Our post about companies giving their food away for free wasn't a joke. After you've had your morning ice coffee from Dunkin Donuts and sampled the new Southern Chicken Biscuit thing from McDonald's today, wait until next week for a free ice cream cone from Baskin Robbins. They're making May 21, Wednesday, traditionally known as "Hump Day" into "Bump Day." It's a debut of their "newest addition," soft serve, which they'll be serving from 11 am to 10 pm.
That means, of course, you have to be sporting a baby bump to get your free cone. (Don't worry, we'll likely post a reminder when the day gets closer.)
The official start of Summer is rapidly approaching. That means it's nearly time for trips to the beach, backyard cookouts and lots of homemade ice cream (preferably eaten outside with friends and family). Whether you've got a hand crank ice cream maker, one that attaches to your stand mixer or a fancy one with its own compressor, you can always use some fresh ice cream inspiration.
That's where Sally Sampson's new book Recipe of the Week: Ice Cream comes in. As the title suggests, Sampson has written a fresh recipe for every week of the year, making it possible for you to always be experimenting with new recipes, while still going back to your favorites. She has included recipes for ice cream, granitas and gelatos in the book, so no matter what your preference, there's something here for you.
One of the nice things here is that Sampson has worked to lower the amount of sugar in her recipes over more traditional ice cream recipes, so if you are one without a strong sweet tooth, you may find this book particularly appealing. The only problem I've found with this volume is that Sampson doesn't give any advice as to how to go about choosing an ice cream maker if you don't already have one. She assumed a certain level of prior knowledge, which is good for someone with ice cream experience, but isn't particularly helpful for the novice.
However, if you are excited for fresh ice cream inspiration and you have a bit of ice cream making experience, I would recommend this book without hesitation.
I think perhaps I have been living under a rock for the last 30 years of my life. Because until last Sunday, I had never heard of the awe inspiring Carl's and I had never tasted frozen custard. First, some history on how I discovered this delicious gem. My husband and I decided to take a road trip to Fredericksburg, Virginia. The hour long drive was inspired by the opening of a Sonic Drive-In. I know this may sound silly to some, but I am originally from Texas, and Sonic is my lifeblood. Since moving to D.C. in 2000 I have desperately longed for a Sonic within driving distance.
After stuffing ourselves with Sonic's cheeseburgers, cherry cokes, tater tots, and a coconut cream pie shake, we thought it might be prudent to do some walking. We made our way to charming historic downtown Fredericksburg, which is filled with a multitude of antique and junk shops. After perusing the shops and walking off our calorie fest we decided it was time to head back to D.C. On our way out of town we saw Carl's, or should I say, the line to Carl's. We slowed down to see what could be causing this group of about sixty people to stand in the hot sun. One look at the top of the building and we knew this place was special. I slowed down and my husband grabbed a place in line as I found parking.
You know all those commercials you see about texting some word or other to some number for something, like a horoscope? For example, it might be something like text the word fun to 4848 for a daily makeup tip. That's not a real one, but this offer from Carvel is.
That's right, the ice cream store wants you to text "fudgie" to 78247, Fudgie being the name of their mascot. It's all part of a summer campaign for the company. For your time and text, you get a coupon for a blended coffee or an Arctic Blender, and enter you for a chance to win a television set. Apparently Carvel is trying to reach its more "tech savvy" customers and attempt to haul itself into the information age. The offer runs through July 31, so there's plenty of time to let Carvel help keep you cool this summer.
Most of us have had ice cream cakes, but have you have had ice cream cupcakes? If you haven't had one yet, you probably will soon. Maggie Moos now sells them, as does Philly Swirl. However, they are really easy to make at home using any of your favorite cake and ice cream combinations.
We might start feeling the squeeze on savings accounts, but we all know that there's an entirely separate account for ice cream!
Even still, Baskin Robbins is reducing the price on its single scoop tonight from 5-10 PM from whatever $1+ price it is (it's probably different everywhere) to a mere $0.31!
The 31 Cent Scoop Night is to honor America's firefighters, so grab your change purse, hurry over to your nearest Baskin-Robbins, and order a scoop of Jamocha Almond Fudge (that's what I like, but you order what you want).
There is still a little time to get your free Ben and Jerry's cone. However, if you missed it, you can get a thirty-one cent cone tomorrow (Wednesday) at Baskin-Robbins. Busy tomorrow? Head to Carvel on Thursday a free arctic blender or blended coffee.
Thursday is my birthday and free birthday ice cream would sure be nice, but the only Carvel near me is at the airport. The ice cream is no longer free when you have to pay for airport parking.
On an unrelated note, does anyone else find this Carvel creature creepier than clowns? We don't get Carvel TV ads in St. Louis. Can anyone tell me what this thing is supposed to be?
If there's heat wave where you are like there's a heat wave where I am, (it was over 90 degrees in some parts of southern California), then you'll appreciate the perfect timing of Ben & Jerry's annual Free Cone Day, which takes place tomorrow, Tuesday April 29, 2008. If you're not sure where there is a Ben & Jerry's shop near you, head over to their website and look one up!
If I have it me, I'll definitely making my way over for a free cone, though I do recall that last year, lines at some stores were circling blocks.
Remember Smucker's Magic Shell? That delightfully unhealthy gloopy chocolate-esque sauce that hardened upon settling onto ice cream? Oh, pure and unadulterated glee.
Good news: you can make it yourself, without the nasty trans fats and preservatives! The Kitchn provided two great recipes, one from Brownie Points and one from Naomi Poe (aka the Accidental Vegetarian).
Personally, I'd make the Veggie's version, simply because it contains one fewer ingredient and I wouldn't have to convert from grams, but both look and sound incredible.
