HerKentucky's Search for the Perfect Scoop: Three Dog Bakery
July is National Ice Cream Month and HerKentucky is searching for the perfect scoop. We're testing recipes, visiting our favorite ice cream parlors, and, in general, enjoying the summer's best desserts.
I decided that the humans in my house shouldn't have all the taste-testing fun, so I stopped by Three Dog Bakery in Louisville's Chenoweth Square for some frozen treats for my dogs. Of course, ice cream contains a lot of ingredients that can upset a pup's stomach. Three Dog does an amazing job of formulating treats that are safe for dogs. Max and Sophie have certainly always expressed the opinion that everything on the menu at Three Dog is delicious as well!
We set up a little backyard picnic to sample Lickety-Split, Three Dog's frozen treat. My dogs love anything peanut butter-flavored, so it was a safe assumption that they'd be down for this treat. They were pretty pumped to try it out.
They heartily approved of their treat!
Max loves his "ice cream" treat!
If you're looking for a great summertime treat for your pup, Max and Sophie recommend Three Dog Bakery! The staff is friendly to dogs and humans alike and the treats are all-natural and, from what I gather, delicious.
Sophie says "Go visit Blue Dog Bakery!!"
HerKentucky's Search for the Perfect Scoop: Crank & Boom (Guest Post from Jennifer of A Girl Eats World}
Hey everyone!
I'm Jennifer, the mad-woman behind a girl eats world, who is bringing the world to your kitchen table one recipe at a time. I love and adore this beautiful state of Kentucky and all she has to offer. I use local ingredients especially in the summer when the farmer's markets are open! Using those KY ingredients for international cuisines is pretty perfect in my world!
For National Ice Cream Month, I decided to check out a local ice creamery that popped up at the Farmer's Market over the last year or so. Its name is Crank and Boom. The owner, Toa Green, is the daughter of another famous Lexington restaurant couple (Taste of Thai which I have been eyeballing for a while to try out), and she grew up here in the beautiful Bluegrass state!
I try to be VERY picky about what I eat. I rarely buy anything pre-made or pre-packaged from the store to avoid preservatives and other unnatural chemicals added to food. That is a HUGE reason I was so drawn to this ice cream. Crank and Boom makes their ice cream with simple ingredients--milk, cream, sugar, and other natural flavorings. No preservatives! You do pay for it in the price ($8 at farmer's market or $9.27 at Hamburg Liquor Barn), but I am a firm believer in quality over quantity (and supporting locals!). I selected five flavors to test: chocolate fudge brownie, dark chocolate truffle, vanilla, coffee stout, and blackberry and buttermilk. I also tried the bourbon honey and at the farmer's market (they didn't have pints for sale when I went to the store!).
Now on to what you are here for--the review!
{The hubby and I had a blast trying these out!}
Coffee Stout
--A spoonful of this is like taking a shot of espresso! WOW!!! I've had coffee flavored ice cream before, and this ice cream blew them out of the water. If you love coffee, this is definitely one for you. My mom also loved this the best, and she loves herself a great cup of coffee!
Dark Chocolate Truffle-
-Being a chocolate lover, I found this chocolate ice cream delicious! It has a ribbon of chocolate throughout that is crunchy when you bite into it making it an extra little chocolate surprise.
KY Blackberry and Buttermilk
--Although this sounds completely strange, it was fantastic! This ice cream has sweetness from the blackberries but tang from the buttermilk. It's light and refreshing which I prefer in my desserts!
Bourbon and Honey
-- WOW! This has a definite bourbon kick with none of the alcohol effects. Crank and Boom use Buffalo Trace bourbon in this delicious ice cream! It's got the hint of bourbon with the sweetness of honey, and I can't lie when I say I bought peaches just to grill them and have them with this ice cream (it was FABULOUS if you are wondering!)!!!
Vanilla Bean
--My philosophy is that if you can't get the basics right, then there is little hope for the rest of the line. This vanilla was the perfect vanilla--light and refreshing with just a slight sweetness.
Chocolate Fudge Brownie-
-Its flavor is only slightly chocolatey compared with the dark chocolate truffle. In its defense, it's made with milk chocolate not dark chocolate. After further digging (more than the picture above) the brownie bits did make up for the lack in chocolate flavor. The hubby said that maybe we got the last of a batch or something.
The hubby and I ranked them according to our preferences, and the results are below:
Hubby
- Coffee Stout
- Dark Chocolate Truffle
- Bourbon and Honey
- KY Blackberry and Buttermilk
- Vanilla Bean
- Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Mine
- KY Blackberry and Buttermilk/Bourbon and Honey
- The rest--what can I say? I LOVE ICE CREAM!!!!! Sometimes I'm in a dark chocolate mood and others a vanilla mood--as long as it's good ice cream, I don't care!
Overall, I would highly recommend this ice cream company to my fellow Lexington dwellers! For me, a few bites satisfied because the flavor is so intense and delicious. I can't wait to try some of their other flavors like coconut and strawberry! It'll be my ice cream of choice from now on!
HerKentucky's Search for the Perfect Scoop: Graeter's
Of course, we couldn't go searching for the perfect scoop without a stop at Graeter's.
