The double scoop on Walrus

I assume most Fort Collins' residents have at some point been to Walrus Ice Cream, a locally owned creamery in Old Town.

If not, put down the lap top and go now.

Walrus, voted "Best Ice Cream in Fort Collins" by The Coloradoan for 11 consecutive years, sells premium ice cream, sorbets and yogurts, homemade daily in the store. They offer several unique flavors, from honeydew sorbet to Jack Daniels chip (non-alcoholic, sorry), which are constantly being changed and added to.

Walrus prides itself on its quality and variety, and rightfully so. With their long list of flavors (any of which can be made into a shake) and toppings, cakes, cones, floats and "saturdaes" (the Walrus sundae), you could probably go every night for a year and never get the same thing.

And the best thing about Walrus: being in Walrus. The mostly high school-age employees all seem happy to help (or just really high) and unhesitant to let you try any flavor, especially the daily "joke flavor," a concoction made each day that challenges most traditional ideas of ice cream.

Walrus' location, downtown on Mountain Avenue, makes it the perfect stop after dining in Old Town Square, and the outside seating is the best place to watch people stumble out of The Rio after one too many margaritas.

Open weekdays until 11 p.m. and weekends until midnight, Walrus is also the best place to go when dreaming of the cream after hours.

Which is why I better cut this short. They're about to close.

Eat a Love It, save a life

With all the charities, fund raisers and benefits constantly happening in Fort Collins, if I donated to them all I would soon be in need of charity myself.

But I recently heard of an upcoming fund raiser that I can't refuse.

On Oct 10, Coldstone will be sponsoring student organization Deliver Darfur by donating 15 percent of all orders to their cause.

As if I needed one more reason to eat ice cream.

Deliver Darfur, started by senior journalism major Rachel Robichaux and junior sports medicine major Carly Knaff last January, is a non-profit Fort Collins based organization that designs t-shirts and handbags to promote awareness about the crisis in Darfur.

Their entire profit is donated to the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

According to the United Nations, currently in Darfur, Sudan's western providence, an estimated 400,000 have died and over 2.5 million have been displaced due to constant conflict between the government and local militant groups.

Many have fled their homes in fear of the rape and violence, but are now stuck in refugee camps without enough food, water or medicine, according to the BBC.

But now you can help.

All you have to do is buy ice cream at the Coldstone on Laurel Street and show them a flier or say you're part of Deliver Darfur.

If you haven't been to Coldstone, it's time to try it. Known for their "mix-ins," the creamery offers an assembly line of toppings that they mix directly in to your ice cream right before your eyes. You can order one of their suggestions, or come up with your own creation.

They charge per topping though, so be careful. I know I've been victim to the $5 kiddie size.

And because one dollar can feed a child for a whole day, according to Robichaux, you might as well bring a friend and get two.

That way you can feel especially good about yourself.

Who knew saving the world could be this tasty?

I scream to save my green

College life is expensive.

From books to coffee to kegs and pizza, most students find their wallets empty well before pay day.

But that doesn't mean your stomach has to be, too.

Ice cream can be fairly cheap and easy to make at home, with the right ingredients and a bit of patience.

For instance, a simple vanilla recipe requires little more than milk or cream, egg, sugar and vanilla. Or, according to a Better Home and Garden's reccomended recipe, you can make chocolate with the addition of cocca powder.

From there, flavor options are limitless. Whatever candy, syrups or Ramen you have on hand (just kidding about the noodles) can be added in for variation.

However, to save yourself a lot of mixing, the easiest way to make ice cream involves an ice cream maker.

According to Diana Rattray, About.com's southern cuisine expert, ice cream makers can come in all shapes, sizes and prices. From hand cranking machines to expensive compressor models, there really is one for everybody.

The machine I thought to be most intersting (and most corny) is the Play and Freeze. Shaped like a ball, the idea is to put all the required ingriedients in one end and rock salt in the other, and then play with it like a normal ball.

As you throw, toss and roll, the ice cream is created, and ready to eat in just 10 minutes.

