Smush Ice Cream Sandwiches

I am, generally speaking, not a fan of novelty desserts. I like original desserts, arty desserts, but when it comes to the cute and the clever, I usually smile nicely and turn away. That said, I do have moments when I find myself oohing and aahing over something that could be seen as a gimmick And when I first saw these ice cream sandwiches by Smush I definitely had one of those wee hoo moments! It may be a gimmick, but I'm buying it hook, line, and sinker! Smush, which is located in New York City creates ice cream sandwiches that look exactly like deli sandwiches, and just like you would at a deli, you get to build your own sandwich, from the cookie up! In fact, the exterior cookies are actually baked in a mold so that they resemble slices of bread. Once you've chosen your "bread," you move on to the "cheese" (fudge) and "meat" (ice cream). Then you top it off with your favorite "condiments." Choices include caramel, marshmallow, peanut butter sauce, potato chips, fruit, and Nutella.



If there are too many choices for your liking, and you can't make up your mind, you can always pick a sandwich of the menu.  For instance, you could choose the "Chocolate Phatty Melt": chocolate chip cookie + white chocolate brownie cookie, marshmallow spread, sliced mint fudge, and chocolate ice cream or "Strawberries on Rye": 2 red velvet cookies, Nutella spread, fresh sliced strawberries, sliced strawberry cream fudge, and strawberry ice cream. Any way you slice it, it sounds delicious. (Sorry, I had to do it.) I haven't sampled one yet, but word on the street is that they taste as good as they look. Hooray! Their website is still under construction, but you can try building your own Smush sandwich right here.

Vintage Ice Cream Photographs

Sisters eating their ice-cream after having completed Saturday tasks.
From Rosmarie Wirz's family album, around 1953.

Over the weekend, I had some seriously delicious coconut ice cream, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it since! Needless to say, I’ve got ice cream on my mind, so I thought it was a good time to post some vintage ice cream photos that I’ve collected over the years. I love old photographs, almost as much as I love ice cream, and with summer winding down, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share them with you! Enjoy (and go get some ice cream)!! –Erin

 p.s. I spend a great deal of time researching the original sources/photographers of these photos because I think it’s important to give credit to the creator of the image. Nothing makes me more batty than all these websites out there that post images and give absolutely no credit information. People of the internet: someone took that picture, you should at least *try* to find out who did. Okay, that is my rant for the day. Enjoy the photos! :-)

Natchitoches, Louisiana, a woman buying ice cream for children, 1940, photo by Marion Post Wolcott, New York Public Library.

From a late 1940s collection of photos at Woolacombe, North Devon, source: banksider

Ice-cream after school, Berlin, 1931 by Friedrich Seidenstücker

Women eating ice cream bars, 1949, photo by Ollie Atkins

Blackpool, England, c.1950, photo by John Chillingworth

Men eating ice cream outside pharmacy, family photo from Dressed for Tea.

Boy gives ice cream to sister, c. 1950s, photo by George Marks

Ice cream shop near Berlin, Connecticut, photo by Russell Lee

Marilyn Monroe at an ice cream parlor, 1953, photo by Andre de Dienes

You can find more vintage ice cream images after the jump.

Bardot Ice Cream Bars + Shabby Apple Giveaway

I have a well-documented weakness for pretty packaging, so these gourmet bars from a new chain called Bardot are right up my alley. Made by hand, and available in a series of stores in California, these fancy ice cream bars feature hip, modern (edible) designs embossed across their chocolate casings. The bars, which are made with fresh fruit and without any artificial colors, come in a variety of interesting flavors, like Deep Thoughts (fresh Thai mint), Ebony and Ivory (fresh mascarpone cheese + dulce de leche), and Southern Belle (key lime and graham cracker). They all sound mighty delicious! It would tough to pick just one! For the complete list of Bardot flavors and store locations, click here.

You can find info on the Shabby Apple giveaway after the jump.

