I Scream You Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream

                                                       Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream

While most may think ice cream is a summer treat, the truth is ice cream is a timeless dessert.  Any time of the day, any time of the year, in any bowl; that is the way to eat ice cream.

Think different?

Well, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream has been around since 1928 and it has come a long way since its first batch of ice cream, Rocky Road.  It now has many flavors including Limited Edition Holiday flavors, making ice cream a winter treat.

These Holiday flavors include:

·       Peppermint

·       Eggnog

·       Apple Pie

·       Hot Cocoa

Now if you are one of those people who prefer a nice hot cup of hot chocolate when it is cold, but still have a passion for ice cream, Dreyer’s has made an ice cream for you.

The Hot Cocoa ice cream is smooth and creamy and taste just like a cup of hot cocoa, but just really cold hot cocoa.  The marshmallows in the ice cream are the perfect touch in making this chocolate ice cream into hot cocoa ice cream. 

“The best part is the marshmallows. The marshmallows are actually soft! In terms of both taste and texture, it is like they are fresh from a brand new bag! They are soft and fluffy enough that Mr. Staypufft himself might wonder how they did it,” posted on Gigi-reviews.blogspot.com.

If hot chocolate is not your choice for indulgence this holiday season, and you prefer to snuggle up with a glass of eggnog, well Dreyer’s once again has something just for you.

I have yet to indulge in Dreyer’s Eggnog ice cream, but you can be sure that it is on my to-do list.

However, Lizabeth on iateapie.net said that “This ice cream is superb! It has all of the classical taste of eggnog, including distinct but not overwhelming nutmeg and rum flavors. It's sweeter than just straight eggnog, but isn't as sweet as most vanillas.”

Ok so eggnog nor hot chocolate just are not your thing.  Well, there is always the refreshing flavor of peppermint and the comfort of apple pie.

Peppermint ice cream.  Weird? Yes.  First thought: it has to be disgusting.  But there is Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and that is often a favorite.

Dreyer’s Peppermint ice cream is just as smooth and satisfying as a Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, but better.  The P in peppermint here stands for perfect, as in perfect for this holiday season.  Not only is it bright pink with red peppermint pieces, it is a perfect balance between mint and sweet. 

“During the holiday season you can find a Peppermint Crunch flavor that really puts you in the holiday mood,” said Amy Brantley on associatedcontent.com.

Finally, there is Dreyer’s Apple Pie ice cream.  Again, this one is on my list to try.  But I imagine that it will not only be as pleasant as the other Holiday Limited Editions ice cream flavors by Dreyer’s, but that it will also be as satisfying as a warm piece of apple pie. 

“Apple Pie offers a smooth and creamy experience. The ice cream has a strong apple flavor and while some people might not like the slightly tart taste I found it to be a delicious change of pace compared the more traditional (and sweet) flavors, said Ken on Frozen Food Journal. 

Also, do not forget that these four flavors will only be available for a limited time, so hurry and get to the grocery store.

I scream (especially me), you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

And Happy Holidays, too!

Thankful

Making a list of ten things I was thankful for took more effort than I had originally thought it would.  Some things I thought of were too obvious and vague, like I am thankful to be alive, and I am thankful for my family.  Others were too corny like I am thankful for material things like shoes. And others did not quite make sense without a long, long, long explanation. So, after some thought this is the list I came up with for the ten things I have been thankful for this last year:

1. I am thankful for being me
2. In this economy, I am thankful to have a job.
3. I am thankful to have the opportunity to have a higher education.
4. I am thankful for ice cream.
5. I am thankful for my car.
6. I am thankful for music.
7. I am thankful for my grandpa.
8. I am thankful for my mom.
9. I am thankful for holidays, such as Thanksgiving, not just because it brings families together, but because classes are canceled.
10. As cheesy as this may sound, I am thankful for my boyfriend.

These are in no particular order and some may seem a little ridiculous, such as being thankful for ice cream.  And so I will explain why I am thankful ice cream.

First, not only is it one of the most delicious foods in the world, it also plays a major role in my life.  Ice cream cheers me up when I am down.  It is a reason to spend time with a friend or family member.  To me ice cream just makes the world so much brighter.  On rainy days when I'm all down, because to me winter is the worst, a bowl of ice cream makes my world go round because it is a little piece of summer I can have all year.

Even more so, I'm thankful for ice cream because I can have it any way I like.  Perhaps if I tire of chocolate ice cream, there is always vanilla.  And perhaps if vanilla seems a little bland there is a million and one toppings to make it just the way I like.

