Central Market, I heart you.

I love Lancaster, PA's Central Market- it's the oldest farmer's market in the country, open year-round and offering an enormous selection of produce, meats, cheeses, and all sorts of prepared goods. It's fun just to walk around checking out the wares. This week, I had several incredibly simple and delicious meals thanks to the market. For starters, I made this delicious salmon:

The recipe was so simple, I'm not sure I'd even call it a recipe. I bought a half-pound(ish) fillet of salmon from Kathy's Seafood. Then I purchased a jar of Long's Cranberry Citrus Horseradish Relish (say THAT five times fast!) I preheated my oven to 450 degrees, then slathered half the contents of the jar of relish onto the salmon. I roasted the meat for 9 minutes, then turned the oven off and let it continue cooking for another 2 minutes. I pulled it out of the oven, portioned off enough for my dinner, packaged the rest in tupperware and then sat down to the feast pictured above. The rice is the Uncle Ben's boil-in-a-bag and the veggies were from one of those frozen steamer bags (both of these sides were given to me by friends who were moving and didn't want it to go to waste- yay for free food!) The thing about horseradish is that when you cook it, the stingy harshness goes away completely, but the tangy flavor remains. I have one word to describe this dish: YUM!

The following day I made a delicious lunch for myself that was a feast of flavor, in my opinion. I bought a fresh kaiser roll from Willow Valley, as well as smoked honey turkey ham and Canadian supersharp cheddar cheese (aged 4 years) from S. Clyde Weaver's, and finally horseradish mustard from Long's. It was a simple sandwich just bursting with amazing flavor. The ham was salty and sweet, the cheese was the sharpest I've had and the mustard added that extra kick that took the sandwich over the edge. A-MA-ZING.

I dipped some of the left-over cheese slices into the mustard. Delish!!! If you haven't tried Long's products, then get your booty over to the Central Market and do it. He grinds the horseradish on the premises at market. When you walk by his stand, the pungent aroma slaps you in the face and sometimes is even strong enough to make your eyes water just a bit.

Scrumptious Saturday

We've started a new trend at work this Christmas- it's called Scrumptious Saturdays and I love it. It all started two weeks ago with Tabby's Spaghetti Pie, then continued last week with the Frizado's Chili and this week I've contributed that delicious Pumpkin Sausage Lasagne that I blogged about around this time last year. It's simple- one or two people bring the main entree, and everyone else contributes sides and dessert.

For anyone interested in the recipe for this amazing lasagne, you can find it on Rachel Ray's website here.

Starbucks Via Ready Brew

So I finally broke down and bought a package of Starbucks Via- their new instant coffee. And guess what- it's delicious. I was running late this morning on my way to work- I had planned to go through the Starbucks drive-thru, but I didn't have time. Then I remembered that I'd purchased a package of the Italian Roast Via about a week ago and thrown it in my purse for just such an occassion. When I got to work, I made it and it was absolutely delicious. I think what's nice about it, too, is that you can make it stronger or weaker depending on your taste. I personally like really strong coffee, so I made it with the recommended 8 ounces of hot water, but if Starbucks is a little too strong for you, it would be easy to make it with a little extra water to tone it down a bit. Has anyone out there tried it? What do you think of it? Leave a comment!

Isaac's

I think that anyone living in the Lancaster area knows about Isaac's- their sandwiches are out of this world, don't you think? I've been there a couple of times in the last few weeks- once when my mom was in town, another time last night with coworkers- and it never gets old.

My favorites on their menu include the Phoenix (sandwich), the Ruffed Grouse (sandwich) and the Sonoma (salad). Their desserts are pretty tasty, too. Last night I had the Sonoma Salad with a scoop of the cranberry almond chicken salad. One word: outstanding. I think the last 3 or 4 times I've been to Isaac's that's what I've eaten and it never gets old!

One thing I really love about Isaac's is the pickled veggies you get before your meal. I had a piece of cauliflower last night and it has some kick to it. I'd never tasted picked cauliflower, but now that I have, I highly recommend you try it.

Sorry for the short post, (and for not posting much lately), but I've been focused a lot on my other blog: Style... the New Black. Visit when you have a minute and leave a comment so I know you came by!

