cruel defeat for you all.
There were 116 entries, and nobody guessed it! Are you ready? Inside the bag was . . .
mix for making homemade vanilla ice cream. How can I be sure? After some deep cleaning, we noticed a carton which was split open, from which a stray bag might reasonably have been separated. The box held most of the pieces of an ice cream maker, as well as other little similar bags holding ice cream-making things, like rock salt. Also in the box were instructions (for an ICEE machine, but still). Also a piece of wood, and a blue sweater.
So I was fairly sure that I was dealing with something edible, so I opened the bag and smelled and tasted the contents. Yep, that’s what it was: ice cream mix. We actually went so far as to use the ice cream maker one time, and I remember the powdery, gritty texture of the mix and the odd, buttery smell. I did a dramatic Geraldo-esque video of myself opening it up, but my newly teenaged daughter just couldn’t resist turning the camera on herself from time to time, and the end result was not especially intelligible. Also “Panic In New York Detroit” (definitely panic in somewhere!) was playing in the background for some reason, and drowned out most of what I was saying. (I was saying, “Oh, it’s ice cream mix.”)
So. Now what? I may have missed a few, but here are the guesses:
Iocane powder
zombifying neurotoxin powder called Tetrodoxin
instant chai
masa harina
Cocaine (5)
priming sugar for beer
Jell-o
beer bread mix
powdered milk
wheat flour
dough
instant mashed potatoes
cornstarch and water
rice flour
embossing powder for rubber stampers
cake mix (including Easy Bake) (16)
plaster of paris for hand/foot print, stepping stone, or misc. craft (19)
muffin or scone mix (4)
arrowroot (3)
potato starch
pancake mix (5)
salt
tapioca flour or tapioca (2)
cremains (2)
diaper dust
clay powder
gum arabic
reagent powder for chemistry kit
laundry detergent
drink or lemonade mix (2)
guilt
grout powder
chickpea flour
onion powder (4)
bubble gum kit mix
bulk vitamin C
pizza dough mix
brownie mix
muffin streusel
anthrax
soy flour
Barkeeper’s Friend
flea powder
baby formula
silica powder
xanthan gum
wall paper paste
sand (from craft kit, ant farm, or Sinai Desert, or rock polishing kit) (8)
Moon Sand
magic ecumenical fairy powder
vanilla pudding (5)
ice cream smoothie
I think that last one comes the closest, don’t you? And so . . .
I’m happy to announce that the winner of our stupid contest is Elaine Miletic!
Congratulations, Elaine! Please email me with your shipping address, and I will get your two-year subscription to Faith and Family set up!
And to everyone else, you won’t come away empty handed. To you, I impart this valuable piece of advice: making homemade ice cream once every thirteen years is about right.
