Day 15: National Strawberry Ice Cream Day

I practiced some self restraint here - only ate half of it. I'll save the rest for tomorrow.

Today is also national fresh squeezed juice day, but screw that. Give me ice cream.

Day 5: National Whipped Cream Day

If I have to have whipped cream, it would be on a pie. Like the ones your would see at Grandma's. Swiss Chocolate Almond. Chocolate Cream. Strawberry. And the like. Otherwise, it's just not my thing. 

Long day at work called for ice cream. And I suppose some whipped cream. See that glob? That's my partaking in this day. Let's move on.

And if you are wondering, there are a couple of donuts and a glass of wine behind the ice cream. Like I said, it was a long day at work.

Ice Cream Alternatives: Halo Top

Because these new fangled ice creams are the current craze, I tried one out. Chocolate chip cookie dough came highly recommended. Nope. Not for me. Has a weird aftertaste, probably because of the stevia and sugar alcohols.

Back to regular ice cream. Eat what you enjoy. 

The Soft Serve Chronicles: Jumpin Jack’s (Scotia, NY)

What better for a birthday treat than opening day at an ice cream shop? I quickly left work and headed up to Scotia. JJ’s has been around forever, but this was the first time I had ever been there. Too far, and from what I heard about it, it was bound to be packed.

And on opening day, it sure was. I could see the line up as I crossed over the bridge. There’s the main building, where you can order food, and then there’s a smaller building off to the side that just serves ice cream. I’m still on the “no meat” kick, so that burger is going to have to wait.

Soft serve prices:

Small – $1.50
Medium – $ 2.00
Large – $2.25

Sprinkles – $0.50

I grabbed a medium vanilla twist with rainbow sprinkes which set me back $2.50. I really need to bring a ruler or something, but it seemed a bit small for a medium. The small, which is also the kiddie size, is hardly any ice cream… it’s like a little nub. Because it was a warmer day and sunnier, I had more sprinkle loss. More so in my car. Good thing I got napkins.

The Soft Serve Chronicles: Jim’s Tastee Freez (Delmar, NY)

It’s no secret my love of soft ice cream runs deep. Yes, ice creams of a firmer nature are just as good (if not better) as their more flexible counterparts, but they are like night and day. Hard ice cream is served in dishes, soft serve belongs in edible cones. It’s the nature of the beast.





Not necessarily comfortable ice cream eating weather, but hey… that is what your car is for. Or house. Or an indoor eating establishment. M was down in New Jersey for work and I picked him up when he got back into town. Since we were already in Albany, I figured we'd head down Delaware Avenue and check things out. I was thinking about going to All Good Bakers, but they were already closed (and with their hours, I will probably never get to go).

Instead of turning around I kept driving, and next thing I knew I was in Delmar. And hello! Jim's was open. M thought I was crazy to get one, but it's going to be a while before I head back that way... and who knows if I'm going to want to get another one from there. On a side note, there's a laundry place next door to Jim's - so while the clothes are going through the spin cycle, you can have yourself a sundae.

Saw what I did there?





Got myself a regular vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles ($3.25). Smaller than the one I got from the Snowman, but tastes just the same. Had some sprinkle fallout, this ice cream seemed to melt quicker than normal.

They serve chili dogs, which I would love to try, if it weren't for this whole no eating meat thing. Alright then, I've found my reason to go back. You have been warned.

Snowman Opening Day 2013

I don’t know who paid off Punxsutawney Phil Sowerby, but apparently it wasn’t enough. The snow came down and caused havoc Thursday night and part of Friday but Mother Nature wanted a Boston Shake. So out came the sunshine and the start of the muddy season. But even with the flooded streets and soggy ground the people came. They arrived on foot, they used their bikes… car doors opened and passengers spilled out. They waited patiently on line, gazing at the signs, deciding which would be the flavor to start off the season. Pistachio Nut? Raspberry Sherbet? Or perhaps Only 8? So many choices…

 

I stuck to my tried and true vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles. I was daring and asked for a regular size, waistline be damned! In my opinion, this time of year is the best time to have ice cream. Yes, it’s cold out. But because it’s cold, the melt rate is slow as molasses. And when you have a cone with sprinkles, the melt rate is always on your mind. Unless you get the cone bib thing, then drips don’t matter. But the only people who use those are little kids… and people who don’t like mess.

Even with the cold weather, I still ended up with a stray sprinkle on my jacket. At this point I was in my car and I think I had the heater on. It may have been sunny, but it was still chilly. Oh well. Could have been worse. I’m already anticipating that for the summer.

Homemade Berry Ice Cream

I am almost convinced I need to get this ice cream maker. Nothing fancy, a mix of strawberries and blueberries. I'll try to do a write up of this recipe later this week.

If I do buy this ice cream maker, I am making sure I get an extra gel canister. I think it will cut down on the ice crystals (not that there were too many... they disappeared when it softened up a bit). And I need a proper ice cream scoop.