Leola Freeze & Frizz

Shop Name: Freeze & Frizz

Location: Old Philadelphia Pike, Leola

Boo's Rating: 4 screams

I went to the Freeze & Frizz last summer and thought it was pretty great. Today I went there again with my fabulous friend Christine. She got a twist with rainbow sprinkles. I got a "thick" chocolate shake. She seemed to really enjoy her ice cream cone and I was very happy with my shake. It was thick and creamy and plenty chocolate-y. And the coolest part? The straws are extra-wide and colorful. Fun! There is something about a roadside ice cream/fast food stand that sucks me in. There's definitely a certain nostalgia to them. When I was in high school, I spent a summer working at a roadside "Clam Shack." I forget the actual name of the establishment, maybe it was the Clam Box? I dunno. Anyway, the point is, I spent an entire summer sweating my butt off, serving ice cream, burgers, fried fish and slushies through a tiny little window. It was a dive right across the street from a local amusement park and at the end of the summer, I threw out all my work clothes because no amount of washing could get the stink of fried fish out of the fabric. Even now, 15 years later, I can't eat a fried clam without remembering that summer job. When I first started there, I was the ice cream girl. We had a few soft serve flavors and plenty of toppings including dip. You know- the melted chocolate that hardens when you dip the ice cream into it? Freeze & Frizz has it, too, which is another reason why I like it! Anyway, at the Clam Shack, there were three different "dip" flavors- chocolate, strawberry and caramel. For some reason, the only one that really worked was the chocolate. Something about the consistency of the other two never really worked. I can't remember how many times I'd dip a cone filled with ice cream into that strawberry dip and pull out an empty cone. No joke! Then I'd have to rush to scoop out the ice cream before it melted into the dip. It was always a mess! Hysterical!

Anyway, even without all the nostalgia, I love the Freeze & Frizz because they know how to make a good chocolate shake and that's what matters!

Olde Greenfield Inn

Shop Name: Olde Greenfield Inn

Location: Greenfield Rd, Lancaster

Boo's Rating: 4 1/2 Screams

I have been going to the Olde Greenfield nearly every Wednesday for a while now and I think it's time to comment on it. Although I have never ordered ice cream at the Olde Greenfield, I have sampled many other tasty treats. My love affair with this lovely establishment began when I won a gift certificate at my company's annual Christmas party. I went with my good friend Amy to use it and we had a fabulous time. Turns out, Amy also performs at the Olde Greenfield. She's a fabulous jazz singer. Every Wednesday at the Greenfield, they have a series called "The Lovely Ladies of Jazz" and Amy performs as part of that series. Her trio varies slightly from week to week, but no matter whom she's hired to back her up, she always sounds fabulous. I'll admit, I'm a fan.

The menu is varied and Wednesday night also happens to be their "Wild Wednesday" special night, meaning the specials menu is chock full of wild game options. For example, this past Wednesday I sampled a bit of Kangaroo soup. No joke. It wasn't the most amazing thing I've ever tasted, but I have to admit, I sampled it largely so that I could say I'd eaten kangaroo in my life! Normally I stick with one of their seafood options. The salmon is often on special and it never disappoints. Recently I tried the diver scallops and it was one of the most delicious meals I've had in a long time. Certainly the most delicious I've had in Lancaster.

The prices are in line with the quality of food, but it's not the kind of place I can afford to eat at too frequently. (Let's just say I'd love to get another of those gift certificates!) Fortunately, they have a large selection of appetizers between $10 and $15 that are practically meals themselves. The crab dip is definitely one to try, as is the cheese platter (which is big enough for 3 people). As for desserts, I mentioned I've never ordered ice cream, but I have tried their creme brulee (delicious) and their flourless chocolate cake (outstanding).

The bottom line with the Olde Greenfield is that the whole package is one worth trying- the menu and the music will not disappoint. 4 1/2 screams is about as good as it gets where I'm concerned!

Rachel's Creperie and Cafe

Shop Name: Rachel's Creperie and Cafe

Location: Queen Street, Lancaster

Boo's Rating: 3 1/2 Screams

I've started to run out of ice cream establishments, so I'm expanding the blog to cover anything I feel like "screaming for," but I'll try to keep it food related. That being said, this blog entry will cover Rachel's Creperie and Cafe in downtown Lancaster. Ice cream? Nope. Crepes? Yup. Last weekend we had a serious heat wave- it was fantastic. I woke up early each day to the sun streaming in my face and I was out the door, dying to get some sunshine. I decided to have brunch at Rachel's since they have outdoor seating.

