I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

I have an admission to make.  I set foot on the Penn State campus over the weekend.  This may not sound like a big deal to you, but my son is an avowed Penn State hater.  It's almost a visceral thing with him.  Charlie, being the sports fan that he is, has somewhat unreasonable responses to rivals of his favorite teams.  In this case, Charlie loves Pitt and therefore hates Penn State.  I didn't say my beloved son was reasonable.  I just said he loves Pitt.

Back to my visit to Penn State.  Kate and I were yet again at a tennis tournament.  This time we were in scenic Clarks Summit, PA.  Don't feel bad if you've never heard of it.  You have missed nothing.  The only thing Clarks Summit has going for it is that there's a Starbucks located just minutes from the tennis venue.  Whenever people ask where Clarks Summit is I always say that it's 1,000 miles from nowhere.  Okay, so maybe it's not 1,000 miles from nowhere, but it's a suburb of Scranton.  Need I say more?

But there's good news.  On the way home, off I-80, is Penn State University and the Berkey Creamery.  Berkey Creamery is located on the campus in the Food Sciences building.  They make all their own ice cream using fresh milk from the university's herd of cows and local independent dairy producers. The ice cream is absolutely divine.  I had peanut butter swirl and Kate had WPSU Coffee Break.  To tell you the truth, while mine was really good, Kate's was over the top.  It was "coffeelicious" with lots of chocolate chunks.

We got to bring some of the fun home too.  Ted wasn't with us so we bought an insulated bag and brought home six half gallons of this delicious ice cream packed in dry ice.  I figure that we shouldn't have to buy ice cream for at least six months.  The one I'm most excited to try is the coconut chip and Ted is looking forward to a bowl of Peach Paterno.  The bittersweet mint sounds pretty decadent too.

So, while I'm no restaurant reviewer, I did feel like I had to share our little stop in Happy Valley with all of you.  Not that I ever expect any of my non-Pennsylvania readers to "just be in the neightborhood," but you never know, do you.  You may have a kid who wants to go to Penn State.  Just don't tell Charlie.

If you would like to read more about Berkey Creamery go to Berkey Creamery.


Recipe:  Super-Duper Chocolate Banana Milkshake


*  Note: This is NOT a diet food.


Ingredients:


3 large scoops good chocolate ice cream, slightly softened
2 bananas, cut in chunks
1/2 cup chocolate milk
Whipped cream for garnish (optional)

Directions:


In the canister of a blender, combine the the ice cream and the bananas.  Blend slightly.  Add 1/4 cup of the chocolate milk to start.  Blend until smooth.  If you would like a thinner milkshake, add more chocolate milk, a little at a time, blending between each addition.   Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

Serve in chilled glasses.

Makes 2 milkshakes.