Turkey Hill Whoopie Pie Limited Edition Ice Cream Review

[New for 2011] Actually, review isn't fair, ice cream inhalation would be more accurate. Between the fact that I haven't had ice cream in a few days mixed with the fact that the ice cream was still soft from the ride home, it's no wonder a small bowl of this limited edition ice cream didn't last more than two minutes.

Just shy of a month ago, Nick was the first to tweet a pic of Turkey Hill's newest creation, Limited Edition Whoopie Pie ice cream. Who knew Lancaster was the home of the original Whoopie Pie? Ok, technically Maine wants to lay claim to this too. Look, the Penn Dutch don't mess around with food. Seriously? have you had shoo fly pie? and who rocks the American pretzel world like the Penn Dutch? Exactly. Don't make me go on... seriously, dont make me go on, I'll just get hungry again.

Sorry, sidetracked. Whoopie Pie ice cream is Chocolate ice cream with whoopie pie pieces and creamy filling swirl. I saw it for the very first time today, but even though the freezer is full of (melted?) ice cream, I happily picked up a container and headed home.

State of the Freezer Address The Hurricane Edition

Well, it's already been a fun morning. At approximately 4:52AM the power went out. At approximately 4:52AM and about 10 seconds, my daughter "woke up" and noticed the lack of power. She's not a big fan of the dark. To our great surprise, the power came back on at 8. About ten minutes later, our first tree came down... no where near the power lines hehehehe. So, we've been busy doing our morning routine in prepartion for the next power outage (or lack there of, fingers crossed!).

So here is the freezer as of a few days ago. It's actually a bit fuller now, but beside that, you get the idea. A power outage would be a huge loss. I think we may actually have a taste testing party to be on the safe side. Granted, I do have a generator if all else fails, so I will try to keep things cool!

Poll Results

Poll #1: Should the blog jump on the facebook bandwagon?

Yes, full integration! : 11 (13%)
just a facebook page : 14 (17%)
Don't care : 22 (27%)
Please don't!! : 33 (41%)
Votes so far: 80

Ok, that seems like a pretty good reason not to waste my time with facebook. Instead, I will divert my energy into a new layout (I've got two seperate ideas in my head, I'd love to make them both work, we'll see!)


Poll #2: What's the better way to cool off?
Ice Cream Cone : 36 (24%)
Bowl of Ice Cream : 55 (37%)
Shake (Frappe) : 26 (17%)
Anything! : 31 (20%)
Votes so far: 148

Not sure why I never thought to ask this question before. I'm actually torn between an ice cream cone (in a shady spot with a cool breeze) or a go anywhere shake. You can see a Harris Poll that asks a similar question (SANS shake).

In closing

Ok, as long as we have power, I'm going to try to get out a few reviews to catch up. (HA! I just checked google analytics and for some reason no one is looking up ice cream right now)

AHHH, the power is flickering!!

UPDATE: We had lost power from 5-8am on Sunday. It came back on so I did some hurricane prep and quick threw up this post. Not 2 minutes after I hit publish did the power go back out til almost 8PM. I checked on the ice cream at around 9:30 and it was all super soft. To be honest, I'm not even sure it's good... which is pretty depressing considering the amount of ice cream I have in that chest freezer (among other things). The annoying thing is the power went out again at 7AM and could still be off.

Mariano's FAT FREE Italian Ice Review

Behold

this is Marino's FAT FREE Cherry Italian Ice

Just a mere 100 calories per 6oz cup

look, it won't even film properly

A box of six for like a buck or buck fifty

even at that price.... still way overpriced

these things are low grade, salty, terribleness

yes I forced myself to try it twice...

the things I do for you people

have a good night!

Blue Bunny Red Velvet Ice Cream Review

[New for 2011, lost the Duff branding in 2015] Of all the new flavors that Blue Bunny came out with this year, Red Velvet has by far been the most talked about around here. Actually, it's kind of been the year of Red Velvet. Stone Ridge was ahead of the curve by releasing their Red Velvet ice cream last year, but things have gone into high gear as both Blue Bunny and Ben & Jerry's have released Red Velvet flavors. (You may remember I was overpowered by the B&J version).