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| Graeter's on Breckinridge Lane in Louisville's St. Matthews Neighborhood |
It just isn't summer for me until Graeter's releases their limited-edition peach ice cream. It's just the most amazingly soft and creamy scoop you'll ever enjoy, and the peaches are always so fresh. I also get pretty excited when Thanksgiving rolls around, and they release their incredible cinnamon pints. In fact, I've never had any Graeter's ice cream that was less than spectacular. I even once tried a pumpkin scoop, expecting it to be weird, and found that I even loved it!
What's your favorite summer scoop?
Ice Cream Recipes: A Guest Post from Jennifer of A Girl Eats World
Hey everyone!
I'm Jennifer, the mad-woman behind
, who is bringing the world to your kitchen table one recipe at a time. I love and adore this beautiful state of Kentucky and all she has to offer. I use local ingredients especially in the summer when the farmer's markets are open! Using those KY ingredients for international cuisines is pretty perfect in my world!
In honor of July being National Ice Cream Month, below are links to some of my delicious ice cream or frozen yogurt recipes! Check back here at HerKentucky for more ice cream recipes and local ice creamery reviews throughout this month!
So go make yourself one or two recipes this month! Not that anyone needs much of an excuse to make or eat ice cream!
Follow Your Dreams Friday: 5 Questions with Chrishell Stause of Days of Our Lives
Today's Follow Your Dreams Friday spotlights Chrishell Stause, the gorgeous Kentucky-born actress who plays Jordan on Days of Our Lives.
Chrishell is a native of Draffenville, Kentucky and an alumna of Murray State who previously portrayed Amanda on All My Children. She was so sweet and friendly to interview -- she answered my request with a prompt "Sure! I have lots of state pride!"
Thanks so much to Chrishell for taking the time to talk charity, soap operas, and the pursuit of dreams! -- HCW
HK: Tell us a little about yourself.
CS: I am a proud Kentuckian that graduated from Marshall County High School and then went on to get my degree at Murray State University. I always wanted to be an actress since I was little and after graduating college I moved to Los Angles to do just that. After a year of waiting tables, my dream came true and I was moved to New York City for my first job on All My Children.
HK: What’s it like “living out” the crazy story lines of daytime TV?
CS: Having worked in daytime for over eight years now I have gotten to play so many amazing and, yes, sometimes downright crazy story lines! I have a blast with it. It's a lot of work, but you never get bored because it is always changing and it definitely keeps you on your toes.
HK: Tell us about your charity work with
Upward Bound House. It seems like a great organization.
CS: Working with this organization has meant so much to me along with the families I've been able to help along the way. Homeless families are not only given a place to stay for a year, but during that time they are equipping them with the proper tools and education to enter the workforce and help them land and stay on their feet.
HK: You’ve lived in NYC and LA. What do you miss most about Kentucky?
I miss the people the most! I always feel so welcomed when I come home even if they are complete strangers. You really can't beat good old southern hospitality!
HK: What is your advice for small town Kentucky girls who dream of acting?
CS: Well, unfortunately my advice would be to move. I would give anything if I could do what I love and stay in my home state, but I will have to settle for hometown visits when I can. If they are still in school I would say to get into plays and take classes. But if you truly want to be an actor or actress, you have to make that scary leap and follow your dream to be discovered. And you also can't be discovered if you don't put yourself out there. So get out there and go do it!
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| {image ©2013, Glenda McCoy} |
HerKentucky wishes our readers a safe and happy Independence Day. Let Freedom Ring, y'all!
Foxhollow Farms Hamburgers from Green BEAN Delivery
Yesterday, I reviewed the
. It's a fantastic way to get healthy, fresh produce delivered directly to your door, and I can't wait for my next cooler full of goodies!
While the fruits and vegetables in our Green BEAN cooler were amazing -- fresh, organic, and locally-sourced when possible -- the real standout of our delivery was the beef from
.
Crestwood-based Foxhollow Farm provides
, Kentucky Proud beef from chemical-free pastures. Their meat is free of unnecessary antibiotics and artificial hormones. I'd seen Foxhollow Farm's meat at my local farmers' market and tried to make my schedule work for one of their Wheelbarrow to Table dinners. I kept hearing that Foxhollow was something special, so I decided to add a couple of pounds of their ground beef to my Green BEAN Delivery.
Let me tell you, I am so glad I did!
The beef was so rich and fresh-tasting! It was like grilling a hamburger with the depth of flavor usually found in bison or a New York Strip. Bob immediately proclaimed, "That's a really good hamburger!"
I served the hamburgers on a bed of Bibb Lettuce (shoutout to
who developed the best lettuce ever!) with Swiss cheese, a slice of bacon, red onion from the St. Matthews Farmers' Market, and an avocado from my Green BEAN cooler. It was awesome.
Once again, don't forget to take advantage of Green BEAN Delivery's special offer for HerKentucky readers.
Use code 15HKml at checkout for $15 off your first order.
The code expires next Wednesday, July 9th and is good for new members and reactivations only.
And, because I just can't get enough of this photo of Max, here's a reminder that:
A) Bloggers look ridiculous while bending down to photograph their dinner; and
B) Foxhollow Farm Hamburgers smell amazing!
Bon appétit, y'all!
{While I did receive a Green BEAN Delivery produce cooler for review, I purchased the Foxhollow Farms beef for personal use. All opinions are my own.}