Triple Chocolate Brownies

A couple years ago, I discovered a recipe for Triple Chocolate Brownies. It came from America's Test Kitchen, the TV version of Cook's Illustrated magazine. Any brownie recipe from scratch takes a little more work than a mix, and when it requires three types of chocolate, two of which have to be melted down ahead of time, it's even a bit more work. But let me tell you that it's worth every minute of effort. The batch I made today was the best yet. I took them out before they got even the slightest bit overbaked, and they were absolutely perfect. Moist and fudgy and with a rich, dark chocolate flavor. Yum!

Salt water taffy

Carrie and I were down in Seaside Heights last weekend. We went for a nice walk on the boardwalk in the morning, before most of the attractions were open. One place that was open was Berkeley Sweet Shop, where we picked up a few pieces of salt water taffy, a treat neither of us had had in a long time. My favorite flavor was root beer, but all of the others I tried (lemon, lime, banana, peanut butter) were good, too. If you've never had it, it's a chewy, creamy, stretchy candy infused with a variety of flavors. It comes in two shapes, a thick oval disk and a long, skinny tube. It's found in beach towns around the United States.

Curious about where salt water taffy comes from, I did a little searching and found this brief, somewhat incomplete history. Turns out, there's no salt water, and the name came along later than the food itself. Go figure!

Haagen-Dazs Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream

Haagen-Dazs Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream is one of my favorite packaged ice creams. Its smooth, creamy texture combines with the mild tropical taste to create a really refreshing dessert (or snack or breakfast...).