Graeter’s Ice Cream Party and a Giveaway
As many of you know, Hubby and I moved to Boston from Cincinnati. One of my favorite things when we lived there was walking down the street to grab some Graeter’s ice cream. I was recently contacted to review their ice cream, and they had no idea I already loved it when they contacted me. As you know, I rarely do product reviews on here, but since I already knew how much I enjoy Grater’s, I thought this would be a great opportunity.
Graeter’s uses high quality ingredients and makes their ice cream two gallons at a time to ensure quality ice cream with every batch. It is extremely creamy and decadent! They have 24 pint flavors including signature chip flavors and five seasonal favorites, which rotate throughout the year.
If you don’t live in Cincinnati, you still might be able to find Graeter’s at a grocery store in your town. A list of the locations where Graeter’s is sold can be found on their website. If you’re still out of luck, have no fear, you can order ice cream online. It will be delivered to your door step just like mine was!!
The foam cooler was packed with our six pints and some dry ice to keep it frozen on it’s journey. You can order the ice cream in 6 or 12 pint packages. I think this would make a great gift for Mother’s Day, a friend who used to live in Cincinnati’s birthday, or for anyone else who enjoys great ice cream.
I decided to invite some other bloggers over to my place to share this awesome ice cream with them. So last night, Aimee, Fiona, Renee, and Amanda came over for an ice cream tasting and sundae party! Graeter’s sent me a 6 pint variety pack of ice cream to taste. I requested my favorite, black raspberry chip, to be included in the pack. The other flavors included vanilla, mocha chip, caramel, mint chip, and strawberry.
For the tasting portion, I used a 1.5 tsp scoop to scoop tiny scoops of ice cream onto everyone’s spoon. We started with vanilla and worked our way through the 6 flavors. I’m usually not a fan of strawberry ice cream, but this strawberry ice cream was very fresh and light. The three flavors that had chips were great hits. I always say they should call them chunks. We all agreed that the strawberry ice cream would have been great with the chocolate chunks in it. Turns out Graeters does have strawberry chip right now.
The chocolate in the ice cream has almost the consistency of ganache, so it’s very smooth and easy to bite into. And, everyone once and a while you’ll get a bite with a big chunk of chocolate in it. The black raspberry chip was still my favorite with the mocha chip coming in at a close second for me. (As you know, I’m lactose intolerant. But, about once a year, I eat ice cream because I just miss it so much. I participated in the tasting portion of the evening, along with the help of some medication and it was definitely worth it!)
Once we all tasted a tiny bit of each flavor, we then made ice cream sundaes. Everyone else had brought some ice cream toppings including M&Ms, caramel sauce, and candied pecans. We chowed down on our ice cream sundaes and chatted the evening away.
Eating ice cream reminded me that summer is just around the corner! And if you’d like to try some Graeter’s ice cream for yourself, be sure to enter the giveaway below! Graeter’s has agreed to give a 6-pint variety pack to one lucky reader!! Here’s how you can enter.
First, you must be a follower of my blog, either through Facebook or an RSS reader. For the first entry, go to Graeters.com and check out the flavors they offer. Come back here and leave a comment telling me which flavor you would like to try, or if you’ve had Graeter’s before, which flavor is your favorite.
For an additional entry, either Like Graeter’s on Facebook or follow them on Twitter and come back here leaving another comment saying you’ve done so.
For another additional entry, Tweet the following about the giveaway “Enter to win a 6 pint package of @graeters ice cream from @beantownbaker http://bit.ly/gs2HKn” then come back here to leave a comment saying you’ve done so.
A maximum of three entries per person are allowed. All comments must be made by midnight on April 27th. A winner will be chosen randomly at that point in time. Graeter’s only ships to the US (excluding Alaska and Hawaii), so if you win, you must provide a US shipping address. If you’re out of the US, you can still enter the giveaway if you plan to ship the ice cream to someone within the shipping area.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I love Thai food but am too nervous to try to make it at home!
We love Mexican food. I make tacos at home and I fry my own tortillas, I also make a pretty mean enchilada dish according to my grandfather.
aftonmarie317@gmail.com
I love Middle Eastern food! My husband is Egyptian so I have learned to love a lot of different dishes and am starting to make them at home!
I love Italian. I make it all the time! Luckily, my husband loves it too.
Sushi….but I’ve never made it at home.
We eat Mexican food all the time. I make pretty much every type of Mexican food….or atleast I try to!
We love Thai, and while one of the three recipes I tried was a flop, the other two recipes are repeats in our house. When I made spicy chicken with cashews,
http://rasamalaysia.com/spicy-chicken-with-cashew-nuts/
I made it twice in a row! It’s that yummy, and so easy!
