With summer around the corner, it’s getting really hot. To cope, I’ve been eating ice-cream. I think I am developing an obsession for Arce Dairy’s products. Each time we pass the ice cream section, I’ve been grabbing up the unusual flavors.



But this by far is one of my top picks. A bowl of ice? Not too far off ... sherbet! Buco lechias. Buco is young coconut. Lechias is lychee. Imagine iced buco juice with a few strips of young coconut and bits of lychees. Sweet, succulent ... and so refreshing for these hot days!

I don’t know if it’s less fattening, at the rate I’ve been eating it though. (Especially since I eat ice cream too). Dui elicits giggles from her cousins when she starts yelling for her bowl of buco LECHAS! She strangely prefers it over ice cream.

Was chatting with mommy while we were having a bowl each of buco lechias sherbet after another leisurely dinner. She remembers that as a child that were street hawkers of sherbet. Kind of like those bringing around taho to your doorstep. I wonder what happened to those?

I’ve got this on my list of things to do: make my own sherbet. Because I doubt half a gallon really costs 190 pesos!

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Magnolia Full Cream Milk
Premium dairy
Naturally creamy
No artificial colors and flavors
No preservatives
Pasteurized to retain the natural creaminess and nutrition of milk
Excellent source of calcium

Recombined, pasteurized, homogenized milk

Ingredients: water, non-fat milk solids, milk fat, milk mineral concentrate, food stabilizers and emulsifiers, Vitamin A and Vitamin D3


VERSUS


Karlen’s Fresh Milk
Pure Cow’s Milk
Min. 3% fat
Pasteurized and homogenized


In a desire to stay as close as possible to natural foods, especially when it comes to Dui, we’ve scoured the shelves for our best options. With milk, we’re particularly picky. We’ve shifted several times among fresh milk brands but have happily settled with Karlen’s Fresh Milk. For 70 pesos a liter, it’s even cheaper than Magnolia’s premium fresh milk (about 75 pesos).

Compare the labels. My rule of thumb with foods is that the less stuff that’s listed, the better. And again, the first item listed is always the greatest in terms of volume (i.e., main ingredient). I mean, milk is milk … or is it really? (Each time I go through that label, I think again!)

You can find Magnolia in most supermarkets. We stumbled upon Karlen’s fresh milk in Santi’s Delicatessen (no, I am in no way affiliated with them, too bad). It’s delivered once a week from Laguna so you can be assured its fresh and locally produced too. With just a little extra effort, you'll be able to taste the difference and rest easy that its "real" milk.

If you’re like me - seriously addicted (short of swooning) to all things green tea - green tea ice cream is pure heaven on earth! All that yummy (and healthy) goodness in one food item! To get my fix for creamy, astringent green tea ice cream, here are some of my simplest solutions:

1.    Got the dough? Feel like splurging? Run off and get a pint of Haagen Dazs at your grocery. The best yet!

2.    Got less than 100 pesos but have a full tank of gas? Drive off to Gyozatei on Tomas Morato, Quezon City. Two wonderful scoops with mochi balls and a drizzling of sweet mungbean paste will only set you back 75 pesos. If the drive is quite a ways, have a full Japanese meal first then cap it off with your ice cream! (On second thought, that’ll set you back more than 100 pesos!)

3.    Got more than 200 pesos and you want to simply pig out (girls, hormones?) or there are quite a few of you who want to eat, go to the ice cream section of your grocery and look for Arce’s Green Tea ice cream. (Pardon me, I don’t know how long it’s been in the market but there were only two half gallons there, so either its new in the market or in demand!) While it’s a little sweeter than I’d normally like (it’s sweeter than options 1 and 2), it’s a great deal at around 200 pesos for a half gallon.

A much harder fix would be to make your own. But macha (gree tea powder) is pretty pricey and cream, more so. Now, if you’re in Japan, that’s another story … I envy you!

If you have any other sources of green tea ice cream, would really like a heads up! Share it here! Please?

Photo: Dui about to dig into some of Arce's green tea ice cream.