Saturday, June 30, 2012

Black Berries


Week 4 of our bag from Fresh Fork Market includes a quart of farmstead (made on-site at the farm) yogurt from Velvet-View; pint of blackberries black raspberries (yes, there's a difference); peaches; zucchinis; radishes; lettuce; kale; and Italian sausage links.

After reading several articles online about blackberries and black raspberries, there are differences between the two unrelated to color -- blackberries can be red before they are ripe

365-362 Blackberries
Day 362/365

A very obvious cue between the two is the location of the fruit's central core (not the technical term) after being picked. Raspberries leave a whitish core with the shrub stem, which results in a hollow fruit. Blackberries retain them when picked, so they appear whole, not hollow.  Another visual cue is that raspberries are hairy, while blackberries are smooth.

Seasonally, its availability isn't obvious at the grocery store, price aside, since somewhere in the world these fruits are being grown. In the United States, raspberries are traditionally available in the early summer before blackberries. Also, black raspberries are grown only in the US. Although, with hybridization amongst these similarly appearing "aggregate" fruits, the seasons may extend as late as fall.

We ate a handful while processing our basket to go into the freezer so we would have available small serving size pouches when we make smoothies as a cool treat over the summer or as a dinner replacement.

- Cassaendra

Fresh Fork Market

Friday, June 29, 2012

Eggs


We have finally cracked into our eggs today, presented in our third bag from Fresh Fork Market nearly a week ago, since we had a carton of 18 eggs to go through first. I have a tendency to eat my eggs raw in soup, so it won't take too long to go through these even though we're swimming in grotesquely hot weather. Hey, coffee drinkers drink a cup o' joe in the middle of summer.

365-361 Eggs Close Row
Day 361/365

Looking at these tan beauties from Scenic Acres, it seems a shame to boil these for deviled avocado-eggs or crab salad but I've been craving for a sandwich stuffed with crab salad, barbecue kettle chips, alfalfa sprouts, and cucumbers in sour dough bread with a steaming bowl of spicy miso ramen. My favorite snack-meal ever since I could stir a pot.

365-361 Egg Long Formation
Day 361/365

My crab salad comprises of potatoes, crab, cucumbers, Best Foods or Hellman's mayonnaise, a little Kewpie mayonnaise, ±boiled eggs, wee bit of onion powder, salt, and pepper. It is a side dish my mother made as far back as I can remember. 

Oooh, there's always tres leches cake...we haven't had that in a while!

- Cassaendra
Will stop drooling now...

Fresh Fork Market

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Flower Power


With temperatures in the upper 90s (°F) and dewpoint in the 70s, walking around outside felt like we were swimming in lava singing our nose hair with each inhale. The dog's tongue was already dragging along the ground before she walked outside. Of course, it doesn't help that our place is usually 10° warmer and more humid than the outside temperature and humidity during the non-winter months. 

365-360 Pink Flower
Day 360/365

Partway into our walk, I felt a few stray globules of moisture hit my face. It didn't even amount to a drizzle. Did I imagine this? The sidewalk didn't show any evidence of rain. With the heat, however, the rain probably vaporized before it hit the concrete. 

365-360 Little Pink
Day 360/365

As I took photographs of flowers that seemed to thrive in this tropical heat, at least they looked a lot better than I felt, I noticed evidence of droplets here and there. The rain wasn't my imagination. Yes!

I suppose it could be worse. To put this into perspective, the Midwest, e.g., Kansas, Oklahoma, are experiencing temperatures in the 100s for nearly 2 weeks straight. However, I must add that their humidity is sitting at 30-40%; whereas, we're sitting in the 60+%ile range. I'm sympathetic to the soaring temperatures in the Midwest, but high humidity even at cooler temperatures is oppressive.  

- Cassaendra

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Lamb Wednesday


During my last visit to Pappou, a diner in Parma run by a Greek family, I noticed a chalkboard advertising lamb dinners each Wednesday through summer. Dinners at Pappou come with salad and soup bar. On this evening, the soups were chicken dumpling and cabbage bacon soups.