I love Aloo Matter & Naan…I haven’t tried to make it at home yet, but I hope we do soon. I’d like to try the Garlic Naan bread, but w/o the garlic…would that mess up the recipe? Thanks!
I love Mexican food and have tried a few things at home but can’t seem to get anywhere as close as my favorite restruant
I love spring rolls and those little dumplings. I haven’t tried making them before.
Haluski. I love the slavic foods that abound here in my region.
We love Mexican and I make a lot at home. I would love to try a couple of things that I haven’t made before. We like Italian too and I would love to try to make my own pasta. I would love to make some Greek dishes as well. There are so many different cultures that I would like my kids to experience through food.
General Tso’s Chicken. I’ve never tried to make it at home, because it’s a treat for me to be taken out for it!
It’s a toss up between Chinese and Mexican food. I’ve made a number of dishes from both and while they’re really yummy, nothing beats the taste of not having to cook!
I love spring rolls but they never come out that well for me at home!
I like to make portuguese food to remind myself of my upbringing and heritage! Flaming chorizo is delicious (though dangerous!)
Sushi is an all time fave, I am getting better using sticky rice all the time
I love both Chinese and Mexican. I’ve had some success at home with both but nothing as great as our favorite restaurants.
ljyoung85@gmail.com
Mmm….I LOVE Thai food. My husband and I have a Thai vegetarian cookbook that we use. One of our favorites it a red curry that uses tofu, Japanese eggplant, and green beans. There is also a winter vegetable, seitan, and cashew curry with coconut milk that is to die for.
I love Mexican – I’ve tried to make some dishes at home but they never come out as good!
I love Jamaican food. My husband’s family is from Jamaica, so when his mom comes to visit she is the official cook. I can make Curry Chicken, but nowhere near as well as his mom!
My favorite ethnic food has to be dumplings. Boiled, steamed, or pan-fried, I love them all! Luckily, my mom is great at making them so I’ve learned how to make them from her. They still never come out quite as good as the ones she makes though!
Anything Greek! I’m not big on spice so I can’t handle most ethnic foods, Greek is perfect though. And now I’m craving it.
*crosses fingers* I hope I win!
Definitely Mexican! Yummy enchiladas!!!
I like Mexican the best but I want to try to make sushi sometime
Right now I’m on an itallian kick. I’ve made homemade pasta at home and it’s fantastic!
Crawfish Etoufee
I love indian food but have only made a few recipes. I would love to make my own Naan!
I grew up eating almost exclusively Chinese food, so I guess I am a bit biased. Outside of that, I enjoy eating Thai food. I’m trying to perfect my pad thai recipe!
I just recently made Dal Makhani at home for the first time last week and even made naan to go with it.
LOVE Mexican food, but rarely make it at home, because then a) I see just how not good it is for me, b) it never tastes AS good, and c) I honestly don’t know how to make much beyond enchiladas or tacos!!
Mmmmm… Chicken Vindaloo is my absolute favorite!!
I love Mexican food and have tried some things at home but not truly authentic!
Sushi is my fave. I make it korean style with some bulgogi, egg and pickled radish inside and it’s delish!
Portuguese “koiva soup”.. kale soup with linguica and red beans and yes, i do make it occasionally
We love Asian food, specifically Chinese and Thai. We’re getting more adventurous trying the recipes, but we haven’t done anything complicated yet. We’re moving into a new house in the next few weeks so I’m hoping the new/bigger kitchen will make it easier.
Great giveaway, Jen! I don’t know that I could pick a single favorite ethnic food, and I’m not sure I can positively say that I’ve made it totally authentic at home. However I certainly do incorporate my favorite ethnic flavors into much of my cooking. On my list of things to try? Sushi (I got my first lesson last week, so I can’t wait to experiment more at home!) and, like you, Indian food. Ironically, I found a drool-worthy recipe last week that we are having tonight, and I can’t wait.
Mexican. Yes, I try to make mexican at least once a week! Thanks for having the give away!
It used to be Mexican, but lately I’ve been loving Indian flavors. I’ve tried a few dishes at home.
Another fave is sushi. And yes, I’ve tried that at home as well. 🙂
I love sushi but I haven’t tried to make it at home….YET! I am going to do it someday…
I love lots of ethnic foods and enjoy making many of them, although my husband and I still haven’t tried making sushi or Pho quite yet.
Thanks for the chance to win such a great contest!
I love Sushi but can not get any of the ingrediants out here in rural Kansas so I’ve never attempted to make it at home. It’s a rare treat when we travel.
