again....drum roll please...my favorite hands down but doesn't mean I didn't like the other is the Magnum Mini. I take quality over quantity all day long on most things. The chocolate is thick and rich and totally satisfies my sweet tooth and the ice cream is super creamy. All I need is that little bit of something really good. On the other hand my daughter argued with me about Klondike being the better option. She loved the Krunch in the chocolate coating and for her the mini just seemed too small. She agreed the serving size is two. And what did she do...had another!

Tis the season for Limited Edition Flavors

I never ever get to catch a segment of the Today show but I gave myself 10 minutes this morning to down my breakfast in front of the TV rather than my computer and glad I did. They had a quick segment on fall Limited Edition flavors with Roker and friends taste testing them all. I love the fall and the flavors that come with it. Sometimes I wish they were year round but maybe then I wouldn't appreciate them so much. It's all about....pumpkin lattes, pumpkin soup, pumpkin butter, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin martinis, pumpkin cupcakes....everything pumpkin. Love it!

So onto the flavors they highlighted and there's more to this than pumpkin. There were four flavors and all the hosts agreed on which they thought was the winner. Interestingly I didn't agree but to each there own. What's your pick?! Read on to the end of this post to see what the Today show gang chose.

Edy's Slow Churned Pumpkin
Sweet and Light Pumpkin Flavored Ice Cream Blended with the Perfect mix of Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Ginger.

Blue Bunny 24 Karat Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake flavored Ice Cream Swirled with Cream Cheese Frosting Flavored Ice Cream with Carrot Cake Pieces....inspired by Duff Goldman

Turkey Hill Whoopie Pie
Chocolate Ice Cream with Whoopie Pie Pieces and Creamy Filling Swirl

Ben and Jerry's Cannoli
Marscapone Ice Cream with Fudge Covered Cannoli Pastry Shell Chunks and a Marscapone Swirl

And the favorite amongst the Today show hosts was ......drum roll please.....Turkey Hill Whoopie Pie!

My favorite (but to be fair I haven't tasted them all but know I don't even have to because I am biased on the all things Pumpkin....Edy's Pumpkin. 
Get out there and try these while they are around. I have a feeling none of these will disappoint.

Maybe You (S)Hood® Get Away!

This post is way overdue, and I apologize. It's been a crazy summer.

Hood® recently surprised some lucky shoppers -- five in all -- with some weekend getaways!

(Above) On August 7, "Donna Dickinson of Portland won a trip to Mt. Washington, NH in honor of Hood’s Mt. Washington Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup." She (and her son and granddaughter) were surprised by Pawtucket Red Sox Shortstop Jose Iglesias!

(Above) Earlier in the summer, at the Charlestown, Massachusetts Foodmaster, Linda Labadini of East Boston was surprised by Red Sox Third Baseman Will Middlebrooks! Linda won a trip to Burlington, Vermont in honor of Hood's Vermont Maple Nut Flavor.

Lucky ladies! Meeting Red Sox and winning a weekend getaway just because they were "caught" buying Hood Ice Cream? Life isn't bad...

But don't worry! You too can be a winner!

Hood has graciously donated coupons for three of OUR lucky readers for a complimentary Hood product. Please see the form at the end of this post! (Thanks again, Hood!)

You can also visit their website for some cool giveaways/promotions. In fact, they have one more weekend giveaway..."Take a midnight ride with Hood® New England Creamery Ice Cream's new flavor, Colonial Chocolate Almond—enter today and you could win a “colonial” weekend in Boston for four people!" But hurry, this giveaway ends August 31!

P.S. Being a New Englander, I love all of Hood's local New England flavors...but being originally from Connecticut, I wonder why there isn't a Connecticut specific flavor? :(

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DDlicious

I already raved about my awesome sister, right? She's AWESOME. (I actually have two sisters and they are both awesome, but this shout out is to Arianna...She just surprised us with ANOTHER guest post. Thanks, A!)

Treat yourself to our new crave-worthy Iced Coffee flavors.

 Inspired by the taste of Baskin-Robbins^® ice cream, 

Mint Chocolate Chip and Old Fashioned Butter Pecan

 flavored Iced Coffees are the perfect indulgence. 

Scoop up the fun with America's Favorite Iced Coffee today.

Image & copy courtesy of Dunkin Donuts.