I should make a note here that I don't claim to be a legit food critic. I just happen to really enjoy food. Correction: I love food. Even weird food. I'll try just about anything once. Crepes are a particular favorite food of mine because I grew up eating them. My family is French and I remember both my mom and my memere making crepes when I was a kid. I had high expectations for Rachel's. The menu was pretty extensive when you consider that the main item is crepes. The have breakfast crepes that are kind of like omelets, except it's a crepe that surrounds the fillings. The have sweet crepes, savory crepes, veggie crepes, dessert crepes- pretty much any crepe you can imagine. On this particular day, they also had a roasted red pepper soup with Gouda, so I decided it would be soup & sweet crepes for me. I ordered the soup, an iced coffee and the "Tavern on the Green" crepes. The Tavern on the Green crepes are a pretty special combination, if you ask me. In my house growing up, crepes came with butter, real maple syrup, and maybe a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Simple. The Tavern on the Green crepes had fresh strawberries, brown sugar and sour cream. The combination was divine! Unfortunately, it needed to be, because the crepes were not. The crepes at Rachel's were, in my humble opinion, bland and dry. Crepes should be egg-y, and moist and so tender you can slice through them with your fork- no knife required. The texture of Rachel's' crepes wasn't quite right- they were too tough, and it was hard to cut them. In addition, the flavor wasn't anything to write home about. Maybe I'm spoiled- my mom and memere always made perfect crepes. I'm not saying I won't go to Rachel's again- the soup was outstanding, the coffee perfectly brewed and even though the actual crepes weren't amazing, the Tavern on the Green combo was spectacular. I gave Rachel 3 1/2 screams. (Not bad considering what a crepes snob I am!)

And even though mom will probably kill me for doing this, I'm going to post the family crepe recipe:

Gelineau Family Crepes:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 well-beaten eggs
2/3 c. milk
1 Tbl. melted shortening

Mix all ingredients well. (A buzz in the blended works.) To prepare: Pour enough batter into a HOT greased pan to just barely cover the bottom. Tilt the pan to cover with batter. Work quickly, turn when just set and cook the other side. Don't over cook. Roll out of the pan and place on a warm dish or in the oven set on warm. Use up all the batter and serve with maple syrup and butter. Note: This batter is best made the night before. At minimum, refrigerate one hour before cooking.

Another great crepes recipe I've found is of course from Martha Stewart. Her recipe is almost a tutorial in how to prepare perfect crepes, so I'll include it as well. (Although, mom says it's sacrilege for me to prepare any recipe other than the family one, so you'll have to make these and tell me how they are.)

Martha Stewart Basic Crepes Recipe:
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
2 cups whole milk (room temp), plus more if needed
3 large eggs, room temp
5 Tbl. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet

Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Whisk milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and whisk to combine. Whisk in butter. Strain mixture into medium bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Batter should be consistency of heavy cream. Add more milk if needed.
Heat an 8 or 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and brush with butter. Ladle or pour 3 Tbl. of batter (for small crepes) or 1/3 cup batter (for large crepes) into pan, turning and tilting skillet to coat bottom evenly with batter. Cook until top of crepe appears set, bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, and center is lifted by pockets of air, about 1 minute.
Run a spatula around edge of crepe to loosen. Slip spatula under crepe, and gently flip in one swift gesture. (If it doesn't land quite right, that's okay; use spatula to unfold, or rearrange it.) Cook until bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a plate and cover. (The first one will not be your finest.) Repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with butter as needed (every 2 or 3 crepes). Serve immediately.

If you're intimidated by the idea of making crepes yourself, then head over to Rachel's and enjoy the fruits of their labor. (And may I suggest the Tavern on the Green crepes?)

Carmen & David's Creamery

Shop Name: Carmen & David's Creamery

Location: Prince Street

Boo's Rating: 4 Screams

Wow! It has been a looooooong time since I posted a blog, but I have to be honest- there weren't many ice cream stands open over the winter months. A while back, I saw there was an ice cream shop opening up on Prince Street and I decided it would be my first blog of the new season. I had high expectations for this place- while they were renovating the space and preparing it for the grand opening, the windows were covered with brown paper and the brown paper was covered with quotes all about ice cream. It was impressive how many quotes they managed to have. After seeing that, I knew that this was going to be a first-rate ice cream shop. Some of the quotes included were:

"Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone."

And

"Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart."

And

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."

And

"Always serve too much hot fudge on hot fudge sundaes. It makes people overjoyed and puts them in your debt."

