Sunday, July 12, 2020

Cherry Chunk Amaretto Ice Cream from @AbbyVandiver plus #GIVEAWAY

MADDIE here, delighted to welcome guest Abby L. Vandiver today with a delicious ice cream recipe, a delicious-sounding mystery, and a giveaway!

Let it Snow!



No one waits for summer to enjoy ice cream. It’s good all year-round, at least that’s Win’s theory. In fact, Bronwyn “Win,” Crewse, the main character in my new cozy mystery series, An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery, is banking on it being true seeing that the day of her grand re-opening is the same day as a snowstorm.

But the snow did deter the would-be customers and then she was drawn into a murder investigation. What else could go wrong?

As a millennial, Win believes her determination, her background working in an ad agency and her social media savvy will get the luscious, mouthwatering frozen concoctions she makes at ice cream parlor into the mitten and gloved-clad hands of her customers. And that that dead body that was found at the bottom of the waterfalls behind her shop is only a bump in the road. That is, until her father becomes the prime suspect in the murder.

But she’s always found comfort in making ice cream and so that’s what she does. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in every book, good yummy ice cream—oh yeah, and of course murder!

In the back of my books, you’ll find ice cream recipes to try at home. They’re the same recipes that Win serves in her family shop, Crewse Creamery. Below you’ll find a recipe from the book named after one of the characters. Try it out! Meanwhile, pick up your copy of A Deadly Inside Scoop, the first book in the series. But be forewarned, I’ve heard that reading it will make you crave ice cream.

Enjoy!

RIYA’S UPSCALE CHERRY CHOCOLATE CHUNK AMARETTO

(Food photos kindly taken by Daryl Wood Gerber)

INGREDIENTS
1¼ cups milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups fresh, ripe cherries, pitted and quartered
¼ cup Amaretto liqueur
1 cup dark chocolate chunks

DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, vanilla and sugar. Stir occasionally until the sugar completely dissolves. Take off heat and add salt. Allow to steep and cool.





Whisk in the heavy whipping cream. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge about two hours, until completely chilled.




Using an ice cream maker, add the chilled ice cream base according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 



Once the mixture has thickened, add the cherries and the Amaretto. 



Continue churning until it is the consistency of soft serve, then mix in chocolate chunks.



Place in a freezer-­proof container in freezer for at least two hours. Note: Everyone's freezer and ice cream freezer are different, so check your instructions and the consistency.

Maddie: Doesn't this look yummy?



Readers: What's your favorite ice cream flavor? If you make ice cream, what kind of freezer do you use? I'll send one of you a copy of A Deadly Inside Scoop!




WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY and internationally bestselling author, Abby L. Vandiver, who also writes as Abby Collette, has always enjoyed writing, combining that with her gift for telling stories and love of mystery she became an author. A hybrid, she has written as an indie as well as a traditionally published author. Abby has penned more than twenty books and short stories. Her new cozy from  Penguin Berkley, A Deadly Inside Scoop, is the first in the new Ice Cream Parlor Mystery series.

Abby resides in South Euclid, Ohio and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and facilitating self-publishing and writing craft classes at her local library.



91 comments:

  1. My favorite kinds of ice cream usually involve chocolate and nuts such as Swiss chocolate almond. I have never used a machine. suefoster109 at gmail dot com

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    1. My favorite ice cream is chocolate and almonds! I know we're talking homemade here, but the best chocolate almond for me is at Baskin and Robbins. Unfortunately, you can't always find it.

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  2. First off, what an amazing idea for a series! Can't wait to get started on this series with the opportunity to read book one - "A Deadly Inside Scoop".

    As a child, I was the one nominated to sit on top of the quilt on the crank ice cream freezer. As a young adult, we converted to an electric freezer. Even later in life, I started using the ice cream freezer bowl to the KitchenAid mixer. Honestly they all work, but nothing freezes as solid or was so much fun due to family participation than the old fashion crank freezer.

    Some of my favorite homemade ice creams are those made with fresh picked fruits like strawberry and peach. Also loved the buttered pecan ice cream that we often had. Though technically not an "ice cream", we also made orange sherbet that is made using orange soda, cans of eagle brand milk and a can of crushed pineapple which was very delicious too. Now you're done flung a craving on me and I see homemade ice cream in our Sunday afternoon.

