Yummy Cake Batter Goodness!

OK, maybe this concoction is a bit over the top, but you get the idea...

ice cream on the "cold stone"

cake batter ice cream to go!

For anyone not familiar with Cold Stone Creamery, please do yourself a favor and find the store closest to you, and try it. Just once. This is like a gourmet ice cream shop. For anyone that is familiar with the Boston area, right in Fanieul Hall there used to be a place called Steve's Ice Cream. Quincy Market/Fanieul Hall used to be a favorite place to go for a day trip and it was not complete without some ice cream from Steve's Ice Cream. The reason? You pick the flavor ice cream you want - they put the scoop of ice cream on a piece of what looks like marble that is kept frozen somehow. Then you pick what you want added into your ice cream. Say you pick brownie. They put pieces of real brownie on the scoop of ice cream and then mash it into your ice cream until it is thoroughly mixed through. Well, Steve's is no longer there, but Cold Stone creamery does the same thing, only I think even better! We now have a Cold Stone about 10 minutes from my house...this is a very dangerous thing. First, it is expensive...but well worth it! Second, I can't even begin to imagine the fat and calorie content in this stuff...but really, ya just can't think about that when you go.

Now, my favorite ice cream is called cake batter ice cream. I usually get cookie dough and either Oreo, or brownie mixed in. I have no words to describe how good this is to me....and very filling...don't let the small fool you...it will be filling. Now I had a friend say they thought the ice cream was too sweet. I can't imagine that every flavor is too sweet...you can try a scrumptious little sample of the ice cream flavors before you pick, so you don't pick something you don't like...but, if you pick something, get stuff mixed in and still don't like it...they will make you something else! Win-win situation in my eyes! I usually just get my ice cream in a bowl, but they have waffle cones and waffle bowls. The cones and bowls come plain, dipped in chocolate or dipped in chocolate then sprinkled with any kind of nut or candy you can imagine. I personally don't like their cones...WHAT?!! Blasphemy! I know, I hate to say it, but I don't. The cones themselves have a cinnamon taste to them and I find it ruins the taste of the ice cream for me.

Let's not dwell on the bad...I enjoyed Cold Stone twice last week! I was just looking for images of cake batter ice cream (which I couldn't find), but I found pictures of Cold Stone ice cream to go! I never noticed the containers of ice cream at the store...I guess I just run from the door to the counter so I can order as fast as I can - nothing in between matters. But now that I found out I can take it home...hmmm....maybe not...I just had images of me eating the whole thing in one sitting because I couldn't stop and feeling sick to my stomach...would still be worth it!

Bouncing Back...

I'm here, I'm here! Don't worry, I haven't gone anywhere!
Sorry I've been out of the loop....we changed Internet providers and I've been caught up in getting everything attached to my email updated since we now have a new email address. Don't know if you've ever been through it, but what a pain in the ass that is! We have had the same provider for 12 years, mainly because in our area we didn't have a choice. So now this new option becomes available and all Mike had to do was see that there would now be 6 NESN or ESPN stations available to us, including some in HD, well I thought he was going to spontaneously combust right then and there!

For those who didn't get my last post: Ricardo Montalban died, so my dream of going to fantasy island died with him. That's it. end of story. Nothing too complicated there.

For anyone living in New England right now, as well as many other parts of the country, I'm sure you will join me in a collective groan of frustration with the weather. Not only do we still have about a foot of snow from the last few storms, that is now conveniently encased in ice, but today we had snow, freezing rain, then regular rain, the last of which was accompanied by a lovely thunder and lightening storm - which we usually don't get in the winter so it was kind of bizarre. Not only that, but I find it rather inconvenient to get up and get ready for work when the outside thermometer says -2 degrees!

Why don't we hibernate? I'm really finding no downfall to it at the moment....

It's official. I will never get a chance to realize my fantasy; I'll never hear those words that have been a dream of mine since I was a little girl...."Welcome to Fantasy Island...I am Mr. Roarke, your host." Honestly, the most amazing, magical and secretive things happened on this beautiful island. Sometimes it made your dreams come true, for others it brought the true intentions of evil people to light. Mr. Roarke always appeared out of nowhere at just the right moment with a hint of advice, but never telling you what to do - a man giving advice but not telling you what to do, now that's a fantasy! ALWAYS there was a nice beach-type cocktail at the ready for whoever wanted it or a shoulder to cry on if you needed it. The show was on Saturday nights after Love Boat and I watched it every week...until I got older and got a life...but always wished I could go to Fantasy Island. Now, as you may have heard, that will never be possible since Mr. Roarke has gone to the Fantasy Island in the sky. I hope there was a lei-draped host there to greet him with a nice cocktail!

We're Not Getting Out Until We Get A Ride...

I was in my driveway today waiting for my daughter's bus and I noticed some ice on the roof of my car. I opened the slider door to get a long-handled brush and before I could turn around, these two jokers jump in the car and refuse to get out. I think it's been a while since they've gone for a ride...maybe they have cabin fever? They really didn't want to get out and just kept giving me a look of, "Please don't make us get out. We'll be good, we promise!"

The Cat That Was A Dog...

Yesterday we sent our beloved cat, Ashes, to the big litter box in the sky. She would have been 14 years old this July. We got her as a kitten at the same time as our Rottweiler puppy so they grew up together and really had fun together. At the time we were under the impression that our dog, Missy, thought she was a cat since she would play with the cat so well. After Missy passed away at only 6 1/2 yrs old, Ashes grew accustomed to being the ruler of our roost. She was pretty independent so when almost two years passed and we brought home not one, but two incorrigible boxer pups, she was pissed to say the least. We're not sure if she didn't get along with Sasha and Sheba to spite us for bringing them into her domain, or thinking we were trying to replace her friend. Regardless, they just never got along. What we did discover, though, is that it was Ashes who thought she was a dog all along. Even though it was enemy territory, she would walk right up to their water dish and drink from it as if there weren't two pair of disbelieving eyes staring at her. When the dogs got fed, I had to put some dog food off to the side for her, otherwise she would push her way right into their dish while they were trying to eat. Ashes, as most cats do, had this great way of giving you one little look that said, "stupid human" as if anything you did was pointless, unless it involved pleasing them in some way.