i ate play-doh

Every summer, I have to go to the Oregon Coast; it’s a right of passage for summer, like eating grilled corn on the cob, and begging for floss afterwards.

Along with the coast tradition, I have recently added an appendage that states, “If we go to Florence (Oregon Coast, not Italy..herumph, I wish), I MUST get ice cream at BJ’s.” This is perfectly official, since it’s in writing now. Really, any excuse to get ice cream, right? A trip to the doctor equates to: a dr. visit with ice cream afterwards. Dentist? Milkshake afterward. Choir concert or other performance? Soft serve, to soothe those exhausted vocal chords, ofcourse.

So, we’re driving along the main drag in Florence, and I’m anxiously looking toward the east side of the road, looking for the beloved BJ’s sign.

Play dough ice cream?

Completely intrigued. I wasn’t even one of those kids that ate play-doh, but I knew that trying a sample was a must. I was imagining it would be this curious mix between salty and sweet, with a thick, doughy texture, maybe in a bright blue or red. What do you think it would be like?

Verdict: Although I commend their creativity and ingenious advertising, I was bummed-out. In summation, their version of play dough ice cream is: vanilla ice cream with pieces of sugar cookie dough throughout. They dyed the cookie dough bright colors, rolled it out about a ¼ inch thick, and cut it into pieces, and then added it to vanilla ice cream. Okay, I guess sugar cookie dough is kind of like play dough…but…if my play-doh tasted like sugar cookies, I would have just eaten the darn stuff, and not honed my inner-Michelangelo.

But, they did have some other interesting flavors like

Ginger (with chunks of candied ginger)

Lemon Chiffon

Licorice

This summer, Chad and I made homemade ice cream a few times.

We made, vanilla, fresh mint, (foraged from a neighbor’s yard) strawberry, and toasted coconut.