Scoop Deville

I had to work the night of my birthday so Mike took off on Friday to celebrate with me. He took me to our favorite retro ice cream shop, Scoop Deville,  in Hartford. They always have so many delicious flavors to choose from. He had a chocolate shake and helped Layla with her Nerds ice cream. While I tried the mango lime sorbet on top of a scoop of lemon cheesecake in a vanilla waffle cone. They tasted so bright and summery.

Oktoberfest in New Glarus

Last weekend Mike and I went to an "Oktoberfest" themed housewarming party in New Glarus. We slipped away  after dinner, to explore the larger Oktoberfest festivities going on downtown.
First we stopped at the Limburger stand. Where burly men, dressed like traditional Swiss women, persuaded me to try their notoriously stinky cheese. It smelled like nasty feet, but tasted surprisingly mild and creamy.
Next we got ice cream. Layla had her favorite, mint chocolate chip. While I tried two, new-to-me flavors. One flavor called "The Exhausted Parent" was the first to catch my eye. It's bourbon-spiked coffee flavor and dark chocolate chunks certainly lived up to this ice cream's name.
The second flavor, called "This  $&@! Just Got Serious" was my personal favorite. The salted caramel and crunchy cashews were a seriously great combination. If I could, I'd go back and buy the whole bucket.
We listened to an awesome band for a few minutes, but soon it was time to go. I can't wait to go back again next year. See you there!

Ice Cream Makes Everyone Feel Better

My grandfather passed away last weekend. His death was unexpected because he wasn't sick, but he was in his nineties.
I missed his birthday last month and had been meaning to visit.  I even thought about it the day before he passed, but decided I was too busy. Now I regret that I will never see him again in this life, but there's nothing I can do.
So, instead of moping, the family went out for ice cream before going to the funeral home to make plans. Even Grandpa would have agreed that ice cream makes everyone feel better.

Happy Birthday Dad

Growing up, we would have iced cream every night for dessert. My dad would get out a gallon pail of plain, economical, vanilla and we would slather it with peanut butter, honey, or malt powder.   He always said that there is room for ice cream after dinner because it "filled in all the cracks".
So naturally,  the family celebrated his birthday by taking him out for ice cream. We met at my favorite local parlor.  I ordered  salted caramel,  pistachio almond,  and sweet cream. All stacked nicely inside a chocolate waffle cone. Their salted caramel is one of my all time favorites. If they have it available I have to get it. The same with their sweet cream,  but only if its the first scoop on the cone. So I can savor its simple flavor before the other more colorful scoops.  What's your favorite flavor?
P.s. If you weren't already hungry, here's a picture of my cone.