The Mixing Bowl: Blue Hawaiian Ice Cream by Lili Chin

Lili Chin is a woman after my own heart. Her website, We All Scream, combines three of my favorite things---illustrations, ice cream, and unique flavor combinations---to create an illustrated recipe site that equally appeals to both my stomach and my eyes! Seriously, with ice creams flavors like Ginger Caramel, Strawberry Bourbon, Mexican Corn, and Sunflower Seed, how could I resist! There’s even an ice cream recipe for dogs! I was in dessert/design heaven. And it doesn’t stop there. In addition to these wonderful recipes, Lili creates individual labels for her ice creams that feature her designs. How cute is that?? When I first laid eyes on her site, I instantly knew that I had to ask her to contribute a recipe to The Mixing Bowl and when she sent over this recipe for Blue Hawaiian ice cream, I couldn’t wait to share it will all of you. I’m a huge fan of tropical flavors (tropical lifesavers were always my favorite pack) and I can’t take my eyes of the ice cream’s lovely blue hue. Who doesn’t love blue-colored food??

Malaysian-born Lili Chin is an artist and animator based in Los Angeles. She is the co-founder of FWAK! Animation, which produced its first feature-length animated film in 2006, Los Campeones de la Lucha Libre (The Champions of Wrestling). She was also the co-creator, producer and designer on Mucha Lucha, a Warner Bros' hit animated series which ran for 52 episodes on Kids WB and Cartoon Network. When not animating, Lili draws the cutest dog portraits over at Doggie Drawings. I love the retro kitsch look of her dog portraits and, as an animal lover, the idea of a getting a personalized pet painting really appeals to me! If you don’t own a dog, have no fear, she draws other animals as well. In addition, as the proud dog owner of a rescued Boston Terrier named Boogie, Lili donates a percentage of her Doggie Drawing sales to Boston Terrier/Animal rescue (woo hoo!).

To check out Lili's ice cream site, We All Scream, click here. If you’re a fan of this site, I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do. You can see more of Lili’s work via her Flickr page and on her Doggie Drawings site. Thanks, Lili!

To see a larger version of the recipe, simply click on the image at the top of this post. You can also view additional images from Lili after the jump.

Yummy Ice Cream (Container Design)

When I was a kid, I was afraid of Count Chocula cereal. That's right. I was afraid of cereal. I loved eating it, of course. I mean, it's chocolate and marshmallows. What's not to love? But, at the same time, it gave me the willies. One night I even got up, in the middle of the night, and threw away a Count Chocula record that we owned. It was bothering me that much! So, when I first saw these ice cream containers, designed by João Ricardo Machado for a class at the College of Arts and Design Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, I immediately had a Count Chocula flash back. Much like that spooky breakfast cereal, these containers are creepy and fun, at the same time. Of course, I'm a grown-up now, so these containers won't be inspiring any late night terrors, but I can see how they might freak out a little one, just a bit. They actually remind me a lot of the Japanese horror/comedy film Hausu (House). You check out more of João's work, right here.

Sweet Testing: Mississippi Mud Pie (aka Coffee Ice Cream Tart)

Baked has done it again! I made this tart for my sister’s bday, and, like everything I make from Baked, it was a huge success! I really loved it and I don’t even like coffee or coffee-flavored things! I actually thought about switching out the coffee for vanilla, but, because this was for my sister, and not for me, I went ahead and used the coffee flavor. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t think the ice cream had an overly strong coffee flavor (I used Trader Joe’s brand), and it didn’t offend my palate in the least! So, even though you could swap the coffee ice cream for some other flavor, I would give the coffee a chance. It might not be as bad as it sounds!

2) There were some ice crystals in my finished product. I think this was either from the ice cream melting and then freezing again or from the fact that I neglected to cover the tart at one point when it was in the freezer. Anyway, I just wanted to point out that you shouldn’t let the ice cream thaw too much and be sure to follow the directions and cover it while it’s in the freezer!

But, despite the tiny bit of ice crystal crunchiness, everyone really loved this tart. I’m sure your friends and family will too! You can find the complete recipe after the jump.

A la Mère de Famille's Ice Cream on a Stick

As the summer of the heat dome comes to a close, I couldn't resist one last summer treat, and these fancy schmancy ice cream bars are the perfect way to say goodbye to summer. Created by Paris' oldest sweet shop, A la Mère de Famille (founded in 1761!), these sticks of frozen loveliness start out with homemade ice cream (chocolate-caramel, pistachio, vanilla, raspberry, mango-passion), which is then rolled-up in chocolate, and layered with with nuts (pistachios, almonds, or hazelnuts). Such beautiful, crunchy goodness. Click here for locations throughout Paris.

