Update on cold deliciousness for the summer

(mango passion fruit + lemon blackberry sorbet)


As a follow-up to my snow cone post, let's talk briefly about ice cream. If you've known me any time at all past 2004 (when I discovered gelato), you know I'm not much of an ice cream person. HOWEVER--one man has changed that. His name is Christopher Elbow, and if you haven't heard that name before, come to Kansas City and let me introduce you.

Mr. Elbow is known around here (and across the country) as one of the best artisan chocolatiers. I could spend paragraphs on the Caramel Fleur de Sel alone. *sigh*



A couple months ago, Mr. Elbow opened an artisan ICE CREAM shop. Believe it or not, he has somehow managed (magic, perhaps?) to translate his amazing chocolates into frozen deliciousness. The aforementioned favorite chocolate of mine is now my favorite ice cream treat. Caramel ice cream (with a hint of salt) plus hot fudge drizzled on top.

Zach (the boyfriend) who is not usually a dessert person has even come over to the dark side. His favorite flavor is Vietnamese Cinnamon.

I want to make this short, so in summary--get in your car (buses go right past the shop, too), and visit Glacé Artisan Ice Cream (just south of the Plaza Library).

P.S. It's pronounced "Gla-say." :)


Oooh--in other exciting news, a Red Mango (fabulous frozen yogurt) just opened on 50th & Oak!

Snow cones are the new cupcakes

Okay, not really. Nothing, no matter how trendy, can replace the deliciousness of a Bella Nutella from Cupcake a la Mode. Or my recent discovery during the chocolate tour of Chicago that Katherine took me on (really, it's an official tour) -- More Cupcakes. Mmm.

Despite that tangent, however, I've noticed that snow cones (or sno cones, shaved ice, etc.) have risen in popularity lately.

A few examples:

Fresher Than Fresh snow cones (in Kansas City) are ALL NATURAL. Yes, all natural. This is a far cry from when I worked at Sun 'n Fun Water Park's snow cone shack in '03. Ha! Blue Coconut and Tiger's Blood were about as far from natural or organic as you can get. They might have even been radioactive.

Here is a video and article to get you excited about this trend sweeping the nation. Other trends to watch: macarons (more on that later).

Fox 4 Kansas City news story on Fresher Than Fresh:
Who is that strange girl at the end? ;) Oh, and here is the article where FTF is mentioned...hooray local businesses!

New York Times - The Snow Cone Grows Up

Happy summer, everyone!

no more trips to Walgreens for toothpaste!

Let me start by saying I am NOT an employee of Alice.com, nor are they my client. I'm just a really happy customer! Although I love grocery shopping, I'm not thrilled by random and annoying trips to the store just for little things I run out of (i.e. toilet paper, soap, etc). Enter: Alice.com (as in--Everyone needs their own Alice, or the maid from The Brady Bunch).

If you're like me and you don't have a Wal-Mart with everyday low prices within a 20-minute radius or you're morally opposed to shopping there, this is the perfect solution! The prices might not always be as low as WallyWorld, but they're quite close. And it's a million times more convenient. It took me about three orders to finally accept that there isn't a catch. Here's what you should know:

* you always have to order at least 6 items
* BUT--then shipping is free
* the selection isn't perfect, but it's better than you'd think
* you can search by what coupons are available
* they ship your order in a pretty blue box to your office or home in a couple of days

Now--be SURE that if you're ever going to use this service, you sign up using this link or by clicking the banner to the left.
<---that one

If you do, then you'll get $10 automatically plopped into your account (but only if you've been referred). They don't give it to you until you prove your loyalty by spending your first $50. This just happened with me, and I guess they trust me now!

Have fun exploring and shopping!

Farmer's Market

This has been the harshest winter I've lived through (keep in mind I lived in sunny Oklahoma for 22 years and mostly dealt with ice and wind). I don't say that to complain--it's definitely been a snowy adventure this year, but to say how much I am longing for the sweet, warm spring! Spring is my favorite season (with autumn coming in a very, very close second). Mostly, I've had the open air farmer's market on my mind. I've loved going there on Saturdays in the spring, summer and fall, but have missed it desperately lately since I've been trying to eat healthier foods. It's not as fun to buy apples from Wal-Mart when you know you're not supporting your local farmers AND you're eating who-knows-what kind of disease-causing preservatives. Plus, I can save a lot of money there. :)

I need to compile some yummy recipes in anticipation of all the produce I'll be able to buy. Feel free to share your favorites with me. Specifically ones that involve in-season produce. I also buy eggs, Shatto milk and Bread of Life nutty bread from the market. Oh, and I'm super excited about my tomatoes from a young farmer with a super long beard who has a really cute little boy that I let pick out the tomatoes for me. There's nothing like a home-grown tomato. And since I failed at my attempt to grow my own on my balcony, I will stick to the experts.

That's all my dreaming for now--time to get back to work.

bad blogger

Wow, someone needs blogging inspiration. -->me

Looks like I'm back to my goal of not letting a year go by without writing. Yikes!

*********update

Oh yes, here's a little something to say: I just finished "New York, I Love You" (finally). Has anyone seen the 2 deleted stories? I'm no Kevin Bacon fan, but the Vagabond Shoes vignette just warmed me up on this frigidly cold night. I have newfound respect for Scarlett Johannsen who I saw wrote and directed it. AND for Natalie Portman who did an excellent job on one of my other favorite parts (with the dad/dancer and little girl). I don't want to give away the Kevin Bacon story in case you want to watch it, BUT...I will say I started thinking, "Why am I watching something so depressing?" Not so at the end! :)