Once they opened their doors, they kept these clever quotes as part of the decor- they are on the napkin dispensers! Adorable! The whole shop is painted in bright green, yellow and orange- it's very lively and colorful. In addition to the bright, friendly decor, Carmen & David have made their shop totally GREEN in the environmental sense. Their supplies are all biodegradable, so you don't have to feel bad about using 4 or 5 of their colorful sample spoons! (I used 3 myself and NO I am not ashamed to admit that.) The list of flavors is impressive and every one of them is homemade. I sampled several that day, along with my fabulous staff (pictured below): Autumn, Laura and Vanessa.

All of the flavors I sampled were delicious- the ice cream itself was very creamy and flavorful. I ended up settling on a shake made out of mocha chocolate chip, which was my favorite of the flavors I sampled. The shake was a little thin- I like them so thick that they are hard to get up the straw. In New Hampshire, we call them a "frappe." A frappe has lots of ice cream, milk, flavoring and it's shaken together to the consistency of a Wendy's frosty, but you consume it through a straw, not with a spoon. Yum. The shake at Carmen & David's was really flavorful, but I think they need to work on getting the consistency a lot thicker. All four of us really enjoyed the ice cream, so I gave Carmen & David's Creamery 4 screams- one for each of us. Not bad for such a new shop. I'll definitely be back there over the summer months to sample more flavors!

Chestnut Hill Cafe

Shop Name: Chestnut Hill Cafe

Location: West Chestnut Street, Lancaster

Boo's Rating: 3 1/2 Screams

This past weekend was the Fall Artwalk in Lancaster- it's a fun event, basically like a First Friday concept, but it's all weekend long. A lot of the galleries have special exhibits and tasty snacks as well. It was a perfect fall day to be walking around town and we decided to end our day at the DogStar book store and the Chestnut Hill Cafe. I had heard rumors that this new cafe serves ice cream and I was not disappointed. That is, until I found out that it's Coleman's Ice Cream. As you know (if you read my blog), Coleman's is one of my least favorites in town. Chestnut Hill had quite a few interesting flavors that I had not seen in Coleman's store including a Mango ice cream. I asked to taste just a sample of it and it was pretty bad. It had a really strange flavor and the texture was bizarre- it was kind of gritty, like sugar crystals that had not dissolved. Strange. Anyway, because the mango was kind of terrible, I opted for a safe flavor- mint chocolate chip. Once again, it was under-whelming. The flavor was so-so- nothing too amazing. For now, I'll keep Coleman's ice cream rating the same as last time- 3 1/2 screams.

Dairy Queen

Shop Name: Dairy Queen

Location: Columbia Ave, Lancaster

Boo's Rating: 3 1/2 Screams

On Monday evening, I met up with some friends of mine for an ice cream outing- Jill and her kids Noah and Neve. We had plans to go to Scoops Ice Cream in Mountville- it's close to where they live. Unfortunately, the only day of the week that Scoops is closed is MONDAY!!! Bummer! We were already in the car, so we decided to just drive until we found ice cream. I couldn't disappoint Noah and Neve! The first place we found was the Columbia Ave Dairy Queen, and I actually thought that was a great place because it's the time of year when their famous Pumpkin Pie Blizzard is available! Yay! Noah ordered a chocolate ice cream on a cone. Neve opted for the vanilla in a cup and Jill (their mom) ordered the vanilla ice cream on a cone with the chocolate dip. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the DQ invent the concept of the "dip?" Genius, don't you think?

I, of course, ordered the pumpkin pie blizzard. In my memory it was so deliciously pumpkin-y, but this time, it was a little disappointing. I remember lots of pumpkin flavor, but this fell short. It tasted mostly of vanilla, with bits of pumpkin pie filling & crust. Not the best pumpkin flavor I've ever tasted, to be honest. But the DQ will always have a special place in my heart, even if their pumpkin pie blizzard isn't the best. I upped their current rating to 3 1/2 screams just for having pumpkin flavor available. Neve and Noah seemed to enjoy their ice cream quite a bit, although I wonder how much made it into their mouths. Most of it seemed to end up on their faces.

