How very vanilla.

[XCashier]

(Tillamook Cheese Factory is only an hour or so away...yummy).

I've been there, it's great! They have cheese samples (the medium cheddar is excellent!), and the best ice cream on the planet! Fortunately, the local grocery store (WinCo) does carry Tillamook cheese and ice cream, and at reasonable prices. Unfortunately, it's not too good for the diet...

Buy the real vanilla. It's a little more expensive, but it's worth it. And you can get it in small sizes, so the cost isn't too bad.

...If you grew up on synthetics, imitation vanilla will be a familiar flavor for you. Given the fact that vanilla isn't that expensive, you might consider learning to enjoy the real deal.

My mom always used imitation vanilla extract, and I don't know why. I didn't know any better until one day, just for the heck of it, I bought the real stuff. The difference was night and day. I will never use the imitation again.

[sms001]

[QUOTE=Sofar;160484]We make milkshakes. To make the milkshakes, we use Tillamook brand unflavored ice-cream, we get it by the fivegallon.
QUOTE]

Here's what i don't understand though - what do these people think a choclate shake is made of everywhere that DOESN'T use unflavored ice cream? It is really rare to get one with chocolate ice cream in my experience - they are almost always made with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Oh, never use imitation vanilla extract. I don't care how broke you are, splurge. It's not remotely the same thing.

I mean, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow and die. Life is way too short to use imitation vanilla extract. Bleh.

[SongsOfDragons]

I visited some gardens in Wales a month ago, and they did ROSE-flavoured ice-cream. Damn gorgeous.

When I mix frozen yoghurt for myself, I have to put vanilla in if the yoghurt is unflavoured because it tastes horrible otherwise. Either that or vanilla sugar.

[GingerBiscuit]

when baking I use real extracts wherever possible. The fakes just do not taste right. I can get hold of vanilla, chocolate and ginger- the chocolates really good for deepening the flavour of cakes and cookies and the ginger is so intense, oh my!

I can get rose, too. I make gorgeous rose and chocolate cookies.

[aurelemsrealm]

Had a friend rave about my iced tea. It was smooth, rich, and complex. Same with my coffee. "How come my iced tea doesnt' taste like that? I buy the same brand."

Cuz he wasn't putting vanilla extract in it. Just a couple drops to the pitcher, you shouldn't even be consious of tasting it. Same with the coffee.

Now that sounds interesting. I never even thought of doing something like that. I'm a big coffee and tea drinker, myself. I may have to try that.

[Dark Psion]

The best milkshake I ever had was a Vanilla one, but the new girl mixed it right after making a chocolate one.

Vanilla with a chocolate shadow. mmmmmmmmmm

But I've never been able to replicate it again.

[aurelemsrealm]

How many of the rest of you who post here watch Food Network programming on a regular basis? Did anyone see the program the other night about ice cream? I found it interesting, especially the segment about Dippin' Dots. I'd always wondered how cold they had to get the ice cream to keep it from melting back together.

[rerant]

I wonder how they would react to the knowledge that nearly every chocolate delight they put into their ungrateful mouths is blended with at least some amount of vanilla extract.
Have these people never baked a cake? A muffin? A brownie? Anything?

[rerant]

How many of the rest of you who post here watch Food Network programming on a regular basis? Did anyone see the program the other night about ice cream? I found it interesting, especially the segment about Dippin' Dots. I'd always wondered how cold they had to get the ice cream to keep it from melting back together.

I've always wondered about Dippin Dots.
I've never been quite sure of what they are exactly.

[Killer Bees]

I dislike the taste of chocolate. It never tastes the same everywhere. I've always been a vanilla gal ever since I can remember. Vanilla is one flavour you can't muck up.

I'm going to get flamed out of existence for this one, but Hersheys chocolate is one of the worst, along with Red Tulip and all those no name brands the cheapie stores always sell. As well as Toblerone *yech*

Although, a local restaurant chain used to make the best Mars Bar milk shakes, I always asked for light on the chocolate and they obliged. And always made with icy cold milk. Yum!

[Pagan]

I also used to use orange juice and vanilla ice cream with a dash of vanilla extract to make a creamsicle shake. Add some sugar and you get more of an Orange Julius flavor.

You mean like this? http://www.copykat.com/component/opt...recipe_id,108/

My husband's parents brought us back a bottle of real vanilla from their last trip- can't remember where they went. It was SO MUCH BETTER than the crap they sell here, it smelled perfect. Now everything else seems substandard.

Have you got a Sam's Club anywhere near? I picked up a 16oz bottle of Tone's real vanilla extract there for, I think around $10?

Btw - the vanilla imitation crap you get at the grocery store is a waste product of paper factories (see below). Buy the real vanilla. It's a little more expensive, but it's worth it. And you can get it in small sizes, so the cost isn't too bad.

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had imitation vanilla extract. My mom always used the real stuff.

Absolutely nothing like chocolate that comes in a bar, but pretty tasty. It has chili and cinnamon in it. Weird, but good.

Fera's tip of the day: put a few squares of a good bitter or dark chocolate in chili con carne. It's really yummy.

That's what comes from being raised in New Mexico. That doesn't sound at all weird to me. Hell, I kept some roommates that I had in Lake Tahoe out of my chocolate pudding by adding cinnamon to it. (Also kept 'em out of the mac'n'cheese by adding green chile ) There's a lot of chocolate used in Mexican cooking, but it's mostly unsweetened. Not like you're dropping a Hershey bar in!