Please welcome Marilyn Brant to Skidding in Sideways. I had the good fortune to meet Marilyn through the Jane Austen blogosphere, and she was kind enough to come here bearing prizes and ice cream recipes. So if you love ice cream, Jane Austen, or romantic comedies, please check out Marilyn’s books. So without further ado, welcome, Marilyn!
First of all, I wanted to say a big thank you to Jennifer for having me here today. It was so kind of her to invite me over!
I have loved ice cream for as long as I can remember. Having grown up in America’s Dairyland (let’s hear you all shout, “Wisconsin!!”), I had the opportunity to eat LOTS of ice cream as a kid. We lived in close proximity to the UW-Madison, and there’s a well-known place on campus called Babcock Hall where they make really fresh, really creamy and, sometimes, really unusual flavors of ice cream. They have “Berry Alvarez,” which is a combination of berry ice cream with swirls of blueberry, plus raspberry and strawberry bits, and “Union Utopia,” which is vanilla ice cream with swirls of peanut butter, caramel and fudge, and my very favorite, “Orange Custard Chocolate Chip,” which is creamy orange-flavored custard packed with chips.
And we also were within easy driving distance of a Bridgeman’s Ice Cream Shoppe that served more traditional flavors, but they were all delicious. I especially loved their “Cinnamon.” Even more fascinating to me was their famous Lollapalooza Ice Cream Sundae — eight scoops of different ice cream with whipped cream, a banana, nuts, various sauces and cherries! I was never allowed to order it as a kid (sigh), but one time, when I was in 2nd grade, my adventurous aunt went there with us and she did order it… Not only that, she ate the WHOLE thing by herself! As a seven-year-old, I was awestruck. In many ways, I still am…
So, my delight in all things ice cream goes back decades, and when I began writing my romantic comedies, On Any Given Sundae (June 2011) and Double Dipping (out now!), my goal was to share some of that love with readers. On Any Given Sundae is about a shy dessert cookbook writer and the high-school football star — turned successful restaurant owner — that she always had a crush on, and how the two of them end up running an ice cream parlor for the summer. Double Dipping, however, my newest release, delves even deeper into the ice cream world. I actually did some serioius research on ice-cream-making for this novel (no joke!), including reading a book on the history of Ben & Jerry’s, since that was the kind of premium, creatively named ice-cream I was looking to replicate in this story.
Double Dipping is a book about a dedicated second-grade teacher who fights the school’s new financial director in order to reinstate a much-beloved autumn festival. But there are secrets, ambition, attraction and meddling family members complicating matters in their little corner of Wisconsin — a town where the motto is “Sundaes Save Souls,” where doctors prescribe “two scoops” instead of aspirin and where homemade ice cream is plentiful, thanks to a chemist in town called Mr. Koolemar. His brand of “Kool Kreme Ice Kreamations” were tremendously fun to create on paper, and there are a couple that I’d love to try to make in my kitchen!
A few of my favorite fictional flavors from the book are: “So-Ho-Ho Supreme,” which is New York cherry melded with wintergreen and peppermint, “Tangy Citrus-Pumpkin Mélange,” which is a blend of cool pineapple, orange, grapefruit and lemon flavors with the warmth of sweet roasted pumpkin and the recipe (a real one!) that starts each chapter, one step at a time, “Chunky Cherry-Chocolate Jubilee,” which has candied cherries, milk chocolate chips and shaved dark chocolate. I made up a score of other flavors, too, like Bananarama Creme Pie, Chocolate Chip Peanut Brittle Bonanza, Coconut Carob Ripple, Runaway Mint Paradiso and Strawberry Whiplash.
I found online a recipe that I imagine would fit right in with Mr. Koolemar’s stash, and I wanted to share it with you. I think it’s the perfect blend of summer refreshment + fall flavors: “Pumpkin Ice Cream in Chocolate-Dipped Cones”! Check out the Better Homes & Gardens page for it here: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/recipes/pumpkin-ice-cream-540785/ YUM!
Okay, so now it’s your turn! What is your favorite ice cream flavor — or flavors?? Have you ever tasted a really creative combination? I have a prize for one random commenter — gifts from my women’s fiction stories: an According to Jane tote bag (that’s my Austen-inspired book where a woman gets dating advice from the ghost of JA), a Friday Mornings at Nine t-shirt and a luggage tag for my upcoming novel A Summer in Europe. Open internationally.
