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[Image]Lucky you, readers! I am catching up on a bunch of posts that have been queued on my agenda for a while -- posts to which I haven't had the time to commit the full focus they deserve.

Mid last summer, I got an email from a PR firm that represented Supervalu. They asked us if we wanted samples of Stone Ridge Creamery Tart Frozen Yogurt and Culinary Circle Chocolate Truffle Gooey Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Dessert. Um, yeah!

Like many readers, she was taken with the guest post by my husband, Kevin, who had written about his astronaut ice cream.

I told Kev we would be getting samples in the mail, but since he was such a hit as a writer and analyst, he would have to co-write this blog with me. However, since we can't seem to coordinate our schedules, he'll be following up with Part 2 in the near future).

Coincidentally, the samples arrived on a Thursday that kicked off a long weekend in Vermont with my parents, my older sister and her husband. I packed up the frozen treats and the dry ice in a cooler and we drove up to Vermont. When we got to Vermont, we opened the door and flipped the light switch. Nothing. My first concern was in fact, my cooler of ice cream and no power. We decided to put the frozen goodies in the freezer along with the dry ice and hope for the best. When my sister and brother-in-law arrived, we thought that it would be safer to break out the Culinary Circle Chocolate Truffle Gooey Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Dessert. Yum. The power came on as we took our first bites. Ah, the magic of ice cream.

We saved the frozen yogurt for the next day -- a treat we would enjoy with my parents when they arrived the next day. With four quarts of frozen yogurt, we were quite sure there would be enough for all six of us to enjoy. With spoons in hand, larger spoons in the carton, and large dishes, we proceeded to taste and discuss.

We ranked our favorites (from favorite to least favorite)
Brother-in-law, Liam: vanilla, strawberry, pomegranate blueberry, peachDad: vanilla, peach, strawberry, pomegranate blueberryKevin: peach, strawberry, vanilla, pomegranate blueberryMom: vanilla, pomegranate blueberry, peach, strawberrySarah: vanilla, peach, strawberry, pomegranate blueberryMe: vanilla, peach, strawberry, pomegranate blueberry[Image]
I have to say, the biggest surprise was the number two ranking of the peach fro yo by my father. Below is a scenario that used to take place when I was younger:

There's been a middle school concert and on the way home, the family stops at Friendly's. I don't remember what anyone orders, except my older sister, Sarah. Peach. As is tradition, we pass our cones around, tasting each others' flavors, just to confirm we chose the right flavor...the chunk of conversation I recall ensues.
Dad: "Lemme try peach, Sarah..."
Sarah: "Ok. Here."
Dad: "It tastes like dirty socks." (Clearly, this is not a reflection of Friendly's but of my dad's own taste buds, because people ordered it enough to put it on the menu, and Sarah certainly enjoyed it.)
From the peanut gallery of the three of us sisters: "Ewww!" "Dad!" "How do you KNOW what dirty socks taste like? Gross, Dad!"

To this day I can't see peach ice cream without automatically thinking of a pair of dirty socks. Thanks, Dad.

Here are some thoughts from the night:
It has a cultured tasteKevin: "I'm eating strawberry, but it tastes like lemon."
Dad: "No, strawberry tastes like strawberry...I like the strawberry."Dad: "I like the tartness of it, Bethany." (As if I were the one who whipped it up.)Kevin tastes tart. He comments that he can't really taste the difference in the flavors, he can only taste the tartness. (I'm wondering if we should count his ranking above...?)Dad: "I like the vanilla."Dad: "Peach is the most distinct."
Overall, there was a feeling of liking it, though no commitment to buying it in the future (with one exception, to be discussed below), but this is perhaps because I do come from a family of ice cream purists, who would choose ice cream over frozen yogurt any day. Besides, the dirty sock review from years before kind of ruins my dad's taste bud creds.

Sarah and I (who have never once compared any frozen treat to dirty socks) polished off the vanilla over the weekend, with a promise of buying Stone Ridge Creamery Vanilla Frozen Yogurt again in the future. We had made a fruit salad earlier in the day, and fell in love with the vanilla topped with a mix of peaches, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and cherries. Summertime perfection.

Additionally, all agreed that any of the above flavors tasted good topped with the family tradition of sugared summer berries.

Looking out the window at the rain that has been falling heavily for the past three days, it's hard to imagine spring is days away, but since it's not snow, the future looks warmer. This being the case, I see cartons of Stone Ridge Creamery Vanilla Frozen Yogurt piled high with fruit just around the corner.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this review by Kevin, the newest member of our blogging team!