365-359 Pappou Lamb Potatoes
Day 359/365

Between the two lamb dinners offered, I selected the roast leg of lamb ($9.99) with tomato sauce made with artichokes and fava beans apparently grown from their garden. Fava beans! I'm sure most people visualize Anthony Hopkins when they think of fava beans.

It was around two years ago when tomato-base sauces, a staple in my diet, was phased out almost completely when I nearly ceased eating pasta. The Mediterranean flavor of the accompanying sauce was fine, but for this stomach and palate now unaccustomed to tomato sauces, the bowl of red with artichokes was too acidic for me. Of course, I poked around and ate the fava beans -- what sold me on ordering this over the other lamb dish. 

365-359 Pappou Lamb Tomato Sauce
Day 359/365

The oven baked potatoes wedges were slightly overdone. Along with rosemary, the potatoes were baked with some kind of acid, e.g., vinegar, lemon, that lent a pleasing tang. I don't recall having potatoes prepared this way.

While we prefer our food less cooked through, the wait staff at this diner is almost always friendly and the price is very affordable, so we find ourselves returning at least monthly. The menu is varied from Greek, Mediterranean, American, and deli sandwiches, so there is something on the menu to eat for practically anyone.

- Cassaendra

Pappou
8320 Snow Rd
Cleveland, OH 44129
Tel: (440) 888-9644

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Not Wheezing


365-358 Akemi Sidewalk2
Day 358/365

Akemi has been having bouts of wheezing fits recently. When she has a wheezing fit, wherever she is, she finds us. All we can do is console her. This was a quiet moment during a walk. Poor pup.

- Cassaendra

Monday, June 25, 2012

Pea Shoots and Leaves


Just playing with my food...

365-357 Pea Shoots Leaves
Day 357/365

I haven't quite developed a taste or care for the texture for pea shoots raw, but really enjoy them in soup and cooked with other vegetables. The spirals are really pretty but can get caught in my throat because I can't chew them well enough to break them down without either being swallowed in a wiry clump, reminding me of my wiry hair caught in a drain, or strands being partly caught in my throat.

365-357 Pea Shoots Leaves Muted
Day 357/365

Even as I choke on them occasionally, I look forward to eating pea shoots each year in my ramen or Japanese mushroom soup. Now if I could get mizuna out here...

- Cassaendra

Fresh Fork Market

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Drool...Doughnuts


Doughnuts have always been a "meh" thing for me. With the exception of very eggy and airy French crullers, at least in the continental US, I usually skip them when offered unless it is socially inappropriate to decline. This shouldn't to be confused with contempt. I am not a bread lover. As a result, I am very picky when it comes to bread products.

Driving along Pearl Road, we noticed the red glow of the "HOT NOW" neon sign hanging in Krispy Kreme's window. Before I could say anything, Bug had already maneuvered the car into the appropriate lane to enter their parking lot.

365-356 Fresh Krispy Kreme
Day 356/365

This was my first time walking into a Krispy Kreme store when the doughnuts were being made. There is a window where you can watch the mechanized process of the dough being lifted into place; plopped onto oil to be cooked on one side, floating merrily across like bobbing carnival ducks; flipped; fried on the other side; marching up a ramp where the rows of doughnuts are bathed in a thin sheet of glaze; and finally onto a belt waiting to be picked.

We bought glazed doughnuts (what was being made), key lime creme pie, and glazed blueberry doughnuts. As soon as we sat in the car, we quickly opened the box announcing their 75th anniversary.

The doughnuts were hot, puffy, and melted in my mouth. For the next minute, the car was silent with the exception of our ecstatic moans. Each bite was light and perfectly sweet, as if eating puffy clouds plucked from the sky.

