Goodbye Summer

Today is the last day of summer. Before we leave it all behind, I have to remark on two things.

One: when I made the Honeydew Lime Sorbet, I had leftover melon so I also made some popsicles. They came out very good. At least Murray thought so. Much to my chagrin, my boyfriend is one tough m.f! Just because he adores me (I think), doesn't mean that he lets me off the hook with a pat on the head and a "Yum, mint peanut berry sorbet on crackers - my favorite!" If it's crap, he'll tell me so. So when he took a bite and said, "I like these," I didn't take it lightly. I did a happy dance. Inside. Where he can't see it and realize what kind of power he wields.

Here's the recipe from the book Pops! by Krystina Castella published by the ever wonderful Chronicle Books.

Yes, I just took a picture of the recipe from the book. I'm that effin' lazy. Whatever. Did I mention that Murray liked them?

FYI, they came out looking like this:

Notice the obligatory bite out of the top so it doesn't look too much like a flight of Freudian fancy.

The second thing I'd like to mention is also on the topic of pops. We went to the Brooklyn Flea market where the chompable People's Pops were being sold. We got the cantaloupe and mint and guess what Mr. Murray said?

"Yours are better."

Awww! To be fair to the people of People's Pops, I've never made cantaloup mint. I did do the Cantaloupe Kiwi which were delightful. But were they better? Well, I don't see any reason to brag...

A knock-knock joke

Knock, knock!

Who's there?

Honey.

Honey who?

Honey, do you want some lime sorbet?

Honeydew Lime Sorbet

3 c cubed honeydew

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c boiled water

1/2 c lime juice

2 tsp grated lime peel

• Heat water and sugar until sugar dissolves.  Cool syrup to room temperature.
  
• Combine honeydew with syrup, lime juice, and lime peel in a blender.
  
• Chill for 2 hours.
  
• Freeze in ice cream maker as per manufacturer's instructions.
  

Banana Ice Cream Injector

This is real.  Well, a real patent, anyway.  There is no proof that Mr., Mrs., or perhaps Miss P. Marchio ever manufactured this tool that sucks out the insides out of a banana then fills that hollow space with ice cream.  But sincerely I hope it was made.  I also hope to receive one as a gift at my bridal shower.  That is, if I ever have a bridal shower.  Or perhaps I'll just die unloved, single, and penniless in an alley in Rego Park Queens.  Maybe I'll adopt all the neighborhood stray cats and give them names that start with J - Julie, Jennifer, Jingle Jangle, Jesus, Jewanda, Jermagesty, Joint.  Maybe I'll teach them all to ski and how to wait patiently in line at the Rego Park mental free clinic.  Wait, what was the point of this entry?  Oh, yes, the Banana Ice Cream Injector.  Clever, clever, clever indeed!

How to Make a Tiger Popsicle

Just in case you were wondering.

Earrings

Many moons ago, I had a boss who was a rabid Mets fan.  Like all Mets fans, she had endured many painfully embarrassing baseball seasons.  Also, like all Mets fans, she hated the Yankees.  I don't know ANYTHING about baseball except this: 

• If you want to be a winner, you root for the Yankees.  
• If you want to be a hater, you fall madly in love with the Mets.  

Why on earth do I bring this up?  Because one time when talking about all of us on her staff, Old Boss looked at me and said,  "I love all of you.  But I love Jodi a little bit less because she likes the Yankees."  That's sort of how I feel about these mini popsicle shaped earrings.

Adorable if you're 13 but I love them a little bit less than the popsicle shaped flash drive.

Love this! Hubby Hubby Ice Cream

Last week, Ben and Jerry's announced that in the month of September, they will be changing their flavor "Chubby Hubby" to "Hubby Hubby."   Why?  Because Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream hails from the state of Vermont and Vermont is one of the few states in the US where gays and lesbians can legally marry.  It's great to see that Ben and Jerry's supports gay people's right to be as totally boring as straight married couples.  Hooray!

Chubby Hubby consists of "fudge covered peanut butter filled pretzels in vanilla malt ice cream rippled with fudge & peanut butter."  Yes, enough of that will make your man rather, uh, round.

Since Ben and Jerry's didn't create anything for the ladies, I will offer a few humble suggestions for the wife-wife pairings of the world.

• Here Come the Brides - White chocolate ice cream with chunks of almonds, laced with coconut rippled with hazelnut-chocolate cream.
  
• Something Old, Something New, Something Sapphic, Something Blue - Old-fashioned vanilla ice cream (old) engineered to never melt (new), swirled with blueberries (blue), and a poem printed on the under side of every lid because Sappho was a poet, after all.
  
• Two Bouquets - Equal amounts of rose and lavender sorbets swirled in holy matrimony.
• Girls Gone Mild - Buttermilk ice cream, strawberries, and peach.  Comes with remote control and carpool schedule.

The altered packages of "Hubby Hubby" are only available in Vermont so if you live elsewhere, you'll have to road trip it to New England to buy a pint.  And if you do, send pictures!

I'm Melting!

As summer comes to it's end, let us look back at this ice cream season and some of the innovations that have been infused into the world of frozen treats. The big issue, apparently, is melting.  Or not melting.  This might be the new, glass half-empty, half-full sort of thing, so take your pick.  No judgments, I swear.  

I am not sure exactly when melting became a sin, a cause for alarm, a situation that begs for scientific intervention.  But alas, it can no longer be denied that we are well into what I can only assume is an ice cream crisis.  A melt-down, if you will.  

Like all food, ice cream as a temporary indulgence.  A fling not unlike a Club Med encounter with an IT guy from Detroit that you'll (hopefully) never see again.  Ice cream was never, ever meant to be marriage.  An ice pop, no matter how delicious, is a fleeting pleasure.   

The melt is just part of the whole frozen experience, the sweet memory.  But like fire, man is now seeking to control the melt.  Though I don't see people clamoring to make things that would make my life better such as the Non-Cancerous Suntan or the No-Hangover Martini, the Everlasting Sno-Cone may soon ubiquitous.  Here are the three biggest players in the frozen for life movement.

1. In June, Coldstone Creamery announced the No-Melt Ice Cream.  New York Magazine asks, "If it doesn't melt, is it still ice cream?"  Read all about it here.
2. Unilever, the largest ice cream manufacturer in the UK, shrouds their kitchen science in environmentalism.  Since their room temperature ice creams require no refrigeration, it is expending less energy during shipping as well as storage.  Impressive doublespeak, friends!  Read about it here.
3. Gelatin is what they're using to make Slow Melt Popsicles.  Keeping on the environmental tip, perhaps this could be sprinkled on the Polar ice caps, too.  Just a thought.  For some razor sharp observations on the subject, I insist you to read this post over at Bad Mommy Moments

Sundaes in New York

Check out the round up of sundaes available in New York on one of my favorite blogs, Grub Street.  Then, go ahead and dress up as a sundae then do some jazz hands.  Feels good, don't it?