    Thank you for the wonderful sounding recipe for RIYA’S UPSCALE CHERRY CHOCOLATE CHUNK AMARETTO and for the chance to win a copy of " A Deadly Inside Scoop"! Shared every where and hoping to be the extremely fortunate one selected.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. How fun. Good memories. And your ice cream flavors sound yummy! Actually in the series (the next book, A Game of Cones comes out in May), Win makes peach ice cream, butter pecan and orange sherbet (she calls it orange burst). Happy Reading!

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  3. My favorite flavor of ice cream is cookie dough.
    Kitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net

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    1. Cookie dough is a favorite with my grandkids, but I've never made it. I'll have to try it and maybe even let Win try it in her next whodunit!

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  4. I like vanilla by Blue Bell, but the best I ate was homemade vanilla my grandparents used to make. Thanks for the chance. jlb12563@sbcglobal.net

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  5. I've never made ice cream but I love chocolate brownie ice cream. No nuts for me though or I'll swell up like a balloon & have to go to the ER! Can I make your recipe without an ice cream machine?

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    1. Yes! You can make it without an ice cream maker, you just have to leave it in the freezer longer. And chocolate brownie sounds yummy. Too bad about the nuts, they are my favorite.

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    2. Yes, allergies to nuts is a curse! 😄

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  6. I haven't had a good peach ice cream in a very long time. Thank you for this chance. pgenest57(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. I'll put a peach ice cream recipe in my next book, A Game of Cones. Nice summer treat!

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  7. My favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate ripple which is so yummy and hard to locate. What a treat for this hot summer. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. I love anything chocolate! Chocolate ripple sounds so good!

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  8. I haven't made ice cream in years, but my current favorite is salted caramel - and it's my local store brand and is organic - that recipe makes me drool though - thanks for the contest - trwilliams 69 (at) msn (dot) com

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    1. Chocolate almond is my favorite! I love it, but it's so hard to find. And my second choice is strawberry shortcake from a local ice cream shop.

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  9. My favorite ice cream is Chocolate Almond but I also love a good strawberry with chunks of strawberry in it. Thanks for the chance! almaj80(at)suddenlink(dot)net

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    1. Hi Taylor! Salted caramel is so good. I think that flavor may be in the book. All Win's ice cream (in the book) is organic. She's all about it.

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  10. A good peach ice cream in summer . thanks for the chance jcook22@yahoo.com

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    1. There's peach in the second book, A Game of Cones (coming March 2, 2021)! Good luck!

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  11. Really anything chocolate. The more chocolate-y the better. Like the Brownie Extreme Blizzard. Yum. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com Now I want one!

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    1. Me too! I go to Dairy Queen all the time for Blizzards. I'm going to try the Brownie Extreme next time!

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  12. I like chocolate ice cream and also butterbrickle. I've never used an ice cream machine. My favorite Dairy Queen treat is simply a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate dbahn(at)iw(dot)net

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    1. I have never heard of butterbrickle. I'm going to Google it because it sounds good. And I haven't had a dipped ice cream cone since they started making Klondike bars, but I might just get me one!

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  13. Mmm, ice cream!
    Favorite flavor? Jamoca almond fudge from Baskin Robbins. Well, it used to be, but there's no store anywhere near me.
    Saved from temptation.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    1. Hi Libby. I love Baskin and Robbins chocolate almond the the ones with Dunkin Donuts nevere have it, so sometimes I take a "road" trip to get my favorite flavor. It's worth it!

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    2. A woman after my own heart!

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    3. my neighborhood safeway store in CA carries pints of jamocha almond fudge now.

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  14. My favorite flavor ice cream is Moose Tracks. Thank you for sharing the recipe, and for the chance to win! areewekidding(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thank you for stopping by, Robyn! I've never tried Moose Tracks, but now that I have to come up with ice cream flavors for my books, I am going to give it a try.

