Ben & Jerry's R&D

Last year, I went to Ben & Jerry's and tried to describe my experiences in R&D.

Just the other day, when I was looking up the clip about iCream Cafe, I found this clip that shows it way better than I did. (And it has John in it, who worked with my blogger friends and me when we were there!)

A [moving] picture speaks a thousand words.

Enjoy!



P.S. I am loving the show Kid in a Candy Store! It's up there with Unwrapped!

Ice Cream in...55 seconds?!

My father-in-law sent me this video.

I don't have too much to say except for "Please bring this to Massachusetts!"

iCream Cafe sounds amazing. And even though liquid nitrogen ice cream isn't new, Cora Shaw is my hero for turning this super cool product into something so accessible to the general public! (I love that this was her business school project!)

And the pudding sounds amazing too. Wow.

Tried the "first ever" Greek Frozen Yogurt Bar yet?

WE HAVE!  How could today possibly be the first day of Spring?! Seriously, more snow. Someone make it stop. The only good thing is that we have to look forward to warm days to come and that means more excuses to have some of our favorite summer treats. So awhile back I posted a sneak peek of a super fun package we received from Yasso. In case you don't yet who Yasso is, well they created the first "ever" Greek frozen yogurt bar out there created only with natural ingredients. Pretty cool. Yes, we know many have jumped on that bad wagon since but we give big props to the two founders of Yasso, who truly believe in and live by a healthy lifestyle and set out to make something that tastes great and won't pack on the pounds. And to be the first to do it with greek yogurt!

So as you may have seen, I was super excited when I opened this box from Yasso. Now typically we get samples in a big brown box and inside we find a styrofoam container with a pint of ice cream in it. No not this time...love how Yasso is branding themselves and standing out from the crowd. They are healthy and fun! Included was a Yasso beach bag (that I will proudly use on my beach trips..actually its my winter Y pool bag already!), a beach towel, shades, sun lotion, and an awesome drink cup. Oh and most importantly a box containing a bunch of new and existing flavors of their greek frozen yogurt bars. I love this page from one of the marketing pieces..."Get Bathing Suit Ready"...this package and the product fit it to a tee.

Well my coworkers were lucky that I decided to have this package shipped to my office because as that three o'clock hour hit when all were in a lull it was time for a taste test. This is fun because I get real reactions and its not just my take. Good crowdsourcing for this post. They sent the existing flavors of Strawberry, Blueberry and Raspberry and the new flavors that just launched of Vanilla Bean, Mango, and Coconut. I always find it interesting to see what flavors people pick. One who I would have pegged for a vanilla guy wanted coconut. So what was the reaction from everyone...."great texture"..."perfect and not too sweet"...."loved the vanilla but mango had an aftertaste"...."I need another now"..."like the creamy texture better than those healthy fruit bars...has some substance." There is one super health conscious person in my office and he was all concerned about the calories and protein in them. When I told him 80 calories and 6 grams of protein he was pleasantly surprised and then gave in to try one.

So after taste testing a few flavors myself I would have to say the strawberry was my favorite, I was excited about the mango but I think because they aren't very sweet (I have a major sweet tooth) I was expecting more of a burst of flavor and it wasn't there. I did really like the coconut and can see this being awesome on a hot summer day. These would be great on the go snacks. You know those days when you are going in a million directions and just need to eat something in the car quick. I already have a greek yogurt every morning so this would be a great option when I need to grab and go. I also like having this as an afternoon snack at work. Yasso was kind enough to send a good assortment so I was eating frozen yogurt bars as my late afternoon snack. Believe me every once in awhile I need some true sugar contents at 3pm at work but these did the trick. The Today show actually ran these on a "Cravings Curbed" segment which I do think they did but i have to agree with one coworker...that I needed more than one. Hey with only 80 calories I could have two and not feel guilty.

Yasso Strawberry Greek Frozen Yogurt Bars in production

All in all I am happy I was introduced to frozen yogurt bars. Why...well although I will take pure goodness of ice cream I too need to consider healthy alternatives and I have to be honest that fruit bars don't tend to cut it for me unless it is a super hot day. What I did really like about the Yasso Greek Frozen Yogurt bars is the consistency and creaminess. I felt like their was some substance to it. And I actually could see my grabbing this for the car ride to bring the kids to school, camp, the doctors as an alternative to my morning greek yogurt. What else...I love the brand and the people behind it and I haven't even met them! There is a personality behind these that you sometimes lose in big brands. They have a small office on Broad Street in Boston..right next to where I used to work. They are real people living their dream. Love that in itself. Thanks Yasso for sharing!!

Check em out on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Or run to one of these retailers and try them for yourself.

Holy Cannoli, I think I have a problem...

I am obsessed with Ben & Jerry's Cannoli Ice Cream and it will be leaving the shelves within the next couple of months.

This is getting desperate.

Last time I found it at the store and they were having a 2/$6 sale, I bought five pints of Cannoli (the sixth was Liz Lemon because I had yet to try it). I already had a pint and a half of Cannoli in the freezer.

I'm tempted to stock up even more. I am already down to my last five...

I don't even know why Ben & Jerry's has limited editions, and if they have to have a limited edition flavor, can't they choose a bad flavor to limit?! (I think I will ask my contact there why they have limited editions anyway...)

And another question...if they are going to limit, can they at least publish a new book of recipes so I can make my own? While their original book has some classics, I need to make some of these new ones on my own...!

Recipe Review: Kiwifruit Ice Cream

This summer I tried making kiwifruit ice cream. I altered the Kiwifruit Sherbet recipe in Ice Cream: The Perfect Weekend Treat. I didn't like it. It was so sour, maybe even bitter is a better word for it. I thought it was me, that maybe I didn't do a good job adjusting the recipe to my own needs. (I had added milk to the recipe because I like my sherbet to have some dairy in it, and the recipe only had sugar, kiwifruit and egg whites...but in the end, I had even added extra corn syrup before I froze it, because it seemed too sour...)

So when I had a bunch of kiwifruits from Costco ripening on my counter, and a new book (The Ice Cream Bible) with a kiwifruit ice cream recipe, I thought, "Hey, let's give it a shot."

Same sour result.

I have a friend that loves sour. I am interested to know what she thinks. I was not a fan.

I'll try other recipes from this book though -- it looks very promising. More reviews to follow. Thanks for the gift, Rach!