My favorite is this thai dish that I get a local dive restaurant. It is amazing but I’ve never tried to recreate it because I can’t quite figure out what makes it so special.
I love Chinese food, egg rolls and crab rangoon especially. I just recently tried to make both at home with interesting results. Not sure I’d try it again.
We love Japanese food and made everything from shabu shabu to yakisoba!
My favorite ethnic foods would probably be Thai and Vietnamese. I’ve made pad thai before that turned out pretty well, and I would love to try making pho!
I also love Indian food, but have never attempted to make it myself. Might need to try that recipe you just posted though…
My favorite ethnic food is Mexican and I make it all the time. I would like to attempt some Thai food though as I love going out to eat at Thai restaurants.
I made Pad Thai two weeks ago for the first time for my boyfriend and I. It was so fun to try something new and it came out just as good as the thai place around the corner from our house!
I love Chinese food and have made some pretty awesome sesame noodles and orange chicken : )
Awesome giveaway! King Arthur is the best.
My favorite ethnic food is anything Thai – I’ve never been brave enough to try it at home though!
My favorite food is Mexican. There is a restaurant in AZ called Si Senior and their red hatch valley sauce is heavenly. But i live in PA, so if i wanted to taste that sweet sauce again, I would have to make it myself. My enchilada sauce is a little different, but it is amazing, better than any restaurant around me.
I love chinese food and have made a few dishes at home. Easy ones though like lemon chicken. Nothing challenging.
I love Korean BBQ, we bought an indoor grill last year so we can grill the meat right at the table just like in the restaurant.
I love to make my Polish grandfather’s cabbage rolls when my family gets together, yummy!
Any type of mexican, and I try new Mexican dishes at home all the time.
I love Italian and make it all the time. I love finding new recipes to add to my current favs!
I love Thai, but haven’t attempted to make it at home yet.
One of my favorites is actually Chicken Tikka Masala, but when I tried to make it at home it was an epic fail!
I love a lot of ethnic food. I had a girls weekend recently and we went out for Indian. I really wanted to try Chicken Tikka Masala at home and saw your recipe. I am going to make it this week or next.
My favorite food is Korean food…I make it once in a while, but often bring my mom into it since her home Korean cooking is the best.
I love curry chicken and actually make it at home quite often.
I loved your recipe. Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my favorites! I voted before I even checked out your page!
I LOVE pad thai so I’ve made that at home before. I actually “healthified” it a bit and it still turned out great.
Good luck!
We love mexican too, but haven’t yet been adventurous enough to make our own tortillas, but that’s a long term goal!
Sushi and yes I tried making California rolls and they turned out ok….. I think i’ll leave it to the pros!
We love Italian-we make our own pizza crust from scratch,lasagna
aunteegem@yahoo.com
I love Thai curries. We made a delicious red Thai chicken curry with eggplant and coconut milk. Excellent!
I absolutely adore Chinese food, but have yet to make a delicious equivalent to sesame chicken since becoming vegan.
Awesome giveaway! Already voted for ya!
Crab Rangoons. I make them at home. Well, a modified version. Mine are more like Crab rangoons muffin cups and they are baked, not fried.
It’s hard to say what me favorite ethnic food is, I like so many but I guess if I can only pick one it would be Mexican. I make many dishes at home including enchiladas, salsa, guacamole, and pork carnitas.
Thai Green Curry with Shrimp and no I haven’t tried to make it yet but it’s definitely on my list of things to try.
Pad Thai, but I don’t make it home. I’d rather have someone else make it!
We love Mexican food, and since JL is Mexican I am always trying to find ways to make it. My favorite thing is beans, silly I know but if you make them just right they can be so much better than canned or restaurant beans…
-Vanessa
I love Mexican and my favorite entree to make is enchiladas.
My favorite ethnic food is Greek and no I have never tried to make it at home. A local Greek church has a food festival every few months and I just stsop by there!
I love Thai food! I’ve made pad thai and a few curry dishes at home! YUM!
I love Mexican food and have tried making a few dishes before. I even took a salsa making course this summer. Yum!!
*Good luck and thank you for the giveaway!
I love, love love, the rosewater flavored butter cookies that they make in Morocco. I tried to make them once but I couldn’t get the flavor right. I think that you need to use a LOT of rosewater.
My favorite ethnic food is Mexican. I make it at home at least once a week.
I love Indian food! We tried making Samosas from scratcho nce. It was soooo much work!
CLOTHED MUCH, a modest fashion blog
I love Mexican food. I’ve tried to make enchiladas several times but it never turns out the same as in a restaurant.
