I Scream for Ice Cream

Some people are born lucky-- they find $20 in an old jacket; they inherit money from a distance aunt; they might even win the lottery. Other everyday, hard working folks like me have to take the little bit of lucky breaks that come their way and make them last a lifetime.

Case in point-- last week I was asked to review ice cream. How lucky can you get? I decided to invite over some of my friends to help me do a scientific taste test, so it could never be said that I don't share the wealth. Anyway, we approached this assignment with all the seriousness and professionalism of a certified, census taker. I passed out little test cups, plastic spoons and dixie cups of water to cleanse our palates, and we designated someone to be our official note taker. As we began, comments went flying, and all of a sudden, everyone was an ice cream expert. Here are our official results.

We began with Hagen Daz Peaches and Cream ice cream, which had a very creamy and fresh, smooth taste. There were plenty of peaches and it was very refreshing. Someone remarked that it tasted a little bit like summer, right in the middle of cold weather.Next, was Hagen Daz Dulce De Leche. With swirls of caramel, it had a rich sweet flavor. One person, who obviously was enjoying it said," it tastes like a festival in your mouth." Now I'm not exactly sure what that would taste like, but since she was moaning when she said it, I assume it was good.

We moved on to another brand-- Edy's Andes Mint, which actually has bits of the candy in it. It reminded us of a holiday and the taste we remembered ending the meal with. Being smooth, creamy and refreshing, it too had a lot of votes.

Edy's also makes Light ice cream-- Rocky Road. This was, surprisingly, the best Light ice cream I have ever had. It is very chocolaty, but we were divided. Some people just did not care for the consistency of marshmallows in their ice cream--I being one of them.Another Light ice cream by Edy's is Butter Pecan, and this was one of my favorites. Some called me an ice cream purist, and others labeled me an ice cream snob, since my favorite ice creams have always been vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Yes, I know I am boring. Well, I loved the butter pecan since its taste was not overwhelming. It tasted like a creamy vanilla with a nice nutty flavor. Again, this was a surprisingly delicious ice cream, especially for a Light.

We all were getting a little full and our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs, as my mother used to say, but we forged ahead in the name of research. We tried the Edy's Double Chocolate Fudge Brownie, which had our testers divided. Some felt it had a nice rich and thick taste, while others said it was too cakey and chewy. If you don't like things in your ice cream, you won't like this.

Our final brand was Starbucks. They make a Java Chip, which was described as chocolate chunks crashing into creamy coffee ice cream. This ice cream has a strong coffee flavor, and you obviously want to pass on this one if you don't like coffee-- which I don't.

Our final ice cream was Starbucks Mud Pie, a coffee ice cream with chocolate sandwich cookies and fudge swirls. All the people who like the taste of coffee, enjoyed this one.Well, what was the overall favorite? The Hagen Daz Peaches and Cream was, in general, liked by everyone, whereas each of the other flavors had someone who didn't care for it, because maybe they didn't like coffee or mint or, God forbid, chocolate!

Well that was my assignment, and I felt pretty Lucky to do it.