I have had many andagi (Okinawan doughnuts) and malasadas (Portuguese-Hawaiian variety) fresh from the fryer, but I've never encountered this degree of doughnut magnificence as I have sitting in the Krispy Kreme parking lot.

- Cassaendra

Krispy Kreme
6907 Pearl Rd
Middleburg Heights, OH 44130
Tel: (440) 845-1111

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Salt


I paid a photographic visit to this door nearly a year ago. In the interim, both doors were plastered with posters of the Morton Salt girl.

365-355 When It Rains Cleveland 5
Day 355/365

Over the span of time, the posters have been torn off or fallen victim to the weather, and other posters have taken their place.

365-355 When It Rains
Day 355/365

I have set my calendar to remind me one year from now to take another photograph of these doors.

- Cassaendra

Friday, June 22, 2012

Beggin' Bits


Friday usually means a trip to Churned for ice cream. The maple bacon ice cream was calling out to me in a grabbing-my-shoulders-and-shaking-me sort of manner, but in a good way. For my second flavor of their single scoop serving ($3.25), I was torn between Capn Crunch [cereal], burnt chocolate, or strawberry rhubarb.

Capn Crunch (bottom scoop) was a fun treat. The ice cream tastes like sweet cream with whole Capn Crunch cereal folded in, not sprinkled atop as an afterthought or crushed into nonexistence. The texture of the frozen cereal is funky at first, firm and cold, but once the ice cream softens, the texture of the cereal softens and is fine thereafter. Please note, I am a fan of letting my cereal soak in milk for a minute before eating it.

365-354 Capn Maple Bacon Crunch
Day 354/365

Maple bacon ice cream is one of our favorites. The ice cream has a sweet and smoky flavor with chunks of bacon inside. I don't think I've taken a normal sized bite and not had a bacon piece to munch on.

Akemi figured out half way through the cone that I was not going to give her any, so she stopped looking at me pleadingly and turned her attention to more interesting things like squirrels nibbling on nuts, kids trying to eat their ice cream as neatly as possible (hah!), and dogs following kids licking ice cream drops.

365-354 Akemi Shadow Profile
Day 354/365

The weather forecast for next Friday is predicted to be a scorcher. Hopefully it won't be another heatwave like we experienced the past few days. I'm sure ice cream parlors would welcome high temperatures.

- Cassaendra

Churned
1112 Kenilworth Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Red Leaf


What a rough start for this plant in the midst of this heat wave -- 96°F. Whew!

365-353 Rolled
Day 353/365

The color of the leaves remind me of red ti leaves, where only the perimeter is red and the center is green. These leaves unfurl asymmetrically from one another, unlike ti leaves. I've been unsuccessful in finding the name of this probably common plant.

- Cassaendra

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Kohlrabi


We have been diligently using up our Fresh Fork Market bag of vegetables and chicken that Bug roasted on Sunday. When we receive our share, it seems like a lot. After breaking everything down and storing everything in the refrigerator, freezer, and airtight containers, it doesn't seem like that much. Finally, when we begin preparing meals, we come full circle and notice we received a lot of food.

365-352 Collard Kohlrabi
Day 352/365

For dinner, we had roasted chicken, a side of cooked sliced beets, and collard greens and kohlrabi cooked with Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning.  Raw kohlrabi tastes like partially cooked cabbage. It's not my favorite, but I don't hate it. Cooked kohlrabi, however, is delicious and tastes like a cross between broccoli stem and daikon with a texture like cooked daikon, firm but not exceedingly fibrous. 

- Cassaendra

Fresh Fork Market

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

GIGO


Occasionally, I have wished Google, or something similar, was always available instantaneously. More than it is now? We have maps, images, search engines, image matching, apps, tablets, and wi-fi. Perhaps the "more" could only be fulfilled as a cyborg.

365-351 Purple Fuzz
Day 351/365

Search results are only as good as their descriptions. "Fuzzy pink (purple, magenta) flower (bloom)" and one receives hairy flowers rivaling Cousin It, sweaters, hats, and dogs. Of the images with flowers, none resembled what I was looking for; garbage in, garbage out. 