Even though ice cream to me is the cherry on top practically every day, there is some in my life even more important and that I am even more thankful for.  He is my boyfriend, Robbie Ford.

While we have not been dating but a year, I feel like we have known each other for ever.  We are completely compatible and I enjoy spending every minute I possibly can with him.

He accepts me even with all my faults and reminds me everyday how wonderful I am, and how important I am to him.  I know that not everyone has been blesseed to have that special someone in thier life, and that some people spend a lifetime searching for them.  Therefore, I am forever grateful that I have found that special someone that I can spend my whole life with.

While there are times when we disagree, and argue about silly things, I still could not imagine my life without him.  He provides solidity, consistency, and happiness in my life.  And according him I apparently do the same for him. 

Life without love is not a way to live at all.  Even if you do not have that special someone in your life that makes life worth living, we all have family and friends that love us for who we are as well, and that makes life worth living too.

This year I am also thankful for family, but more specifically my mother.  In the past few years we have had our up and downs.  But fortunately this last year we have bonded more than ever, and have that mother and daughter relationship I have heard other people talk about. 

She has been very supportive of all my decisions this year, and i could thank her enough.  And to make my life a little sweeter, on top of all the ice cream I consume, she has helped me with things I do not like to make time for such as doing my laundry.  It is absolutely fantastic to come home not only to a hug, but to also have all your laundry washed and folded.  And sometimes I even get dinner too!

I could probably go on for pages about why I am thankful for the people and things I have in my life, but I think this is a good place to end, because I think it is more important to tell the people you love that you are thankful for them rather than writing about it.

Happy Thanksgiving <3  and Turkey Day too :P

Two Fat Ladies on One Ridiculous Show

It was Saturday night.  While my boyfriend was at work I was having dinner with his parents.  As we were finishing dinner they told me about the show they like to watch at 11pm on Saturday nights, Two Fat Ladies.  And so, as 11pm came 'round I watched it with them, and I can hardly put into words what I saw.

Starring Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright, this British cooking show knocks socks off.  The show has little value itself unless you are searching to learn how to make a traditional British dish.  Otherwise this show is one you watch to make fun of and laugh at, and I sure did.

Between the British accents and dialect every word the two ladies say is incomprehensible.  Making of the way they talk is just one direction of many you can choose to go.

As you can see from the picture, ladies indeed they were.  Well, plump and wrinkly ladies that is.  They are not necessarily photogenic and this of course adds humor for the viewer watching the show. Furthermore, these ladies dress in the most ridiculous outfits, then again this was recorded in the late 1990's.  Maybe I should not judge them as much as I should the time period.

"They are simply spectacular. In this British television series, Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright cook for lunch, cocktail party, afternoon tea, picnic, breakfast, or dinner and travel (by motorcycle and sidecar) to a different location in each episode to cook a requested meal--usually laden with cream, butter, and meats," said Jenny Brown in an Amazon.com review.

Also, the glasses  Jennifer Paterson wears are so ridiculous.  The two lens together are bigger than her whole face.  While watching the show I had trouble deciding whether or not to look at her or her glasses when she spoke. 

"If I had to describe the Two Fat Ladies cooking series in one word, that word would be addicting, said Carroll Pellegrinelli, About.com. 

I am not addicted to the show...yet.  But I do look forward to watching the reruns of the show on Food Network. 

The Crazy Things Woman Do....For Fashion

As I have done many times before, I put on my skinny jeans the other day.  This is was not an easy task.  I had to wiggle and shake and dance around just to get the pants up my legs.  I had to stretch and move around to get them semi-comfortable once I managed to get them buttoned.  I am sure to anyone it would be quite a seen.

As I was attempting to wear these so-called trendy and fashionable denim pants, I kept thinking to myself how ridiculous this was.  It then also occurred to me that there are many ridiculous things that not only I but that many women do every day to be fashionable and look good, because truth be told when you look good, you feel good.

“Millions of women, even those whose body shape matches the stereotype, agonize everyday about the way they look,” said Hazel Croft in Women on the Front Line.  Agonizing over body images is often the result of idolizing models in fashion magazines that are almost always much thinner than the average women and that are unhealthily thin. 

However, in attempt to reach the fashionable body image women can be found everywhere and anywhere finishing, starting, and even breaking a diet.  They can also be found in gyms or at home exercising off calories just to fit in those size 2 jeans they bought last week.  Being thin is just one part that women see as being fashionable. 

Whether thin or not, women think about and seek out fashion just as much as agonizing over their body image, and they have the closets to prove it.

