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Just got home from a visit to the Dairy Queen where I indulged in a Turtle Pecan Cluster Blizzard. Mmmmm good!
(Don’t know what a Blizzard is? Check out this video to see how the ice cream treat is made and served.)
I learned something new while I was dipping into my smooth, creamy and thick-enough-to-be-turned-upside-down-without-losing-a-drop treat. (I was reading the Blizzard cup between bites.)
Dairy Queen first trademarked the name Blizzard in 1952, but the Blizzard treat as we know it today wasn’t released until 1985! That’s 33 years later! What took so long?
To find out what was going on with the Blizzard for over three decades, check out the history of the Blizzard on Dairy Queen’s website.
If you a real Blizzard lover, you can join the Blizzard Fan Club for coupons, trivia, and more.
And when you’re enjoying your next Blizzard, don’t forget to practice proper Blizzard eating etiquette.
Here’s a novel dessert idea from The Nibble (an online magazine) -
Grilled Idaho Potato Ice Cream with Milk Chocolate Cake and Bacon Toffee, garnished with Potato Rings.
If anyone is brave enough to try it, let me know how it turns out!
Most mornings my breakfast consists of a piece of whole wheat toast slathered with peanut butter, or yogurt and Dorset cereal, or a microwave poached egg and toast.
On weekends, the breakfast bar often gets raised a notch. The skillet comes out, and soon the heady aroma of crisply cooked bacon and fried eggs (sunny side up is my fave!) fills the house. Aaaahhhh! The breakfast of champions!
You can never go wrong with bacon and eggs, but when it’s a special morning or you’re preparing breakfast for guests, it’s fun to serve up something a little different.
While in New York City recently, I attended a Four Star Breakfast cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education. The four-hour class was taught by Chef Chad Pagano. Besides me, there were 13 other breakfast lovers looking to learn some new recipes for the most important meal of the day.
Following afternoon tea at Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon in New York City last week, Loreen and I decided to try to find Strand book store (its inventory includes new, used, out of print and rare books, and you can get some really good deals).
As we passed through Union Square heading down Broadway Avenue, Loreen suddenly uttered those magic words I love to hear – “I’m pretty sure there’s a chocolate shop around here somewhere.”
Sure enough, within a few blocks we had stumbled upon Max Brenner’s Chocolate by the Bald Man.
We were not in the least bit hungry considering what we’d just eaten at Lady Mendl’s, but as a serious chocoholic, I was compelled to go in and check the place out. Loreen loves chocolate too; she didn’t need any convincing to make this stop.
Stepping into the store was like entering chocolate heaven. These pictures might help to explain but you really have to experience the place in person to get the full effect.
I had read many positive reviews about Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon in New York City, so this past weekend on a recent trip to NYC, I decided to check it out with my sister Loreen who lives on Long Island.
We’d made reservations for the 5 p.m. seating on Friday afternoon. Weekdays there is also a 3 p.m. seating, while on Saturday and Sunday the options are 12, 2:30 and 5 p.m. Reservations are recommended (Ph: 212-533-4466). I made reservations online a few days before coming to NYC. If you do this, you’ll need to call the tea house the day before your visit to confirm.
The tea room is located in The Inn at Irving Place (56 Irving Place, between E 17th and 18th Streets in the Gramercy Park area). It’s easy to miss as there is only a small sign on the exterior of the building.
Lady Mendl's Tea Salon in The Inn at Irving Place
Once we found the location and made the climb up the steep steps to the front door, we were greeted inside and shown to our table in the front room. (I’m not sure if there is an alternate entrance to the tea room for those who have difficulty with steps.)
The interior of Lady Mendl's
Want to test your mental prowess with some fun food-themed quizzes?
Clear the cobwebs from your brain with a few fun mind-stretching quizzes from mentalfloss.com.
Test your ability to distinguish…..
- Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors from Pottery Barn paint colours
- discontinued Ben & Jerry’s flavours from names of bands found on MySpace
Find out how much you know about…..
- Spoon Candy (breakfast cereal trivia)
Restocking bare cottage kitchen cupboards…..