Hi! My favorite is Chinese food. We have tried several times to make a few of their dishes but they never come close to the recipe. I love this giveaway! Thank you for doing this. 🙂
aliasgirl1976@yahoo.com
I love Chinese and have made different dishes at home with have all turned out. Thanks for the giveaway.
rrudnick@netnet.net
I love Mexican food and frequently make my own healthy versions at home with brown rice and whole wheat tortillas!
I love all things curried. I make a mean coconut curried rice, butter chicken, and chana masala. I am not scared!
Indian butter chicken – but i have never made it at home.
I love Chinese food but it always seems to difficult to make at home. Plus there are so many ingredients I don’t have!
Chicken Pad Thai is my favorite … and pot stickers/dumplings … I have attempted the latter but the first is beyond my reach!
I love Chinese food, low mien noodles particularity… I have tried making them at home, but they are NEVER as good as from a Chinese restaurant. Not sure why!
I love sushi! I haven’t tried to make it at home yet, but it’s on my long-term to do list. Thanks for all your inspiration – and the giveaway!
My favorite is Thai – and I’ve made a few things – but its easier to just order out 🙂
My favorite ethnic food is Indian, and I’ve made some dishes at home but they never taste quite as good as take-out or our favorite local restaurant.
I love Thai food! I have no idea where I would even start if I wanted to make it–but boy is it yummy!!!
My favorite ethnic dish is eggs scrambled with tomatoes. It’s the cheapest, most down-home Taiwanese comfort dish there is. My mom has made it for me all my life.
I’m so unoriginal. My favorite is Italian. I mean, it’s often pasta, tomatoes, and cheese. How could you go wrong? Even when we’re not just considering stereotypes, there’s so much great stuff – pesto, prosciutto, balsamic vinegar, risotto…
Love polish food and cook some simple things at home, like perogies!
I think that the most ethnic food that I enjoy is food from England. I love to have Bangers and Mash with Peas. I have had this on many occasions and I LOVE IT!! YUMMY!! 🙂
I love Indian food. I’ve made some curries and simple dishes like that, but not totally from scratch, I must admit. 🙂
Mexican–I make Tex Mex a lot, but it’s probably not too authentic.
Favorite ethnic food has got to be empanadas!
My favorite ethnic food is Armenian lamejeune, a flatbread topped with lamb (or other meats), vegetables and spices. It’s impossible to recreate at home, but so delicious!
I like enchiladas. I’ve made them once at home. I do want to make them again.
We eat Mexican food at least once a week, if not twice. I try out new recipes all the time and even make my own tortilla chips. YUM!
I love sushi but haven’t tackled it at home…yet!
Me and my Hubby have traveled to Costa Rica many times. They make these killer sweet plantain that are baked in the oven. I have tried to make this recipe over and over again to get it perfect. I have even bought recipe book to see if they have it in there, but No such luck yet. I will not give up. But I can make a killer Arose Con Pollo, and black beans and rice.
I love Indian food. I’ve tried making some dishes at home, but it’s hit and miss for me. Plus, my hubby hates the smell of it, so he prefers if I just buy it, rather than cook it.
I love Thai food and would love to be able to make pad thai at home!
I love real Japanese ramen and am desperate to make some at home but everytime I find a recipe I get scared and run in the other direction!
I love Paella but I’m too scared to mess it up at home!
Indian is my husband’s favorite, and I don’t make it nearly enough.
I actually made a close approximation of Malaysian Curry Chicken, but it was in smell only. I somehow couldn’t get the taste quite right
askouras (at) gmail (dot) com
We love Mexican Pork Carnitas, and I’ve tried to make them at home with little success. I even bought lard! Just haven’t found the right recipe.
susitravl(at)gmail(dot)com
We love Pad Thai but I’m not brave enough to try it at home. I don’t think it would come out the same as our favorite Thai place.
We make Mexican at home.
I guess my favorite would be Mexican Carnitas. A close second would be Orange Chicken!
Favorite ethnic food, that’s a toughy. I love Italian and make a mean lasagna. But I also love fish tacos with halibut, but they have to be done just right.
My Favorite Ethnic food is MEXICAN! And yes I eat and make it at home at least twice a week!!
I’ve recently discovered that I love Indian food. I made goan shrimp curry and it was delicious. Looking forward to making it again!
We love everything 🙂 It would have to be sushi though. It’s expensive and I’d be nervous about the freshness of the fish…. maybe someday 🙂
Mmmm, Chicken Tikka Masala would be my answer, but I haven’t made it yet. I have a few recipes but haven’t been brave enough!
Actually chicken tikka masala is my all-time favorite ethnic food and I’ve always been way to intimidated to make it. i can’t wait to try your recipe!!