In early August, I received an email from Dunkin Donuts letting me know they had these new ice cream-flavored iced coffees available, and since I know that my sister doesn't like coffee, I emailed her to let her know I'd take one for the team, if I had to...! Haha. It took me a while to actually get around to trying the drinks, but when I did, they were absolutely worth it! And very refreshing on a hot day - did you know that this July was the hottest on record for the U.S.?! So iced coffees have been a lifesaver this summer.

In any case, I stopped by a Dunkies on my way home from work one evening, and this was the result of my efforts:

Here the treats are, in my car's cupholders!

I tried a sip of each one immediately. The butter pecan was very creamy and rich, and the mint chocolate chip was extremely minty, with a rich dark chocolate blended in. I couldn't get over how much both of them tasted exactly like the ice creams they were supposed to be emulating! It was like drinking ice cream, to me.

I wanted to enjoy more, but I held off, as I knew I had a few people hanging out at my house that evening who could help me evaluate. We all tried the coffees several times, and the general consensus was that the butter pecan actually tasted like coffee too (I hadn't noticed it, but it did have a coffee-flavored aftertaste), while the mint chocolate chip didn't at all, really (that could have been due to the copious amounts of chocolate lining the bottom of the plastic cup!). I figured that was a good thing to report, for those who might want the refreshment and caffeine jolt of an iced coffee in the summer, but aren't big on the whole coffee flavor. We all noticed how rich and flavorful the coffees were, but, then again, that could have partly been due to the cream and sugar -- that isn't my normal coffee M.O., but I figured the ice cream coffees would be best to try fixed that way.

In any case, they were a hit, and they went quickly!

I'd probably be more inclined to recommend them for a dessert rather than a morning coffee, though, much like the Oreo Coolatta currently being offered (I tried a sip of my friend's, and it tasted quite a bit like cookies & cream ice cream!). Quite enjoyable, but very sweet, and probably too rich for everyday consumption, in my humble opinion. But I'd definitely recommend them to ice cream aficionados.

Well, that's all for me for now. Enjoy the last few days of summer, everyone! Thanks for letting me post.

We thank YOU, Arianna, for posting!

Cheryl's Giveaway: Winner!

We have a winner! Congrats to Mary!

Stay tuned for more giveaways!

Cheryl's Ice Cream Cookie Sampler Giveaway!

Recently we got to sample some yummy cookies from Cheryl's Cookies. We were so excited since the new collection is their Ice Cream Flavored Cookie Collection!

With absolutely adorable packaging, gorgeous colors, and enticing flavors, this is a collection that can't be beat. The above photo is only a sampling of their 20 different products in their Ice Cream Cookie Collection.

Our sample (and the one Cheryl's will be giving away to a lucky reader) is their Ice Cream Cookie Sampler which includes: Vanilla Malted, Chocolate Marshmallow Pecan, Strawberry Sugar, Banana Split with Walnuts, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Orange Citrus cookies. (Actually, that's what is listed on their site, but we got Cookies 'N Cream instead of the Banana Split, which was fine with Husband because...)

When I asked which his favorite of the six were (we shared each cookie over the course of two nights -- three tonight and three last night) he said the Cookies 'N Cream. He did think it was an interesting concept as well saying "If I can have a cookie flavored cookie, can I have have an ice cream flavored ice cream?" Yeah, I'll let you ruminate on that for a while. It took me a while to figure out what he was saying...

I love the texture of Cheryl's cookies and while I love their vanilla buttercream cookies the best, I was quite taken with all the samples, but most specifically the Orange Citrus (yay Creamsicles!)

Anyway, you too can win this sampler (though if you get the Banana Split flavor, we are going to need your review since I was unable to taste it! Just kidding) if you enter below by Tuesday, August 14.

In the meantime, you can take advantage of their Living Social deal, of $30 worth of cookies for $15! Sounds good to me!

And/or you could like them on Facebook for "a chance to win FREE COOKIES each and every Friday"!

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Apologies

Our apologies for the "URGENT URGENT" message on the blog earlier this afternoon. Unfortunately, one of our email accounts got compromised and someone was able to get into our blog to post spam.

Again, our deepest apologies.

Best,
Bethany and Tina

A Little Mortensen Magic

My darling younger sister surprised me with a guest post for my birthday. Since she called me the best middle sister/ice cream maven EVER, I couldn't say no to posting this. Haha! Just kidding. What a special present and a great way to close out National Ice Cream Month! Thanks, A!

Happy birthday to the best middle sister/ice cream maven EVER!