Blue Bunny Red Carpet Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream

Red Velvet Cake flavored ice cream swirled 

with Cream Cheese Frosting flavored ice cream with Red Velvet Pieces

Gifford's Famous Ice Cream Review Chocolate Rainforest Crunch

The Pike was all backed up last week so I decided to take a new way home, and I'm glad I did because I discovered a Roche Bros grocery store near work. Stop laughing, I said Roche, not Roach... oh nevermind. I shop at a lot of places to keep this blog going and it's nice to find a new grocery store chain because they are most likely to have different products (at a decent price).

I headed over during lunch on Thursday and found what I was looking for. Sure, I wasn't real excited at first, but then I saw it, Gifford's of Maine ice cream right here in my own backyard. Look, if I say Vermont, you say "Ben & Jerry's". If I say Mass, you might say "Brigham's" or "Friendly's" (or Hood), but if I say Maine, your answer should be either "Shain's of Maine" or "Gifford's". I don't mean to get too excited, but keep in mind that I haven't seen Gifford's in a grocery store since visting Ben & Jerry's (photo proof here).

Now Roche Bros has got some of Gifford's traditional half gallon containers down bottom, but most of this freezer section is taken up with their (new size?) quart containers which are on sale at 2 for $7 (no shopping card required, yippee!)

Now I had an awful time picking what I wanted. Do I go with the local favorite Grapenut? Do I give their black raspberry frozen yogurt a try? So many choices, but I kept coming back to the one you see: Chocolate Rainforest Crunch! Don't even try to pretend like that doesn't sound fun.

And the Sonic Winner Is.....

Look, I'll be honest. If I had 45 gift cards, you would all be winners in my book. We all need an ice cream break and deep down we all deserve one. I hope all of you make it to your destination, whether near or far, and are surround by friends and family.

That said...

our winner is...

Drum rollin....

nytetyger!

Before the summer is over, I really REALLY need to spend one entire day at the beach-- there is nothing more lovely than seeing both sunrise and sunset there. The inhalation of much ice cream will commence sometime after sunrise.

Ok, there is basically 2 weeks left of summer at best, get out there and make the most of it!

Einstein Bros. Strawberries & Cream Blender Review

oh me, oh my. I thought I was having a pretty good day. I had lunch from a place I never tried before, I got a few things squared away before I left work, and I knew dinner was in the oven...

Just 30 seconds from being home and I had a run in with this little 3" bugger. You see, one of my neighbor's phone lines came tumbling down and threw two of these into the road at around lunch time. I know this because my wife drove by without incident. Now, magically, this little guy waited 6 hours in the road 'til I came along. OH YEAH, right into the sidewall of my seven month old tire. I'm so happy! This is way better than going home to dinner! After finding the only place still open within a 20 mile radius and then parting with $165, I returned home to tuck the kids into bed. It's now 9:30 but I will do my best to jump back to lunchtime.

and so the real story begins

About two weeks ago, GrubGrade ran the news that Einstein Bros. Bagels has a new Triple Decker Bagel Club sandwich. Hey, there's an Einstein Bros down the street from work... they do lunch? I know I've been out of town for about 8 years but apparently things have changed while I was gone. I headed over to their website to see what else they might have now.

Hmmm, they seem to have several things I could try for lunch, how interesting. Oooo, there's an "indulge" section with a picture of drinks... Ohhhh they have cold beverages... Bros. Blenders? What are those?! They kind of look like shakes but there's no description. How odd. I clicked on nutritional info but it doesn't help. Ok, enough of that, off to the internet... where I find squat. Seriously? No one has ever reviewed these things? Man, I can't even find a press release. This ain't right. I need to know what these things are!

And well, it took two weeks, but I needed some lunch and I needed a cold beverage, so it's bagel time! I head to the store, order the new triple decker bagel club, and then head to the cashier where I request a Strawberries & Creme Bros. Blender.

 

this may be the first picture of a blender out in wild!

(seriously, go try and find one)

Checkin' out Chewy Louie -- A Humongous Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich

I have two confessions to make.

