going back to Denali....

 

Counting on Denali again for our next review!

Kemps Premium Frozen Yogurt Denail Moose Tracks

Greetings everybody, my aplogies for taking so long to actually post this review. Life has been immensely busy this past week. Most of it comes from the fact that our baby boy was sick and is just now starting to eat and sleep again the way he should, but then toss in a massive project at work (which I could very well be graded on by my new bosses) and you have yourself the makings of an ice cream lover who has found a stunning new treat and can't find the hour or so he needs to share it with you....

Wait, did you just catch my use of the word stunning? You see Kemps frozen yogurt in the title and then you think back to the Kemp's yogurt I was so hard on last year. Was I just too harsh last time? Heck no, I still stand by my findings that those little parfait cups are absolutely disgusting ---BUT--- this is not tart yogurt my friends, this is sweet yogurt, and you're gonna be impressed!

Behold Kemps Premium Frozen yogurt with live & active cultures, oh boy! This is their Moose Tracks flavor, it's artificially flavored vanilla frozen yogurt with peanut butter cups swirled with moose tracks fudge. It even has that Denali "Original" Moose Tracks logo on the container. (I thought someone might have guessed it from the picture, but I freely admit that even though I tried, it still wasn't a very good shot).

Ok, here's an opening shot just below the surface. The fudge swirls are hiding in the center there. This behavior continues throughout the ice cream. Not sure if it's just my container or it's always like that. Notice the lone peanut butter cup at the top there.

Here's one of the pb cups during the Penny Test.

Here's one sliced open. Keep in mind this pb cup is fresh from the cold ice cream yet the peanut butter is an ooey gooey substance already. If you let the pb cup sit out for awhile, the whole thing will be pretty much start to melt and be extremely smushy.

So you are thinking this is all well and good, but I said it was stunning, so get to the point already! Was I stunned by a boatload of pb cups? 'fraid not. there's an ok smattering of them, but nothing to write home about. Ok, so is it the fudge swirl then? well, the swirl is pretty nice. It's quiet stiff actually, you definitely wouldn't call it a ribbon. Sometimes it's thick and sometimes it branches out into much thinner swirls. The taste is different too (compared to other swirls). Still, that's not why I was impressed.

Oh the suspense is killing me!! Well, still a little too tired for that, but you have to believe me when I say, holy freholy batman, what has Kemps done?!?! They must have quadruple churned this stuff because the texture is simply fantastic. It really is amazing, and Kemps didn't even have to pay me off to say that. This texture would be good in an ice cream, and they've pulled it off in a frozen yogurt!!

Have I mentioned the texture yet? You really have to dig for signs that this isn't some kind of trick. It does start to melt quicker than a standard ice cream BUT the cool thing there is that it's super easy to scoop. If you just need a half dozen bites to tide you over to dinner, that's cool, just dig right in. You don't have to fight with it, it's ready to eat (and no, it wasn't the freezer just on a warm cycle, I've dug into this stuff 4 or 5 times now and it's always the same). And there's no frustrating gummy texture either. Sure, it's easy enough to pile in the additives to fluff up your froyo, but Kemps has avoided that. They've gone into the food labs and worked on this 'til they got it just right.

Overall impressions? I'm impressed, I can't say that enough and it's been bugging me since Sunday that I wasn't able to spread the word. Flavor wise, it's respectable and I like it, but I don't adore it. the funny thing is, there's 3 ways to taste this ice cream. First, scoop just the vanilla and you have yourself a pleasant simple bite. Second, grab some fudge in your scoop and run that way. I got varying amounts of fudge in my scoop by the bites tasted similar enough. Lastly, it's peanut butter time. Those little cups will take over the scoop if you manage to snag one (and like I said, you get them somewhat often, but not in every bite). It's kind of like having vanilla, fudge & peanut butter ice cream randomly mixed together.

Yes, there is a mild frozen yogurt aftertaste, but it's not bad, it just is. Sometimes that yogurt aftertaste can ruin the whole thing, but I'm ok with it. My only real suggestion here would be this ice cream would simple rock if they would use vanilla bean instead of artificial vanilla (probably vanillin). The texture is already super impressive, but I can only imagine if those amazing little scoops had flecks of vanilla bean in them. Oh yeah, now then it would be near perfect.

Ok, I'll stop gushing over this new product (that I found at Market Basket). I can't wait to try another of their flavors.

Oh geez, can't forget the health benefits. Now there is fudge and pb cups, so you can't expect a miracle, but the overall fat content is still pretty respectable and makes it easy to justify a double (or triple) serving.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1/2 cup (70g) Servings Per Container 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories 170	from Fat 60
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g	11%
- Sat Fat 2.5g	13%
- Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 10mg	3%
Sodium 80mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 24g	8%
- Dietary Fiber <1g	4%
- Sugars 19g
Protein 3g
Vitamin A 0%	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 8%	Iron 0%

And our next victim is.....

