Treat of the Week: Weight Watchers GIANT Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Sundae Cone

Wow, that sure is a long name. I didn't pick these up because I'm on a diet or anything, though their low cal nature did justify the purchase. Well, that and they we're on sale, $4.49 for 4 to be precise. No no, we got these because my daughter noticed the little yellow on sale tag below a box with chocolate ice cream cones in it. She knows that her chances of getting something go way up when it's on sale.

With any low cal treat, we should all know by now to set the bar real low. WAY WAY low. Assume nothing, it's safer that way. At only 140 calories (35 from fat), you know this isn't really ice cream. Sure, they call it ice cream, and you can have deja vu while typing this, but we know it's really just another frozen dairy dessert called "low fat ice cream".

My first complaint? I couldn't get the wrapper off. It pulled apart easy enough at the top, but down low it got stuck. I did manage to free the treat without crushing the cone, but then I saw that the little fudge drops on top had melted off the ice cream and onto the lid. Not a big deal...well, I mean, it does take away a little from those first couple of bites because you should be enjoying fake ice cream and fudge, not just fake ice cream. The ice cream itself isn't that bad. It's not really good, but it could be worse.

I cruised through the top part because I knew the saving grace of this treat would be the cone. Unfortunately, my first cone bite was horribly chewy, but I pressed on. For whatever reason, about 15% of the cone was very chewy while the rest was enjoyably crunchy. A nice cone can always make you forgot about what's inside.

We actually saw a box of the "old style", but I went with the "Great New Taste"...actually, that thought frightens me a little. What did this taste like before?? If I made this treat, I'd make the crunchy cone go all the way up, and then I would eat them all the time and tell myself it's ok because they're healthy. Hey, gotta look at the bright side of things. The cone is the best part, so run with it.

On Second Scoop: I had my second cone last night and I am already bored with these. The wrapper didn't get stuck, and the cone was probably 90% crunchy, but the chocolate is just too low cal to offer and real enjoyment I guess.

Nutrition: 140 / 35-1.5 / 4 / 4 (2 WW Points)

Hola Fruta Strawberry Sherbet

It's Hola Fruta Time

It's Hola Fruta Time

YEEEE HAAAAA!

Ok, this is my third Hola Fruta review and I'm enjoying it thoroughly. I'm down a little bit further in the container so I keep hitting tasty strawberry (fresa) chunks. MMMMMM, oh I'm addicted to Hola Fruta, it's gotta be the best sherbet out there. Tastes like frozen strawberries and fresh strawberries at the same time, and in a good way. Do what I do, wait til it's on sale, then try a new flavor! MMMM, oh I want more now.

Nutrition: 130/10-0.5/0/1

Topping of the Week: (Real) Sprinkles!

I knew I would be back for more, and with a little more time, I tried to spice things up a bit. The only downside is the chocolate chip cookie dough is almost the same color as the whip cream, but don't worry, it's in there.

I said a long time ago, that Sprinkles should be seen, and not heard. So no more of those awful Marble Mix-in sprinkles. No no no. Now we have Cake Mate sprinkles.....WHOA! wait, that's weird. Marble Mix-ins is owned by the same company as Cake Mate, small world.... Anyway, the Cake Mate sprinkles are nice and soft, add absolutely no flavor, and are great to look at. Sprinkles are meant to be fun, plain and simple.

Sunday: Tasty Sundae!

Sunday really is a great day for ice cream. We were expecting company, so we had to be a little quick today, but I couldn't let fresh, hot brownies go cool without making a couple of brownie sundaes for our afternoon snack. I will admit there was a small brownie mishap (ummm, like ingredients getting "mostly" in the bowl). Sure it's a little flat, but hey, they still taste like brownies and that's all that matters.

My daughter requested Breyers Chocolate on her brownie and then the whole thing quickly disappeared. I decided to try and be a bit more creative by giving myself a layer of Breyers Peanut Butter Fudge. Overall, I'd say my daughter made the better choice. Mine wasn't bad, but I guess I wound up longing for the simplicity of vanilla on chocolate. Actually, some chocolate sauce may have worked as well. The number one flavor in a brownie sundae needs to be chocolate, plain and simple.

