Ice Cream of the Rich and Famous

Robert plants a kiss on that cone.

Ice Cream of the Rich and Famous

Rupert Grint, aka Ron Weasly, 

makes the magic happen in this Mr. Whippy van.  

Soft servicus appearacus!

Two Kiwis

I love Flight of the Conchords, the folk-comic music duo from New Zealand.  So do lots of people so that's not odd.  What is odd is how much they apparently love me.  I'm like, "Bret, Jemaine, stop trying to get my attention - I'm in a committed relationship!" But their love for me continues even though I do nothing to provoke it.

Don't believe me?  Here's the facts:

• There is a character in the show called Murray.  Not the most common name, is it?  You know who else is called Murray?  My boyfriend, that's who!  It's like their trying to see where my allegiances lie, their Murray or mine.  When the TV is on, I've looked them square in the eye and told them, "My, Murray.  Mine!" It's like their desperate or something.
• I live in Brooklyn near the Williamsburg Bridge.  Not only did they put the bridge in the opening credits of season 2, they shot a whole scene the library near my apartment.  Coincidence?  I freaking doubt it.
  

• And finally, perhaps you will recall the number "Inner City Pressure," a musical sequence in season 1 shot near an elevated train.  Was it the F train at Smith and 9th?  The 7 up Roosevelt Ave?   No, no, a thousand times no!  It was shot at the JMZ which is the train I take every blessed day.  And the stop they're at is Marcy, which is my stop.  Well, it's my stop if the J is going express.  If it's going local then my stop is Hewes, but I refused to get bogged down in the details.  It's all right there plain as day: they adore me.

Well, I don't want to lead them on or anything, so perhaps this is dangerous.  But since they've done so much for the borough of Brooklyn, I felt it only right that I honor Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement with a few Kiwi recipes.

Kiwi Ginger Lime Pops

1 c water

3/4 c sugar

1 tbs fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp grated lime zest

5 kiwis

1/2 c lime juice

1 egg white

• Heat water, sugar, and lime zest until sugar dissolves.  Let cool to room temperature.
  
• Strain the syrup over a sieve into a bowl
  
• Puree kiwis with lime juice then combine with egg white and syrup
• Freeze 

Because Jemaine is part European and part Maori, I thought it might be more representational if these pops were mixed.  I, too, am mixed race and I insist on cultural sensitivity at all times.

Cantaloupe Pops

1/2 c water

1/2 c sugar

1 small cantaloupe, seeded and pureed

1/4 c lemon juice

• Heat water and sugar until sugar dissolves.  Let cool to room temperature.
  
• In a blender, puree cantaloupe and lemon juice.  Set aside.
  
• Combine syrup with cantaloup mixture.  
• Freeze and share with Jemaine on your fire escape

Kiwi Sorbet

1 c water

3/4 cup super fine (caster) sugar

1 1/2 lbs kiwis

• Peel and chop kiwis.  Blend in a blender until smooth
  
• Add sugar and water
  
• Let chill at least one hour
  
• Freeze with your trusty ice cream maker as per manufacturer's instuctions
  
• Spoon feed to Bret as you wait in line at the post office

I love you, Murray!

Keep On Truckin'

In New York, multitasking on the job is usually encouraged but when cops found marajahookie and "sugar" in an ice cream truck in Long Island yesterday, well, I guess they felt differently.  

Yes, yet another popsicle pusher was arrested due to drugs.  Sadly, the only thing surprising about this arrest was that the guy wasn't selling.  He was buying.

I'm pretty sure I know why he was seeking solace in mood altering substances. The poor guy had to listen to that blasted ice cream music all day!   A person just might need a little somethin' somethin' to numb the pain of hearing Pop Goes the Weasel for the 500th time.  

Or could it be that ice cream truck drivers think the cops can't see them because they are hidden behind a throng of screaming children?  Let's see what recent history teaches us...

• In Westbury, NY, a man in an ice cream van was arrested for delivering the coco loco to a damsel in distress.
  
• In July, a pair of rocket scientists in Kansas City  offered a neighborhood dad a bong hit.
  
• Later this month, un bon vivant will appear in court in Green Bay, WI.  The charge?  Selling crack from his truck.
  

Some words of advice for people considering any of the activities described above: 

 

• You will probably get caught and when you do, you'll get more time in jail for having illegal drugs near kids. 
  
• Ice cream heals most wounds.
• The concept of selling dope from your ice mobile so cliche it was the "plot" of a Cheech and Chong movie.  

Lobster Ice Cream

My family in Alaska makes something called "fish ice cream" which is an amalgamation of whitefish, blueberries, sugar, and Crisco.  

I.  Am.  Not.  Kidding.  

If you think I am, check out this lively discussion on the subject here.

I mention this only because "lobster ice cream" has been makin' the rounds on the blogs lately.  I'm like, whatevah!  Mix some Crisco up in that piece and then we'll see what is and what isn't an "eccentric edible."  But if you'd like to give lobster ice cream a try, by all means, click here!

The Popsicle Account

How much did you love Peggy Olson's ad for the Popsicle account?  Brilliant, right?  Moms always break a Popsicle in half, she reasoned.  To Peggy, the splitting and sharing of a Popsicle is no less a ritual than those performed in the Catholic church.  

Armed with this clever comparison, she came up with this li'l staccato motto: Take it.  Break it.  Share it.  Love it.  Which, in turn, was paired with an image of one holy angel of a wife in the kitchen.  Gosh, Peggy's such a bright girl!  

A bright girl and still she found herself in the hospital with a belly ache only to learn she was pregnant and in labor - heavens!  If you're not a fan of Mad Men, you have no idea what I'm talking about but even so, enjoy the picture, 'kay?