And if you've had enough to drink, it might even be fun.

The price starts at $20, and rises based on size.

If you're like me, you're calcualting just how many Chipotle burritos you could purchase for that same amount.

The answer is between three and four.

Better call mom and dad.

Ice cream in the fast lane

From electric cars to iPhones, the future is upon us, and ice cream is no exception.

Ice cream technology has taken off, and left us with several ways to enjoy dessert, Jetsons' style.

Dippin' Dots, aka The Ice cream of the Future, is perhaps the most well-known futuristic ice cream. Created in 1988 by microbiologist Curt Jones, this frozen treat is made from tiny, super-frozen beads of ice cream.

The balls, frozen using liquid nitrogen, are at first tingly and slightly crunchy, but eventually melt into a smooth cream in your mouth. They're easy to scoop, easy to clean up and even easier to enjoy.

But it doesn't stop there. According to Switched, a "digital stuff" Web site, Austrian inventor Demitrios Kargotis recently released an ice cream machine that measures your mood by your voice, and uses that information to determine what size you need.

The sadder you are, the bigger the bowl.

Apparently there is an up side to being down.

And with today's demand for everything instant, few have time to make anything at home that doesn't involve plastic packaging and a microwave. But ice cream won't be left behind.

Ice cream making machines are now being sold that can freeze the dessert in less than 20 minutes, according to Newsweek.

That's less time than you'll spend in line at Coldstone (but no one will sing if you put a dollar in the tip jar).

Priced between $30 and $70, these machines should be at the top of any ice cream-lover's wish list (my birthday is October 5).

Ice cream has also kept up with the diet fad. With the creation of sugar-free flavors, using artificial sweetners, there's no reason not to indulge. They even taste good sometimes.

And with any luck, some day ice cream will be healthy for you, too.

But don't hold your breath.

Ice cream, espresso style

Like the majority of college students, I love coffee.

It's the elixir of life.

It's the perfect wake-up call, study companion, eye-opener and friend-maker.

Mix it with ice cream, however, and the result is the closest thing to heaven on earth.

Which is why I love affogato.

It may sound like a Starbucks creation that costs five bucks but has at least $10 worth of calories, but that's not necessarily the case.

Affogato, which literally means "drowned" in Italian, is traditionally vanilla ice cream with a double shot of espresso poured over it, according to Mangia Bene Pasta, an Italian recipe Web site. Caramel or chocolate syrup can also be drizzled on top, sundae style.

It's like an elitist's root beer float.

As the ice cream melts, the espresso becomes creamy and sweet, the perfect blend of two perfect things.

The best part is, after the sugar high wears off, the caffeine will keep you rocking well into the night before an exam.

And for the coffee shops that don't serve ice cream, a similar treat is a con panna, or espresso served with a dollop of rich whip cream on top, according to Chris Hess, assistant director of Everyday Joe's Coffee House.

This delicate dessert isn't reserved for trips to Vienna, either. The Alley Cat offers $2 affogato specials on Thursdays, and Starbuck's infamous Frappuccinos can be served "affogato style," with an extra shot poured over the top (for an extra fee, of course).

So next time you're craving a perk and a pint, opt for the affogato.

I know I did, and I'll post this just as soon as my hand stops twitching enough to type.

The lean mean ice cream

I am going to be honest.

Ice cream is bad for you.

Averaging over 200 calories per half cup, according to Calorie King, and made almost entirely of cream and sugar (which translates in to fat and more fat), it contains little nutritional value, aside from calcium.

And as American’s waistlines grow, so does the demand for the cream without the cals.

So, to please the chronic dieter, producers have responded with several low fat and/or low sugar options.

Most of them, however, are low taste too.

But weight watchers need not fret. Exceptions do exist to the no fat, not taste rule. Several companies have dreamed up distinctive and original “healthier” flavors to suit almost anyone’s ice cream fancies.

For starters, try soft serve. Generally made with non-or low fat milk, the classic small Dairy Queen cone has less than 150 calories. And if vanilla, chocolate or twist doesn’t suit your fancy, TCBY offers a variety of rotating soft serve flavors, from blueberry cheesecake to chocolate peanut butter.

