Am I dense? Or is it this recipe?

I hate to come back to this blog on a negative note, but with two kids under three, I don't make a lot of ice cream anymore.

When I do make ice cream, I want it to work.

Twice, I have used chocolate ice cream recipes from Scoop: 125 Specialty Ice Creams from the Nation's Best Creameries and been super frustrated. The ice creams tasted great when I made the base, but they were so darn thick they just spun and spun in the ice cream maker, not getting cold, just attaching to the dasher.

Is it me? Am I doing something wrong? I know I did do one thing wrong this time but I can't imagine it would have been the result of my base refrigerating into one gelatinous blob. My mistake (and yes, I know the saying ab out blaming one's tools, but I also know as a graphic designer, I think they made a poor design mistake...) was that I missed adding the heavy cream at the beginning. Why? Because when they list the first step, they try to be all fancy with their design and bold the first couple of words and first ingredient. It pulls that first ingredient out of the list of other ingredients and combines it with the action...at least it does for me.

I have attached a screen shot from the Amazon preview of one of their other recipes for you to see what I am talking about.

See, don't you miss the cream? Maybe it's me. But to me the design just doesn't work in that way.

But I digress because I did add the cream, albeit later, but that shouldn't make much of a difference because my dear favorite ice cream authors in The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks, And More add the heavy cream at the end all the time and they never have gelatinous bases!

The first time I made a chocolate recipe from this book, I looked at the base and I thought it was just too dense. I have a note in the book that I added an extra half cup of both whole milk and heavy cream and it worked out just fine.

However, this time, I thought to myself that maybe it would work, maybe I should give it the benefit of the doubt. Nope. I even tried stopping the churning a couple of times to push the mess back down with a spoon. And you know what happened? The ice cream froze to the side (finally) but ended up freezing too fast that the dasher got stuck and wouldn't turn anymore.

I want to love this book. The concept is great. I just can't see how these recipes made it into the book. Did someone not test them? Did someone leave out some liquid in the typesetting of the book?

Again, maybe it's me. I have taken quite a hiatus but I would like to think ice cream churning is like riding a bike.

I'm interested to see if anyone else feels this way about the book.

And I am sorry, Jackie, your present is to come because I just don't want to give you a solid block of frozen chocolate. In the meantime, you can tell me what your favorite flavor is.

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!

Ice Cream Monsters by Erik X. Raj

A while back we got an email from Erik Raj telling us about a book he wrote for the iPad, Ice Cream Monsters. He asked if we'd like to take a peek and we agreed.

Ice Cream Monsters is a cute story for kids about embracing our differences: "Some ice cream monsters have [blank]...some ice cream monsters don't," each page reads. It then goes on to say how even though the monsters are different, they are still friends.

The pages graced with wonderful (and interactive) illustrations.

The book can be read on your own or have it read to you by Raj.


It's a short story that's fun and easy for kids to grasp. I haven't tried it yet with my own almost-two-year-old -- she might be a little young. It's recommended for the 4+ crowd. 


Check out the demo here!


It's an inexpensive purchase at the App Store, but if you leave a comment by Friday, you can be entered to win a promo code to get it for free!

Thanks for sharing, Erik!

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

Book Review: Scoop: 125 Specialty Ice Creams from the Nation's Best Creameries

My parents got me a copy of Ellen Brown's Scoop: 125 Specialty Ice Creams from the Nation's Best Creameries for Christmas. The other day I was able to crack it open and made Vietnamese Cinnamon Gelato (adapted from Cold Fusion Gelato in Newport, Rhode Island).

Since the picture speaks a thousand words, here are some brief thoughts:

1. This flavor is among one of my husband's favorites. I love it too. This is great since I have a Costco sized purchase of Vietnamese (Saigon) Cinnamon.
2. This book is among one my new favorites. I highly recommend it!
3. I must go to Newport for some Cold Fusion!
4. It's good news that I can get Cold Fusion at Whole Foods in the meantime.

CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life

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.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream: Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet

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):

1. 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.
2. 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!

Fall Flavors

Scoopalicious's newest
team member, Violet gazes
at Tina in admiration.

I think Tina has a review to do of some super tasty seasonal flavors she got in the mail, but in the meantime, I am using this quiet time at home (baby and dog sleeping, husband at the gym) to write about some fall flavors I like...

Two of fall's greatest flavors are pumpkin and cranberry -- no wonder I like autumn. Oh, right, I am not forgetting the apples, too -- I hope to create a cider donut ice cream before the season is over! In the meantime, however, I have been indulging in one homemade flavor and one store bought flavor, and am extremely happy with both. (Though I have actually yet to try them together...I'll have to do that.)

Tina came over the other day to meet baby Violet. She brought pizza and salad, and of course, ice cream! I had also made some ice cream, so we were all set!

Cranberry Ice Cream

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from my sister, Arianna, asking if I had ever made Cranberry Ice Cream. As a matter of fact, I told her, I had, for this year's ice cream party. But it made me start craving cranberry ice cream, so I got out my copy of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Homemade Ice Cream and decided it would be a perfect treat for my Tina visit!