1) I wasn't man enough to finish my Chewy Louie

2) While it wasn't perfect... I can't stop thinkin' about Chewy Louie

Made in Vermont (yet distributed from Wellesley, MA), this is Chewy Louie, a strange little green man who doesn't understand that ice cream sandwiches shouldn't be this big (j/k, an ice cream sandwich can never be too big)

Julie's Organic Ice Cream Bars Vanilla Ice Cream & Dark Chocolate

Greetings everyone. Today we are getting down to basics. That's right, we're simplifying things all the way back to some organic fundamentals. Let me introduce the Oregon Ice Cream Company. Now, you probably don't know that name, I certainly didn't, but maybe you their products. They are the proud makers of Alden's Organic Ice Cream and Julie's Organic Ice Cream.

I've been walking by their organic products for awhile now but I just haven't gotten around to trying it until today. Alden's just does ice cream while Julie's has a range of products. Now I'm not sure if it's the same ice cream with a different name, or just similar philosophies, but we've got flavor overlap and their FAQs state they come from the same plant. I'm also not sure how far their reach is, but considering that Oregon ice cream is a west coast company in my east coast freezer, I'd say they are doing pretty good for themselves.

I was making my bi-weekly trip for a few unique products from Whole Foods when I realized that Julie's Organic Ice Cream single serve treats were hiding at the bottom of one of the freezers. How convenient: I'm hungry and they're right in front of me. Now I had the Chocolate Ice Cream & Dark Chocolate in my hands when something made me think that maybe I should start off with the Vanilla & Dark Chocolate.

Celebrating Miracle Treat Day with a Chocolate Nutter Butter Blizzard

Ok, here's today's mission: Go to DQ!

It's miracle treat day, meaning at least 1 dollar from every blizzard goes to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals across the country. It's for a good cause, do you really need to know anymore?

My suggestions?

Have your tried the Nutter Butter Blizzard yet?

Like it simple? How about an Oreo or Cookie Dough Blizzard?

There is a blizzard for everyone, it's for a good cause, what other excuse do you need? Bring friends!

Go Go Go! I've actually gone and went and had myself a chocolate nutter butter blizzard, which I don't actually recommend. Unfortunately the chocolate stifles the peanut buttery flavor. Actually, the nice nutter butter wafer grit got lost too. I'm bummed, but at the same time, I can rest easy knowing that I tried it. I won't have to wonder forever if I missed something.

Ben & Jerry's Black Raspberry Frozen Yogurt A Scoop Shoppe Only Flavor Review

Update 2012: This one has been discontinued. What a shame.

The other day I was almost sure I saw one of my co-workers eating ice cream.... and then I half heard a joke about an ice cream truck. You know, you really shouldn't joke about these things. Well, today, on a day most humid, two of my co-workers asked if I wanted anything from Ben & Jerry's.

Silly coworkers, Of course I do! In fact, I went with them!

Now you all know I get a kick out of Ben & Jerry's shakes, and I always try to pick up a scoop shoppe only flavor, so I thought I would be good and try a Black Raspberry frozen yogurt shake. I definitely enjoyed my Half Baked Froyo shake, so I thought I would be different.

To my surprise, my server asked if I wanted skim milk or whole milk. Interesting, I've never been asked that before, but I appreciated it none the less. Now I've already knocked myself down to a mere 10 calories of fat per serving by going with froyo, so I went whole milk - but don't be surprised if I get some regular ice cream with skim milk at some point.

For whatever reason, our servers did a terrible job blending the shakes. I wound up just stirring mine up when we got back to the office, but my coworker actually went back in for a second blend - which was totally understandably, especially considering they had overflowed his cup and then put a flat lid on top making the whole thing explode everywhere. At $5.50 a shake, you expect a little better.

Sorry, I'm rambling about the details, and what you really want to know is that the shake was decent, but I am surprised by how potent the froyo was. I mean, it's been "watered" down by milk here, and the flavor is still coming on strong,  maybe even a smidge too strong. You know how some raspberry flavors have that real strong taste. It's not tart, but it's potent. Well, that's what I tasted here. Maybe that's why Magic Brownie is swirled with sweet cream ice cream, it's to take the flavor down a notch.