No worries, there's always tomorrow. A quick shot from the microwave will give us the nice hot brownie we need to try again. (You may have noticed the whip cream layer is a smidge light in the photo, I added more afterwards once I realized my mistake)

Treat of this past week: Dove Bar Miniatures

Originally I called these Ice Cream thingies because long ago the "marketing people" at Dove had forgotten to post the product on their website. Oh it drives me nuts when companies want you to try their new products, but don't have the info readily accessible for you. I've seen these several times too, I just can't think of their name.

They are about 2 inches long, come in at least two flavors, and come in 12 packs at the grocery store, or 36 packs at the bulk food clubs. I'm always tempted by them, but the fat content always scares me off at the last minute. Fortunately for me, they were actually giving away samples at BJs when I stopped by on Wednesday.

I tried the one with dark chocolate drizzled on the top
[third generation packaging shown above]

This is Dove we're talking about, so I wasn't surprised at the high quality of my little treat. I say little because you know it's not even remotely big enough to fill you, especially at dinner time. Sure, you can have 5 of them to make up a serving but one will have to do at the moment. They were good enough that I almost picked up that $7.99 box of 36 and put it in my cart ...but the freezer is so full right now. Ok, maybe next time.

2012 Update: There are currently 4 flavors in all, but it's 2 flavors in each box of 14 though I swear they use to come with 3 flavors in a smaller 12 packs...

Ahhh, yes they did come in three packs!

though this the 40 count jumbo box
[first generation packaging]

There was also a cafe collection version at one point which features coffee-flavored ice cream with a milk chocolate coating (so they called one Cappuccino and one Java chip). Pretty sure I remember these, though I never actually tried them. [second generation packaging]

Oh man, there was even a Limited Edition Peppermint Perfection version!

(note: sometimes the boxes came with just one flavor inside)

Dubba's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Ice Cream

Hmmmm, that sounded funnier when I thought of that flavor in the store. Actually, this flavor starts with my eternal quest to learn how to make a swirl! A quality swirl can be a great component to any ice cream, and there must be a secret technique to make one. I think I'm almost there actually. The problem is that the swirl is never tough enough. It just winds up getting mixed into oblivion. The flavor becomes part of the ice cream, rather than a contrast. Contrast is the spice of life... no no, that's not how the saying goes.

Ok, I'm babbling. So, my secret swirl? I know you can't just dump in caramel or butterscotch, it's way too thin. Something like marshmallow is way too thick. I tried watering down the marshmallow but then it's too thin. Yeah, you know where this is going. I 'watered' down the marshmallow with caramel. You know what? It almost worked! I should have chilled it first though. I got the ice cream pretty solid, but when the caramel/marshmallow mix hit it, the swirl (and the mix) melted too much. It tried, it did good first through a couple of swirls, but as I attempted to mix it deeper into the bowl, it just went everywhere.

Sorry, brain keeps resetting. I had the swirl idea in my head when I headed to the store. I also knew I wanted something really chocolaty. So we have a caramel swirl in a rich cocoa flavor, but we need la pièce de résistance: As I attempted to do some 'quick' shopping, it hit me as I walked down the candy aisle. Turtles! Chocolate - Caramel - Pecans. I can handle that! It fits perfectly into my idea. So I went back to the other end of the store to grab some pecans and then I headed home. Since I 'mutated' my caramel swirl with marshmallow, I thought of mutant turtles, or better yet, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. To clarify, I am neither a teenager, nor a Ninja (just in case you were curious)

Dubba's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Ice Cream

1+ Cup of Light Cream

1 Cup of 2% Milk

4 tablespoons of Cocoa

3/4 Cup of confectioners sugar

(about spoonfuls of regular sugar later on)

Swirl is caramel mixed with marshmallow (maybe 1 part caramel to 2 parts marshmallow)

1/3 cup of smushed Pecans

I made the swirl first to verify it would actually work. It mixed together surprisingly well, but if I did it again, I would let it sit in the fridge for an hour or two afterwards. The base chocolate ice cream is just the light cream, 2% milk, cocoa and sugar, nothing fancy. It went into the Ice-20 and then after about five minutes I added in the Pecans. Once the mix looked pretty well chilled, I attempted to add in the swirl.

