I feel like I’m at a point where I need a constant influx of treats to keep me satisfied during quarantine, because I really have been eating just about anything in the house with a high sugar content. I don’t know what it is about being cooped up in the house all day everyday that sets off my sweet tooth, but whatever it is, it’s working. My new favorite treat to have during this very hot summer is flavored ice. It’s basically a snow cone but I eat it in a bowl so I can’t really call it a snow cone, so “flavored ice” it is.

My mom bought a Snowie Max snow cone machine a while back, around the same time she bought the ice cream maker actually. I guess she felt the same way as I did about needing treats, and the great thing about flavored ice is that its like, no calories, so it’s her favorite diet treat. I just like it because it tastes good though. The snow cone maker doesn’t add the flavoring though, it just puts out a bunch of crushed up ice, like this.

To make the flavors, my mom bought these cool little Snowie flavor pouch thingies, and then mixed them with water and sugar. We keep all of our flavorings in plastic water bottles in the fridge so we can just use them over and over again. I was skeptical at first because snow cones were never really that high on my list of favorite treats, but these are actually really good.

My personal favorites are the orange and lemon flavors, but that’s just because I’m a sucker for anything citrus flavored. My sister on the other hand, loves these really weird combinations. There was a flavor called “tiger’s blood” that she mixed with coconut, and she also likes putting cherry and watermelon flavors together, so hers always looks like some weird red amalgamation. I’m sure it tastes fine but I’ve never been super adventurous in the flavor department myself. I just like how I have the option to flavor it however I want. Remember to always check the label if you want to recreate this, what’s safe for me might not be safe for you.

Until next time!

Gary

Times like this are when I really miss the outside world. Like, it’s been months since I went to a movie, or a restaurant, or even on an errand run. I can’t help but think about how much I’d love to go to Disney when all of this is over, just to celebrate the fact that the outside world isn’t going to kill me anymore. I remember one of my family’s favorite things to do in Disney World was to go to a little refreshment stand when it was hot outside and get a Dole whip, which is basically ice cream but you can get it pineapple flavored. It’s super good, and a major relief on a hot day, which is basically everyday in Disney World.

One of the hardest aspects of the pandemic for me has been getting safe food and trusting the labelling, and I was really missing ice cream. Well, a few weeks ago, my mom brought home an ice cream maker so we could make safe ice cream, and we’ve been using it to make Dole whips ever since, and honestly the world has never been the same. It’s super good, and super easy to make if you have an ice cream maker. All you need is the Dole soft serve mix.

To make it, you use 1 cup of the mix, and mix it with 3 cups of water or milk, and then stir it in the ice cream maker. That’s it, it’s really easy. In terms of whether to use water or milk, I prefer the milk because it tastes a bit creamier, but using water honestly tastes really good too. It’s hard to tell the difference.

The consistency is really good too. It looks like this early on, but after a bit of mixing it’s just about as thick as a real Dole whip, and it tastes really good too. My family loves it, and since it’s so easy to make we have it all the time. In terms of whether or not it’s allergy safe, I would recommend calling if you have any doubts. People with milk allergies would obviously sub out the milk for water, but other than that, if the mix is safe, then the whole thing can be made safely, making it a great dairy-free ice cream alternative.

Until next time!

Gary