I live in New Britain, CT, and surprisingly (for a state that consumes the most ice cream per capita!), there really aren't many good ice cream places to choose from nearby.  Nothing that I know of in the city itself, and while the local Cold Stone Creamery used to be a good, short trip for us (located on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington), it's been changed into a frozen yogurt joint.  I'm sure the froyo is good and all (haven't tried it yet!), but that wasn't what we were craving the other day after a long, hot day - I had gotten stuck in a train car without A/C for my ride home from work!*  


Mortensen's original location on the Berlin Turnpike.  From their Facebook page.

Anyway, the boyfriend and I been asked to do a favor for a friend in the West End of Hartford, so I decided to jazz the trip up by making a detour on our way back home, to Mortensen's!  We had just intended to get ice cream, but realized we really needed to get some food in our bellies, too, so we started with burgers (mine veggie) and fries, all of which was very good!  The place certainly isn't JUST ice cream, so plan to have a whole meal there if you can squeeze it all in!



Unfortunately, we couldn't.  We'd spent most of the meal perusing the BINDER filled with flavors and their descriptions, and had settled on some flavors we wanted to try.  However, when it came time to order dessert...we decided we'd have to do to-go ice cream instead, and enjoy our dessert later on.  Our waitress kindly offered to hand-pack a couple of pints for us (this is usual practice - they will pack pints, quarts, etc. at your request).  I chose Graham Central Station and Maine Black Bear (even though there were a bunch of other flavors I wanted to try - but I always have to remind myself to try the unusual flavors, because I can get the staples anywhere!).  Troy chose their mudslide (I think it was called Mud Pie?), but when they didn't have that (the ice cream is made fresh daily, and flavors are constantly rotating), they offered to mush together their cookies n' cream with their coffee.  So we both went home happy!  We thoroughly enjoyed our ice creams, and I definitely plan to go back again soon to try even more flavors!  (Although Graham Central Station has become a new favorite....)



Mortensen's has been around just about FOREVER, and they are great, local, family-owned restaurant, so if you find yourself driving through central CT on a road trip this summer, be sure to stop in for a real treat.  One of my favorite things about the place?  They have fruit flavors which they offer year-round (strawberry, peach, etc.), which they switch out for seasonal ones when the time is right.  So, if you're there, say, during our peach season, you'll get locally-grown, fresh fruit in your ice cream!  And if you're not, you'll still get their premium ice cream with peaches from a carefully selected source (they indicate the locations from which all their fruit originates on the menu).  I love the concept, I love supporting fantastic local businesses, and of course - I love the ice cream.

-------------------
*While I don't NEED air-conditioning in my daily life, I've decided that it's definitely necessary in an enclosed train car where you can't open the windows and are stuck with dozens of other people, just all sweating it out...it must have been about 20 degrees warmer in there than it was outside!  Ugh.

Short but Sweet (Let's Link Up)

I have a ton to do today but can't miss the second to last National Ice Cream Month 2012 post...SO I am going to post a few links to things I have been meaning to post to forever...

First we have a nice recipe for Ten Minute Soft-Serve You Can Make in Your Food Processor. Thanks for sending, Dad!

Next we have a super cool link to dozens of photos of Vintage Ice Cream Trucks. This is amazing -- you could spend hours looking at this post. (Again, thanks for sending, Dad!)

I chose this image from the site because I love what it says: "Eat a Plate of Ice
Cream Every Day" -- For sure! Originally posted on Shorpy.com.

Then there is the super fun graphic, The History of Ice Cream Timeline. As you know, I love infographics and ice cream -- what could be better than this? Maybe an edible ice cream infographic...? Ok, maybe I am stretching a little. Maybe there IS nothing better. Thanks, Sister A for sending!

Finally, another link from Sister A: Ice Cream in a Baggie. Super cool!

I have a great family and great friends who keep me abreast on the latest ice cream findings -- the problem is, I am not the greatest at keeping up with posting!

Have a great second to last day of National Ice Cream Month and come back tomorrow for a guest post from a dear sister!

(Also, keep coming by in August. We already have two giveaways planned!)

Another NH scoop shop delights

It's been an awesome week of outdoor fun and a whole lotta ice cream. We were super excited to find another shop selling all homemade ice cream, Conehead's Supreme, in Woodstock NH. My daughter went first and ordered Brownie Batter ice cream in a plain come with chocolate jimmies (those are sprinkles to non New Englanders) and it looked so good I couldn't resist ordering the same. It was SO good! Light and creamy brownie batter flavored ice cream with small chunks of rich brownie. Another great find we are sure to revisit on next year's trip to the White Mountains.