The result? I really like it actually! The pecans have a nice mild flavor and add a nice crunch that's not too hard, not too soft. This is also the most chocolaty ice cream I've made to date, though it's no Haagen-Dazs. I like the swirl too. Again, not perfect, but before I mixed it in too far, it was providing a nice caramel contrast to the rich chocolate flavor. (Once it fully mixed together, the whole thing became a milk chocolate flavor with hints of caramel).

I've missed making ice cream, and this way a good try to get me going again. I almost wish I had another good idea for tomorrow.

Comparison: Edy's does (or did) make a Nestle Turtles Ice Cream, but they go with a vanilla base instead. What fun is that?

On Second Scoop: Wow, usually my ice creams don't taste as good after they've frozen, but this one has aged really nicely. The flavor is there, but for a change the texture is too. I'll have to figure out what I did differently since this is on the short list of ice creams I consider successes.

Disclaimer: I am claiming no right to TMNT, I am just a fan.

Breyers Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Review

 2013 Update: Not sure when it happened, but this one is retired

To be honest, I'm not quite sure how I've managed to walk by Breyers Triple Chocolate ice cream 30 times without trying it. I guess I was afraid it just wouldn't be that good. You know, the "white chocolate" would be vanilla, the dark chocolate would taste cheap, and the milk chocolate would be the same chocolate we always get. Well, I was trying to grab something quick Saturday afternoon, and my chocolate cravings told me it was time to give in and see if the ice cream tastes as good as it looks.

I couldn't resist and my spoon immediately went for the white chocolate. Guess what? It tastes like white chocolate! It tastes like any decent white chocolate bar would, or a nice quality pudding pop. The milk chocolate is good, though it makes me long for TH Box of Chocolates. I was messing around and cut out a slab of the dark chocolate and it definitely has a fudgy look to it (oh man, I just made myself hungry for brownies). The dark chocolate is pretty good as well, though the brownie thoughts made me forget what it tastes like.

One of the most interesting thinks I find about this flavor is how creamy it is. Maybe the freezer is on the fritz... or maybe they've done something special to make this extra creamy. I'm not sure, but I like it. Overall, it's good. The secret is bringing yourself back to reality before trying it. It's not fantastic, it's not mind numbing (well, unless you eat too much), it's just a quality product with a respectable taste (and tastes even better with fresh whip cream!)

Nutrition: 140/70-4.5/1/2

Topping of the Week: Cabot Whipped Cream

"real cream, real vanilla and real sugar"

This isn't just any preservative riddled whip cream, this is Cabot Premium Natural Whip Cream that "tastes like homemade". The ingredient list isn't perfect, we still suffer from mono and diglycerides, but it beats high fructose corn syrup mixed with BHT, TBHQ, and whatever else they can dig up in a lab. The sad part is that it made up about 5% of the 3 shelves dedicated to whip cream.

The verdict? It's really good. Granted, I just opened the container, but it's very fresh and tastes very light. I'm no expert, but it could be the fluffiest whip cream I've ever had. It goes down super easy and blended seamlessly with our ice cream.

Nutrition: 15/10-1/0/0 (2 Tbsp)

Treat of the Week: Lowfat Hood Ice Cream Sandwiches

You know, I haven't really talked much about myself recently. Not that I ever have, but it's been all about the ice cream recently. Well, two weeks ago, my long battle with my 60 mile commute (each way) came to an end. That's right, I have a new job. Not only is it closer to home, but it came with a phonetic increase....shame it didn't come with a salary increase. That's right, I now have the word manager in my title. Not quite sure how this makes me feel. I still do the same stuff that I've learned how to do over the last decade, but I guess now my decisions carry more weight. It's a good thing, we all need to grow, it's just weird.