Hope you all have a wonderful week!!
Jennifer here. In addition to commenting on this blog post and answering Marilyn’s question (I suspect she’s actually looking for new flavors to feed her addiction!), I’m offering some other ways you can enter to win her awesome prize pack. One entry each. Please leave a comment for each of the following ways you enter:
- Follow Marilyn’s blog
- Follow Marilyn on Twitter
- Tweet the following message. (You can tweet this once a day and will get one entry per tweet.)
Love romantic comedies and ice cream? Enter to win a @marilynbrant prize pack! http://bectonliterary.com/?p=1655 #doubledipping
The Fine Print
This giveaway will remain open until Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 11:59 EST, at which time one (1) winner will be randomly selected. Open internationally. Prizes graciously provided by Marilyn Brant.
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Hi Marilyn and Jennifer! Nice interview! Marilyn you crack me up with your love of ice-cream! You have some yummy sounding favors in your book Double Dipping! Let see, one of my favorite ice creams is Moose Tracks, it’s vanilla with swirls of chocolate, caramel and these little chocolate cup filled with something. Delicious! Loved Double Dipping and On Any Given Sundae!
Candy, thank you!! And Moose Tracks is a family favorite for us here, too
. I think there are few things that can beat a combination of chocolate and caramel…yum! And thank you for not only following me on Twitter and my blog, but for reading the books as well. I’m so thrilled you enjoyed them!
I follow Marilyn on twitter.
I also follow Marilyn’s blog!
Wonderful post, Marilyn! And great blog, Jennifer! I am loving DOUBLE DIPPING as much as I did ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAE. Marilyn, your writing is sinfully delicious (almost as much as the mouth-watering food references, lol) Favorite ice cream? Well, you know me, Soul Sister, I could never choose just one. So, I will say, Rum Raisin, Rocky Road, Butter Pecan, Haagen-Dazs Bananas Foster, Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia, Coldstone Creamery’s The Pie Who Loved Me and Baskin-Robbins’ Jamocia Almond Fudge (You can see, I’m an equal-opportunity glutton). Oh, and my Irish Grandfather made the best Pineapple-Banana homemade ice cream
Jill, as always, you delight me with your wonderful range of great ideas and, also, your kindness and support! My husband got me hooked on Rum Raisin years ago and the taste of it reminds me of a really special trip we took together
. I have GOT to try The Pie Who Loved Me!! And I love the sound of your grandfather’s homemade ice cream, too! xox
Jennifer, thanks again for inviting me to visit today and, also, Happy Johnny Appleseed Day, everyone! (The teacher in me never forgets this elementary school holiday in honor of the guy that planted apple trees across America.
I just wanted to add that I finished Double Dipping this weekend, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the creative use of toppings.
I plan to serve up On Any Given Sundae next!
LOL!! Thanks, Jennifer
.
Hi Marilyn and Jennifer! Hmm…favorite ice cream flavor? I would have to say my all time favorite is Haagen-Dazs Mint Chocolate Chip. When I was a kid, though, I really loved our local Baskin-Robbins. I remember walking back and forth in front of the case, looking at every flavor to see what caught my eye. I was a vanilla girl in those days (allergic to chocolate *gasp*), but also loved bubble gum.
Really loved the sweet, romantic read of Any Given Sundae, BTW. And Double Dipping is now on the top of my TBR pile. Thanks for the recipe, Marilyn.
Kecia,
I’ve always liked Mint Chocolate Chip, but my husband and son LOVE it like crazy. We have a Culver’s near us, and one day each month they’ll feature their version of the flavor — it’s called something like Mint Chocolate Explosion (??!) and the guys go nuts over it. And thanks so much for reading Sundae and putting Double Dipping on your TBR pile — I appreciate it!
Hi! It’s so nice to see you here!!
My favorite flavor is Chocolate Brownie at Thrifty’s. Yummy! Thanks for the chance!
Jessica, thank you for visiting (and tweeting, too!!) and for telling me about Thrifty’s. We don’t have one in our area, but I’m SURE (given my chocoholic tendencies!) that I would love Chocolate Brownie
.