Sucre Shop Giveaway!

Update: My hugest apologies to Brooke of the Sucre SHOP -- I made a typo in the title and called it Sucre Chop (which I have since remedied). So sorry!

I am just winding down from my annual ice cream party and am excited about our final giveaway for National Ice Cream Month.

The fabulous Brooke of Sucre Shop has generously donated a set of ten dishes and ten spoons as a giveaway for Scoopalicious. These products have been featured in People Magazine, Martha Stewart Living and Redbook! Thank you so much, Brooke!

We are in love! The paper dishes are designed by Brooke and are of quite a generous size. The spoons are super fun and colorfully printed. Perfect for a small gathering of friends when you want dishes that are cute and fun but don't want to be doing dishes after all your friends have gone.

I was tempted to order some of the awesome custom spoons from Sucre Shop: "Bethany is awesome..." they'd say. Haha! Just kidding. Seriously, I was actually thinking they would obviously be great at a wedding but could also be super cute "business cards" printed with "scoopalicious.blogspot.com." How fun would that be?!

A friend just told me she thought the spoons would also make excellent popsicle sticks -- how cool is that? A super fun stick to hold onto while you cool off with your popsicle?! Love it!

We are trying out a new way to enter  (see below!)-- and you can get multiple entries this way! Please enter by August 3rd! Thanks for playing! (Please note that the spoons may be a different pattern than those pictured!)


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P.S. Congrats to Terry for winning the Ben & Jerry's giveaway!

(Photos by Brooke of Sucre Shop.)

Another NH scoop shop delights

It's been an awesome week of outdoor fun and a whole lotta ice cream. We were super excited to find another shop selling all homemade ice cream, Conehead's Supreme, in Woodstock NH. My daughter went first and ordered Brownie Batter ice cream in a plain come with chocolate jimmies (those are sprinkles to non New Englanders) and it looked so good I couldn't resist ordering the same. It was SO good! Light and creamy brownie batter flavored ice cream with small chunks of rich brownie. Another great find we are sure to revisit on next year's trip to the White Mountains.

2012 Ice Cream Cupcake Winner

We are more than pleased to announce the winner of the 2012 Ice Cream Cupcake Contest! The winner is: Ice Cream Cupcake Peanut Butter Cups by Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker.

A big congrats to Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker and thank you to everyone who entered. We were not envious of the judges who had to choose from so many winning recipes! Thank you again to:

Our Judges: 
Stephanie Nuccitelli from 52 Kitchen Adventures
Lindsay Ann from Dollhouse Bakeshop
Melissa Johnson from Best Friends for Frosting

Our Sponsors:
Foodbuzz
Häagen-Dazs®
Sucre Shop
Cakespy
Heather Baird

And thank you again to everyone that entered! We love your enthusiasm, your ideas, your creativity and your passion.

And finally, thank you, thank you, thank you to Stef of Cupcake Project who always manages to do an amazing job at spearheading this contest every year.

Congrats MOO Giveaway winners!

Yippee....we have three lucky winners for our MOO giveaway!

"Jonathan" (jonralton)...who loves Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

"-C-"(dodkalm83)...who loves Rum Raisin

"tylerkilledlove" (monicamezaa)...who loves Cookies and Cream

Each of these lucky winners will receive 100 Business Cards or 200 MiniCards courtesy of MOO.com. Congrats to you all, thanks for entering, and thanks MOO for the awesome giveaway!

Random.org was used to pick winners. Winners will be contacted.

My two favorites

Homemade Ginger and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream courtesy of Bobby-Sue's in good old New Hampshire. So good!

SoCo Creamery

Saturday I went into downtown Hartford with my daughter, parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. I really wanted to take Daughter on the carousel. Being two, she was a little overwhelmed by it, so she never actually rode it (though she was enthralled with watching it.) The trip wasn't a total bust though. Not at all. Sister, B-I-L, Mom, Nephew, and I all rode the carousel. Nephew and Daughter enjoyed the playground, Daughter enjoyed the bouncy house, AND we happened upon the Hartford Jazz Festival. We enjoyed a nice picnic and wandered the booths at the festival.

