Mix that Sandwich?

A few days removed from the Mix-in Mixer, I'm still experimenting with ice cream add-ons. Let's face it, it's not an arduous task. If this column necessitates eating vanilla ice cream with assorted mix-ins after both lunch and dinner, I'm ready to make that sacrifice.

Anyway, my friend Alex recently suggested mixing in ice cream sandwiches. As we said after the idea was proposed, "That's gold, baby!" The idea has a certain simplicity or pureness of thought. Plus, it enables the vanilla to turn the tables on the chocolate wafers. It's like, 'who's getting sandwiched now?!'

After it melts a bit, the concoction begins to taste like one big ice cream sandwich. But it's one with premium ice cream, a definite step up from the regular filling. Essentially, we've found a way to improve the ice cream sandwich experience.

The best part is that this new technique prevents that brown wafer finger residue. That, of course, reminds me the Seinfeld Snickers-with-a-fork-and-knife moment. So there you have it, a new way to enjoy ice cream sandwiches. "How do you eat them, with your hands?"

Mix-in Mixer a Hit!

Last night we held the Mix-in Mixer. I asked invitees to bring an item or two that they felt would do well in vanilla ice cream and they responded impressively. Nutella, granola, walnuts, pumpkin butter--there was quite a range of options.

As you can see, there was an array of mix-in options and that photo was taken before any guests arrived! We were "spoiled for choice," as the English say.

Given this abundance of edibles, I was impressed by the creativity displayed in crafting the ice cream concoctions.

In general, the night took on this format. One or two people mixed up a flavor, which we all sampled and discussed. At the end, we said which ones we liked best.

You'll have to read the column to hear all the creations, but I will say that the banana slices with blueberry preserves and waffle cone (pictured above) was a winner. Same goes for the Oreo, banana, walnut, granola and Kahlua combination.

Meanwhile, the nip bottle of Kahlua that our friend Kath brought was the runaway hit. A splash (or two) of the liqueur really adds a nice flavor.

I think we all learned a few lessons: a little Kahlua goes a long way, texture is important and you can't go too wrong when mixing goodies into vanilla ice cream.

Wild Times at the Forkquarters

It's Saturday night, I've got some peanut butter, some jelly, and I’m going to mix it into a bowl of ice cream. That’s right, ice cream. Crazy.

The spooch isn’t quite as excited.

This experiment is part of the research for my next column on ice cream mix-ins. I'm combining these particular ingredients partly at the request of a reader, partly because I've been curious about PB&J ice cream ever since I saw it in the Ben & Jerry's Flavor Graveyard. Also in that resting place for discontinued flavors: Sugar Plum, Bovinity Divinity and Honey Apple Raisin Chocolate Cookie.

OK, time for me to test this stuff out.

As you can see, the peanut butter and (strawberry) jelly looked better before being mixed-into the ice cream. The 'after' shot isn't too attractive.

At least the combination mixed easily, aside from the peanut butter being a bit clumpy. The jelly blended in well with ice cream, though, so it felt more like strawberry ice cream with peanut butter.


Texture aside, the concoction seemed oddly familiar. As for the taste, I'd give it a solid three stars (out of four). And why shouldn't PB&J ice cream be good--I'd trade bread for ice cream any day.

While you'd lose the smooshed sandwich potential, this new PB&J might not fare as well for brown baggin' it.

Mix-in Masterpiece Moving Forward

I had originally put two o's in the title's third word, then I remembered my lifelong ban on bad cow puns. I need some limits.

Anyhow, my column on ice cream mix-ins is coming along. While I haven't exactly received an avalanche of write-in suggestions, there's still time yet. Meanwhile, I've enlisted some friends to rack their brains for interesting combinations.

I'll planning to have a mix-in gathering where folks bring their own add-ons and possibly create their own combinations. Then we'll taste each other's Mix-in Magic™ (just kidding, I haven't trademarked anything). I'm not sure who'll be able to come, but those who can won't leave lactose deficient.

Finally, I'm flattered that Cuisinart manufactured this Mix It In Ice Cream Maker, but I don't think we'll need any hardware on this one. I imagine we'll manage just fine by hand.