Ah, the leaves! With the addition of "serrated leaves, pink pistil" and removing "fuzzy," I scanned through several pages of images until my eyes came across an image linked with spiraea nipponica. The familiar pink blossom flourished before my eyes when I searched "spiraea pink." I verified this on various sites; garbage in, gospel out. 

Apparently, it is a rather popular flower so there are many designer hybrids. My eyes glazed over when I noticed what appeared to be jillions, to use one of my professor's favorite terms, of varieties of spiraea. Thirty minutes later: well, the flower looks more like one type, except this one little thing, and the leaves look more like another type...

- Cassaendra

Monday, June 18, 2012

Nacho Tacos


Bug has been excited about this dinner for some time now using items from our first and second CSA bounty: pasture raised chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, and chorizo from Newswanger Meats from Shiloh, Ohio, ~1-1/2 hours southwest of Cleveland, just north of Mansfield.

I was woken up Sunday morning by Bug asking me if I would like to take Akemi out for a walk so he could start roasting the chicken early. What? I lifted my head to look at the time, then to him in glazed bewilderment to see if he was actually standing beside me, stumbled to the bathroom, complained about some things, then stomped back after I realized it was 05:30. He walked Akemi alone.

365-350 Chicken Chorizo Tacos
Day 350/365

After the roasted chicken was cooked, Bug dismantled it into two containers, separating white and dark meat. I love dark meat, he prefers white.

For tacos, Bug further seasoned the chicken with black pepper, sea salt, garlic, and onions. I could have eaten a bowl of that chicken as is. The taco to the left includes the chicken, lettuce, and salsa made with tomatoes and jalapeno peppers. The taco to the right is even simpler -- chorizo and queso blanco. Our taco shells were from Trader Joe, which were too thick for my preference and dry.

Nachos were made with some of the leftover chorizo, queso blanco, more of the salsa Bug made up, and corn chips. The chorizo is one of the best I've had. It was salty, nicely spiced for "medium" heat, and smoky. This would have been great to eat over rice, too.

365-350 Nachos
Day 350/365

Bug also made a few flautas, which were gobbled up within a few minutes. His meal included all the cilantro. The FFM parcel was put together very well.

- Cassaendra

Fresh Fork Market

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Tea Pea


365-349 Tea Pea
Day 349/365

Hungry for some ramen, I cooked up some green tea soba. While the pea shoots and snow peas from our Fresh Fork Market bag were simmering in my favorite instant matsutake flavored broth, I grated some ginger. Red peppers were thrown in at the end. Add a raw egg and a few dashes of shichimi togarashi, 20 minutes later, breakfast is served.

- Cassaendra

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Summer Snow


We haven't finished some of our vegetables and chicken from last week. It's time again for another bag of goodies from Fresh Fork Market (FFM). The more perishable vegetables that we received were consumed.

The strawberries were not used in a cake. They were quickly snacked on during drive-by visits to the kitchen. The last handful was part of a lovely velvety smoothie mixed with blueberries for dessert. On a different night, Bug made a filling and nutritious smoothie for dinner made with the kale, collard greens, radishes from our bag, as well as some leftover broccoli, tomatoes, pear, kiwi, oranges, chia and flax seeds, and plain soy milk from Costco. The combination sounds hideous, but the fruits really stood out, while vegetables were hardly noticeable.

Bug felt the garlic ramps we received were a bit awkward to eat raw, so he'll probably chop them up and try to cook them in a dish. He hasn't commented about the pea shoots, but he hasn't touched them since he tried them raw in a salad.

365-348 Tomato Peas
Day 348/365

This week, Bug will be making a Mexican feast with the pound of chorizo and tomatoes we received this week, along with the whole pasture-raised chicken from last week. In anticipation of this bag, we bought some fresh corn tortillas. The cilantro and green onions are all his. Since the black turtle beans are dried, he'll probably use them some time in the future, perhaps in a soup.