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  15. My favorite flavor is sea salt caramel. This summer is perfect for indulging in ice cream daily. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  16. How can I pick just one! I love pralines and cream, coconut almond with chocolate chunks but since I have to choose, Cherry Cordial. It got me through some rough times. I also used to go to Columbus, Ohio to Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream and try all the unique flavors. I remember one had corn in it! They were all good. Thanks for the recipe and the chance to win!
    marshamysteryreader(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Hi Marsha, in real life there is a Jeni's a couple door down from Win's fictional ice cream parlor in Chagrin Falls. The first place outside of Columbus, Ohio where Jeni's put a store. Great ice cream.

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  17. Oh this ice cream looks so good. My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip.
    turtle6422 at gmail dot com

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    1. Hi Jana. I've put mint coffee flavored ice cream in the book. I think I'll have to include mint chocolate chip, it's a favorite of a lot of people.

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  18. My favorite ice cream flavor is Mackinac Island Fudge ice cream.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  19. Oh, your recipe looks delicious--some of my favorite things are cherries, chocolate and nuts, especially love the almondy Amaretto! When I was a kid my favorite ice cream was chocolate or Rocky Road, except for the occasional homemade peach or vanilla. We eat a lot of locally made Blue Bell ice cream, and my personal favorites are Mint Chocolate Chip, Pistachio Almond, Dutch Chocolate, Black Walnut, & Cherry Vanilla, which is like Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. Best of luck with the series! lola777_22 at hotmail dot com

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    1. Wow! You like a lot of flavors! I'll have to put some of them in my book! I think I have peach, vanilla and black walnut (that was one of my mother's favorites). And the detective in the stories has eyes the color of pistachio!

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    2. Pistachio-colored eyes, that's cool, Abby! I'm a Gemini and have always had a hard time choosing just one favorite ANYTHING, except for my one-and-only husband of 47 years! ;)

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  20. My favorite is ginger ice cream.
    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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    1. Ginger! I've never heard of that. I have to do reseaarch on that one. Interesting . . .

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  21. I have never made ice cream. But this is my fav flavor and I am going to give it a try.

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    1. Let me know how you do with your first batch! Good luck!

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  22. Sounds good but for me it would have to be minus the cherries as I am very allergic to them. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

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    1. Oh no! Well there's other flavors in the book, but I bet this one might be good without the fruit or chocolate.

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  23. There was a gelato of this flavor, which was my favorite. No longer available. Thank you for the recipe. Now I can make it. I have an electric ‘Crank’ ice cream maker.

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  24. A gelato. That sounds good. I remember using a crank one when I was younger.

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  25. My favorite ice cream is Chocolate Peanut Butter. I also like vanilla ice cream with chocolate mix-ins like Moose Tracks. I am also a fan of Pecan Praline ice cream. I think ice cream is best served in a large waffle cone! I do not make our own ice cream.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

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    1. Pralines and cream is so yummy. Brings back happy memories of my youth. And I love waffle cones, but I usually can't finish it all.

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  26. Abby, it's a delight to have you on the blog. I'm in the middle of A Deadly Inside Scoop and loving it! ~ Daryl

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    1. Hi Daryl! Happy to be here. Mystery Lovers' Kitchen is such a great idea. Happy Reading!

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  27. I have never made my own ice cream but would like to try. My favorite is butter pecan but I found strawberry rhubarb cobbler ice cream at the store and I love it. I've heard wonderful things about your book.

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    1. Thank you, Kathy! My mother's favorite (later in life) was butter pecan and now it's one of mine.

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  28. I like chocolate ice cream with ‘stuff’ in it-nuts, cookie dough, chocolate chips. Yum! I’ve never made ice cream and I don’t have an ice cream maker but this recipe sounds so good!
    meeshpsych@aol.com

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    1. Abby Vandiver/Abby ColletteJuly 15, 2020 at 5:12 PM

      Me too! Except I need my "stuff" to be nuts! The ice cream recipes in the back of the book can be made without an ice cream maker.

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  29. I haven’t made ice cream in years, but when we made it, it was manually. My mom made the vest vanilla ice cream. My favorite flavor is cherry limeade—so good! Legallyblonde1961@yahoo.com

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    1. Abby Vandiver/Abby ColletteJuly 15, 2020 at 5:14 PM

      Oh! Cherry limeade?!?! I love how that sounds. So summery. So sweet. Sooo good. I am going to have Win make that, and I'm going to try to make a batch myself.