Jill seemed to enjoy her ice cream, too, and was nice enough to share it with Neve and Noah who just weren't satisfied with just ONE serving! I guess those kids LOVE their ice cream. (Which is probably one reason why I like them so much! Any friend of ice cream is a friend of mine! lol)

Coleman's Ice Cream

Shop Name: Coleman's Ice Cream

Location: Rt. 340, Lancaster

Boo's Rating: 3 1/2 Screams

You may or may not remember, but Coleman's was one of the first ice cream establishments I reviewed for this blog and they did not receive a very high rating. Actually, they are currently the lowest rating in the history of this blog. On Tuesday, my company bought the entire production staff ice cream at Coleman's, so they had the opportunity to change their rating with me. And change they did. First of all, they have pumpkin ice cream right now, so that alone earned them an extra point. Second, the day we were there, they had a special sundae called the Apple Dumpling Sundae. I made the decision to replace the vanilla ice cream on the A.D.S. with their pumpkin ice cream. It was a perfect fall combination. Once again, the ice cream itself had a lot of ice crystals throughout, which as you all know is the biggest no-no for me, but the pumpkin flavor was really delicious, so I decided to ignore the ice crystals as much as I could. The apple dumpling was ENORMOUS, so the sundae was actually a little embarrassing to order, especially since almost everyone else got a small cone. I was the over-indulgent one with my giant sundae, but I don't care because it was a real treat. There was some sort of caramel sauce all over the dumpling that made it even more delicious, but I really can't stress enough how good the pairing of apple dumpling & pumpkin ice cream was. Seriously. Look into it.

Overall, the sundae and the pumpkin ice cream boosted Coleman's rating to a solid 3 1/2 screams, which is much more impressive than their previous rating. Good job, Coleman's! I'm pretty sure that everyone really enjoyed their ice cream that day and I even saw some other interesting flavors including a carrot cake flavor that looked pretty tasty. And even more exciting are the hilarious pictures I captured of the crazy staff I work with. Enjoy!

DOVE

Shop Name: Dove Ice Cream

Location: Your local supermarket

Boo's Rating: 5 Screams

Now that I have managed to visit MOST of the ice cream establishments in the Lancaster area, I figured it wouldn't hurt to survey some of the ice cream available in your basic supermarket and/or convenience store. First up: Dove Ice Cream. I was craving chocolate in a BIG way one night, so I drove to the Giant Supermarket and bought a pint of Dove's "Unconditional Chocolate" ice cream. I had never tried Dove ice cream before, so I figured, "Why not?" I took it home, popped open the pint and just about DIED. Did you know that Dove covers the top of their ice cream pints with a layer of CHOCOLATE GANACHE?!?!?!?! I have one word to describe that idea: GENIUS. The ganache is so smooth and velvety- I literally ate all of it before feasting on the actual ice cream. Let's talk about the ice cream now. It was some seriously RICH chocolate ice cream. It had swirls of dark chocolate as well as chocolate chunks throughout. And much like Ben & Jerry's standard, every bite had a bit of the mix-in. And that, my friends is what has earned Dove's Unconditional Chocolate 5 Boo Screams. Congrats, Dove. You rocked it. I would even go so far as to say that this flavor rivals my long-standing favorite chocolate-y chocolate ice cream: Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie. I would not go so far as to say that it's better, but I would say that they are on an equal standing. And that's saying a LOT.

As I mentioned in a previous entry, I'm starting to expand the topic of this blog beyond ice cream & gelato to anything worth screaming about. I've already covered an amazing pumpkin lasagna recipe, and I'll probably stick with pumpkin-related items for a little while, but I'm always open to suggestions. What do you scream for? What fabulous food should I try? Please leave suggestions in the comments section and I'll do my best to accomodate. Thanks for reading!

Haagen Dazs

Shop Name: Haagen Dazs

Location: Park City Mall

Boo's Rating: 4 Screams

Ok, I think we all know that Haagen Dazs is pretty high standard ice cream, so it's no surprise they've got a high Boo Rating. I try not to go to the mall if I can help it, but my job pretty much requires that I end up there pretty often. I figured that since I had to be there, I might as well make the most of it. Turns out, there are at least 3 different ice cream establishments within the mall that I will now attempt to visit on my next few work-related outings to the mall.

The man at the Haagen Dazs counter was so friendly and offered me samples without making me feel guilty. I tried the coconut pineapple first and let me just tell you, it was DIVINE. I almost ordered it without any other samples, but then I saw- out of the corner of my eye- Brownie a la mode. Wow. I tasted a sample and fell in love. I ordered a kiddie size on a sugar cone. No, that's NOT a typo. I actually went for the sugar cone, even though it wasn't homemade and even though I have serious issues with sugar cones. (See my first blog entry for details.) Anyway, the ice cream was REALLY expensive- I paid $3.08 for a kiddie size scoop and it was definitely that. "Tiny" might be a better description for the size. Normally I don't even consider the cost, but I was a little blown away by the cost-to-scoop size ratio in this particular case. While I was considering what flavor to order, the very nice man behind the counter explained to me why Haagen Dazs is so delicious. He said that it has absolutely NO AIR in it. Almost ALL ice cream has air in it because it's continuously stirred while it freezes and the air in it is what makes the texture so great. Apparently, keeping the air out of the ice cream makes it really rich. They're not lying. Haagen Dazs ice cream is nothing if not rich.

