Ice cream and silver linings

I'm in hog heaven this weekend because Skondra's Old Fashioned Churned Ice Cream is (or at least was) on sale for under $3 a half-gallon (okay 1.75 quarts; half-gallons no longer exist).

The magic $3 used to be a line in the sand --- "I'm never going to pay more than $3 for a half-gallon of ice cream." Yea, sure. But Skondra's --- Hy'Vee's upscale brand; you can't get it in Texas --- is the best ice cream in the whole wide world. 

I even pay full price (when something else isn't on sale for under Skondra's regular price, my new line in the sand) so I can wallow in "Strawberries N' Cream" and stuff myself with old-fashioned "Butter Brickle." 

Don't waste your time or money on Blue Bunny (revolting but intentional syrupy clumps of pinkish-red stuff in the last strawberry derivative I bought under that label) --- unless its really price-reduced (admittedly, I have a weakness for Blue Bunny's "Peanut Butter Panic"). Just go straight for the Skondra's.

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Who would have thought that last week's fall from grace of southern fried chef Paula Deen would impact my life. My heart belongs to Martha, who you may recall sailed triumphantly through a brief --- and totally unfair --- imprisonment some years ago and continues to rule (as we knew she would, bless her heart). So I've just never had much use for Paula.

But there I was in Shopko yesterday, looking for a melon-baller. Mine has slipped into a crack somewhere and I cannot find it. Every home needs a mellon-baller. How else are you supposed to make fruit salad? Chunks? I think not. 

Anyhow, I didn't find a melon-baller; not among the gadgets at Hy-Vee either. Major product failure on the parts of both. So came home and made do with a teaspoon measure that, while round, doesn't work well.

Anyhow, my big non-stick coated skillet needs to be retired --- after 15 years or so the coating is threatening to flake. Yes, I know --- cast iron. Non-stick coatings do have their place now and then, however. And Skopko carries the Paula Deen line of cookware. So I looked. I was tempted. Then it occurred to me that if Paula does indeed go under there may be a clearance sale on her cookware. I'll wait. Always looking for the silver lining.