Bizarro Flavors of Ice Cream

Have you ever heard of broccoli ice cream? Well it exists. While it may seem weird and gross, there are other strange flavors that exist as well, that are even less appealing. Let' s start with corn. Corn is a regular vegetable which we often eat but, I don't think that anyone often eats corn ice cream! Crab ice cream is a Japanese concoction which is possibly the worst thing I have ever heard of! Ice cream and crab? Don't go. I think Chocolate ice cream is divine but add garlic and phew, not a good blend! Imagine if they had cactus ice cream! You know what, stop imagining! They actually have cactus ice cream. Now that is ridiculous. Flowers are wonderful in gardens, but not in ice cream. That is why I gasp at the absurdity of tulip ice cream! I find it simply amusing that someone has invented onion ice cream. I love the flavor of onions but its just not what I dream of when I am craving a cold, creamy ice cream cone on a hot summer day. Somehow people have managed to create soy sauce ice cream. That must have a very strong flavor to it! Even though I find these weird, different strokes for different folks! What is the weirdest ice cream flavor you have ever tried?

Healthy Lunch Ideas

I know that when I get packed peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread for lunch every day I am not satisfied. I like more exciting lunches like egg salad and watercress on a challah roll or chicken salad in a pita pocket. That is why I am going to give you a couple of lunch ideas.

1. I love italian food and so when this is what I have for lunch I am ecstatic.

4 bocconcini balls (mozzarella balls)

4 cherry tomatoes

1 piece of french bread

sliced cucumber

trail mix

Put the first two ingredients in a container, drizzle some olive oil on and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

This is one of my favorites because you get to assemble and make your own lunch at school!

2. This is also an easy, but interesting lunch!

Turkey sandwich with lettuce, avocado, black pepper, and tomatoes

1 tangerine

Homemade tortilla chips*

Pecans and chocolate chips

*Preheat 350 degrees. Take 6 tortillas (flour or corn) and brush them lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle a little bit of salt on them too. Put them in the oven for 5 minutes. If they don't look ready give them another 5 minutes.

3. Really simple + really good = Fantastic

1 pita cut into quarters

4 tablespoons of hummus

1 bell pepper cut into slices

Apples and honey

Chocolate chunks with cashews and pretzels

These are some of my favorite recipes for lunch. You can improvise with these too!

Have you ever heard of a Mangosteen?

I am back from my trip and had a great time! The answers to the jumbles in the previous entry are, crumble, ricotta, and muffins. Now, back to my title question - Have you ever heard of a Mangosteen? Recently, while I was watching an episode of Chopped, one of my favorite shows to watch on the Food Network, the Mangosteen appeared as one of the assigned ingredients. In case you don't know, Chopped is a show that selects four contestants who have some sort of culinary talent to compete against each other by creating a meal using different assigned ingredients. One of those ingredients is typically unusual. This episode, it happened to be the Mangosteen. And no, it is not related to the Mango. The Mangosteen is a purple fruit, the size of a small apple, with a white inside. It is both sweet and tart. Instead of peeling Mangosteens, you crack them open, kind of like a coconut. Mangosteens are mainly grown in Southeast Asia (you are most likely to find them here in an Asian market). The only place that the Mangosteen is grown in the US is Hawaii. Believe it or not it is illegal for you to have a Mangosteen tree anywhere else in the US. Apparently, Mangosteen rinds can be used to cure bladder infections if you put them in tea. The rind has also been used as a cream for skin rashes.