Anyway, I have to say that my issue with sugar cones was proven right yet again. I was almost done eating the cone when a bit of brownie a la mode dripped out the bottom and onto my pretty pastel pink dress. DAMN! At least I was in the mall. I hopped over to CVS, bought one of those Tide-To-Go pens and tried my best to get it out. (Why they ever stopped making Shout Wipes, I'll never know. But that's another subject for another blog.) Fortunately for Haagen Dazs, their sugar cone was especially delicious, or the mishap might have upset me a little more than it did. The cone had a strong amaretto flavor to it that made it a little more sophisticated than your average sugar cone. Delicious!!!

Overall, Haagen Dazs earned 4 solid screams. Impressive.

The Brickyard

Shop Name: The Brickyard

Location: N. Prince Street

Boo's Rating: 1 Scream

I want to be very clear that the Brickyard is NOT an ice cream shop. It is a sports bar and restaurant that happens to have ice cream on its menu. Their menu boasts an "ice cream du jour" which is whatever the chef feels like making that day. My meal prior to dessert had been pretty much terrible, but I want to be clear that the meal is not what was judged in determining the number of "screams." I ordered the crab-stuffed flounder. The waitress had recommended it pretty highly and I'm not gonna lie, it sounded delicious. The flounder came with a mango salsa on top of it with sides of rice, green beans and salad. I was really looking forward to this meal, but something went wrong in the kitchen and they turned my flounder into fish jerky. Seriously. It was awful and completely inedible. The sides were good, but not good enough for me to not send the dish back to the kitchen. I was still hungry, so I decided to order dessert and that's when I saw the "ice cream du jour" on the menu. Without even asking the flavor, I said, "I'll take it." When it came, it looked fabulous. The waitress informed me that the flavor of the day was Kahlua-strawberry-cheesecake. Doesn't that sound AMAZING? It was SO not. I know I'm always saying that busy ice cream needs to be sufficiently busy. Well, the Brickyard took that philosophy WAY too far. There was hardly any ice cream in the ice cream. It was ALL strawberries and the occassional chunk of bland cheesecake. Aside from the main problem of actually being just a bowl of strawberries, the Brickyard had another issue. They didn't chop the strawberries very small, so when mixed into the "ice cream" (I put it in quotes because I think they're abusing the term), the strawberries just ended up frozen solid. Eating one was like biting into an ice cube. Not good. And as for the kahlua? The flavor was non-existent.

I think I'm actually be generous by giving them any screams at all. The reason they get a scream is because I'm assuming their plain vanilla and chocolate ice creams are good enough to earn at least that. Also, since I sampled the ice cream du jour, it's fair to say that it might never be on the menu again. (We can hope, at least.) However, after the fish jerky and frozen berries experience, you'd have to pay me to go back to the Brickyard.

Pine View Acres Dairy

Shop Name: Pine View Acres Dairy

Location: New Danville Pike

Boo's Rating: 3 Screams

Pine View Acres Dairy was .... ok. I would probably not drive out there again just for their ice cream. It was good ice cream, but far from the best I've tasted. I ordered a scoop of Oreo on a cone. At first I was really excited because I looked at the scoop and there was an ENTIRE OREO COOKIE poking out. For busy ice cream that would have been impressive, if it weren't for the fact that the cookie I saw was just about the only cookie in the ice cream. Once I'd eaten the cookie, it was as if I'd ordered a cone of vanilla. Shame on you, Pine View!

Fortuntately for the dairy, there were a lot of other flavor options, all homemade. Vanessa ordered a scoop of pineapple coconut ice cream and her review was that while it was delicious, the pineapple chunks were a bit too large. It was, however, quite busy. I believe she said she would prefer the coconut ice cream at the Lapp Valley Farm, which we visited a few weeks ago.