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day

Had a scoop of Late Night Crunch - "Vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl & fudge covered potato chip clusters." Not bad, but not my favorite. It tasted minty, but it could have been some leftover mint chocolate ice cream on the scoop. Line was quick, so that was a plus. Met Albany Jane & John there, who had strawberry cheesecake and blueberry something.

So now I wait for the free iced coffees from Dunkin Donuts. Comes quick, because I'm thirsty.

Ice Cream!

Definitely glad I live not too far from the Snow Man.

Free Carvel Ice Cream

I was doing some coupon clipping when I came across this ad. Free ice cream? I’m in. And the best part? It was Thursday!  So after sending a message to my friends about the freeness, I jumped in my car and drove to the nearest Carvel. I even contemplated doing an ice cream run, hitting up the three Carvels  in my area.
But first, I had to try out this ice cream.




It looks like Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate ice cream is their new flavor. The free sample is a kid scoop size, I think I read somewhere 3 0z. That’s more than enough for ice cream I’ve never had before. I don’t know if it’s clear or not, but it’s chocolate with marshmallow creme/fluff/something throughout.

I’ve got to hand it to Carvel, it does indeed taste exactly like Swiss Miss hot chocolate… right down to the powdery aftertaste. Might be better in a milk shake.

Ramen Combo

 

My grandparents went back to the Philippines for a nice long holiday and I offered to drive them to the airport. On the way back I decided to stop by Mitsuwa for some lunch.

I ordered the small miso ramen set. Everything was great, as usual. And even though I wanted to pick some things up in the grocery store, I refrained and just got some Hoji soft serve.

The Snow Man (Troy, NY)

 

I don’t know if you heard, but Sunday was National Ice Cream Day. So naturally I just had to have some ice cream to celebrate. And the only place I wanted to get ice cream from was the Snow Man.

 

 

I forget what time it was when we drove over there, but it must have been early afternoon? Snow Man wasn’t too busy, but you can never be too sure how long that will last. And sure enough, after we placed our order, a long line had formed behind us.

 

Sure I had lots of options. Sundaes! Pies! Overflowing pies! Only 8!

But I opted for a vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles. I always get it. I’m pretty sure I always will. It reminds me of my childhood- running out of the house when I could hear the Mister Softie truck came down the street. My mom was wary of those ice cream trucks… said their ice cream was dirty.

I never got sick from it. And I’d like to think it would be less dirty than the supposed “dirty” ice cream sold from those carts in the Philippines.

Ice Cream Sandwich

Chocolate chip cookies and Edy's Mango ice cream. They go well, and the chunks of mango are a nice treat.

Mango Smoothie Pops

I have had it in my head to make pops. Sure I can make some ice cream and pour it into molds, but M's apartment makes that a bit difficult. So I thought up a Plan B - smoothies. I picked up this mold from the Dollar Tree. Isn't it cute?

Picked this up from Price Chopper. I was originally thinking mixing yogurt and juice, but this was easier. And it's mango, so even better. I wasn't sure how much we would need to fill the pops, so I went with the bigger bottle.

Turns out we didn't need that much. Hardly put a dent in the bottle. Just as well, a couple of glasses really hit the spot. It would probably be a good mixer with some vodka... not too sure about rum.

Into the freezer for a nice, long frozen slumber. I don't have any pictures of them when they were done, but they were good. A little too small, and they were a bit of a pain to take out. We had to run it under warm water a few times before they melted/loosened up. And the holder came right out, so we had to turn them right side up and make sure they didn't hit the floor.

TMC Lunch

The spring semester wrapped up this week for many schools, including RPI. Because I don't know if they'll be serving at the Union during the summer, I headed over Friday afternoon for a quick lunch. I arrived about twenty minutes before closing, and was relived they didn't run out of anything.

I ordered the daily sampler, which included pakoras, thai red chicken curry, chick pea and potato curry, vegetable stirfry and basmati rice. You can't tell in the picture, but the top was covered in pakora. M had quite a few of them before I started in. We used the green sauce, I think it's some creamy spicy parlsey... thing. Either way it was delicious and what didn't get eaten with the pakoras was mixed in with the chicken. It was creamy, spicy, and totally hit the spot. Unfortunately, it was a tad spicy.

And how did I deal with the heat? By eating some of TMC's homemade banana peanut butter chip ice cream. It wasn't bad- not too sweet, and there were little bits of banana along with the peanut butter chips. Sadly, it was not creamy as I had expected. It was full of crystals, which M says is due to their using water and not cream. M ended up eating the chocolate wafer cookie that came with the ice cream.

Gen Sushi (Montvale, NJ)

I wrote this a while ago and forgot it. Whoops.

Never thought I would get a sushi recommendation at the bookstore.

Mags and I were in the cookbook section of Borders when she blurted out, "You know, I haven't had sushi in a while."

