Time to get Friendly

Yesterday I owed Rabid a lunch, but he had packed one already, in fact - he had extra. So he gave a sandwich to me and I treated him to some ice cream. Where did we go? Well - we decided on Friendly's. He had one of the classics - the Fribble. Rabid's a lover of the milkshake, and in my opinion of all the milkshakes you can get out on the Road - Friendly's Fribble is definitely tops. I hate to go back to the same places again and again, but if you want to get one of the best milkshakes anywhere - go to Mother Myrick's in Manchester, VT. Definitely topping the all time list of a real milkshake.

So what did I have, The Forbidden Fudge Brownie Sundae.




















Here's what Friendlys has to say about it "Forbidden Fudge Brownie - Be a little bad! Tempt your taste buds with Forbidden Chocolate® ice cream mixed with brownie chunks, hot fudge and Swiss chocolate toppings. Finished with whipped topping and sprinkles. Go for it!"

This was really, really good. The brownie chunks held up well, which is always tricky in ice cream. A brownie that's amazing outside ice cream, isn't always the one you want in ice cream. I'm sure this is a well protected secret formula designed specifically for adding to sundaes.

The only way this could have been better is if I had remembered to get water. The problem with a sundae is that you almost always get overloaded, and can no longer taste all the nuances. Unless - of course - you take a break. The problem then, is you run the risk of having a puddle. Especially when you eat it outside in a to go container like I did. It should be noted that I didn't give or take points for presentation, since I got it to go.

So this dessert is rated 4.5 chomps on a scale of 0-5 (5 being the best.) The one problem, there were some ice crystals in the ice cream that detracted slightly from the dessert. Now I know - this isn't the fanciest dessert, aand it's probably not even very healthy - but I was content after I ate this. I needed nothing more (except a drink of water) when I was done. That's a great feeling, and it's what I'm after when I eat desserts.

Just remeber - like all things in life - your results may vary.

Ahhh... the Brownie

I'm quite pleased with Sweet Science. Not only is the owner/operator/baker a peach, she also brings me food to test out, along with some other friends. So far there hasn't been a bad one in the bunch.

The latest two to land on my desk were a spicy brownie and just a simple classic brownie. One was cut into triangle shapes (the spicy one) and here's the classic brownie, cut into the classic square. You may be able to see that there's a bit taken out of this, thanks to Rabid for the picture taking. His phone has a flash for the camera!



Wow! The spicy brownie was very tasty, and then.. the heat crept in. It snuck right up on me. It was definitely spicy! Not hot, sear the back of your throat closed and administer epinephrine.. no - it was just a nice warming that crept up the back of the tongue and slid across the throat a moment later.

Thinking on the heat, I suppose it's not that different in some ways from the heat you get from whiskey - but a totally different delivery system and the heat with the brownie also settled in and didn't leave right away. Can you tell I was sampling some whiskey recently? Of course, it was some of the good stuff - not the really pricey whiskey that your average guy or girl can't afford - but the very reasonably priced and very delicious Makers Mark. I know - that really doesn't have anything to do with dessert, does it? Still- I can't shake the similarity of that heat. I also love the melted wax that every bottle of Maker's Mark is sealed with.

So on to the classic brownie. Very classic, not too fudgey, not too crumbly - it was a great middle ground. It was very much a chocolate brownie, not just a brownie with a little chocolate and then some fats, oils and salts to try to 'fake' it. No - this was the real thing you were tasting. I happen to love the corner and edge pieces of brownies as I like the crispness you get at the edge and the nice moisture at the middle - but then those are typically the fudgey brownies I'm cooking. I wasn't left wanting with this one, except that I wanted to have about another half tray of them. This lady definitely got the simple basic brownie right - though I doubt it was as simple and basic in the making it as the end result appeared to be. This is a good jumping off point for those who like to add a few 'extras' to - but it doesn't leave you with the feeling something is missing if it's not in this brownie. I sure hope Sweet Science makes her treats more readily available - though a little bird has told me that Dobra Tea in Burlington might carry some of her tasty treats.

Soon, there will be some competition in play at my desk as Sweet Science will no longer be the only brownie in town, no. Vermont Brownie Company is coming.

They promise to tempt with Espresso, Mint and even White Chocolate with Raspberries. I did sample some early test brownies, but haven't yet had the pleasure of trying out the finished product for you. (hint, hint)

What goes better with cookies than dreams?

A cookie was dropped off to me - which I love! Anyone who wants to bring me desserts - please do!

Unfortunately my phone is not at my side!?! Pretty shocking.

I almost gave up on posting, and even life in general, or at least eating Cool Ranch Doritos - but I decided to get up, dust myself off and get back on the blogging horse I ride every day. It was a pretty big move.