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  30. My favorite is chocolate marshmallow ice cream. Thank you for the chance!
    Jess
    maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Abby Vandiver/Abby ColletteJuly 15, 2020 at 5:14 PM

      You're welcome!

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  31. My favorite ice cream flavor is Blue Bell Mint Chocolate Chip or Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. I’ve never made homemade ice cream, but I love it. My grandmother used to make ice cream for all our family get-togethers in the summer — she made the best fresh peach ice cream. cking78503(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. Abby Vandiver/Abby ColletteJuly 15, 2020 at 5:15 PM

      So many replies about Blue Bell. I don't think I've heard of that brand. Maybe a regional product?? I'm going to look for it. I definitely know about Ben and Jerry's though. I've got peach ice cream in the next book.

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  32. Hagen Daz Honey or Dulche Leche, homemade maple walnut.

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  33. I love chocolate ice cream with big chunks of peanut butter in it. Our local ice cream parlor sells it and it is YUMMY!! bentleyboy22(at)comcast(dot)net

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    1. Abby Vandiver/Abby ColletteJuly 15, 2020 at 5:16 PM

      Chunks of peanut butter? I'll have to try that.

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  34. Anything with peanut butter....I’ve been in ice cream making mode (made black raspberry this past week) and will definitely give this recipe a try!

    Jwhite410(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Abby Vandiver/Abby ColletteJuly 15, 2020 at 5:17 PM

      Black raspberry sounds like something Win would make in her ice cream parlor. I think that one is going in a book. Thank you!

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  35. This looks yummy. I don’t make my own ice cream but may need to start. I usually eat gelato. Pistachio is my favorite.

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    1. Abby Vandiver/Abby ColletteJuly 15, 2020 at 5:19 PM

      The detective in the story has pistachio-colored eyes. Yes! Start making ice cream. It's fun. I do it with my grandkids.

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  36. My favorite is Dark Chocolate. I also like Peppermint.
    wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Abby Vandiver/Abby ColletteJuly 15, 2020 at 5:20 PM

      Dark chocolate is so good. I can't remember if I put peppermint in one of the ice cream parlor books, but if I haven't, I definitely will.

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  37. Rocky Road is probably my favorite but I like most kinds. My parents had an ice cream freezer and made peach and black raspberry ice cream. Stay safe and well.

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    1. Abby Vandiver/Abby ColletteJuly 15, 2020 at 5:23 PM

      Peach and black raspberry sounds so yummy. Peach is in one of the books, but black raspberry is going in. Maybe I'll make it an ice . . .

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  38. My favorite flavor is vanilla because you can eat it plain or add anything you want to it.
    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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    1. Abby Vandiver/Abby ColletteJuly 15, 2020 at 5:24 PM

      Toppings were something I'd thought about adding to the "ice cream parlor" in the book. Good idea to start off basic and make it what you want with toppings.

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  39. OMG!!! Mocha Almond Fudge is my absolute favorite!!! lindaherold999@gmail.com

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  40. anything chocolate, chocolate, chocolate
    mountainsr4me@hotmail.com

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    1. Yes! Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!! I love chocolate.

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  41. Peanut butter is my favorite! tWarner419(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. I have never had ice cream with peanut butter! I'll have to try that!

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  42. Butter pecan is my favorite. JL_Minter(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. That was my mother's favorite and I do believe I put it in one of the books.

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    2. That was my mother's favorite. I think I put it in one of the books too. Yum!

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  43. Abby Vandiver/Abby ColletteJuly 15, 2020 at 5:26 PM

    Thank you everyone for stopping by the blog and commenting! Making friends over a bowl of ice cream in the best. I've got two winners, Jaime Minter and Lynn in Texas. I'll email you both. Happy Reading!

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  44. Oh yum!!! My favorite ice cream is vanilla. Can not wait to read your series..it's on my TBR list..and oh gosh the recipes!! nani_geplcs(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  45. My favorite ice cream is French vanilla.
    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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  46. I love most ice creams but usually choose Vanilla Bean. With Vanilla Bean I can top it with whatever I have on hand at that time. I've never made ice cream but would love to try it. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com

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