I love this ice cream. It's light and refreshing -- sweet and tart at the same time, but not tart in a tart frozen yogurt kind of way (thank goodness!). My only complaint is that the recipe uses a container of frozen cranberry juice concentrate and I guess they want to use the whole can, so they make the recipe kind of large...in the end I got 8 cups of unfrozen base, and my freezer only takes about 4-5 cups. I ended up sending Tina home with a couple of unfrozen cups and after freezing about 4 cups of base, I had to pull out another frozen canister to freeze the last two cups. I need to remember to half the recipe...good thing I like this ice cream!

In the past, I have only thought of freezing cranberries for the purpose of saving them to use in the off season. I really love cranberries but you can really only get them in the fall/winter, so I would buy a couple of bags then and freeze them for spring/summer use. However, with this recipe and the Cranberry Sorbet recipe made with red wine from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks, And More, I am beginning to rethink this!

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Tina brought Edy's Pumpkin Ice Cream when she came to visit. So, um, it's only been about a week since I have seen her and the carton is almost empty. Two of my favorite things: pumpkin (which falls under one of my favorite holiday categories of "orange food") and ice cream. It's just like pumpkin pie. In fact, a lazy (or smart?!) person might just have the brillant idea to slightly melt the carton of ice cream, pour it into a premade/prebaked crust, refreeze it, and voila, a new, frozen twist on an old favorite.

It really is a treat, this ice cream. Rich and creamy and accurately reproducing an American tradition.

Well, enough from me. Stay tuned for Tina's review of another pumpkin ice cream, as well as a trip to Sonic for their ice cream, as well as some other fun posts.

The Ice Cream Theory, Read and Reviewed

So I did it. Just like I said I would. I read The Ice Cream Theory from cover to cover as promised on my November vacation. Then of course, I delayed in posting, because I seem not to be able to finish things lately. Steff's book is the ice cream version of Candy and Me by Hilary Liftin. For a sweet lover, both books are worth the read!

Timely or not, this review falls nicely after Tina's post about the Which Flavor Are You? Quiz. Steff's takes the ice cream personality to a deeper, quirkier, and wonderfully anecdotal story for the ice cream lover.

This was definitely a quick and engaging read. Steff Deschenes seems to have a passion for ice cream that seems to be only paralleled by Scoopalicious! Ha! Steff is an ice cream fanatic who successfully uses ice cream as a metaphor of her relationships. The Ice Cream Theory is part memoir, part analysis of human nature.

[On a side note, this book also holds a special personal meaning. Back in December 2006, I was talking with my family and realized out of the five of us, I wasn't keeping a list of books I had read. It occurred to me that this was a good idea for a couple of reasons: 1. It is quite an accomplishment to look back on the list 2. I don't have the best memory. I could practically read a book twice and not remember it. So here we are, three years later, and I have finished book 100 since I started the list, and that book is The Ice Cream Theory.]

I loved the Pistachio chapter. I thought that the relationship between Deschenes and her grandfather was absolutely -- shoot, I can't even come up with the right word for it. It wasn't precious or endearing -- that's too belittling. It wasn't wonderful. That doesn't say enough. It was special, but so much more. I might have to say it in more words than one, which I guess I just covered.

Not such a fan of the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle chapter. I love ice cream. Love it. Yes, I know we are human and therefore do things like vomit once in a while, but I do not need to have it in the same sentence as ice cream. I just don't. And look. Now I did it myself, put the two in the same sentence. Sorry.

One complaint is I would love to know the ice cream places and ice cream brands she raves about. As I sat reading about the ice creams she absolutely adored, I wanted to know where to find them.

However, though a directory of ice cream places wasn't included in the end of the book, I found some solace by visiting The Ice Cream Theory website. There you can see the charming Steff give video reviews of some ice cream places on location! To celebrate the release of her book, she visits all ten ice cream places in her town! Ten ice cream spots in town? I need to move there!

Also, Portland, Maine fans can listen live to an interview with Steff this Tuesday, April 6th at 8 in the morning on the Q Morning Show (that's WJBQ 97.9). For those of you not in Portland's broadcast area, you can listen live via the web! Late reading this post and April 6th has come and gone? Not to worry! Visit the website to listen to a podcast!

With six nominations/wins to it's name, numerous positive reviews (see here for them all), The Ice Cream Theory is not to be missed.

The Ice Cream Theory

A while back, and I do mean a while back, I got an email from a woman named Steff Deschenes asking me if I would like to review her book The Ice Cream Theory. Ice cream? Book? Two of my most favorite things in the world? A no brainer. "Sure," I said, and days later, a bright yellow book with a dripping ice cream cone arrived in the mail.

I was already in the middle of a few books, but that's often the case, so I was excited to add this to my reading list. Then life got in the way. Work. Art shows to enter, open studios to arrange. The book kept getting pushed to the bottom of the pile. No, not the pile of books, but the pile of "stuff," the mess of my life that is there daily (no, I would not consider myself a tidy person in any sense of the word), but gets exponentially worse when I am overwhelmed with work.

Then came a perfect excuse to put it on the front burner. A wedding in Vegas. And it became the first thing I packed in my carry-on, with a promise of this book being read by the end of the vacation.

