And now, a word from our sponsors...

I don't really have any sponsors, but I'd like to take a quick break from my regular blogging format to make mention of some products on the market that I've recently tried and loved. First of all, you know my weakness for ice cream, as I have written about many, many times. Well, I came across a fabulous new Ben and Jerry's flavor recently that is TO. DIE. FOR. And interestingly, it's a limited batch can only be found at (gasp!) Wal-Mart. But it might be worth betraying your principles for. Ladies and gentlmen, I give you: FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE!

(Photo Credit: Brad Thomas Parsons)

This stuff is amazing, especially for those who LOVE chocolate. The base is deep, dark chocolate, and the flourless chocolate cake pieces are dense and rich--a chocolate EXPLOSION, if you will! Highly recommend! I also loved Hannah Teter's Maple Blondie, the first ice cream Ben and Jerry's has named for an athlete, in honor of the Vermont native and champion snowboarder. It is maple ice cream with blonde brownie pieces and a maple caramel swirl, and it is DEE-licious! The only new flavor I've tried recently that I haven't enjoyed is Boston Cream Pie. It tastes like cannoli filling, which is okay, but there was hardly any chocolate flavor at all (=like the frosting on a Boston Cream Pie...duh!). Thumbs down on that one.

Ok, enough with the ice cream talk! Let's move on to a beverage recommendation, shall we? Now I have been drinking Maine Root's delicious microbrew root beer for quite some time (available locally at Hannaford, for my Plattsburghers), but when we were staying in Secaucus over spring break, I found a four-pack of their blueberry soda at, of all places, Marshall's/Home Goods. It took me awhile to get around to drinking it, but now it's my new favorite libation! To quote Imbibe Magazine, "...this purple soda is the perfect substitute for those roadside blueberry stands we’re missing right now. The smell of fresh blueberry jam and freesias abound, while flavors of blueberry syrup intermingle with a spike of bright acidity and a pure, fresh-picked blueberry finish." If you can find it, you have to try it!


Finally, I have one very fragrant, but non-edible product recommendation. I am in love with Suave's new rosemary and mint shampoo and conditioner! First of all, it works great--the shampoo lathers nicely using only a small amount and cleans thoroughly without stripping, and the conditioner is sufficiently thick and moisturizes my hair (which is prone to breakage lately) very well. But it's ALL about the delicious fragrance! It's SO fresh and invigorating, like aromatherapy for a fraction of the typical price for such products. I think a ginormous, economy-size bottle (with salon pump) was $3.50 maybe? What a bargain for a bit of luxury and a lot of stress relief!