Tweeted! Thanks! http://twitter.com/#!/_JessMelendez/status/118363964819255298
Following Marilyn and tweeted the message!!! My favourite ice-cream flavour is Stracciatella (cream with little chocolate chips). The nicest ice-cream I have ever eaten was another one made of soft cheese and strawberry jam. Mmmmm, delicious!!!
Cinta,
Ohhhh, yum! I’ve only been able to find Stracciatella in Italian gelato shops, but I loved it, too! There is a gelateria near us (northern Chicago suburbs) where the owner is from Italy and makes delicious and authentic gelato. I adore that place…
You all are making me hungry!!
Marilyn, this book sounds delightful! My fav ice cream flavors are Turtle Tracks and Snowcream by Mayfield Dairy. Oh, and I love black cherry, preferably by BR.
Thanks so much for this wonderful giveaway!!
Ps- I follow you on twitter!
Jakki,
.
So nice to see you here!! Thanks for the follow and the tweet, too! I’ve heard of Turtle Tracks (yum) but I don’t know anything about Snowcream — you’ve got me very intrigued!! I’m going to have to look it up right now
Just tweeted this too!
http://twitter.com/#!/J_Leatherberry/status/118400536784539650
I would have commented earlier, but I was standing over the freezer eating all of Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Butter World. And I have to eat it fast before my daughter finds out it’s in the house and eats it first!!! Love, love, love your fun ice cream flavors, Marilyn!
Thank you, Sara!!!
. Looking forward to seeing you soon!
My son and I battle over the peanut butter ice cream, too. My husband’s not a PB fan, so he won’t touch it (yay!), but my darling child will snitch it all if I’m not careful
Hi to both Marilyn and Jennifer!!
Well, a new favourite for me is Ben & Jerry’s Boston Cream Pie, but standbys for me (also of B&J’s) also include Phish Food and Cherry Garcia.
Babcock Hall ice cream is always a favourite, of course, being a Madison native and still living here, but I must admit, the absolute BEST chocolate ice cream I have ever had, bar none, is up State Street from the Union – the Chocolate Shoppe’s Zanzibar Chocolate. Totally to die for!!
Later,
Lynn
Lynn,
. I can’t believe I’ve never tried Zanzibar Chocolate, though!! Must make a trip to WI just for that!!
Thanks so much for stopping by here! Great to see another Madison native singing Babcock Hall’s praises
Hi Marilyn and Jennifer! I love reading author interviews and this one was great! Marilyn, did I ever tell you my first job was at Baskin Robbins when I was 16? I ate so much ice cream! My favorite flavor is coffee, but BR has a seasonal flavor called Quarterback Crunch that I just love. It’s vanilla ice cream with a caramel swirl and crunchies that are like Cocoa Krispies. So yummy!
Hope you guys have a wonderful week!
I follow Marilyn’s blog.
Robin, how could I know you for these last few years and not know about either your Baskin Robbins job OR your exchange to Australia?! Clearly, we need more time to talk in person!! This whole living across the country thing is messing up my ability to have coffee/tea & conversation with my friends! xo
Richardson’s Dairy is very fine ice cream here outside Boston – BUT – oh my, so many others to choose from. We are ice cream fanatics here in Boston! Favorite double dip is coconut followed by chocolate fudge brownie – blissssss….’Molasses crinkle’ (molasses ice cream with shards of chocolate) is unique – you know there was a molasses flood in Boston which killed 15 people? ‘Big Dig’, ‘Paul Revere’s Ride’, ‘Dice-K’, ‘Muddy River’ – I love ice cream. Seriously. There’s an annual ice cream festival – the ‘Scooper Bowl’ – to benefit a local children’s cancer charity, on Boston City Hall Plaza – fabulous event! Come, Marilyn! first week in June – be there or be squared!
Beth, I’m already plotting when and how I can possibly make it to Boston in early June! Ohhhh, my goodness… Coconut followed by chocolate fudge brownie?! Yummmmm!! And I’ve never heard of Molassas Crinkle — I love how unusual that is! Thank you for telling me about all of these. How great is it when the ice cream you buy goes toward a worthy charity, too? Truly, this sounds wonderful!
Just tweeted this again!!
http://twitter.com/#!/J_Leatherberry/status/121274544261562368
Twetted this today!
http://twitter.com/#!/J_Leatherberry/status/121554933702070272
Thanks for the giveaway!
Jakki, you’re awesome!!! Thank you!
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