This has not changed my love of ice cream ofcourse, I just have had a bit of a hard time getting the time to blog about it as much as I use to. I think it was only day 3 of my new job when I ran to the nearby Shaws (about 2 minutes away) and grabbed a box of ice cream sandwiches for the freezer. To spice things up...or maybe down, I decided to try the lowfat kind. It was $3.99 instead of $3.49, plus you only get 8 instead of 12.

They are pretty much what you expect from Hood: not terribly good. They could be worse, but I won't buy them again. The next day I realized that the freezer was too warm, and the sandwiches were still mush. The regular sandwiches probably would have faired a bit better, but it was too late. In reality I shouldn't have eaten it, but I was hungry. The next day they were STILL mushy, so I cranked the freezer up to max. My better judgement told me not to risk eating another warm mushy sandwich, especially one that wasn't that good to begin with.

So nay on the lowfat Hood ice cream sandwiches, but I will be sure to pick up other treats...well, after someone removes those strange gel packs from the freezer...maybe I'll use a different freezer, we have 3 of them.

Nutrition: 160 / 30-1.5 / < 1

This was a trick post. Under, Under, Over, Through is how I learned to tie a tie...the kind you need for a job interview. (Not sure I ever thanked my friend for teaching me that trick, so Thanks!)

Wow, that was a bad idea....

I didn't mean for it to be a bad idea, but wow, what happened? A decent rule of thumb is that chocolate sauce makes ice cream better. Sure, not for every flavor, but in general, sundaes rule. I was still in the mood for chocolate after dinner, even after my "appetizer" of some tasty Haagen-Dazs Rocky Road. I wasn't in the mood for Tagalong, so I decided to go for some chocolate chocolate chip. How could I go wrong...right?

I don't know, it just didn't work. The Nesquik tasted awful with every bite. It's not that the Nesquik went bad, I just had some chocolate milk with it the other day, it just didn't taste right. Maybe I still have that rich Haagan-Dazs cocoa taste stuck in my brain. I decided to mix it all together and hope for the best. It didn't help. It made the Stone Ridge Creamery chocolate chip taste like some ultra-cheap ice cream. I was tempted to throw it out and start over, but I finished it. I guess I'm just confused why it didn't work....it always works...weird...

Stone Ridge Creamery Rainbow Sherbet

Ok, first scoop reviews gonna be a bit concise since my eyeballs are already half closed. Well, I guess the container should be the tip off that this is a swirled sherbet and not a divided sherbet. I'll admit it looked a little funny when I first opened it, but I attempted to dig in anyway.

It's not so much that it's bad, it's that it's not that good. Thankfully it's not one of those salty sherbets. The flavors are just kinda blah. Sure, they are there, but they're weak and not particularly good. I ate it but I became less enthused with every bite. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for sherbet like I thought I was.

On Second Scoop: Yeah, this puppy is just kind of sitting in the freezer. I have a bit now and then, but it just doesn't excite me. I've been spoiled by Hola Fruta. I'm going to rank it below Friendly's Sherbet, and I guess place it in the same spot as Life Saver Sherbet. Maybe it's the fact it looks like yellow snow...

Nutrition: 110/0/0/

Double Dippin' continued

As I was headed into the freezer, I had a thought. Yesterday I decided I'd rather have Edy's over Breyers, but what if the choice was a bit fuzzier? Reaching in, would I rather have the Edy's (at 6g of saturated fat) or the Weight Watchers (at 1.5g)? I grabbed the weight watchers, but am I really satisfied? The choice just isn't that simple. If you need a fix, but it's getting late, the weight watchers is probably the way to go. If you are looking more for flavor, iunno, I'd be tempted to go Edy's. The chocolate shell does a good job of getting you a chocolate fix.

I guess it's not really a fair question in terms of a taste test, but in the world of watching what you eat, it has to be asked. Do you eat what you are hungry for, or eat what is best for you? Or in my case tonight, I didn't know what I wanted, so I went healthy.

Double Dippin'

Double Dippin' into the treat box today, I couldn't resist. I didn't want to do a direct side by side comparison, especially since I think I would just confuse myself again, so I spaced them out by several hours (that way thoughts of the first are still semi-fresh in my mind as I eat the second).