In the Mix

It's not a bad one, this first day of spring. The daffodils are booming and the robins are everywhere.

In thinking about writing a spring column, my first thought was to write about barbecuing, or grilling out for you 'barbecue is a noun' folks. I was thinking it was time to dust off the grill and get ready for barbecue season. But all I could come up with was Cook Out Calisthenics. You know, the barbecue workout.

This was a strange idea, even for an offbeat food column. I decided it'd be best for all parties if I just wipe down my grill without fanfare.

It was on to another warm weather topic: ice cream. Specifically, I've decided to write about mix-ins. Not toppings, but things one mixes into a bowl of ice cream.

The inspiration came from my friend Jon's rant about how much he despised Cold Stone Creamery. This well-named amigo hated how Cold Stone latched onto the mix-in idea that ice cream expert Steve Herrell created in the 1970s and began running smaller stores out of business.

As for me, I think their ice cream is too creamy and too sweet. Plus, despite not being a wrestling fan, I always seem to call it Stone Cold by mistake. To be fair, Stone Cold, er...Cold Stone does have some interesting mix-in options. But I'm hoping that with your help, I can come up with more intriguing mix-in ideas than this bland chain.

Send in any suggestions for ice cream mix-ins you imagine would be tasty. All ideas, which you can submit as comments below, are welcome. The only rule is that you have to be able to mix-in the items, not just pour it on top.

Two quick promises:
1. I won't write about anything as vanilla as mixing Oreos into ice cream.
2. The mix-ins will be better mixed in than the ones pictured here. (I was going more for art than realism in the photo.)

Beware the Idles of March

It's the middle of March and I wanted to give a little food progress report. In between thinking about my next column, I've managed to do some eating.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I just ate a green salad in a green bowl on our cool green formica table. Nope, I'm not Irish.

One recent dinner that I just had to share was this beautiful Greek Fritatta that came out more colorful than most restaurant dishes. I was the sous chef on this one, with the Spoonstress calling the shots. If she's not careful, she'll lose her proudly-earned non-gourmet label.

On a non-eating note, my article on New Haven pizza is in tomorrow's Washington Post. I dare you to read it without ordering pizza afterwards.

Finally, here's to one of life's simple joys: Joy ice cream cones, which have turned our house into an ice cream parlor. It's like the best of both worlds--cone excitement with no more ice cream-less last bites. In case you run out of filling, the ice cream's just a few steps away in the freezer!

Our March flavor of choice is Mint Chocolate Chip, but sorry St. Paddy--it's the white kind.

Angostura Spice Cakes

In my mind, the perfect Sunday starts with a treat of a breakfast. Today, with only two eggs in the fridge and cereal dregs in the cupboard, our choices were limited. It was either eating out, whipping up hot granola or making pancakes. With daylight savings-induced lateness, we opted to stay in. Pancakes it was. I mean, oatmeal's no treat.

Normally, the Spoonstress and I like to create some funky pancake mixes like banana pecancakes, apple and cottage cheese, etc. I should say, I like to experiment with new varieties and the Spoonstress puts up with my experimentation. Anyway, plain pancakes don't really cut it anymore. But with no banana or cottage cheese, I was scratching for answers.

Then it hit me--Angostura Spancakes. I'm not sure if this name or Angostura Spice Cakes captures them better, but the Spoonstress felt the former sounded too much like canned meat.

Those of you longtime readers may remember my first column on my family favorite, the Angostura Spice Cake. It wouldn't be too hard to recreate it in pancake form (minus the frosting). Basically I added a fourth of a teaspoon of ground cloves, allspice and cinnamon to the batter. I dripped in a few drops of the Angostura bitters, stirred it up and griddled away.

You could certainly taste the spice, but it was subtle. I might add a bit more next time. Nonetheless, I definitely enjoyed my share and probably some of the Spoonstress' portion.

With the remaining batter, the Spoonstress made a silver dollar pancake for the Spooch. It took her a while to wrap her canine mind and chompers around the idea of a pancake, but she eventually got it. And then she had a few more. Not a bad idea, nor a bad way to start a Sunday...at 11 a.m.