The good news about Pine View is that they also have a small convenience store where they sell their fresh milk (in bags, fyi). You can also walk around to visit the cows, as pictured above. I'm starting to think Vanessa will only go ice cream blogging with me if there are farm animals to pet. I personally think she's got an obsession with cows, but I could be wrong. For me, I'd rather NOT smell manure while licking an ice cream cone. However, that did not effect my rating- I gave Pine View a very fair 3 screams.

Boo's Vanilla Ice Cream Making Adventure

Shop Name: Boo's Home

Location: Greenland Drive

Boo's Rating: 2 1/2 screams

In honor of National Ice Cream Month (July), I decided to try to make my own homemade ice cream. I did a little bit of research and discovered that nearly every ice cream recipe ends with the words, "Pour mixture into ice cream machine and follow manufacturer directions." Hmmmm... I don't have an ice cream machine, and I don't think I want to invest in one, so what to do? I looked into other methods and found they're all pretty much the same concept. The "ball" method, the coffee can method, the double-ziploc bag method, etc. I didn't really want to use any of those methods because they all involve ice mixed with rock salt around the ice cream mixture, but they all said it created a soft-serve consistency. I wanted real hand-dipped consistency. One website I found said that you can actually pour the ice cream mixture into a shallow dish or tupperware and stir it with a hand mixer or spatula every half hour to 45 minutes. Bingo! Now that I'd found the least expensive method (no machines or rock salt to track down and purchase), I set about finding a good recipe. I didn't find one that really worked for me, so I pretty much used one as a guide and then altered it a bit. After that, it was off to the freezer for my ice cream. Unfortunately, after only 3 hours of chilling my ice cream in the freezer, it was not yet at the right consistency and I had to go to work! NOOOOO!!! I think if I had spent a couple more hours babysitting it, the consistency would have been better. I'll have to try it again on a day where I have more free time. I think the flavor of my ice cream was spot-on. It's got a really strong vanilla flavor. The consistency, however, is not so fabulous. If I were to be served ice cream at a local shop that was the consistency of mine, then that shop would probably only get 2 1/2 screams at the most. I'd like to say that my fabulous flavor would be enough to boost the score up a bit, but I'd be lying. I'm a harsh critic and I can't get all soft just because of my ego. So.... 2 1/2 screams for me. Sad, I know. I'm currently letting my ice cream warm up and soften a bit and I'm going to try to whip it up some more with a hand mixer to try to get rid of some of the ice crystals. Even if I don't, it's still a respectable first attempt at making homemade ice cream and it's definitely edible. Not only is it edible, it's pretty delicious.

In case you care, here is the recipe I used to make my homemade ice cream:

Ingredients:
4 c. half & half
2 c. heavy cream
15 egg yolks
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 vanilla bean

In a saucepan, combine cream with half & half. Score the vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds and add both seeds and pod to the cream mixture. Slowly heat to a simmer. DO NOT BOIL!!! While the cream mixture is heating, combine the egg yolks and the sugar in a mixer and combine. After heating the cream mixture, remove the vanilla bean, then temper the eggs by slowly adding about half the cream mixture. Pour the egg and cream mixture into the saucepan with the remaining cream and heat until the mixture thickens (about 170 degrees). Run your finger down the back of the spoon and if it leaves a clear path, the custard is ready. Cool the custard and then pour into a 9x13 baking dish, or similar sized plastic container. Every 30-45 minutes stir the custard with a hand mixer or spatula until it reaches the right consistency. Yum!!!

Lapp Valley Farm

Shop Name: Lapp Valley Farm

Location: New Holland, PA

Boo's Rating: 3 1/2 Screams

It was quite a drive out to the Lapp Valley Farm, but it came highly recommended by several locals, so I had to get out there. It is definitely a farm- there are cows and everything. Unfortunately, it smells like a farm, too. The good news is that the farm smell stays outside and when you're in the ice cream shop, all you can smell is the delicious scent of homemade waffle cones. I'm starting to think I might have to start another blog about the homemade cones around here! Lapp's homemade cones are definitely different from the SCS&C's cones. They're lighter and the flavor isn't as strong, but they are totally delicious. Autumn made the comparison to the flavor and texture of a pizzelle, and I think she's right about that. Although, I think a pizzelle traditionally has an anise flavor and these cones did not. The texture was almost exactly the same, though.