Sorry, it's too late to start writing the next review, but that doesn't mean I can't try to keep everyone in suspense.

Ok, that's probably not the best picture, but I'm guessing some of you -think- you know what it is ...well, you are partially right, but this particular version has a very unique attribute. Stay Tuned!

I wonder as I wander

I wonder as I wander ...down the hallway --- sorry, but seriously, sometimes I wonder if I think a little too much about ice cream. I was stumbling down the hallway to grab the crying baby at 2:30 in the morning when a rogue thought dashes across my head --- Carrot Cake Ice Cream! Would it work? would it rock? or would it be a disgusting mess?

I'm not sure I've ever met a carrot cake I didn't eat. Sure, they can't all be wonderful, but man oh man do I love carrot cake. I remember when the budget was tight in college, we use to buy these cheap cake kits that came with carrot cake mix and a paper tray. All you had to do was add water and bake. Half for me and half for my wife, now that was a tasty lunch!

So, has anyone ever tried carrot cake ice cream? I don't think I've ever seen it, so I did a quick google search and the first company that came up was Whitey's out of Illinois. Seems Carrot Cake is one of their limited fall flavors. It's a shame shipping ice cream is so expensive, I'm always happy to try a new brand of ice cream.

Now, to my point (besides carrot cake) -- Somehow, Whitey's ships milkshakes!! I have to ask, how??? not only do they just ship milkshakes, but you can pick from tons of flavors! Now that's just super cool, and if I didn't have two kids, I might consider blowing a hundred bucks just to see what it's like ....ok, maybe not, but I can tell myself I would so I feel just a little bit more adventurous....

Blue Bunny's BIG Double Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich

YAY! I'm back in action! Ok, I took it a little easy today and decided to stay away from anything heavy or chocolatly, but I did head back into the freezer for the first time since Thursday (I think it was Thursday, the end of last week was a blur for me with a gigantic lack of sleep, which is probably why I got sick). I never know how much to share, but my appetite has been very confused as I recover. We keep our shelves highly diversified and I didn't want any of it. I'm just unamused by food at the moment. I'll be hungry for a milkshake for about 3 seconds and then suddenly switch gears and go no way am I drinking anything cold and heavy right now. Instead, I'll admit that I've been eating carrots all day ....don't ask me why.

Then, for whatever reason, the urge hit me at around 7:30 tonight. I finally realized what I was in the mood to try - The Blue Bunny BIG Double Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich, a mere George Washington in the Wal-mart freezer section (sorry, not sure where else to pick these up). I like strawberry Sedonas so much, it just seemed like something I needed to try. I also like the fact that I can buy just one so there's no risk of wasting the whole box.

Now that's what I call an ice cream sandwich! I can openly admit that I'm one of those people that tends to eat ice cream sandwiches in pairs. I can't help it, I'm hungry! Those strawberry dots may look a little weird on the side, but once you dig in they look like your standard swirl. It's also a little squished in the picture, but that's from being bumped around the freezer for the last couple of weeks.

Here's a side by side view with another Blue Bunny ice cream sandwich. They are about the same width and length, but the strawberry is definitely more stuffed, and it's a nice stuffing too. It's an impressively fluffy texture actually. It tricks your brain into thinking it's a nice fresh treat instead of some frozen dessert. Wait, that doesn't make sense ....or does it?

The flavor and texture combo can best be described as a vanilla cupcake with a nice strawberry frosting. It even smells like a cupcake! This sandwich comes together surprisingly well. I was pleasantly surprised. It's not even a heavy snack. Even the wafers are nice - sure, they might be a smidge dry, but I'm just not sure because there is so much ice cream here that it really doesn't matter.

Nice job Blue Bunny, this was a nice treat to get rolling with. No, I wouldn't eat this if I wasn't in the mood for strawberry, but if you are in the mood for strawberry, or even a cupcake, this should hit the spot.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 sandwich (109g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 260	from Fat 90
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g	15%
- Sat Fat 6g	28%
- Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 30mg	11%
Sodium 115mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 40g	13%
- Dietary Fiber <1g	4%
- Sugars 22g
Protein 4g
Vitamin A 6%	Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 10%	Iron 0%

Stone Ridge Creamery 100 Calorie Mini Ice Cream Cones

I was home watching my little buddy yesterday, so that mean's a nice midday snack of something to review for the blog. I was doing my best to relax and not worry about work, or chores, or anything else. I did my best to clear my mind and figure out what the best treat would be, and then it hit me. Chocolate! I need Chocolate! My chocolate addiction is in full swing this week, so let's see what we can do about it.