An outing like that wouldn't be complete without ice cream, so luckily as we were leaving, we passed the booth for SoCo Creamery. Of course we stopped.

I kind of have pregnancy brain right now. When I introduced myself they told me they had read Scoopalicious and we had written about them at the Scooper Bowl. Oh, duh, I recalled. I had chosen the Salted Caramel they make as my favorite of the event and Tina had chosen their Lemon Poppyseed. Seriously, it was my favorite, I just don't remember things from one day to the next! Haha!

In fact, SoCo's tasty creation inspired me to try my own hand at Salted Caramel. I used the recipe from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones: 90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery ...I think I burnt my sugar, so it wasn't as successful as I'd hoped -- but my friend Ashu swears by Bi-Rite's Salted Caramel, so...Salted Caramel Taste Off, anyone?!

But I digress...

SoCo's Salted Caramel is still among my favorites. I ordered a scoop of the salted caramel and a scoop of blueberry. I was a fan of both.

Sister said: "I ordered the Apple Cider Donut and loved it, but also loved the Salted Caramel and Minty Mudslide."

Brother-in-law said: I had the PB mudslide and the dirty chocolate. I really enjoyed the chocolate as it was very rich. The PB mudslide was good. I tried the blueberry and was a bit sad that I did not get that as one of my flavors."

Dad said: "Had a Cider Donut...very good...Much like apple pie ice cream had once before."

As for the Cider Donut -- I find it interesting that they used a cinnamon base with cider donuts mixed in. I made mine with a cider base. I think their recipe was a little more mellow -- less tart, less overwhelming...I wonder if I added cinnamon to the cider concentrate?

The reviews are in and they are all super positive! You go, SoCo! This time I am going to remember how much I love you guys!!! I am going to have to find you locally...

Cone-a-versary and a Giveaway!

There are many stories about the invention of the ice cream cone, but we like the one that causes the 108th anniversary to be today!

From the Library of Congress Today in History: On "July 23, 1904, according to some accounts, Charles E. Menches conceived the idea of filling a pastry cone with two scoops of ice-cream and thereby invented the ice-cream cone."

As you know, I love the smell (and taste!) of Ben & Jerry's cones. To celebrate this anniversary and such a great cone, we are giving away a copy of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book as well as a coupon for a free pint of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream! (Although you'll have to forgive the fact that the book does not actually share Ben & Jerry's recipe for their cones!)

Leave a comment about your favorite cone by Friday, July 27 for a chance to win! Email MUST be included with your comment (in the comment field) -- otherwise we will be unable to contact you!

Ice Cream Cupcake Contest Finalists Announced!

Stef at Cupcake Project has announced the three finalists for the 5th Annual Ice Cream Cupcake Contest. Head over to see who is in the running!

When we initially posted about the contest, we had offered prizes to three participants just for entering, but it turns out we have four prizes, so I used random.org to choose four winners (at random, obviously!) just for entering the contest.

Christina from Christina's Emporium, who entered the Celtic Pride Cupcake: Green Velvet Cupcake with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream and Chipotle Vanilla Frosting, won the 20 striped spoons and 20 ice cream cups from Sucre Shop.

Laura Rao and her daughter, who entered the Chocolate Mint and Cookies Explosion! Cupcakes, won a copy of Sprinkle Bakes by Heather Baird.

CAKEfyi, who entered the Neapolitan Banana Split Ice Cream Cupcakes, won a copy of Ice Cream!: The Whole Scoop by Gail Damerow.

ALM Dessert Bar, who entered Upside Down Apple Cupcakes, won a pair of socks designed by Cakespy.

Winners, please contact us at scoopaliciousblog (at) gmail.com to claim your prizes.

Thank you to all of our contestants (the entries were amazing and I know the judges had a super hard time choosing their favorites) and to our generous sponsors.

Congrats to all!

77¢ Cones to Celebrate 77 Years of Friendly's

Friendly's is celebrating it's 77th Anniversary with 77¢ cones today! Not a bad deal!

I love this photo they posted on their Facebook page!

Happy 77th, Friendly's!

I love that I read about the deal on a sign at the Friendly's in my hometown. I'm hoping to be able to celebrate tomorrow at the Friendly's I grew up going to!

Bundle's Ice Cream Infographics!

I love data. I wear a Fitbit tracker and use a Zeo Sleep Monitor mostly because I love tracking the data. I love looking at the graphs of my activity and my sleep.