The white-stem and baby bok choy and snow peas will probably be used in a stir fry later in the week, along with the remaining pea shoots from last week - if I don't use them in a bowl of ramen!

It has only been our 2nd week, but receiving new vegetables has been a fun challenge. We aren't receiving 10 lb of one item, so it hasn't been oppressive, but quite a delight.

- Cassaendra

Fresh Fork Market

Friday, June 15, 2012

Summer Walk


365-347 Akemi Sidewalk
Day 347/365

Akemi pants on another warm, humid summer walk. We ended up carrying her home for a block.

- Cassaendra

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Antenna


A proud Cleveland Indians fan!

365-346 Play Ball
Day 346/365

I've always wanted to put the Union 76 (gasoline) or a Jack in the Box character (fast food chain) on my antenna ever since I was a wee kid. I still do! When I finally got ahold of both, I didn't want either to get stolen so I kept them in the house. I have no idea where they are now...

- Cassaendra

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Warehouse + Local


Bug made a wonderful salad, fusing vegetables we regularly purchase at Costco and our bag from Fresh Fork Market (FFM). One can't really survive, rather we can't afford to survive, on either solely.

365-345 Salad
Day 345/365

From Costco:
cucumbers
mushrooms
red peppers

From FFM:
kohrabi
lettuce
radishes

The price and quality of Costco is difficult to beat. A bundle of 3 large and delicious English cucumbers, a container of nearly 2 lb of rather large fresh mushrooms, and a package of 6-8 bright, sweet red peppers all for $11 is remarkable.

This was our first time using kohlrabi. Raw, in this salad, it tasted much like the core of a cabbage. I don't hate it, but I don't feel the need to drive around town to buy another. We have half a bulb left, which we will cook.  

The lettuce was very crisp. I can't recall when I've had lettuce quite this crisp, especially after sitting in our bipolar refrigerator for several days -- randomly freezing and thawing. The radishes had completely frozen then defrosted by the time we ate them in this salad. I'm sure they were a good, crisp bunch before they froze. The lettuce managed to dodge the frost.

A simple dressing of olive oil with black pepper and sea salt was all that was needed for this quite filling and fantastically put together salad.

- Cassaendra

Costco
Fresh Fork Market

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

White Pizza


It's Tuesday so that means our vice, pizza from Scott's Fire and Ice food truck. On this day, we tried their white pizza with mozzarella and tomatoes. 

365-344 Fire Ice White Pizza
Day 344/365

White pizza probably sounds boring -- where are all the meat and vegetables? If only more pizzerias around here could be half as skilled. This simple pizza was far from bland with just the right amount of seasonings, toppings, and salt. The mozzarella added a substantial heft and flavor, and the tomatoes provided a delicate sweetness. As usual, the crust was crisp initially, followed by some chew.

365-344 Fire Ice White Pizza Under
Day 344/365

This may be a bit too charred for some people. For me, perfection would be slightly less charred, between this and the margherita pizza we ate in May. The burn was not through and through, so it wasn't like eating charcoal briquettes. As such, Bug and I didn't leave anything behind, not even a crumb for the ants to grapple over.

We haven't tried the arugula and prosciutto pizza, so that is next on our list unless there is a specialty pizza. One could have worse vices, right?

- Cassaendra

Scott's Fire and Ice (food truck)

Monday, June 11, 2012

Miss Manners


365-343 Akemi Yawns
Day 343/365

Dogs and cats...animals are beautiful. Societal graces be damned. If the man down the street is creepy, she has no qualms shouting at him. If my dish turns south and I accidentally drop a morsel on the group, she snorts and walks away. If we're boring her with our conversation, she yodel-yawns for attention. That's our girl, keepin' it real.

- Cassaendra

Sunday, June 10, 2012

First Bag


We received our first bag of the summer season from Fresh Fork Market. It included items we were familiar with -- pea tendrils, collard greens, lettuce, radishes, and strawberries.