I was flipping through the Momofuku book and automatically responded with "That's surprising."

"So yeah... let's get sushi."

Still going through the book, debating if I should buy it. "I guess so, where's a good place around here?"

So we're standing in the cookbook section trying to think of a place to eat, when one of the workers rounded the corner and walked toward us.

"I've heard of this really good place up in Montvale. I can't remember the name, but it's in this shopping plaza with the antiques place." She then proceeded to mention something Anthony Bourdain said about not trusting discount sushi. We thanked her for the recommendation and headed back north.

Gen has been open for eight years. And considering how long I've lived in this area, I keep forgetting it's there. Maybe it's because it just happens to be in the same shopping plaza as Peter Wong's, and I don't venture very much past that. Or maybe it's people like Matt who think it isn't that great that has kept me away.

But it was late, and we were hungry. So Gen it was. This first thing we noticed when we headed in? A cop car pulled up to the front of the restaurant, and asked the delivery guy if it was too late to order something. Mags and I thought he was going to say something about the cars parked there, but I guess his stomach came first (and if you were wondering, it wasn't too late to order dinner).

Their dinner service was winding down and only a few tables were occupied. The host/delivery guy brought us to a table in the back, to get us away from the draft. It was much appreciated and we had a nice view of the fish tank (right behind it is one of their hibachi tables, they've recently expanded so they might have a couple more). We took a quick look at their menu (which looked pretty big at the time) and placed our orders.

buttered squid. amazing.

winter roll. fried sushi. they really love their crab. i love it too.

green tea ice cream. very green tea flavored, and creamy to boot. may give peter wong's green tea a run for their money.

Snow Man

Stopped for ice cream during the house hunt. Nice treat from the Realtor. M got Mint Chocolate, I got vanilla soft serve in a cone with sprinkles.

Peter Wong's (Montvale, NJ)

Since this place is known for their ice cream, I thought I would start with that first. It's made on premises (so I'm told) and they offer flavors you won't see at other ice cream shops. Here is the ice cream list from the website:

Regular flavors - Vanilla, Chocolate, Killer chocolate, Strawberry, Mint chocolate chip, Mocha chip, Cookies and cream, Pistachio, Cappuccino, Rocky road, Coconut almond Joy, Banana chocolate chip, Rum raisin, Black raspberry

Special flavors - Green tea, Black sesame, Red bean, Lychee (Chinese fruit), Mango

Fat free/Sugar free - Vanilla, Chocolate

Frozen yogurt - French vanilla, Red raspberry, Cappuccino

Ice/Sorbet - Orange ice, Mango sorbet, Raspberry sorbet

That scoop up there? Cinnamon Vanilla. Mags choice, I went with green tea, which was tasty and gave me the "so what I ate ice cream... there's antioxidants up in that biznass" vibe. That cinnamon one though, ohmygoodnessgracious. Sandwich that in some flaky pie dough I will be over the moon.

Oh yea, Mags thought it was good too. Thought I should share.

Some shots from our lunch. A decent offering of meals that lasts until 4pm. The meal comes with a soup or salad, and for a buck or two more you get ice cream. Hot & Sour and Egg Drop soup. The turn out was quick, we were just finishing up our soups when our lunches came out.

These pictures lie in regards to portions, Mags meal in particular. It doesn't really look like it's alot, but it is, and we both ended up taking our lunches home. I should have taken a better picture of her pad thai (she asked but I got wrapped up in my food) because they didn't use the typical noodle. It was a smaller noodle, think... spaghettini style.

Peter Wong's isn't cheap; I think between Mags and I, our lunch came out to 29 dollars (including tax and tip). It's the only place in this area that offers dim sum (yes, I know if I go a little further down in Jersey there are more and there is also the city, but this is right down the road. This wins easy.) And don't forget the ice cream.

School Perks

School: Thank you Student R for spending thousands of dollars on our school. As a token of appreciation, ice cream is on us!

Me: Gee... thanks.

My school had a free ice cream day at Cold Stone. I normally get berry berry good, but I went crazy and got the birthday cake remix thing. It was good 2/3 of the way and then I of course began to get queasy with the sugar overload.

Sorry ice cream. I didn't want to throw you out, but you were going to make me throw up.

Pocket Change

M and a friend were up on Rt. 7 when he spotted this nice surprise. Normally a vanilla cone at the McD would set you back $1.09. But 39 cent cones?

Of course M went and bought some. Two, in fact... and it only cost him three quarters and a dime. Or eight dimes and a nickel. Or eighty-five pennies. I received the pictures right after the purchase.

That is 39 cents worth of ice cream. Not bad, but I think they need to send a soft serve instructor to some of these places. Come on... where's my twist?

**Note: I wonder if they lowered the price at all McD's... we stopped by one near my house yesterday and they were only 59 cents. My poor diet.