I love infographics. LOVE them. I love everything from simple charts to beautiful, complicated presentations of information.

You can imagine my delight when we got an email from the managing editor of Bundle.com, "the data-driven review site," telling us about their ice cream infographics. A match made in heaven.

Check out their beautiful graphics of "The Cities and States That Eat The Most Ice Cream in America":

For a more detailed view or more information (especially on how they gathered this data), you can check out the high res image of the above graphic (unfortunately it's a little large to see on your screen so you probably have to download it to your computer -- it also takes a while to load!) or visit their awesome article directly. 

I have to say: this chart justifies Tina and my credentials. The top ten ice cream consuming states include Rhode Island (2), Massachusetts (4), and Connecticut (6). Tina was born and raised and still lives in Rhode Island, I live in Massachusetts (and we both work in Massachusetts), and I was born and raised in Connecticut. Seriously. We grew up eating a lot of ice cream. We know our stuff!

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

Spaghetti Ice Cream

Both Husband and Marsha sent me two different articles (here and here -- oh, well I guess the former is just a link to the latter, but still...) about spaghetti ice cream recently, which is kind of odd since I have seen it before and since it's been around since the sixties.

Apparently blogger Click Clack Gorilla, who wrote the post I mentioned above, had just recently tried it and was a big fan.

Oh yeah! I did a search for "spaghetti ice cream" and recall where I heard of it. I saw a machine (online) for it a while ago from the aptly called Spaghetti Ice Cream Co, though apparently Click Clack Gorilla said you can use an "old noodle press."

Here is the Spaghetti Ice Cream Co's "spaghetti ice cream maker" as seen on the Food Network five years ago.



Looks fun and makes a nice display, but seems like an extra step to me...

I wonder if the ice cream eating experience is really that different? Has anyone tried it? I'd love to hear more...

It's only $12.95 on the site for a "unit [that] may be without the attractive retail gift box and/or unit may have some minor cosmetic flaws" (the $22.95 unflawed one is out of stock) -- maybe it's worth trying?


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

America's Best Ice Cream

What's a more perfect match than a road trip and ice cream on a hot summer day!? I have the fondest memories of riding in the hatchback (yes in I'll admit I am a product of the 70s when seatbelts were non existent and my mom and Dad let us open the hatchback in the way back and lounge back for the ride!) and going for ice cream on our way to go camping, to the beach or just out for the day. It's the memories of HoJos for Mint Chocolate Chip in a baseball cap cup that are still as vivid as ever. Many things may have changed a lot since then (like um seatbelt laws thankfully!) but some things sure haven't like America's universal love for Ice Cream.  

US News Travel brings us America's Best Ice Cream list. Have you stopped at any on your road trips? We are excited that our own local Toscanini's makes the cut! Ooh and I've been to Capogiros in Phili which according to their website was named National Geographic's Coolest Places to Eat Ice Cream. Hmmm..not sure I totally agree...very cool place and awesome gelato but environment, although cool, wasn't list topping IMO.Guess who tops the list?

Happy Peach Ice Cream Day!

Peach Ice Cream Day is a pretty specific holiday, but I guess it is a combo of two things at their peak -- peaches are so seasonal and have only a short window of enjoyment each year, and ice cream, while popular year round, certainly shines in the summer when it's hot out. It seems only natural that they be combined into a holiday.

In the past we've posted peach ice cream recipes (or failed to in some cases -- sorry!), but I started wondering where we can get packaged peach ice cream...I started searching some of our favorite brands...here's just a sampling...

• Ben & Jerry's: Nope. This flavor is now in the flavor graveyard. But you can find a recipe for it in Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book (Stay tuned! We'll be having a giveaway this month for a copy of that book!)
• Turkey Hill: Yep, they have a seasonal Peaches 'N Cream which seems to be available June through September!
• Breyer's: Yep. From their site: "Real juicy peach pieces mixed into creamy vanilla."
• Haagen-Daz: No.
• Edy's: Edy's has a slow churned yogurt blend in peach. Does this count for Peach Ice Cream Day? Is it a blend of yogurt and ice cream?
• Ciao Bella: Peaches 'N Cream. Not in cartons. Only in retail locations. Bummer. 
• Friendly's: Nope.
• Perry's: Can't connect to their ste. Bummer.
• Schwan's: Looks like they have a fro yo. Hard to do a search.

Hope this gets you started and gives you a jumping off point for celebrating the holiday!