Belinda Goldsmith wrote the article “Most Women Own 19 Pairs of Shoes—Some Secretly.”  15% of the women surveyed admitted to owning more than 30 pairs of shoes she said.  I will admit that I own 24 pairs, and counting.

Some of these shoes are high heels.  As painful as it is to walk around in 5” stilettos, women will still wear them proudly.  However, according to Dr. Ben Kim in “Say No to High Heels,” “women have approximately 4 times as many foot problems as men.” I suppose that is a little price to pay for looking good. 

Even more shocking then shoes is the amount of time women spend shopping for shoes and clothes.  MailOnline.com featured the article “Women Spend 8 Years of Their Life Shopping, and said that women spend about 399 hours and 46 minutes shopping in a year! 

For women fashion does not stop there.  Makeup and hair are the cherry on top to being fashionable. 

“According to a British survey conducted by Tresemme, the average woman spends a staggering $50,000 on her hair over a lifetime,” said Deborah Dunham on Stylelist.com.  Deborah also mentions that by the time women reach 65 they have spent over 7 months washing, blow-drying, curling, straightening, and styling their hair. 

As for makeup, “one survey found that the average time it takes a woman to put makeup is 52 minutes.  The average number of items owned is 86!” exclaimed Jacqueline C. from www.cosmeticsdesign.com on ChaCha.com. 

With hair products that include volume cream, gel, detangler, and hairspray, and makeup items that include foundations, eye shadows, lip colors, and blushes, women take over bathrooms.  And with clothes, shoes, and accessories women are also taking over closets.  Do not try to stop them, or limit them, because the need to feel pretty starts with looking pretty, and compliments help too.

A man told his friend: “My wife only has two complaints: Nothing to wear, and not enough closet space.”

Jack's Just Okay

It was my first time dining at Jack’s Urban Eats Sunday night.  My experience did not blow me away; I thought Jack’s was merely just okay.  It is not some where I would recommend to grab a bite to eat, and this is why:

As a first time diner at Jack’s, walking in was very awkward.  There lacked signs about what to do and a greeting for the employees did not exist, and I stood in confusion for a few seconds while trying to figure out what to do.  In front of me there was a seating area, and slightly to my right, a counter of stainless steel.  After watching other customers I spotted the folded paper menus tucked into special pockets on the wall and realized you go to the counter to order. 

           
    The menu was basic; a tri-fold brochure featuring salads, sandwiches, sides, and drinks.  Also, on the menu it provided a list of Jack’s other locations.  What I noticed was that for any other sandwich place the menu would be posted on the wall, but here it seemed like they were selling themselves as a 5 star sandwich diner.  Unfortunately, it was not. 

                After giving the menu some thought, I thought I would play safe and go with a trusty club sandwich.  This sandwich was $7.75 and did not include French fries or anything else.  It was an additional $1.75 to add French fries and another $2.25 for a soft drink. 

                After I told the food preparers, wearing jeans and a Jack’s sweatshirts or T-shirts, my order I continued down the stainless steel counter to the register.  My total was a whopping $12.78, and at the time I was thinking “this better be worth it.”

I then took a seat in the dining area, which looked like a fancier version of the bench seating at a local subway.  With dim lighting, three rows of bench seats, and a condiment bar, Jack’s was everything but fancy.  Not to mention that the art on the walls did not quite mesh with the overall environment.  
                The painting that caught my attention was a bright pink tattoo-like painting right above the condiment bar (shown above).  It was very distracting. 

Only a few minutes later, my sandwich and fries were delivered by what I suppose you would call a waiter.   What I thought was going to be a large sandwich, since I did pay $7.75 for, was a small round sandwich cut in half.  Disappointment had began, still not a great impression especially after an awkward entrance. 

I started with the French fries.  As a fan of French fries I know what makes a good French fry and a bad one.  Finally as the potato hit my palette I was relieved in knowing that Jack’s finally impressed me.  Jack’s French fries were excellent; great texture, not too salty, not too oily, and as you bit into one it was the perfect balance between crunch and mash. 

Now it was time to conquer the sandwich, and one word wraps up this experience: Messy.  The little bun of bread was no match to hold in the 2 inches of ingredients in between.  Most of the goodies ended up on the plate and fingers rather than into my mouth.   The worst part was that the napkins were insufficient to clean up the mess.  It took me many, many napkins to clean my fingers. 

While Jack’s Urban Eats was not great, it was not terrible either.  I would not recommend to everyone, but I do think it would be a great place for a first date.  Its fancier than fast food and cheaper than a 4 or 5 star restaurant, making it a great combination for a date in the fact that if it ends up being a lame date you have not wasted that much money.  Also, if the date is great Jack's has the perfect enviroment to encourage long conversation and to hang out for awhile perhaps even with a beer or glass of wine to take the edge not only off the date but of Jack's flaws.   

