Celebrating Ice Cream in July

Very Vanilla Cherry Pistachio and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
In celebration of July being Ice Cream month, Nielson Massey delivered their Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract to my doorstep. The representative shared a delicious coconut milk based ice cream, too. I’m looking forward to trying it one day. For now, I love a good ice cream with whole milk and cream. It’s still the best source for vitamin D and calcium. Of course, it’s loaded with sugar, but… let’s not have a nutritious scientific data talk. It’s summer. Temperatures are 95° and above. Icy desserts, such as a Very Vanilla Cherry Pistachio and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream should be savored (or devoured). Read more

Beautifully Serene Lavender Fields

Strawberry Lavender Sorbet

After weeks of resting well and looking at the four corners of my apartment, a good friend suggested we drive two hours to Lavender by the Bay in East Marion, New York. They have a booth in Union Square’s farmer’s market selling lavender bunches, dried lavender for cooking, lavender sachets and more. After reassuring the boyfriend the trip is mostly sitting in a car, walking around the fields for less than an hour and driving another two hours back to the city, my friend and I  left Brooklyn one foggy, mild Thursday morning. We picked a weekday, because the crowds would’ve been too stressful for me (I’m not in the condition to stand in line). We also took a chance, because the weather stations predicted t-storms starting around 1 pm. We started our trip at 7:30 am, so we can return to the city before the heavy rains.  Read more

Appetizing Thoughts: Taharka Bros. Ice Cream Saves the Day

Taharka Bros. Poster
I need a break from the news. It’s emotionally draining, upsetting and people are either insensitive, forgetful and/or arrogant. I mean… there’s a rage growing inside of me. As this piece is being written, I’m finishing reading, The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson. It tells the story of the Jim Crow laws at the turn of the 20th century through the history of three people who left the south to pursue a better life in Northern cities and on the West coast. It explains how history created present day wealth gaps and how racism has evolved. Between this beautifully written historical book and today’s news, it makes me wanna scream.

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Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream

Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream

Plum Buttermilk Ice Cream

Bless his heart. Now that I’m working, my boyfriend is taking over a few household chores, including light grocery shopping. He mostly buys drinks, which are too heavy for me to carry home (In New York, grocery shopping is done in increments, a cab is hailed or the store has delivery service). Perhaps, I’m too controlling, but I don’t want him to shop for food until he’s been in the kitchen with me for a while. Read more

Orangesicle Ice Cream and Roast Bananas with Rum Caramel Sauce

Cara Cara Orangesicle Ice Cream and Roast Banana with Rum Caramel Sauce

Remember when your hearing was sharp as kid? The Ice Cream Truck’s jingle was heard 20 blocks away. We were efficient team multi-taskers, too. At that sound, everyone immediately stop playing to run inside their homes to beg the parents for a couple dollars and change. If Mom and Dad said a firm “no,” we proactively broke the piggy bank after climbing on a stool topped with books to get a few dollars and change (When Mom eventually found an empty piggy bank, it wasn’t a good day in our household… pink slips and red bottoms were delegated). Of course, we ran after that truck to loudly communicate for it to slow down. It wasn’t until the truck saw dollar bills in our hands; it would come to a complete stop. We requested our new client for chocolate dipped cones, fruit pops, cherry flavored candies and Orangesicle Ice Cream. Read more