Being early in the season, the strawberries weren't the best ever, but they were juicy and delicious. I may chop a few for a salad tonight. When it cools down and if we have any left over later in the week, I may slice them thinly and place them between layers of a cake.

365-342 Strawberries
Day 342/365

The bag also included a few unfamiliar items like kohlrabi and garlic scapes. Also included was a bunch of red kale. We've had regular kale before, but not the red variety. A whole pasture-fed chicken (5-6 lb) was also included. Having never knowingly eaten a "pasture-fed" chicken, this will be interesting to see if we can detect a difference. Bug has his mind set on roasting it.

All of the items Fresh Fork Market delivers is grown locally by small farms. According to the FFM website, the items are not the same each year to promote biodiversity, as well as to introduce something different. When I reviewed the lists of bag contents over the years, what excited me most was the opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone to try new ingredients.

Bug is not easily impressed, but he was delighted to find the raw chicken in a plastic bag within a brown bag, sealed in another plastic bag, then separated by a plastic divider, the separate flat bag bottom, to reduce cross-contamination.

- Cassaendra

Fresh Fork Market

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Dressing


The Cleveland Auction Company sells and auctions many things from clothing to old Chinese stoneware often procured through estate sales. This black and white Mandarin inspired blouse was eye-grabbing from afar.

Upon closer inspection, the detail involved in its creation was exhausting - designs made of beads and a particular pattern made by the sequins.

365-341 Chinois
Day 341/365

A month or so ago, there was a cute, flowery dress displayed there that totally wasn't my style but it made me smile. It reminded me of a dress a little girl would wear and run around in the countryside amidst a tall field grass...bonnet not included. A small basket or satchel is a must to store all the wildflowers.

Flowery Dress
Happy dress

The dresses here are reasonably priced, as well as fur coats and other textiles, so it is fun to take a peek in to see what new items are available. One can spend $5 to hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars on their auctioned antiques.

- Cassaendra

Cleveland Auction Company
2418 Professor Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
Tel: (216) 631-3232

Friday, June 8, 2012

Sweet Friday


Art Walk Friday today in Tremont so even a store selling rubber bands and toilet plungers would be packed. Of course, it didn't really need to be Art Walk or Friday for us to pop in for visits to A Cookie and a Cupcake and Churned to see what was new.

We shared the cupcake of the day, blueberry with lemon frosting. As expected, the cake was moist, the blueberries gushed sweet blue, and the lemon frosting was a fabulous match, sweet and citrus-tart.

365-340 Blueberry Lemon
Day 340/365

We waddled over to Churned and noticed more new offerings. I can't say enough about how cool this place is with frequently rotating ice cream and sorbet flavors thus far.

365-340 Churned Again
Day 340/365

We revisited the smooth and salty-sweet maple bacon ice cream with chunks of French toast. The smoky and salty chunks of bacon still amaze me. Mexican hot chocolate with springy marshmallows was a creamy cold version of the chocolaty cinnamon drink. Smoky chocolate was not too sweet, but not as bitter as the dark chocolate with passion fruit and burnt caramel.

A rather unusual ice cream flavor combination was wasabi ginger with black sesame. This works well because the wasabi flavor is not overwhelming, but comfortably present both flavor and heat. The crisp ginger flavor gave the ice cream a nice finish.

- Cassaendra

A Cookie and a Cupcake
2173 Professor Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
Tel: (216) 344-9433

Churned
1112 Kenilworth Ave
Cleveland, OH  44113

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Chill


365-339 Squirrel and Bird
Day 339/365

A squirrel just hanging out with a peep. I still want a squirrel for a pet...

- Cassaendra

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Potluck


For a potluck luncheon tomorrow bidding a few people farewell, I made a vegan dish. My intention was to bring a colorful room temperature no-fuss vegetarian dish, flip-flopping on the inclusion of goat cheese. Since we didn't pick any cheese up last weekend, we ended up with a vegan dish. 