If you’re a sucker for the scoop, all hope isn’t lost. Most creameries offer yogurts or low fat options, like Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked Yogurt or Coldstone’s “sinless” vanilla.

Sherbet, usually made without milk (and therefore generally fat free) is also a healthier alternative, according to several ice cream producers. Walrus Ice Cream, located in Old Town, offers a whole freezer selection of homemade sherbets and yogurts with unique flavors like honeydew and cinnamon chip.

So just because you’re trying to take off the pounds doesn’t mean you have to give up the pints. At least not entirely.

Just don’t eat the whole gallon.

A whole lotto gelato

Like most Americans, I prefer things big.

If I am paying the better part of five dollars for a scoop of ice cream it better be half the size of my head and make me sick if I eat the whole thing. Which I will.

I just want more bang for my buck.

So you can imagine my disappointment the first time I had gelato. I ordered a medium, thinking it to be plenty, and received a petri-sized dish with a small dollop of the Italian ice cream, and given a mere toothpick-like tool to eat it with.

Upset and confused, I left the store in disgust to eat my baby-sized portion alone.

However, I found myself pleasantly surprised and somewhat elated after I took my first bite of the frozen treat. It’s rich, dense texture packed more flavor into each bite than any regular ice cream. I found myself perfectly satisfied with the portion size. And the added bonus: no post-Coldstone stomachache.

Apparently Italians have more to offer than hairy backs and spaghetti sauce (click for a good recipe).

Gelato, according to Ti-Amo, a gelato producer, is made by super cooling the ingredients (using milk instead of cream) while constantly stirring them, producing the dense texture with less than 35 percent air – compared with traditional ice cream’s 90 percent.

This process packs in the taste without the fat (but probably twice the sugar).

It’s also stored at lower temperatures, keeping it softer and more flavorful. But eat fast, because it melts quicker, too.

But don’t book a plane ticket to Europe quite yet. There are plenty of places right here in Fort Collins that offer fine Italian ice cream without the language barrier. My favorites include: La Dolce Vita, Gelazzi and especially Déjà Vu Coffeehouse (no Web site), whose new owners added a gelato counter this summer.

So, in short, when it comes to ice cream, go big or go Italian.

Shaking things up a bit...

Being a former employee of what my coworkers and I referred to as Baskin Auschwitz, I used to loathe making milkshakes more than anything. It was messy and time consuming, and usually came out too thick or too thin. There goes any tip.

However, since my time behind the coolers at 31 Flavors, I have come to love and cherish the milkshake as one of my favorite ways to consume ice cream.

The milkshake is by no means a new dessert development. According to an article from Associated Content, the milkshake can be traced all the way back to the 1880s, and the original recipe, found in an English newspaper, included a shot of whisky.

Traditionally created by blending milk, ice cream and a syrup or flavor, making a milkshake is simple enough. But an endless amount of flavors and mix-ins allows for creativity. My personal favorite combines vanilla ice cream, banana and peanut butter or chocolate syrup.

The average college student, however, usually doesn't have all these ingredients on hand. Luckily, Fort Collins is home to numerous places that can shake things up for you, affordably.

Avogadro's Number, located at Mason and Myrtle, offers soft serve milkshakes in several unique flavors from "dreamsicle" (orange cream) to "the grit" made with actual espresso grounds.

For an atmosphere more conducive to studying, The Alley Cat, open 24 hours a day and located in an alley on West Laurel, spices up a milkshake with their famous homemade chai tea. Lightly caffeinated, it offers a slight pick-me-up as an added bonus.

And if dropping the extra buck on these locally owned establishments is out of the question, you really can't go wrong with the classic chocolate or vanilla from almost any fast food restaurant. Plus, than you can splurge for the perfect compliment: fries.

Next time your craving a sweet treat and unable to sit down for a bowl, shoot for a shake. They travel, their tasty, and they bring all the boys to the yard.