Ahhhh, here to help is Stone Ridge Creamery with their 100 Calorie mini ice cream cones. And it's not just chocolate ice cream, it's Chocolate ice cream with chocolate swirls in a chocolate cone. Mmmm, I do adore Chocolate Ice Cream Cones.

Ooooooo, shiny! Ok, don't ask me why it's shiny but I'm sure it will get everyone's attention. Actually, it kind of reminds me of a candy bar wrapper.

Ugggg. That wrapper may be shinny, but it's not well made. I've opened 3* of these bad boys and every time the wrapper sticks to the cone and yanks off some of the chocolate swirl --- to show this, the image above is actually the same cone. It doesn't help that the swirl is extremely thin, so it offers up no resistance when you are pulling the wrapper off.

Ok, enough observing, let's dig in!

Oh, weird, the ice cream has the texture of frozen soft server. The taste is fine, but man o man is the texture off. Hmmm, guess that's how they got to 100 calories! The whole treat only weighs 38 grams! Ok, looks like licking is the only way to get around this texture problem for now. That, or well, I was kind of shoving the ice cream done into the cone, which has a somewhat nullifying effect on the airiness of the ice cream. Wait, did I just sneak nullify into my review?

Now, for me (and I've said this before), it's all about the cone. The cone has to deliver the crunch. No crunch, no interest. Zero. Zip. If you can't bring the crunch to the game, don't bother showing up, you've already lost.

Well, it's not perfect, but we have some crunch. It's not perfectly crunchiness, we do have some intermittant chewiness, but to make up for it, we have chocolate. Mmmmm, I do love chocolate cones and I'm so happy to see a company bring chocolate happiness to a mini cone. the low cal chocolate ice cream is going well with the chocolate cone. Not awesome, not great, but I'm happy enough at the moment. The only problem is, I wasn't full, so I happily had another.

*Guess what? I've already done my second scoop, it was at 5:45AM this morning. Usually I just have OJ before I start to get ready for work, but I was dieing for a little something special --- time for a mini cone! You know what seals the deal for me? The little bit of extra chocolate swirl at the bottom of the cone. This may be some kind of funky low cal ice cream, and the treat does start slow, but the cone finishes strong and leaves the perfect chocolate aftertaste in your mouth. It's the same reason I love drumsticks.

Recap: Not perfect, but definitely worth a try!

Cleaning the freezer out

The last of the Snickers ice cream, the last of the Stone Ridge Peanut Butter Cup, some 2% organic milk and just the right amount of Nesquik = an absolutely awesome afternoon milkshake.

Blue Bunny Bunny Tracks Personals

Ahhh, it's a good day to be an ice cream reviewer, you want to know why? Because I found a new little friend today! (sorry, DQ is on hold until at least tomorrow). The funny thing is, I was just talking to someone about how it's been a while since I've really been wowed by Blue Bunny.

Super Fudge Brownie started slow, and ended ok. Bunny Tracks is a whole nother story. The exact description is vanilla flavored ice cream with thick fudge and peanut butter caramel ribbons, chocolate covered peanuts and peanut butter filled chocolate bunnies. It does sound potentially good, but I've tried other flavors with similar descriptions only to be disappointed.

From the very first bite, you're going to realize Bunny Tracks is a special flavor that should please anyone who loves chocolate with their peanut butter. It's been awhile since it's happened, but this is one of those flavors where you take your first scoop and go "whoa, what was that? that's not what I expected". I was prepared for boring, bland or buttery, but instead I got bite. Oh yeah, when chocolate and peanut butter come knocking on the door, they better be prepared with that salty textured zest I crave. I had my first bite and immediately needed more.

Just look at the scattering of mix-ins. Within four or five bites, I was won over, and do you want to know why? This little bunny bowl reminds me of my love of Reese Peanut Butter Cup blizzards. As long as they aren't over-blended, PB cup Blizzards have that awesome melty yet ice cold creaminess mixed with the chunks of perfection known as Reese Peanut Butter cup bits. I love those blizzards with a passion and I'm really diggin' this treat right now.

With the Super Fudge Brownie, the brownie bits were small and just didnt make that big of an impact. Again, bunny tracks is the total opposite. There is some kind of tasty crunchy bit in every bite. Whether it's the cool little bunnies or the chocolate covered peanuts (or both), you get something in every bite. I really do need to stress that these aren't the mellow, saltless, textureless peanut butter cups like the ones in Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup. No, these bites are distinct and pleasantly crunchy. Yet again I'm remind of a tasty blizzard that hopefully has pb cup bits in every bite.

technical note: the pb bunnies are smaller than a penny here, while the bunnies in Alpine Strawberry were bigger than a penny. This isn't a problem, but when you first scoop one, your brain will go "hmmm, this bunny seems smaller than last time".