Up for comparison are two light ice cream bars: Edy's Cookies & Cream versus Breyer's Vanilla & Almond. I know they aren't exact matches but I can still compare them overall.

Which would I recommend? The Edy's actually. I didn't notice it before, but the texture of the Breyers kind of has this strange cool whip vibe to the ice cream. Maybe it's just from sitting in the freezer, but there was no freezer burn detectable (the treat box actually does a pretty good job keeping things safe). When I was done the Edy's, I wanted another. When I was done the Breyers, I was kinda glad I was done.

Again, this isn't a head to head comparison, but if I grab another one tomorrow, it will be the Edy's one.

Häagen-Dazs Rocky Road Ice Cream

Ok, apparently, I need to keep my taste buds in check now and then. Whether its once every other week or maybe every third week, I need to inject either Ben & Jerry's or Häagen-Dazs into my ice cream diet. Even though I've really been enjoying the Stone Ridge creamery chocolate chip ice cream these last few days, it only took one bite of this delicious flavor melting in my mouth to remind me of how great ice cream can be.

Haagen-Dazs Rocky Road Ice Cream (circa 2009 packaging)

Weight Watchers Chocolate Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Bar Review

Great, now I think I'm crazy. I would have bet money that I've already reviewed Weight Watchers regular Cookies & Cream ice cream bars. Did I not buy a big box of them from BJs? Was that before I started the blog maybe?? Must have been pre-blog I guess. I definitely remember eating them and that they were decent. Not fantastic mind you, this is a low cal treat, but definitely a favorable treat.

Weight Watchers Chocolate Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Bar

low fat chocolate ice cream with a cookie crunch coating

Stone Ridge Creamery Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I'd like to start this review with a little confession. This was suppose to be a review of Stone Ridge Creamery's "churned" Cookie Dough Ice Cream. Unfortunately the containers in front were a little beat up, so I reached in the back for a better one. I wound up grabbing a chocolate chip container because it looks almost identical to the cookie dough container. The embarrassing part is that I didn't notice until I cracked open the container and thought "where are all the cookie dough chunks???"

packaging circa 2009

Now it's been over two months since Stone Ridge was in the freezer, so let's recap from the beginning. Supervalu owns a whole bunch of grocery store chains, including my local Shaws. Like any nationwide chain, they make their own stuff. Now I haven't seen the Stone Ridge logo slapped on anything else, so it currently appears to be limited to ice cream, though maybe in your area it's different.

misTreat of the Week: Blue Bunny FrozFruit Superfruit Raspberry Acai

A few weeks ago, I started my day with a very tasty strawberry Coolatta. Sure it was like 16 degrees outside, but I really needed something sweet for my long commute to work. It was a decent day, and I decided to end it on the same note it started with. I looked around for something sweet, and then I remembered the FrozFruit Superfruit bars from Blue Bunny. I'm not a big Blue Bunny fan, but I've been on the lookout for fruity frozen treats ("fat free novelties") ever since Welch's stopped making their juice bars awhile ago.

Boy were my taste buds in for a shock. This is not a juice bar. It's not even a sherbet bar. It's a startling sorbet-type bar and I spit it out. Sure it was uncalled for, but I was so tired and flustered that I went with my initial reaction. I haven't yet gone back yet to try it again, maybe I will this afternoon.
On Second Scoop: Oh yeah! these are just as bad as I remember, maybe worse. Basically, it tastes like raspberry sorbet, which I don't really like, mixed with the tang of Acai berries. Maybe Acai berries are good and it's the sorbet that's bad, but either way, I really don't like these. The first thing you taste is the raspberry sorbet, but as you continue to chew, this strange taste takes over and my brain tells me to spit it out. Sorry, but why suffer??

2013 Update: FrozFruit still exists in individual bars, but boxes of them are gone, as is this particular flavor. The closest you can get now is a single serve strawberry frozfruit bar.

Nutrition: 60/0/

Great Value All Natural Strawberry Ice Cream

Welcome to the very first side by side ice cream comparison. Go ahead, try to guess which is Breyers and which is Great Value (Walmart). Tough isn't it?

