Cravings

Summer Heat

~ shawnaborman ~ 2 Comments

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? It’s August in Texas, so it’s hot and muggy and generally gross outside. I’ve been spending my time inside, as usual. Reading, slushing (the place I’m a first reader at opened the submission floodgates recently, so yeah), and even writing a bit. Funness. Anyway, it’s hot and I kind of want ice cream, but I won’t get any because Dad shouldn’t have it. Okay, I might order a small one I can eat in one sitting if we order from a restaurant, but no pints or anything. So, I thought I’d just share my top 5 favorite flavors with you while I think about them, then go back to ignoring ice cream’s existence.

1. Coffee. Just plain coffee ice cream. No chocolate chunks. No espresso beans. A smooth, creamy, rich coffee ice cream. It’s the best and I haven’t had it in forever. I also like it mixed into a milkshake with my second favorite flavor.

2. Cookies and Cream. It was my favorite as a kid and I still love it. Alone or with coffee ice cream. Yum. I’m not picky.

3. Vanilla. Yes, I prefer vanilla over chocolate. It’s more versatile if I want to add something to it (fruit, liqueurs, whatever). Plus, if it’s a good brand, vanilla has a more complex flavor and I like that. It’s just better all around.

4. Salted caramel. I like caramel in general. As with coffee ice cream, I’d rather it not have chocolate chunks or toffee or whatever other surprises companies want to throw in there. Just caramel with a little salt.

5. Chocolate, I guess. I don’t really have a strong preference for any other flavors. I like raspberry, but not enough to give it it’s own spot on my list. Same with mint chocolate chip. Peanut butter is too hit or miss. So, I suppose a basic chocolate is good enough.

What are your favorite ice cream flavors? As always, feel free to share your thoughts or comments or questions here or on my social media pages!

Cravings

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing? I know a lot of restaurants are doing take-out and/or delivery, but we’re so far away from a lot of our favorite places that those options aren’t really feasible. So, while I’m perfectly content to stay at home, I do admit that I occasionally miss going out for food. I was supposed to go to the dentist for a cleaning yesterday, which would normally have meant stopping for food (probably Mexican) afterwards. Due to Covid-19, the dentist canceled my appointment. I didn’t really care, but it meant no flan for me. Sadness. Anyway, it got me thinking about some things I’m looking forward to if the businesses survive this whole pandemic thing and I can eventually leave the house.

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It’s the whole reason I leave the house 95% of the time.

1. Cajun and bread pudding. Specifically from The Free Man in Deep Ellum. It’s been a long time since we’ve been down there because of all the crap that was going on. Hopefully things will stay calm for a while after the pandemic (I doubt it). At least long enough for us to hit up a couple of places before everything goes to shit again.

2. Seafood. Half Shells. Because it’s been too long since we’ve been there. It’s just so far away and we don’t have many excuses to go out that way. Granted, we only go there once every four or five months, but we haven’t been since mid-December, so it’s around that time when oysters, fish, and a nice cocktail sound good.

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Stolen from Google and has nothing to do with Xquinkles, but it’s pretty.

3. Fresas con crema y un malteada (strawberries and cream and a milkshake). The fruteria down the street is called Xquinkles. Dad’s been buying me cookies for my sweet tooth, so I can hold off a while on this, but pick up is an option here. Maybe the next time we want a burger from the place next door to this one we can order from here too. They close early though (8pm), so probably not.

4. Irish food. Trinity Hall Irish Pub. It’s getting a little warm for hearty potato-filled goodness, but I could still go for a black and tan with a Dublin bay casserole and something yummy for dessert. Luckily, Dad made a shepherd’s pie recently, so that will tide me over ’til summer makes an exit. Maybe by then we’ll be able to venture out into the world again. I doubt it, but there’s no harm in positive thinking.

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Pad Thai from Bangkok at Greenville’s Facebook page.

5. Thai food. Maybe Tukta Thai or Bangkok at Greenville. Some tom kha gai and black rice pudding. Yummy. Maybe when everything is over we’ll take a ride to one of these places.

Anyway, that’s some of the food I miss during this whole quarantine thing. What about you? What are some of the places you’re looking forward to eating at if life returns to normal? Any dishes in particular that you could go for right now? As always, feel free to share your thoughts or lists or comments here or on my social media pages!