So yeah, no phone means I don't have a picture of the cookie. When I retrieve it - I will post a picture of the tag that was attached to the cookie. The Cookie has been eaten - so there's no hope of one for now, and I couldn't find one online. The cookie, however, was from "Cookies & Dreams" though not, apparently, the chain store that bears the same name. These are for the New England Autism Center and are to raise funds for vocational opportunities for Autistic children. There's a whole story about it you can read here (Thanks Google for caching things!)


The tag, as you can see (or will shortly), is in the shape of a puzzle piece as they are 'putting the pieces together in Vermont' for kids with autism. Kind of a cool thing. You get to eat a cookie, and support a good cause. I actually have known a number of people with autism, from mile to severe, and many of them are quite well adjusted folk. One of the people I know actually didn't speak a word, occasionally making a sound or two, until she was more than three years old. You couldn't tell now as she's probably one of the most talkative people I know. I think she's making up for lost time - of course as women frequently speak more than men, word for word in a day, it could have been a normal amount and I'm just inflating things unrealistically. I do have a tendency to exaggerate once or twice a year.

Anyway - on to the cookie! If I can define a comfort dessert - it would definitely be the chocolate chip cookie. As a result - I don't frequently buy them. The Nestle Tollhouse tubes in the freezer section just don't get it right, the pre-cooked and pre-packaged storebought ones don't either. They either are crisp and flat, huge and half cooked, taste like some lab concoction, or are much like cardboard with some chips tossed in for good measure. Not this cookie. It was just like mom used to make, only better as it hadn't been sitting around for 20 years getting dry, stale and moldy. It was a tad soft - but that's what happens when a cookie isn't eaten straight from the oven. That's really the only way this cookie could have been more satisfying. On the Chocolate Chip Cookie scale - I'd definitely give it a 9, maybe a 9.5 on the olympic scale of a perfect ten. If I could eat one out of the oven and have a glass of cold milk nearby to chase it with - I believe we would have attained perfection.

Speaking of scales, I'm looking to create a scale of my own. So look for that to appear soon - so you can receive a clear rating of all these desserts I'm tasting.

I would love to tell you where this cookie came from - but it's still unclear. In the meantime - if you want to order some or offer assistance theres a number attached to the tag 802-999-8024 or newenglandautismcenter@gmail.com. I'm in touch with the folks who are behind this and I'll provide updates as I hear anything new.

Does anyone make these?

I've been trying to find something that I can't find anywhere, and on the advice of a Friend TL, I'm going to ask about it here. I'm looking for sour sprinkles - sour jimmies if you prefer. I can't seem to find them anywhere - though I can find sour everything else. I could probably find an entire sour village if I wanted to - but no sour sprinkles. Chocolate, multicolored rainbow sprinkles, christmas holly berry and leaf sprinkles, colored sugar to sprinkle on desserts - yep, in every color you can imagine. Yet no sour to sprinkle onto ice cream. I even saw Sour Legs a few times and you can check them out or buy them online if you really want to.

But no sour sprinkles. What in the world are my sour loving friends and family to do? On a side note, I don't get the whole sour thing. Doesn't do anything for me.. It's kinda like the 'bet you can't eat this pepper' thing. I don't give people food to see them in pain... it's against everything I believe in. However, a few of my friends really do love sour things, they make them laugh. Who am I to argue with their joy?

If you know of a place to get all things sour - please comment below!

Finally - our winner - Juniors Cannoli!

Ladies and gentlemen - our winner!



Yes, it's the Cannoli from The Bakery at Juniors in Colchester, VT. This was the hands down high vote (received some 'offline' votes for this in addition to the votes online.)

That picture is what they look like, snagged right from Juniors website. Here's the picture from my cellphone of what I actually picked up.



Something very cool - they fill them to order. They have a display case with plastic clam shells you can grab and bring to the counter, so you get just the shell you want - then they go in back and fill it for you right there. Very cool - I've only ever seen these in some of the other small markets in the area pre-filled. My bet, it's going to be better having been filled just moments ago. Of course, people in more metropolitan areas think this is how they're always served, heck - a co-worker of mine informed me he used to go to a place where you could have parties and get unfilled cannolis shells/tubes and fill them yourself. Not always the case out here in the Boondocks.

So the look of this is great, though I will admit - I've never been a big fan of Cannoli. I like the name, I like the look - but something altogether about the taste never won me over. However, I think it's partially because I had something that was assembled long before, and not fresh like this. Also - it reminds me of a candle burning at both ends.