Oh My, what a Sugar High

The tradition of trick-or-treating for many children means bringing home a bucket, or in some cases a pillow case, full of free candy.   Halloween is one of many children’s favorite holiday not only because they get to dress up as what they really are, monsters, but because it means they get to have candy. 

Of course, for some parents Halloween is a nightmare.  Some parents spend too much time controlling how much candy their child eats in one day, and rips away part of what Halloween means.  This is not what Halloween is about.

Halloween is an annual holiday, meaning it only happens once within a year.  So why not let children engorge their little bellies with has many candies and sweets as possible? I say let them have it all (of course only after you picked out some of your own favorite pieces from the loot, you did walk them around the entire neighborhood after all). 

I am not saying hand over the bag of candy and all authority.  There are still some vital responsibilities that parents must enforce children to do daily.  But just because parents want what is best for their children, it does not have to mean taking everything away that is Halloween.   

Parents should still ensure that a good tooth brushing is taken place at least once a day.  Preferably twice since sugar can lead to cavities.  This can also be a great time to teach children about the importance of clean teeth. 

Also, parents should make sure that their children are eating regular healthy meals.  It may be a hassle to get them to swallow broccoli, or worst of all brussel sprouts, but just let them know they can continue eating candy afterwards and they will be sure to bite, chew, swallow the whole plate of vegetables in record time.  

Some parents may read this and cringe at the very thought of letting their children consume so much sugar, but I have to ask why?

There is little harm to be done by letting any child indulge in sugar.  The worst that can happen is that they get a sugar high, oh yes a sugar high!  And in result run around for an hour or sometimes two.  But then sweet sound to your ears, silence, you will find them passed out in a random place.  Quiet at last! 

Another possible outcome when children indulge in so much candy is that they get themselves sick.  Sure as a parent it may be difficult to take care of them and clean up the mess but more than likely they will not want to have candy anytime soon.  It is a self-taught lesson, and the experimental candy involved was free, which is even better since the cost did not come out of your pocket.

As a year round consumer of all things chocolate and candy, especially MnM's and Almond Joys, I am all for letting children splurging this time of the year! Let the sugar highs begin!

College Students Failing Financially

There is no doubt that attending college is extremely expensive.  Between tuition, books, supplies, transportation, and all living costs it leaves students' pockets dry.  The all known phrase "starving-college-student" is not so much an exaggeration as it is a reality. 

Today, to make ends meets college students are racking up credit card balances higher than what they can actually afford to pay off.   I, of course, am no exception. 

According to the United States General Accounting Office 2001 "Report to Congressional Requesters", the average college student had one or two credit cards.  Also, the average balance of credit was $1000 to $2000. 

Personally, let's just say that I like to be above average.  I have a total of four credit cards.  Well, make that three because literally just two days ago I paid off one account I had used to buy a computer.  And even though I was tempted to use the account to buy something else, I gained the courage and closed it, forever.  For most college students that is an accomplishment to be proud of.  Now if I can only pay off the other three accounts. With a total debt of $2650, it seems impossible but I have learned my lesson the hard way and I know that it is better to pay off credit card debts than it is to add to it. 

The reason why I opened credit accounts was because as a first generation college student money is sparse, and my family does what they can but it is not much.  Without credit accounts there would be times I would have had to skip a meal, or I would not have been be able to put gas in my car to drive to school.  Unfortunately, I did not learn until it was too late that I should have only used my credit cards for such necessary purposes.  Instead, I used my credit cards to supplement my shoe addiction and other completely irrational purchases. 

I cannot help, as I am sure that other students cannot either, that I love material things.  But I should have been able to help how much material things I was purchasing and how I was paying for such things. 

I do not think that college students having credit cards the problem.  However, I do think that college students not knowing how to properly use credit is the bigger issue that needs to be taken care of.  High school students and even college students would be lucky to learn about credit from either a school institution or even their own parents. 

Just like there is Sex Ed., there should be "Credit Ed.".  A program that would educate students early on about what credit is, how to use it, what are the advantages and disadvantages, and how it can hurt them if used inappropriately.  This could possibly change the financial future of many college students. 

Fortunately, the government has taken one step to help college students and credit debt.  In February 2010 a law was passed that provides some protection for students against credit card companies.  To read more about the law and college students with credit card debt go to http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college-success/9139.html. 

Sadly though, in this generation where credit is interpreted as spend, spend, and spend college students everywhere are receiving F's in the world of personal finance.