Cream

1 1/2 pounds asparagus 4 cups chicken broth Coarse salt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup flour White pepper 2 teaspoons each chopped fresh chive, chervil and dill 2 tablespoons heavy cream Lemon Snap the woody bottom off each asparagus stalk and discard. Clean stalks with a vegetable peeler. Trim off tips and set aside. Settle stalks in a large saucepan. Pour in broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until very soft, 40 to 45 minutes.

My only credentials for judging cannoli are geography and sugar. I grew up on Long Island, where Italian and German bakeries are almost as common as pizza parlors. My mother, from whom I probably inherited a sweet-tooth gene, usually included cannoli when she bought desserts for us. I've eaten hundreds of cannoli, and that includes a few during a visit to Italy. During my travels through the Tri-State area, I've eaten a few good ones. But, here, I've also found the single worst one I've ever tasted.

HAGERSTOWN Unilever North American Ice Cream is investing $7 million to upgrade its Good Humor-Breyers plant in Hagerstown, Plant Manager Ken Wells said Monday. As a result, the plant is hiring about 50 more employees, increasing its total to about 525 employees, he said. Wells said the wages for the new jobs are "above average," but declined to say specifically what they are. Many of the new workers will be hand packers, who take finished products and box them for distribution, he said.

Root Beer Float Cupcakes 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 tablespoon root beer extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/4 cup root beer 6 candy sticks for straws Preheat oven to 350 degrees In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, blend butter until fluffy. Slowly add sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and root beer extract.

Samantha Foster of Kearneysville, W.Va., devours a block of ice cream during the ice cream-eating contest Wednesday at the Jefferson County Fair in Leetown, W.Va. The fair continues through Saturday.

Tan and cream cat reported found on Downsville Pike Found - Tan and cream cat. Where - The cat was found on Downsville Pike, near the Interstate 70 ramp. When - The cat was found two weeks ago. Description - The female cat is light tan and cream. It is a small cat with long hair and a bushy tail. It is described as friendly. It was not wearing a collar. Phone number - If this is your cat, call 301-733-8222.

Scott Gibbs takes a break and scans a newspaper Wednesday at Gordon's Cruise-In ice cream shop in Needmore, Pa.

Each month, Hickory Elementary School students who were selected as Good Citizens of the Month and their parents are treated to an ice cream and bingo social.

6 cups whole milk 2 cups heavy cream 1 1/2 cups chocolate syrup 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry syrup 1 tablespoon powdered sugar 4 red maraschino cherries with stems In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, 1 cup of the cream, the chocolate syrup and 1/2 cup of the cherry syrup. Cook, stirring, until the mixture has bubbles around the edge of the pan. Do not boil. Reduce heat to low to keep warm. Use electric mixer to beat remaining cream until foamy.

Potomac Heights Elementary School recently honored 12 students for exemplifying the character traits of a good citizen. The students were rewarded with an ice cream sundae session with counselor Jacklyn Kinzer.

Root Beer Float Cupcakes 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 tablespoon root beer extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/4 cup root beer 6 candy sticks for straws Preheat oven to 350 degrees In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, blend butter until fluffy. Slowly add sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and root beer extract.

A Chambersburg fundraiser for the community's less fortunate came back for seconds Sunday. Chambersburg Area Senior High School's art department hosted its second annual “Soup for Soul” fundraiser and earmarked this year's revenue for the Boys & Girls Club of Chambersburg and Reins of Rhythm. About 85 people bought tickets to fill a handcrafted bowl of their choosing with one of six varieties of soup. Donated Goose Bros. ice cream and Starbucks beverages also were served at the event at Central Presbyterian Church.

Edgar “Eddie” C. Graham died Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, after a brief illness. The family will receive visitors Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at South Berkeley Chapel, Inwood, W.Va. A memorial service will be Sunday at 2 p.m. at Fellowship Church of the Brethren, Martinsburg, W.Va., followed by an ice-cream social in the fellowship hall. A private internment for family will follow at a later time.

Nearly 30 years ago, Marilyn Hembrock and her husband moved to the Smithsburg area. Her husband pastored a church and Hembrock taught school in Montgomery County, Md. But earlier, the couple spent time in Europe with the United States military. "He was an Army chaplain," Marilyn Hembrock said. "We were stationed in Germany 40 years ago. That's when I got interested in gingerbread houses and German pastries. Also, they had a lot of interesting chocolate candies. " Making food comes easy to Hembrock.

Potomac Heights Elementary School recently honored 12 students for exemplifying the character traits of a good citizen. The students were rewarded with an ice cream sundae session with counselor Jacklyn Kinzer.

Name of business: Sweet Pea Dessert Owners: Corry Eagler and Arelis Torres Address: 10 W. Baltimore St., Greencastle, Pa. Opened: Oct. 7, 2011 Products and services: Baked goods, including cupcakes, brownies and cookies, as well as cake pops, chocolate candies, custom-order cakes and Pennsylvania State University Creamery ice cream. Cupcake bar open on Fridays and Saturdays, where patrons can customize cupcakes with a variety of fillings, frostings and toppings.

The Top Five Wind Down Friday The Rhythm Kings with Kim Tantillo will perform. 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 17, at The Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac St., downtown Hagerstown. $5; $2, ages 12 and younger. A luminaria ceremony by the American Cancer Society will be held. Luminaria will be sold for $10 each from 6 to 9 p.m. Go to www.mdtheatre.org . 'Annie' wraps up A musical about Little Orphan Annie, a spunky girl adopted by a business tycoon. 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 17, and Saturday, Aug. 18. Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater, 44 N. Potomac St., downtown Hagerstown.

By the end of Wednesday night, production was expected to be over at the Unilever ice cream plant on Frederick Street and the 391 employees who will lose their jobs were dealing with the shutdown with “mixed emotions,” according to a plant worker who is also a United Steelworkers union official. “I'm glad it's over so I can move on with my life,” Teal Beard, who has had the prospect of the plant closure hanging over his head for three years, said Wednesday. Beard, who has worked 21 years at the plant doing stocking and forklift work in a freezer unit, said he did not have any plans beyond taking some time off and enjoying the rest of the summer.

St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Big Pool will hold a homemade ice cream festival   Saturday, July 14, at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $5 per person.  In addition to ice cream, hot dogs, steamers and a cake walk will be available.  Teacher to lead library program Dream big at the Leonard P. Snyder Memorial Library in Clear Spring.  Science teacher Jeff Byard will lead science experiments at the library from July 10...