Crepefast

Today marked the first day of the Spoonstress' mini vacation. She's now officially between jobs and loving it. At least I'm pretty sure she is, given that she got to sleep until 9 and is currently reading while patting the Spooch.

Earlier, I said we should go out for breakfast to celebrate. But she had a better idea: making crepes! The Spoonstress is a veteran crepe-maker and I'm fast becoming a crepe fan.

After whipping together a simple dough--she used an online recipe--the Spoonstress was a Francophile force. The crepes came fast and furious.

We had a variety of fillings for our sweet crepes: pear wedges, banana slices, cinnamon and sugar, chocolate bits and nectarine jam. My favorite combo, surprisingly, was nectarine jam and banana.

Sorry I was too busy scarfing the crepes down to take pictures (no, that's not mine up top). In hindsight, all that nectarine jam made the meal a bit sticky for my good ol' Rebel XT, anyway.

Then again, maybe I'll get another chance--we may have crepes for lunch. Life's pretty good with the Spoonstress home all day. If this continues, we may have to upgrade from frying pan to full-on crepe apparatus.

Moo-ve over Milky Way

Your local vending machine options may soon include more than candy bars and peanut butter crackers. Massachusetts-based MooBella manufactures made-while-you-wait ice cream contraptions.

These contraptions take about 45 seconds to make "real ice cream in real time," as I heard MooBella's CEO say in an online demonstration. Best of all, you can choose from 12 flavors, five mix-ins and either premium or low-calorie ice cream.

Granted, I'm not breaking news here. Just noting my curiosity. MooBella seems to be much discussed, but more in techie than foodster circles. It was on Time's 2006 Best Inventions list, and you can read about the company's history here.

As of March, the company only has two locations, both in Boston. One, appropriately enough, is in the Children's Hospital. While I've been promised that more machines are on the way, I'm not holding my breath for one in North Carolina. Wherever they're located, I can see MooBellas doing really well in movie theater lobbies. Who wouldn't prefer real ice cream to those silly Dippin' Dots?

Funny story: My friend Jason just told me about this company, but he wasn't sure of the name. He thought it was Rubella. Oddly enough, I couldn't find anything online about an ice cream company that shared a name with a measles-like virus. Jason, MooBella's investors and I were all relieved to learn the company's real name.

Anyway, another friend will start working for the company soon. I may have to ask him for the free ice cream password. That and why there's no mint flavor, with which you could make Mint Chocolate Chip and Mint Oreo. If you're just gonna have one green flavor, Pistachio ain't it.

Spork Notes: Herdez Salsa

This post marks the first Spork Notes. I'm trying out this idea where I'll write about food items unrelated to columns. It'll probably be a rave like this one, but there may be future rants.

Today, I'd like to tell you about Herdez salsa, also known as the only salsa eaten in the Forkquarters. Believe it or not, I'm not paid by The Herdez Corporation. I'm simply in love with their salsa.

When I think of Herdez, the word that comes to mind is 'fresh.' It tastes like the tomatoes have just been crushed, instead of having endured the NAFTA-friendly journey from Mexico. Its full flavor is likely due to its minimal ingredients: tomatoes, onions, serrano peepers, salt and cilantro. That's it.

The salsa is a little watery, so folks who like a more chunky, pico de gallo-type condiment should take note. But its liquidity makes makes dipping almost easier, as a submerged chip acquires that fresh taste regardless of whether it retains the salsa's solid parts. And you can always use a fork, as I do, to isolate the chunky bits.

You lucky North Carolina folks can find Herdez at Food Lion and Harris Teeter, but the former has it for half the price of the latter. If your local market doesn't carry the salsa, you can order Herdez at Amazon.

There isn't much difference between hot, medium and mild, but make sure you get the "Salsa Casera." Steer clear of the Salsa Taquera and the Salsa Verde (green salsa), which tastes like a weak green tea.

As long as you get the Salsa Casera version, you're in business. I promise, it'll make your chips chirp, your burritos buzz and your tacos tingle.