The first holiday weekend of the warm weather season is almost here. For cottage owners opening up their seasonal homes this weekend that means it’s time to restock the kitchen. You will first want to check any dry goods left on the kitchen shelves over the winter for signs of mice or bugs. Toss any stale spices or dry food products. Then restock the shelves and cupboards with this list of pantry staples courtesy of Cottage Life.
How to store steaks for best flavour and texture…..
If you’re taking steaks up to the cottage and are wondering how to keep them in peak condition until you plan to grill them later in the weekend, Cottage Life has tested five storage options. Find out what they recommend as the best way to store steak for a few days to preserve taste and tenderness.
I spent the weekend with Ben and Jerry.
Okay, so that would be Ben and Jerry of the feline world (AKA my sister’s cats), not Ben and Jerry of the ice cream world (although the former pair were named after the latter pair due to my sis’ love of the dairy dessert!).
Bonding with Ben and Jerry
It seemed fitting to come home yesterday from visiting Loreen on Long Island, along with her two friendly felines, to hear today that Vermont-based ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s was teaming up with the popular Canadian musicians, the Barenaked Ladies, to introduce the first-ever Canadian flavour of ice cream – “If I had 1,000,000 Flavours.” (If the name of this flavour and band mean nothing to you, the BNL are a well known and beloved Canadian rock band – made up of fully clothed men – who’ve had numerous hits, one of them – “If I had $1,000,000.”)
“If I had 1,000,000 flavours” is a wild and wacky combo of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cups, chocolate-coated toffee chunks, white chocolate chunks and chocolate-coated almonds. Apparently it is the most ingredient-packed ice cream Ben & Jerry’s has created.
Ben & Jerry’s and the Barenaked Ladies are celebrating the launch of “If I had 1,000,000 flavours” by asking Canadians what ingredients they would include if they had a 1,000,000 flavours?
Starting today, Canadians can go to www.benjerry.ca and create your own 1,000,000 flavours ice cream portrait. You also have a chance to win four front row seats to a BNL concert and a year’s supply of the new ice cream. And, you can get a free download of “If I had $1,000,000″.
The new flavour of ice cream will be sold at Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops. Not sure where to find one in Canada? Unfortunately, there aren’t many locations. Check here to see if there’s one near you.
How much fun is this sandwich cookie cake?? It would be perfect as a dessert for any occasion from a spring or Mother’s Day tea to a birthday party or backyard barbecue.
Sandwich Cookie Cake (image from Williams-Sonoma's web site)
I picked up the pans to make this fun dessert this evening, racing into the Williams-Sonoma at Sherway Gardens at 8:58 p.m. (the store closes at 9 p.m.). Just in time!
Sandwich Cookie Cake pan (image from Williams-Sonoma's web site)
The 9″ cast aluminum cake pans are exclusive to Williams-Sonoma and sell for $29.95 (US) for the pair. Bake your favourite brownie or chocolate cake recipe or mix in them, then sandwich the layers together with flavoured whipped cream, ice cream or buttercream icing.
Visit Williams-Sonoma’s website for more information and to read reviews about the pans. According to the online reviews, it’s really important to grease the pan well with cooking spray to remove the cakes easily.
I’ll have to hold off testing out the pans until next week as I’m off to New York City this weekend to take a Four-Star Breakfast cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education and visit with my sister Loreen who lives on Long Island. We’ve got afternoon tea reservations in NYC at Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon on Friday.
Wondering how safe it is to eat pork while people are becoming sick with human swine flu (H1N1)?
It’s perfectly safe reports the Public Health Agency of Canada. You don’t get sick by eating pork. The H1N1 flu virus is not transmitted through pork meat.
H1N1 has spread between humans, not from pigs to people. However people can spread the virus to pigs so pigs should really be wary of us, not vice versa! If you have any symptoms of influenza, avoid any close contact with pigs. You don’t want to run the risk of introducing a new flu virus into the pig population.
Want to know more about H1N1? Visit the Public Health Agency of Canada’s web site for information, answers to frequently asked questions, and travel advisories.