Welcome to the last side by side ice cream comparison....possibly. I don't know. It seemed like a great idea at the time, but in reality, I just confused myself more. Now, technically I tried the Strawberry the other day, and it was definitely better than expected. I was anticipating something bland like my experience with their Cookie Dough ice cream, but instead I was greeted by a decent all natural ice cream. Nothing was striking me as out of place, just plain and simple, maybe a little less fruity than Breyers.

To make things obvious, I thought I could put them side by side and compare. My first thought was that the Breyers was a little creamier, but as I continued to eat, my ice cream covered taste buds found the differences to be less and less noticeable. If one had been awful, it would have been more obvious, but we aren't talking night and day here, we're talking 3 and 5 o'clock maybe, it's hard to say.

Update: doh! sorry! I left without saying which is which. The Breyers is on the left, Walmart on the right.

On Second Scoop: If you blindfolded me, I *think* I could tell the difference between these two because I still contend the Breyers is a bit creamier, but overall, they're just not a whole lot to separate them when they both clock in as "all natural strawberry". To be fair to Breyers, my wife has been eating the strawberry way more than me, and she contends that the big Walmart strawberry chunks just aren't nearly as good. I went to verify her assessment, but I couldn't find any more big chunks of strawberries even though there is still like a quarter of a container left...DOH!!!

Happy New Year!

Hmmmm, where o where to start? First, happy new year! make any resolutions? If you are on this blog, I'm guessing you didn't give up ice cream, hehehehe. If you did pick a diet as your resolution as so many do, remember, there are plenty of respectable low cal ice creams (and sherbets) out there. Hmmm, maybe I need to start tagging the the low fat stuff (shame I can't sort posts by calories). My resolution is to be a better blogger, but more on that later.

Ya know, I think I'm growing tired of shake week. As much as I enjoy a good shake, every day is starting to be a bit much. I love sitting down to some quality tv programming while I enjoy a bowl of the cold stuff. Having a shake just isn't the same.

Today's plan was to make milkshakes and pretzels. The shake we made was Twix based. It made a decent chocolate shake, but the Twix flavor was pretty much none existent (not that I was surprised). Technically I could have thrown some caramel in, but then the cookie flavor would have still been missing.

Awhile back, I saw pretzels on foodgawker and knew that at some point, I would have to try them. I think it's pretty obvious that I love food, and not just the frozen kind. I would love to be able to make the fancy meals that other people do, but it's just not going to happen. Sure, I try, and occasionally I manage to churn out a decent dessert from someone else's recipe, but overall, I just don't have the patient or talent to be a chef. Anyway, i read several recipes and decided to do my best to follow this one.

Well, I tried ...and failed. Cooking any kind of doughy product requires way more patience than I have: step, wait, step, wait, step, wait. Sure, different places have different wait times, so follow which ever recipe works best for you. Actually, the big problem was I messed up the recipe somewhere and wound up with super sticky dough. Maybe it was that half cup of dark brown sugar that I shouldn't have added...2 tablespoons, half cup, same thing right? That's what I get for reading 5 recipes at the same time.

Actually, they kinda taste like bagels or something, or maybe that bread you get at Longhorn. I should have made them way thinner, but the stickiness was really frustrating me. Like I said, I want to cook, but that doesn't mean I can. I had sprinkled 2 of them with sugar and they taste the best (I already ate them both). Had i dipped the pretzels in some kind of sugary mix instead of water with baking soda, I think they would have made a good breakfast snack. Live and learn I guess.

**Whoa, whacky idea just hit me. What if you took the pretzel dough and put it in a cupcake tray? Could you make pretzel bowls for your ice cream? How cool would that be?!? Do they make oversized cupcake trays, or some kind of mini loaf maybe? I miss pretzel cones.

Back to my blogging resolution. There are two problems for any website. The first is getting people to your site, the second is keeping them there. I'm a long way from mastering either, so if you want to post a comment with some ideas or suggestions, go right ahead. Are my descriptions lacking? Should I have more details like ingredients? I think more pictures always helps, the most popular blogs always look great. (I had this whole paragraph written in my head earlier and now I've totally forgotten everything). Oh well, happy new year! May 2009 be better than we all expect.