365-338 Potluck Vegetables
Day 338/365

Ingredients are hearts of palm (yes, we bought more), grilled asparagus, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, and kalamata olives. Mixed with the vegetables are olive oil, oregano, vinegar, black pepper, and sea salt. The later addition of artichoke hearts packed in oil brightened the salad by adding a bit of piquancy.

- Cassaendra

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Fetish


365-337 Fetish
Day 337/365

Fetish, obsession, passion, ...

 - Cassaendra

Monday, June 4, 2012

Mew.F.O.


What is that mysterious green object hovering near the window of Tremont Tails?

365-336 Cat Capsule
Day 336/365

It's a cat capsule, a sleek cat cubby for that fashionable feline. I would considering getting this for our cat, but I don't think he would fit in the opening. Even if he fit, he probably wouldn't know what to do with it. It took our dog, back when she was a puppy, to sleep in his cat bed to figure out what to do with the circular cushion that sat in the living room for 8 years previous. Perhaps he didn't care for the 6 ferrets over the years romping and rolling in it.  

- Cassaendra

Tremont Tails
2406 Professor Ave (through 01/2013)
Cleveland, OH 44113

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Tree Ring Circus


365-335 Akemi Tree Rings1
Day 335/365

The game is apaw! Akemi investigates the case of the missing tree.

- Cassaendra

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Churned More


We popped into Churned again. Surprise! (Riiight)

365-334 Churned More
Day 334/365

With newer flavors added, we have yet to try all the flavors. Today, we indulged in a double scoop ($4.75) of:
- peanut butter and jelly
- carrot cake with cream cheese
- grapefruit sorbet with lime
- maple bacon

Ice cream flavors thus far have been like Willy Wonka meals in a bite. PB&J made me chuckle (a good thing). Any kid knows that ice cream + PB&J = win.  For carrot cake, the spices were just enough but not overwhelming, and the cream cheese bits were delicious. Grapefruit sorbet was like spooning sweetened grapefruit -- dry and pleasantly bitter. Maple bacon will make any bacon aficionado proud. We're talking bites of bacon, not specks, or pondering whether Bac-Os were utilized.

Churned has made the prospect of eating without teeth quite enjoyable!  The waistline may protest soon, however.

- Cassaendra

Churned
1112 Kenilworth Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113

Friday, June 1, 2012

Churned


Despite the persisting cool rain since last night, there was a steady stream of customers while we were there early this evening for the much anticipated opening of Churned, Tremont's newest ice cream shop brought to you by our favorite cupcake divas, Wendy and Syndee of A Cookie and a Cupcake.

365-333 Churned Double
Day 333/365

My expectations for delicious and creative ice cream combinations were high based on their fabulous, always imaginative and scrumptious cupcakes. I was not disappointed.

Since I could not decide on a flavor, I cheated and picked out four. A single serving ($3.25) consists of two scoops so I created a sampler out of a double serving ($4.75) -- browned butter with lavender brittle, strawberry rhubarb crumble, dark chocolate with passion fruit and burnt caramel, and rosemary garlic with grapes.

Yes, garlic. While I'm not a fan of garlic, this was tasty in the same vein as durian shakes, a rather unique tasting sweet treat. Bug loved the sweet roasted garlic essence. Browned butter was smokey-smooth with sweet brittle bits that kids will go nuts over if they like butter pecan. Strawberry rhubarb was sweet and slightly tart, even better than pie. Dark chocolate was magnificently masculine due to its moderate bitterness, that same snap you expect from extra dark chocolate. The fruit and caramel round the edges.

Overall, the texture of the ice cream flavors we tried was thick, creamy, and smooth that won't break your spoon or melt as soon as you step outside. I can't wait to check out the remaining six flavors in the very near future (tomorrow?)!

- Cassaendra

Churned
1112 Kenilworth Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113

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