Inspiration Board: Baked Alaska

Is it just me or has the Baked Alaska taken on a whole new level of gorgeousness lately? I know that I have definitely been obsessed with it these last few months. There’s just something about that beautiful round mound of meringue that gets me ever time. And the things people do with the ice cream/sponge cake fillings, the wonderfully creative colors and designs, just blow my mind! I’m sure if I were ever to tackle this classic dessert, it would not be quite so perfect as these pics, but a girl can dream, can’t she? {Pictured above: Baked Alaska by The Food Network}

Baked Alaska with Chocolate Ice Cream by Martha Stewart

Baked Alaska by Double Cream Single Sugar

Chocolate orange bombe Alaska with hot chocolate sauce by Nick Nairn/Good Food Magazine

Ice Cream Roses

Is it just me or did everyone know that ice cream that has been molded in the shape of a rose is like . . . a thing?? I've heard of rose petals being used to flavor ice cream. I've even seen rose-shaped ice cream as a specialty item and served in a bowl, but never have I scene so much fanciness in a common ice cream cone! I searched and searched for more info on the history of this flowery treat, but couldn't really find anything, other than that it seems like rose-shaped ice cream is usually found in Europe and Asia, which is probably why I haven't seen it! Does anyone have any info on when/where/how this trend started?

Photos by Aseerat Galb, Stuart Eve, Julie Upmeyer

The Mixing Bowl: I Scream Sandwiches by Polli

Maja Rose and Tess Lloyd of the fantabulous jewelry company Polli have shared a recipe for ice cream sandwiches with us today that I’m totally gaga about! Not only is the ice cream beautiful to look at it, but it can easily be switched up with different fruits and flavors, depending on the season. You can even change it to match your favorite color! The Polli ladies selected dark chocolate, raspberry, and blackberry in honor of Polli staff member Sherri, who was celebrating her birthday. It was Sherri’s fondness for purple that inspired the lovely color theme! What a fantastic birthday treat! I hope you enjoy it!

Polli is an Australian-based company that is known for its unique and contemporary jewelry, homewares, and decorations. My sister first introduced me to their metal jewelry many years ago and I instantly fell in love with their fun and beautifully intricate designs. I’m currently obsessing over their fox earrings (how cute are those??) and the tandem pendant (such great details), but, really, their Web site is filled with so much eye candy that it’s nearly impossible to make a decision as to what I want to get next. I’m sure, after a quick browse, you’ll be hooked, too!

Click here to check out the Polli Web site. You can find the complete recipe for the I Scream Sandwiches and more photos after the jump. Thanks, Maja and Tess!

Spaghetti Ice Cream

Am I the only one that didn't know that ice cream shaped like spaghetti is like...a thing...in Germany? Yep, that's right. It's called spaghettieis (spaghetti ice) and it's not really noodles, but ice cream that has been pressed through a spaetzle press. To assemble, simply place the "noodles" over whipped cream, add strawberry sauce instead of tomato sauce and replace the cheese with white chocolate, coconut, or grated almonds and voila, you have spaghettieis. When I first saw it, I thought it was just another fondant-covered novelty dish, but I was wrong! It's actually well-known dessert in Germany and has been around since the 1960s! Want to try making it yourself? Click here for a recipe.

[Photo by Christian Cable]

Popbar

Holy popsicle, Batman. Have you ever seen such beautiful popsicles in your entire life?? Me neither. You may have guessed already, but these cold treats from Popbar in NYC aren't any ordinary chin covering, corn syrup laden popsicles. Nope. These babies are made out of frozen gelato and sorbetto! While the ingredients are imported from Italy, all popsicles are made with real fruit and hormone-free milk at the store, and each and every one is Kosher certified, gluten free (except for the toppings, which may or may not contain gluten), and preservative free. Here's how it works: pick your flavor, dip in chocolate (dark, white, or milk), and add toppings (Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pistachios, Shredded Coconut, Coffee Grains, Granola, Biscotti, Brownie Chunks.) You get to mix and match flavors and toppings from among 25 rotating flavors. I don't know about you, but that pistachio PopGelato has my name written all over it!


Oh, and for those of you who think this all sounds vaguely familiar, Popbar is the American version of the Stick House chain in Italy. Click here for more info.