So, here we are. Day two of vacation. Las Vegas and it's countless ice cream parlors waiting to be tested and one-armed bandits waiting to be pulled. But this bed is too comfy, and you, my dear readers, haven't heard from us in a while.

So here is my promise: Six days remain of this vacation, and with the conclusion of those eight days, there will be a book read cover to cover, and a review will be written.

But, for now I must motivate out of this comfy bed, because afterall, this is Sin City, a city not quite defined by those who sit in bed with a book.

But keep your eyes peeled for a review of Deschenes book, which she describes as her "theory on how personality traits are similar to ice cream flavors, which explains why we get along with some people/enjoy some flavors; and can't stand other people/certain flavors)." (I think my husband is my cookies 'n' cream...)

To read more about it, you can visit The Ice Cream Theory website or buy the book at Amazon.

On the Rebound: The Ultimate Ice Cream Book

I have one book in my collection of hundreds of books (ice cream and otherwise) that needs to be rebound: The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks, And More by Bruce Weinstein. This book is my bible, my go to book...Seriously. I mean, the binding is cracked and the pages are falling out. I'm not saying they did a poor binding job -- I just think it has been overused! I need to take it to Kinko's to have them put a spiral binding in it!

If you go to Amazon and do a search on ice cream it is currently number three on the list. I'd say it should be number one, but I have to put it at number two since you can't use it without an ice cream maker!

Anyway, I was just thinking as I used it the other day about what a great investment it was and if there was ever a book more loved...So I thought I would give it a little shout out!

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

We need your scoop on these scoops!

Here's the thing: I have three coupons for free Good Humor, Breyers, Klondike, or Popsicle products...they expire at the end of March and I need your help!

Be one of the first to volunteer in the comments section (be sure to include your email address so I can contact you for your mailing address) and I'll send you a coupon.

Your end of the deal? Review your product. Send me a quick email about your feedback on what you chose and how you liked it. Send a picture of you or your friends and family enjoying the treats if you want! We'll post your review and picture for the world to see!

Thanks much!

A Month of Sundaes

I think it is due time I write a post about A Month of Sundaes by Michael Turback so that I can give it to Tina to read when I see her tomorrow

It wasn't so much that it had an exciting ending that I wanted to finish it, but more because I wanted to check it off my list. I thought the history was interesting, but it wasn't particularly a book that I just couldn't put down. The other reason I may not have been so into it is as a general rule of thumb, I am an ice cream girl more so than a sundae girl. I mean, a good sundae will never be turned down, but for me, it's all about the base -- the cold, creamy, sweet resting place for all the toppings.

There are a couple of places in the book that really stood out to me that I want to visit:

1. Putman Pantry in Danvers, MA. Why? It's nearby, and I can't believe our dear friend Spaghetti never told us about it! Guess T and I will have to meet him up there for sundaes someday soon. For those of you that doen't know Spaghetti, it's still worth the trip, as Turback descibes the "fourteen foot, stainless steel sundae bar as an anti salad bar." I'm so there.
2. Serendipity 3. But then again, that's been on my list for a long time. Ashu, next time I visit you, we are SO there. If it's still there, can we sit at Andy Warhol's table? By the way, I happened to come across this article I missed when I wrote about the World's Most Expensive Sundae at Serendipity 3 back in July. With it are pictures and all!
   
3. Shark and Rose, in San Jose, CA. Do you know the way to San Jose? I don't but I am sure to figure it out next time I am in California, so I can see what all the fuss is about their Soup Spoon Sundae. Is this little sundae enough, or does it leave one begging for more?
   

My biggest problem with the book was the design. And I am not just saying this as a designer. The book was designed in pink and black, which I think is very appropriate for a book on ice cream. However, the typefaces chosen were awful. I understand where the designers were coming from, wanting typefaces that were fluffy and ice cream-like, but they were so fluffy they were practically illegible. The body text was a swirly serif that should not be used for so much writing. It makes ones eyes tired because it really has to study each word rather than read in a flowing manner. The little pink box notes were even worse: they were written in a cursive script. This is not suitable for reading a paragraph of type. The worst were the capital "S"s -- they kind of looked like "T"s or "J"s.

Ok, so here's the embarrassing part. I never remember what I read, so writing this little review here has been a little hard since I finished the book on October 20th. So here i am looking back to see what parts of the book stood out to me, and alas, I come across the Inside-Out Sundae. Where can I find it, I ask? Oh, Minnesota. I was in Minnesota last week. But Minnesota is a big state so I probably wasn't anywhere nearby. Oh, it's served at the Green Mill. Oh, the Green Mill that we ate at last week?! Yep, if I could remember what I read, I sure would be better off -- I could have been reviewing the Inside-Out Sundae in person!

Hmmm...Green Mill's (super slow) site doesn't seem to mention it. Does it still exist? Looks like it exists in Bemidji, Minnesota location. So maybe I didn't miss it after all...

All things considered, people define what makes a sundae very differently. Does it have to have nuts? Syrup? A cherry? One thing is for certain, a sundae has ice cream, and here at Scoopalicious, that's all we think that counts!