Along with Autumn, Jeffrey and Vanessa (a.k.a. Beanie) also came along for the trip to Lapp's. You can see how friendly Beanie got with the cows in the picture above. Lapp's not only has cows, but also peacocks everywhere. Also, Beanie got really friendly with a bulldog that was wandering around. Lapp's is definitely an animal-lover's ice cream destination. They also sell milk, cheese and butter and you can even go to the drive-through to order those things! I bought a huge piece of farmer's cheese and I can't wait to snack on it!

Ok, now for the ice cream. I sampled the butter brickle flavor which was basically vanilla ice cream with toffee bits mixed in. It was good, but I didn't want to eat a whole cone full of it. I also sampled the coconut (at Beanie's recommendation) and it was also really delicious. It was chock full of coconut shavings. Delish. In the end, I opted for a homemade sugar cone with chocolate almond ice cream. It was actually really disappointing because after tasting the other two, I had high expectations for the chocolate. Unfortunatelly, the chocolate flavor was barely there at all. It was like eating sweet cream ice cream with a hint of chocolate mixed throughout. Not good. The quality of the ice cream is clearly very high- it's really smooth and creamy, but the chocolate flavor was SO disappointing! It's good for Lapp's that I sampled the other two flavors, or their rating might have dropped. Taking all things into consideration, I had to give them 3 1/2 screams, certainly a respectable rating.

Turkey Hill Ice Cream

Shop Name: Turkey Hill Ice Cream

Location: Central Market, Lancaster City

Boo's Rating: 3 1/2 Screams

I was pleasantly surprised to see a booth selling ice cream at the market today. How did I ever miss it? I guess I just don't usually visit the bakery stands at the market. My bad! My bags were full of fruits and veggies and some uber-yummy manchego cheese when I saw a sign that said "Sample cones: $0.50" Umm.... perfect!!! I asked for a sample of cookies & cream. The lady behind the counter pulled out the tiniest little cone you've ever seen! It was about 2 inches long! So cute! She scooped a bit of mint chocolate chip and I was like, "Oh, I wanted cookies & cream..." Oops! She was super sweet about her mistake, though and gave me both samples for the price of one. Can't let ice cream go to waste now, can we? Anyway, the ice cream was decent. It was pretty much your basic grocery-store variety. No complaints, but also nothing spectacular. However, I think their "sample cone" is a brilliant concept. I sometimes feel guilty if I ask to taste a lot of different flavors, but the fact that you pay a nominal amount for each sample makes them totally guilt free! Overall, Turkey Hill got 3 1/2 screams.

Strasburg Country Store & Creamery (SCS&C) PART TWO!

Shop Name: Strasburg Country Store & Creamery

Location: Main Street, Strasburg

Boo's Rating: 4 Screams

Yes, it's PART TWO for the SCS&C. I said in my first review of this place that it was good enough for me to go back, so I did. In my first review, I forgot to mention one of the best things about the SCS&C- the smell. I forgot how when you walk in, you're nearly knocked over by the amazing sweet smell of the place. I asked what it is and the lady at the counter told me it's their homemade sugar cones. There's a little room in the middle of the store with all these waffle-maker-looking things and they seriously make their own homemade sugar cones! I had to try one. I was so focused on the cake cone on the first trip, I didn't even consider getting a sugar cone. They should be advertising these sugar cones by shouting from the rooftops about them. They are delicious! And I am not usually a fan of sugar cones. They almost always leak and they're a lot harder to eat because they usually crack and then you risk ice cream spillage. Problem? I think so.

I ordered a kiddie sized scoop of oreo cookie ice cream on one of their homemade sugar cones. It was a fabulous scoop of ice cream and the cone was delicious. I also asked for a sample of their pumpkin ice cream. Kudos to the SCS&C for offering that flavor in a month other than September or October. AND it was great. I'm a sucker for anything pumpkin flavored- pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin chili, pumpkin soup- I love it all. Their pumpkin ice cream didn't disappoint. That combined with the fabulous oreo cookie/sugar cone combo upped their Boo Rating to 4 screams!

Gelato di Babbo

Shop Name: Gelato di Babbo

Location: Eastern Market on King Street

Boo's Rating: 4 Screams

This will be brief because all I have to say is: "Get your butt down to the Eastern Market on King Street and try this gelato!!!" It's all homemade with local ingredients and it's insanely delicious. Apparently it's also being sold by the pint in at least four local supermarkets. I sampled three flavors- coconut, dark chocolate and mulberry merlot and all three were delicious, but the mulberry merlot was FIERCE. I could eat that flavor all day. Gelato di Babbo, you're high in my ratings with 4 very loud screams.