Spring always brings a flurry of emotions. A break from school, more face-to-face time with the kids, warmer weather, movies with friends and road trips. For us, not much changes with regards to school but the new years' bloom season brings so much outside opportunity for me to share with the boys. A time for me to mix things up. And why not mix things up with a friendly trifecta? Italy, Coney Island and Colorado.
You see, Italy long ago perfected something not thought to be native to the Mediterranean climate that bathed “The Beautiful Country.” I'm not talking about leaning towers, cities built on the water or stadiums where the application for “lion feeder” seemed to be a bit too ambiguous. Nope, surprisingly enough, they were the original concoctors of shaved ice. This land of the Tuscan Sun cooled things down with the delicacy LONG before most thought of it as anything other than suspiciously-colored snow. Their version, however, was creamier and smoother and…well…better all-around. Still is.
Now, let's rope in a special type of dairy iced delicacy from Coney Island called custard. This makes for a slightly odd pair. Custard and shaved ice? I'm sure something can round this all out and make sense of the chaos that is life.
Next, coming in from the chilly mountains of Colorado, you may expect a flavor that is also cold and delightful. Nope. From this destination we're borrowing the tangy, awesome juicy tang of Jolly Rancher. That's right. In the mid-20th century, shortly after WWII, Bill and Dorothy Harmsen realized that opening an ice cream shop in the Rocky Mountain region made for a hard sell during the winter months. However, their homemade hard candies were a hit year-round! The Jolly Rancher was born, and those things got me through some of the most mind-numbing math classes that middle school could throw at me.
Today, I get to share these three tasty treats with the boys…along with a mini history lesson. Of course, when I saw that our sponsor Rita's Italian Ice had Jolly Rancher as a flavor, I had to seek out the Sour Apple. The master of flavor itself. Just the sight of this rich green of greens is enough to jump-start my salivary glands.
Spring, the green season, has made me green with happiness. Happiness and sour apple. Some Boy and Sidekick had to practice sharing, of course, but they were definitely beating the heat the tasty way. It's satisfying to share one of my favorite things with them in a totally new way.
Until next time,
Arrivederci.