See the similarity:




However, this was much tastier than others I have eaten. The ricotta was definitely nicely blended, with mini chocolate chips scattered throughout. Now - I normally prefer shaved chocolate, but this is good. There's a taste of lemon to the filling and Cinnamon to the shell. The powdered sugar was, surprisingly, a bit much. A quick 'tap-tap' took care of some of the excess. I have to say, if you are at all a fan on Cannoli - then go to Italy, or New York City and grab yourself one. If however, you are in Vermont and don't have the time or money - go to Juniors Italian in Colchester, VT. As much as I , a certified Cannoli non-connoisseur, liked these - they're sure to please the Cannoli lover in you.

Oh, and if you do go - the 'Meat lovers' pizza is the bomb! Great crust, loaded with amazing meats, and it's perfectly offset by a slice of tomoato basil pizza too. Just be prepared.. if you eat two slices, that means you will be very full when it's time to eat dessert. Or, eat the dessert first - it's always a way to insure you're not too full!

My all time favorite

Ok, you probably wonder what my favorite all time dessert is... well, it's (drum roll please) Tiramisu!



Yep, to me it's definitely the taste of heaven in your mouth. In fact, I stole that line from another website Heavenly Tiramisu which you should visit if you want to find their 'best ever' Tiramisu and, if you're daring, some great recipes for making the stuff on your own. If you do, don't skimp! Buy the freshest ingredients, and don't buy the store's brand of Mascarpone as you will regret it. It's actually relatively inexpensive to make an entire Tiramisu - when you look at the price per slice in a restaurant. I'm a bit of a Tiramisu purist as well. I don't eat mine with Caramel, brownies or multiple layers. That's not Tiramisu, though it might be tasty. If it doesn't have individual lady fingers at the bottom, mascarpone in the middle and chocolate dusted on the top - then it's not Tiramisu.

This recipe has some good advice, though I admit I haven't made it. One of the recipes I have made a few times is SUFO's Tiramisu. SUFO = Stand Up Flip Over. Now, I admit - my first few times - it didn't go so well.

Mistake #1 - I used soft lady fingers and let them soak.
Mistake #2 - I used a french press to make strong coffee, instead of espresso.
Mistake #3 - I used too much of a very dark rum, which overpowered the taste of the Tiramisu.
Mistake #4 - I let the Mascarpone get too warm - always, always keep it cold!

When you make Tiramisu - use hard ladyfingers and just touch them to the espresso/rum mixture. Just dip, flip, dip. Dip it in for about 1/2 to one second, flip it over and dip it again for another 1/2 to a second. That's it. Then drink the rum/coffee mixture if you want when you're done - Julia Child would... Actually if the rum tastes good when drinking, then it will taste good in the dessert - so be like Julia, sample - then adjust. Use a rum that's flavorful enough that you would drink it by itself. Something you would, or could, sip. You're not doing shots here (yet) so anything clear or highly flammable is out.

A note to anyone who has eaten Tiramisu from a supermarket or Chain Restaurant (like Olive Garden)- that's not really what I would call Tiramisu. Tiramisu is much more delicate and has much more of a custard type texture to it. If you want to taste a real Tiramisu - find the best Italian restaurant in your area, ask them if they make their own, and then try that. If you don't have one, look for one in a local gourmet store. If it says 'Tiramisu cake' it may not be the real thing, though it might be tasty! Oh - and never eat Tiramisu frozen - it's not meant to be eaten frozen and you will miss out on most of the flavor if you eat it that way.

Enjoy, or as the Italians say.. Enjoy. Something seems missing there - but then all the Italians I know are all like 5th generation Americans now.

Brain freeze

So what dessert do you eat on a hot summer night to fend off a hangover from all the beer you were drinking through the day? Well, if I were to guess, it would be Sorbet.





This is another dessert I suspect came from some 'Super Mega Food, Office Supply and Furniture Store'. Does that matter? Probably not. Was it tasty? Well... let's start from the beginning. The presentation of these were great. The different flavors were Mango, Coconut, Pineapple, Pina Coloada and Lemon. They all came in an appropriate fruit. The Mango in a half Mango, the Coconut in a coconut shell, Pineapple and Pina Colada in a pineapple and the Lemon in a lemon half. Great idea for presentation - but I don't think it worked in practice. Here's why. When I started eating the lemon, it was great, it was cold, but tart and sweet at the same time. As I got deeper into the sorbet, and closer to the rind of the lemon, it became bitter and much more sour. The sweetness was overwhelmed completely. If I didn't like lemon as much as I do - I probably would have tossed it.

I don't believe that was the case with the other flavors, though I would definitely wonder if the coconut shell affected the flavor of the coconut sorbet. I suppose it depends on how much of the coconut meat is left on the shell.

My advice, get sorbet, or better yet an italian ice like Luigi's. I've definitely had good luck with that. Now, in fairness, I do think that the food in it's own fruit is a great idea - *IF* you make it at home. If you have the time, it's very easy to make it yourself with this easy recipe. Just get large lemons!