ice cream

[lickalicious review] The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Revolution by Lisa Robinson and Stacy Innerst

~ jama ~ 31 Comments

At this very moment I am eating devouring a bowlful of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie. There’s nothing like rich and creamy chocolate ice cream lovingly loaded with chewy brownie chunks to send you over the top. So decadent, maybe even a little sinful. Marry me, please.

I still remember when Cherry Garcia (another of my favorites) first came on the market in 1987. Not only was it darn good ice cream, it was named after a cool musician. Since then, I’ve enjoyed many a pint, and continue to be impressed by Ben & Jerry’s wacky innovative flavors, progressive core values and ongoing social activism. How wonderful that America’s most popular ice cream company is thoroughly committed to making the world a better place!

Since I didn’t know much about how Ben & Jerry’s actually got started, I was hungry to read The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Revolution by Lisa Robinson and Stacy Innerst (Abrams BFYR, 2022). This fun and inspiring story of teamwork, determination, and experimentation is a delicious testament to living the American Dream and makes me want to taste every single Ben & Jerry’s flavor. 🙂

It all began in 1963 when Ben Cohen met Jerry Greenfield in a Merrick, Long Island junior high school. Though Ben liked art and Jerry was into science, they enjoyed hanging out, found lots to do together, and shared a big love of eating — especially ice cream. One summer Ben even drove an ice cream truck while Jerry helped scoop the ice cream.

After high school they attended different colleges. Ben dropped out after sophomore year to become a potter, while Jerry went on to graduate, only to be rejected by all the medical schools he applied to. Down but certainly not out, they touched bases again in NYC and decided to go into business together. No question it would involve food.

They scrapped their initial idea of making and delivering bagels after learning bagel-making equipment was too expensive. Luckily, making ice cream was cheaper. Burlington, Vermont seemed like a good location since it was a college town without any ice cream shops, and everyone knows students love ice cream. 🙂

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if the shoe fits, eat it

~ jama ~ 22 Comments

various

Here’s the scoop:

Now you can have your cake and wear it too, thanks to the Shoe Bakery. 🙂

This Orlando-based company, founded by designer Chris Campbell, creates custom, handmade ice cream and cake shoe designs. None of them are edible, but apparently very wearable. I’ve seen shoe sculptures before which pretty much live in art galleries and are for ogling only. But these heels, flats, and wedges like to go out on the town and make unforgettable fashion statements at weddings and other special occasions. Fun!

Enjoy this little dessert tray to get your week off to a sweet start. 🙂

wedding

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soup of the day: see you at harry’s by jo knowles (and a giveaway)!

~ jama ~ 88 Comments

Why hello!

You’re just in time to help us celebrate the official release of See You at Harry’s (Candlewick, 2012), a brand new middle grade novel by the lovely and supremely talented Jo Knowles!

Little Jo, Champion Cone Licker

I’ve been really excited about this book ever since I first heard about it a couple of years ago, not only because I’m a big fan of Jo’s writing, but because this particular story was inspired by her childhood experiences of growing up in the restaurant business in Laconia, New Hampshire.*swoon*

Keller’s was the first of several restaurants owned by Jo’s family in New Hampshire.

Could there be anything better than having your family own a restaurant that’s also an ice cream factory?! Bring me Apple Orchard Pancakes and a Spanish Omelette for breakfast, a Knickerbocker Sandwich for lunch, Stuffed Hamburg Casserole for dinner (extra cheese, ham and mushrooms, please!), and of course, a hot fudge sundae, root beer float or strawberry ice cream cone every day after school. Yum — my idea of culinary heaven! It had to have been fun getting to know some of the customers, helping out with odd jobs, and seeing how large quantities of ice cream was made.

Lick your screen. You know you want to.

But where are my manners? Before I give you the full scoop on this wonderful book, a few delectable party favors.

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the scoop on ice cream picture books

~ jama ~ 10 Comments

Jingle, jingle! The ice cream cart is here. What’s your pleasure?

They say vanilla is America’s favorite flavor, followed by chocolate. I’ll take one of each, please, and while you’re at it, I wouldn’t mind a scoop or two of cherry amaretto, chocolate fudge brownie, spumoni, mint chocolate chip, and pralines and cream. ☺

MJ Geldres

The best thing about ice cream is that no matter how old you get, with those first few licks you’re a child again, and all the same rules apply — lick around the edge of your scoop so it doesn’t drip, don’t take too big a bite or you’ll get brain freeze, don’t lick too hard or your ice cream might fall off, and never bite the tip of your cone when there’s ice cream still in it.

hunyadizsuzska

Did you know that more ice cream is sold on Sunday than on any other day of the week? In Hawai’i, there was no such thing as eating ice cream mostly during the summer — it was a year-round treat we milked to the hilt: Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen, strawberry sundae ice cream cups at birthday parties, Creamsicles from the local sweet shop, small scoops of vanilla with shave ice, and of course all those other favorites we begged our mom for at the grocery store: Milk Nickel, Drumsticks, Fudgsicles, and don’t let me forget ice cream sandwiches! *licks lips*

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