So, it just didn't work for me. I can't imagine ever wanting this again. Ok, maybe I'm just bitter because I felt full for the next 6 hours (don't ask me why, but I kid you not). Purchase at your own risk.

Strawberries Are Forever Shortcake Blue Bunny Ice Cream Review

[New for 2011, now discontinued] You know, I just had a thought as I was digging into this new flavor: "Who rocks the strawberry ice creams like Blue Bunny?" I thought maybe I was being too kind, but then I thought about it and I'm pretty sure Blue Bunny is on the top of my list right now when it comes to doing justice to strawberries. I like their versions more every time I try a new one. Let's dig in and see what I'm babbling about.

Blue Bunny Strawberries are Forever Shortcake Ice Cream

Strawberry ice cream and strawberries with pound cake pieces

and swirls of whipped cream flavored frosting

I had a slurpee today... not really sure what flavor it was

So I really wanted to try the Slurpee of the month today, you know, Berry Citrus Slam, the one that mixes raspberry and orange. I'm a big fan of all things raspberry, but the thing is, it was a beautiful day, and I really wanted to take a walk today. So, I did both. That's right, I got my sorry self out of my desk chair and walked a blinding 8/10ths of a mile to the nearest 7-11. Oh yeah, do I know how to exercise or what?

Look, don't get me wrong, I admire anyone that still manages to exercise, and one of these days I will replace my mountain bike that was stolen from me when I was a kid, but until then, an occasional 20-30 min walk is about as much dedication as I can mange right now.

To make things a little more fun, I've popped the free miCoach app from Adidas onto my phone, so it will clock my "speed" (if you can call it that). It also draws a map of your walk thanks to it's use of GPS. What can I say, I'm a geek that likes my new phone.

So I get to 7-11 and am greeted by a bit of a mystery. The machine has the big WWE banner on it telling me to try the new flavor, but the actual spout on the machine says it's still spitting out THOR's Blue Lightning Blast Slurpee. Hmm, interesting. Thor is raspberry and tangerine, WWE is raspberry and orange. Am I suppose to pretend like there's a difference here? Oh well, I'm gonna grab a 22oz medium blu-ish slurpee for $1.81 and go back outside.

Sorry, I was thirsty and took several chugs before taking my picture. The thing will blue raspberry is that it overrides everything. I think at most the tangerine/orange flavor has mellowed it out a little. I will admit that when you stop drinking it, there is a bit of mild orange cream flavor buried under the sugary aftertaste.

I drank about two thirds and considered myself good to go. I threw the last bit in the trash and headed back to the office. It's not a bad Slurpee, but it's still basically a blue raspberry Slurpee.

Dairy Queen August 2011 Blizzard of the Month The Nutter Butter Blizzard Review

Ok, before I run off and pay some bills (a.k.a. go watch netflix), I need to tell you about the DQ Blizzard of the Month. Some of you already know it's the mighty Nutter Butter Blizzard, but have you gone out and tried it yet? Well, I'm here to tell you that you should.... like, right now.

The August 2011 blizzard is NUTTER BUTTER cookie pieces and NUTTER BUTTER peanut butter creme filling blended with creamy vanilla softserve. As far as I know, this has never been attempted before.

Happy National Ice Cream Sandwich Day with Friendly's SundaeXtreme Cookies 'n Cream Ripple

Woohoo! nothing like keeping my track record of announcing pointless national holidays at the end of said pointless national holiday. To celebrate National Ice Cream Sandwich Day here on August 2nd, I now present to you: two very little ice cream sandwiches.

Now no where in the imaginary rules does it say anything about how you make your sandwich or what to make it with, so I present two frozen cake balls sliced up to make some wafers for my oreo ice cream sandwich. Don't they look so tiny and tasty? Well, don't be jealous, the cake was a bit too solid plus it was out of proportion to the ice cream. Oh well, I tried right? Have a good day (well, night at this point).

Now if you really must know, I used Friendly's SundaeXtreme Cookies 'n Cream Ripple in my sandwich. It's vanilla flavored frozen dairy dessert (oh joy) with crushed chocolate creme cookies and a fudge swirl.