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I do things besides write this blog. I actually test the recipes — certainly the brownies and cocktails — or I help Suzen test the recipes — the ones with kale and spinach. I grew up on canned vegetables, not fresh ones. My skills are limited.

I do have other skills. I dabble in artificial intelligence, data mining, Big Data stuff. I actually apply some of those techniques to this blog. I know which posts are most popular. I know, for a fact, that there are plenty of people like me who are focused on brownies and cocktails. I feel so much less lonely.

Now, Amazon has very sophisticated artificial intelligence. When I began getting cookbook recommendations from them, I felt a little invaded. But, then I looked at what they were sending me and all I could do was thank them. They have saved me a boatload of time. They have not saved me one damn calorie.

About that time and saving it or using it as wisely as possible. Time flows whether we want it to or not. It pulsates and drives us. And too often when we are cooking, we just don’t seem to take the time up front to pause and ask ourselves: “What am I doing? What I can do differently or better?”

You make the same brownie, the same margarita, the same ice cream sandwich.

Oh, you never have made ice cream sandwiches? You want to? No, stop now. Don’t think about two chocolate wafers with vanilla ice cream. That’s just what I’m talking about. Break out of the mold.

Amazon sent me a recommendation for Cookies & Cream: Hundreds of Ways to Make the Perfect Ice Cream Sandwich by Tessa Arias. It’s a book that you should consider. Even if you never make them, just reading here about all the different combinations and little things you can do, all those ideas may percolate into the rest of your kitchen portfolio. Here you’ll see ideas about rolling the edges of ice cream sandwich in chopped nuts or crushed bacon. Next time you stuff a chicken breast with herbs and cheese, think about rolling that edge in nuts or bacons or something else.

In short, there’s more to this book than simple ice cream sandwiches.

Not that the sandwiches themselves lack in importance. And Cookies & Cream takes you from beginning to end with detailed advice:

  • Instructions for making ice cream, both French [egg-based] and Philadelphia-style [eggless]
  • Making, shaping and baking cookie dough for the perfect sandwiches

It’s the combinations that matter the most. You do want to step beyond mere chocolate + vanilla. So there are 50 ice cream recipes and 50 cookie recipes. That is 50 X 50 = 2,500 ice cream and sandwich combinations or enough for 2,500/52 = 48 years and 3 weeks if you just do one recipe a week.

Gee, when I think about it this way, I had better get started.

Fortunately, author Tessa Arias offers a speed ramp for us, certain combinations of ice cream and cookies that she finds particularly grand:

  • Carrot Cake Ice Cream + Cream Cheese Cookies
  • Root Beer Ice Cream + Vanilla Bean Cookies
  • Caramel-Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream + Chocolate, Caramel and Pecan Cookies
  • Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt + Orange Cardamom Cookies
  • Mango Ice Cream + Ginger Lime Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Ice Cream + Banana Oat Cookies [aka The Elvis]
  • Dulce de Leche Ice Cream + Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
  • Lime Ice Cream + Salted Tequila Cookies
  • Fresh Mint Bourbon Ice Cream + Bourbon Shortbread Cookies

That’s just a quick sampling of the treats in store for you in Cookies & Cream. You can end a dinner party with an eye-smashing, delightful surprise. “No cake or pie or tiramisu, tonight,” you could announce. “We’re reverting to childhood with Hot Cocoa Ice Cream Sandwiches with Marshmallow Ice Cream and Hot Cocoa Cookies.”

Never had that as a kid.

But I wish I had.

Now I can. You, too.