I had heard of making ice cream with liquid nitrogen. I saw it on Iron Chef America not too long ago, if I remember correctly. I haven't ever tried it though. Where do you find the liquid nitrogen?
Anyway, here's a video of a couple of guys trying to make the frozen dessert in a blender. The result is hilarious. I strongly recommend that you do not try this at home. Even if it didn't look slightly dangerous, you seriously don't want to clean up that mess.
Forget pre-mixed rootbeer floats...this nifty little gadget takes floats to the next level.
The Fizz is, essentially, a cheap plastic domed lid with an opening in the middle that holds a straw and is able to suck up liquids without letting them seep out.
As per the video on the item's website, appropriately set to the tune of Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough," the soda enthusiast simply scoops ice cream into the plastic resevoir, screws the lid onto the top of a plastic soda bottle (looks like it has to be plastic, not metal or aluminum), and squeezes the bottle, sucking part of the liquid into the vessel where it mixes with the ice cream for a no-mess float on the go.
This product immediately lost some of its appeal once I realized what it reminds me of: the ACT brand mouthwash that the dentist made me use when I was younger, which also involves squeezing liquid into a plastic resevoir at the top of a bottle.
I immediately thought of using the product to fix a root beer float (probably because that's what the website used as an example, and sometimes I'm easily swayed, especially when it involves refined sugar) but the website offers some other suggestions for flavor combos, including strawberry sherbet/lemon-lime soda, vanilla yogurt/orange soda, or crushed ice and flavored syrup.
If I haven't completely turned you off yet, what do you think? Yay or nay on the soda float-on-the-go?
There's a plethora of presidential candidate products out there, from aprons to hot sauce. Some people have even created food inspired by a candidate, as Alanna Kauffman posted about last week.
This Barak Obama-inspired ice cream would be a great addition to the category, if it were real. The folks over at Slate.com asked readers to come up with a new Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor for Obama since the ice cream makers home state delivered for the candidate.
Yes, Pecan! was the cleverest. I got the biggest kick out of it as soon as I saw this post. Though I am not endorsing any presidential nominee, I thought a number of you might also get a laugh out of this.
Also, I'd like to reiterate that this product is not real, not for sale, does not really exist. It only exists as a photoshopped image created by Slate. But do you think Ben & Jerry's might take a hint? They could do a whole line of candidate ice creams!
No matter where they grew up, it always seems that people have similar "ice cream man" stories. A lot of kids, my brother and I included, were convinced that their ice cream man has some sort of sinister alter ego, complete with an illegal job that no one could quite pinpoint. Ours, we decided, was a cocaine dealer, but yours might have spent his off time running numbers, dabbling in the mob, or laundering money, to name a few.
So despite this nose-numbing, toe-tingling, sniffle-inducing cold snap that most of us are experiencing right now, perhaps we can use our imaginations to conjure up some thoughts of warm days accented by the sounds of slightly off-key jingles wafting from the ice cream truck. You picturing it?
Good. Now, while you're in the mood, check out this gallery of unique ice cream trucks, and then leave us your ice cream man stories in the comments. (Speaking of which: did anyone's neighborhood have an ice cream woman?)
I have always been a fan of cottage cheese. It is a staple in my family, purchased along side the eggs, milk and Trader Joe's Honey Whole Wheat bread for all the years when I was growing up. These days there's always a tub of it to be found in my fridge, as it is the perfect protein addition to breakfast, lunch or dinner (applesauce and cottage cheese is heaven in a bowl). However, it has never occurred to me to alter its curdy state and use it as the primary ingredient in ice cream. Thankfully, there are many creative thinkers in this world and Jessica at Su Good Eats is one of them. She has pureed cottage cheese and used it to make ice cream. The results look pretty darn good and when you couple that with my love of cottage cheese, I think that this is one I'm going to have to try out.
I know it's already the end of August, which means the close of the season for the quintessential summer dessert, ice cream, but let's be real here. Is there anyone who doesn't eat ice cream year round?
I didn't think so. Besides, I've always been a late bloomer, so ice cream on the patio starts now for me, especially since I got a brand new ice cream maker fairly recently.
While I have the ice cream maker, as well adorable bowls and spoons to serve the many flavors I have made thus far, I realized that I didn't have a proper scooper. I was scraping ice cream, gelato, and sorbet with a large dinner spoon and trying unsuccessfully to shape it into a perfect ball. I have now come to the conclusion that I need a proper ice cream scooper.
Thanks to the LA Times, which reviewed seven ice cream scoopers, I now know which one I should get. Though there were some fancy scoopers like the Deni electric scooper that's supposed to make it easier to scoop hard ice creams, and the Calphalon Three-Way that makes scoops into pretty floral shapes, I live the one that also got the highest rating - the KitchenArt scooper with the gel grip (the one pictured top row, middle).
Have you ever stashed a Coke in the freezer, hoping to chill it quickly, then forgotten all about it, only to have it explode all over your frozen peas?
We might start feeling the squeeze on savings accounts, but we all know that there's an entirely separate account for ice cream! 
If there's heat wave where you are like there's a heat wave where I am, (it was over 90 degrees in some parts of southern California), then you'll appreciate the perfect timing of 
I had heard of making ice cream with liquid nitrogen. I saw it on Iron Chef America not too long ago, if I remember correctly. I haven't ever tried it though. Where do you find the liquid nitrogen? 
There's a plethora of presidential candidate products out there, from aprons to hot sauce. Some people have even created food inspired by a candidate, as Alanna Kauffman posted about last week. 
A fraking amazing Battlestar Galactica cake
Iced Tea 101
Pierogies + cheese + onions + kraut = Parmageddon!
