Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Ice cream and book reviews

Dan's mom got these flowers for me to perk up my daytime area.



Here is a cute photo of Dan and Elijah playing with E's new keyboard that our sweet friend Cecilia sent him for his birthday!



Two of the things I have done a lot of in the past five weeks are eating ice cream and reading books. So, I thought I would share my new knowledge with you on both topics! :)


ICE CREAM

I am partial to Ben & Jerry's. I have tried a few other brands, but I always go back to good old B&J.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - A good basic, simple favorite.
Magic Brownies - A favorite! Raspberry ice cream swirls, with brownie chunks, yum! I love any ice cream with brownie chunks, but the raspberry makes this stand out.
Cake Batter - Pretty good.
Cherry Garcia - A trusted favorite.
Chubby Hubby - Not a huge fan of pretzels and ice cream combined. I wouldn't buy this flavor again.
Chunky Monkey - I looove banana ice cream, and this is such a simple, yummy flavor.
Cinnamon Buns - It's in my freezer. I haven't tried it yet, but am eager to (maybe tonight!).
Everything But The.. - Too much going on for me with this ice cream. I think simpler is always better.
Half Baked - A definite favorite! I don't normally like chocolate ice cream, but it is swirled together with vanilla and again, I LOVE brownie chunks!
Mint Chocolate Chunk - Another trusted favorite.
Oatmeal Cookie Chunk - I haven't tried this, but I saw it on the B&J website and started salivating.
Cheesecake Brownie - Yum!
Imagine Whirled Peace - Just ok for me.
Americone Dream - This is another favorite. There are little bits of chocolate-covered ice cream cone chunks mixed with caramel swirls.
Triple Caramel Chunk - I love caramel, so another favorite!
Strawberry Cheesecake - Thanks for the recommendation on this one, Jen! I probably never would have picked it up otherwise. The graham cracker crumbles in this one make it sooo yummy!

I think it's pretty obvious why I've gained 22 lbs (or more)!


BOOKS

Modoc by Ralph Helfer - I mentioned this book before. It is just a wonderful little book! It is a true story about an amazing elephant's life. I highly recommend it.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - I finished this in two days. It is extremely well-written and powerful. When I finished it, I felt extremely thankful for my life.

The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern - A classic that I had always wanted to read. I have to say that the movie is much better for me, but maybe that is because the movie is such a popular favorite.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I decided to re-read this classic and enjoyed it just as much the second time.

Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian - Eh. It was ok. Wouldn't highly recommend it to anyone.

Heaven by Randy Alcorn - I just started this book. It is an in-depth study/depiction of what Heaven will be like. Dan read it a while ago and really liked it, so I am excited to read it, as well.


Do any of you have ice cream and/or book favorites? Please share!!

14 comments:

mina said...

Yum! Makes me want to try them all!

I'm sure I'll be checking out some of those books soon too! Good to keep your mind stmulated and your tummy happy too ;)

TimnKatienElinSam said...

LOVE this post :) And I am in agreement with many of your observations. Have you tried reading any Jody Piccoult books? If not, I have several good ones and could bring them to you, as we hope to find a time that works to see you all soon. Hang in there.....you are doing SO great and this will soon be over, and before you know it you will be running after two boys!

Kendis said...

Eat, Pray, Love (soon to be a movie) and "Queen of the Road"

Heather said...

Ben and Jerry's "Hannah Teter's Maple Blondie." But it is very, very dangerous. Be prepared to eat the entirety of whatever you buy in one sitting.

Have you read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls? It's a really unbelievable true story of her upbringing...great read.

Anonymous said...

Phish Food-the best B&J ice cream ever!

Sarah said...

I vanilla bean - I know - boring. Orange or Lemon sherbet is a favorite too. I read to relax - like simple stories that have a good ending. They take me away from my troubles and put me back West on the Oregon trail ; ) in love with the wagon leader. Janette Oke is probably one of my favorites.

jencooper said...

I agree with "The Glass Castle" and ANY book by Jodi Picoult. She is my current favorite author. I also just finished "The Piano Teacher" and "Same Kind of Different as Me" - both are good. I am a voracious reader so I will be checking this post for some recommendations for me.

I am glad that you tried the Strawberry Cheesecake. A friend turned me on to it. Bennett and I fight over the graham cracker parts. It is why I have gained....ummmm....lots of pounds.

Cecilia said...

Haven't you tried the Caramel Chew Chew before? Yum yum ...

MDPhoto said...

Read Momzillas!...It's a very quick, light read. And funny!!!

Unknown said...

Loev the post you are to funny.

When it comes to ice cream it is anything chocolate. And when it comes to reading I do not do enough.

Hope you all have a great weekend and get lots of rest :)

Alyssa Johnson haggerty said...

Phish food is my all time B&J favorite!

Books: Have you read Kite Runner? I read that one first, then read A thousand Splendid Suns, both so awesome.

-Time Traveler's Wife
-Anything David Sedaris
-Traveling Mercies

ThePicks said...

Can't wait to read the elephant book. Two Towers is almost done...probably start into it by mid-march! This was a really fun post; thanks for sharing all your insights! Have a great weekend!

The Smith's said...

I'm with you on the new Chris Bohjalian book ... I didn't even finish it (although I wouldn't mind if you commented and told me th ending ... who did it? =))

A couple books I have loved, loved: Shelter Me by Juliette Fay; Peace Like a River by Leif Enger; and anything by Jodi Picoult.

We are reading Heaven as a team at work ... LIFE-CHANGING!!!

Praying that baby boy #2 stays in your tummy lots and lots longer. Your attitude during this bed rest is such a great example to me!

love, jesse

The Portas said...

Jesse, it is the daughter who killed her father. She teamed up with the minister, but she is the one who shot the gun and he covered for her all along.

Thank you for the great recommendations, everyone!!