4TH OF JULY-- THE ICE CREAM THROWDOWN

On Memorial Day, Mike said he was getting 'tired' of always having plain, vanilla, homemade ice cream every time. All the kids were throwing out ideas of flavors that would be better than plain old vanilla. So I challenged them to come up with their own. Thus, the Duffy 4th of July Ice Cream Throwdown was born!

The White Mountain freezer. In our opinion, the best one out there. And we've had many brands over the years. It's a bit on the pricey side, but well worth it.

Our throwdown table.
Robert 'protecting' their entry, and Dad picking in it. He said since he didn't get to judge (because he was a contestant), he needed to sample. Yeahhh.
This picture qualifies as Entry A. I accidentally deleted the official photo from my camera. Natalie and Robert.Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. This is a change from the Rocky Road they had originally decided on.
Entry B.
Plain Old-Fashioned Vanilla. Which had been good enough for 30 years, until now. Haha!
Created by Mom and Dad Duffy

Entry C.
Mint Oreo
Created by Josh and Meredith.

Entry D.
Ben and Jerry's Raspberry.
Created by Mike and Adrianne.

The Judges.
Everyone who didn't have a vested interest a.k.a. those who didn't throw-down.
Criteria on the judging cards:
Best Texture, Most Creamy, Best Presentation, Best Overall.

The Contestants.

Tallying the votes.

Announcing the results:

BEST TEXTURE: "B" Mom and Dad
MOST CREAMY: "D" Mike and Adrianne
BEST PRESENTATION: "C" Josh and Mere
BEST OVERALL: "A" Natalie and Robert

FYI: We have some pretty dang good new recipes. I don't usually choose mint for my ice cream, but that mint oreo was very refreshing. And if there would have been a fruit category, the raspberry would have won hands down. And who can resist anything with chocolate chip cookie dough?

For our first family throwdown, it went well. We had tons of fun, and learned a lot!
Besides the fireworks, it was a great way to end the 4th.

Bobby Flay would be PROUD!

(We found out on Sunday, that a family in the ward learned we were having an ice cream throwdown. They made their own homemade ice cream. It was mint chocolate. They almost came over to bring a dish of theirs and challenge us to beat theirs. It would have been so fun if they had! Next time Pat and Rachel, okay?)