Overall, I am very pleased with this flavor and I was so sad to see it go. If I had bought two of this flavor, or if I had a bigger container, I totally would have gone in for a second bowl. It's just that good, go try some!

The only plausible complaint you might see below here is that the fat content is a little high, but this is peanut butter ice cream we're talking about, so you're going to get some added protein with that extra fat.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1/2 cup (75g) Servings Per Container 2
Amount Per Serving
Calories 210	from Fat 110
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g	19%
- Sat Fat 7g	33%
- Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 25mg	9%
Sodium 85mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 22g	7%
- Dietary Fiber <1g	3%
- Sugars 19g
Protein 4g
Vitamin A 4%	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 10%	Iron 0%

Back in Business

It has been well over a year, but finally, I've got a camera phone back in my pocket (thanks work!)

My phone's first subject is the very fun to say "Choco Taco" (Hmmm, colors are a little off, but at least the image quality is decent). If you recall, I had such high hopes during the first choco taco review, but I was left feeling jipped out of my $2. Well, I was at Shaws last week, and Choco Tacos were half off! That means a mere 50 cents to give this treat one more try...

AND

...it's just awful!! The one I've picked up is disgustingly chewy. I was so hungry for ice cream that I kept trying to eat it, but man, this isn't even worth 50 cents. I could have poured chocolate syrup on some wet cardboard and had the exact same dining experience. Awful. Awful. Awful.

Beware!

Turkey Hill Light Recipe Extreme Cookies n' Cream

In my Blue Bunny Personals review, I mentioned Market Basket had a respectable selection of Turkey Hill Ice Cream. At first I picked up an awesome container of Box of Chocolates, but then with the blog in mind, I put it back down and decided to go with something that hasn't been on the blog yet. Since I don't really have anything low fat in the freezer, right now, I decided to go with one of their light recipes.

Behold Turkey Hill's Extreme Cookies 'n Cream light recipe ice cream. Why is it extreme? Is this just another marketing ploy? Oh no, Turkey Hill has a secret weapon up it's sleeve: a crunchy chocolate cookie swirl!

Ok, those aren't exactly swirls now are they? I'm not complaining (much). I didn't really expect the swirl to hold together as well as it is shown on the label. That huge brown chunk you see in the middle of the image above is a chunk of swirl. It's got a decent thickness to it which means you also get some crunch with it, plus the flavor is pretty good. The dark brownish/blackish chunks are the cookie bits, complete with a bit of cream filling. These also have a nice crunch to them. It's easy enough to make a flavor with tiny bits or soggy bits, so I am definitely pleased with the crunch level here.

The low fat chocolate base isn't bad, but there is a hint of chewiness. Nothing awful, but the texture is a smidge off, but when can only complain with half the fat. Chocolate flavor is decent, and the whole thing comes together pretty well. My biggest thought while eating this was actually "hmmm, I wonder if this would make an awesome milkshake?"  I hope to answer that question with a second scoop soon.

On Second Scoop: I can admit that this flavor isn't doing a whole lot for me. It's not bad, it's just not super exciting. It's just one of those so-so/decent flavors, but I will admit that I was starting to have some fun as a I discovered several layers of cookie crunch close to each other in the center of the container. Hey, you take what excitement you can get and run with it!

On Third Scoop: Oh man, the third time was a charm on this flavor. I just dug into these huge chunks of crunchy cookie swirl layer and it was heavenly. It was like a thin layer of chocolate ice cream between two thinly sliced brownies (or like a regular Oreo cookie but with ice cream instead of cream). Oh man I wish every bite was like those several I just had. I know they can't be, but man, simply fantastic. Mmmmm, even leaves you with an awesome aftertaste.

troubled timetables tipping treats towards turbulent tastebuds

ok, that doesn't even make a lick of sense does it, I blame the dumb cold I have. It messed me up a little more than I wanted to yesterday. I did have a turkey hill treat, and I've got the pictures ready for the article, but it's 10:20pm and I really should lay my weary head to rest.

let's quick do some news coverage so you don't feel like your visit was in vein: cool, a "local" farm co-op is getting into the ice cream biz (read here). They picked 10 flavors to start with, I wonder if they would let me sample them? hehehe, I can be there in about an hour! Mooooooo!!

whoa whoa whoa: performance ice cream??? According to BevNET.com that's exactly what's coming at us, a "world's first" according to Pro Foods... HOLY COW BELLS, 40 grams of protein!! wait, it's actually 10g of protein per 1/2 cup serving. That is alot, but a respectable nut-based ice cream can have 5 grams, so that number isn't quite as crazy as it first seems. I'm willing to try anything, but I'm thinking this one is best saved for right before I mow or some other strenuous task.

Ok, time to rest, 'til tomorrow.