Happy Ice Cream Cone Day!

When you walk into a Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop, they can't pull you in with the smell of ice cream. What smell? Exactly. There's another smell that permeates the air and once I smell it, it screams Ben & Jerry's to me: the waffle cone. When I visited Ben & Jerry's, we had our hand at making waffle cones and waffle bowls -- but we just made the waffles in the iron and shaped them into cones and bowls. Amanda had already made the batter. Darn her! I wanted that recipe. Just so my house could smell like a B&J Scoop Shop on a daily basis! (Hmmmm, marketing idea for B&J...a waffle cone candle -- and I don't even usually like to burn candles. But I'd burn this one!)

I could go into the history of ice cream cones, but it seems like this site and Wikipedia have got us covered. Wikipedia also lists the varieties of cones, including: "waffle cones, cake cones (or wafer cones), pretzel cones, sugar cones and chocolate-coated cones."

What would we do without cones or and the variations they have spawned? Here are a few ice cream cone creations, modifications, and a squirrelly little story about ice cream cones to whet your appetite and perhaps send you out for an ice cream cone to celebrate a very special day: Ice Cream Cone Day.

Emack & Bolio's Flavored Cone
Photo from their website

• Emack & Bolio's claims to have invented the "flavored cone." From their website: "Emack & Bolio’s invented the flavored cone in 1980 and have been improving on the concept ever since. Making the perfect accessory to our Super Premium Ice Cream, there is a large selection to choose from. Looking for something different? Try our Marsh”mellow covered cones with your choice of Oreos, Rice Krispies, Fruit Loops, or Fruity Pebbles! If you are a fan of rainbow or chocolate jimmies we have cones that are dipped in chocolate and then rolled in this delicious topping. If you are feeling a little nuts, we have a cones that are rolled in a mix of them! Chocolate dipped waffle cones also look great rolled in shaved coconut. No matter which one you choose, you can’t go wrong!" Certainly sounds like you "can't go wrong!" Good invention, E&B!
• In Sea Isle City, New Jersey, at Yum Yum's Ice Cream, the signature gum drop that is placed at the bottom of each ice cream cone keeps the ice cream from dripping out the hole at the bottom of a sugar cone. Genius!
• In college, the only food you could easily take out of our dining hall was a soft serve ice cream in a wafer cone, since the cone was the "disposable" dish they didn't mind us taking. I was never a fan of wafer cones, but the sugar cone dripped (no gum drops for us!) so wafer cone it was for me and many of my peers. One day I was with my roommate in the Admissions Building when we looked outside to see a squirrel holding someone's discarded ice cream cone between his paws, munching away.

P.S. Happy National Strawberry Sundae Day too!

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

Ice Cream for Breakfast Day 2012

I'm having ice cream for breakfast this morning...I just found out it was Ice Cream for Breakfast Day 2012. I must have known in the back of my head because I bought more ice cream at the store the other day than I have in a long time. Good planning. Lots of choices this morning!

You can read more about this super fun day here. The best part about the post is the first comment on the post, which came from the grandchild of the founder of this awesome day:

Thanks, Bethany, for posting about Ice Cream for Breakfast Day! My grandmother, Florence Rappaport, came up with this idea about 45 years ago and somehow it has taken on a life of its own! It originated as a way to break up the winter blahs on the 1st Saturday in February. My aunt and uncle (Ruth and Joe) are fun people and they had a network of fun friends, and who can resist ice cream anyway? So, people kept up the tradition and now it is an international holiday! My grandmother was always a bit baffled at how this happened! But she would be pleased to know that it is being enjoyed by so many people!

How cool is that?! I love that Mrs. Rappaport came up with this idea and that it just took off (with a little help from Uncle Joe and Aunt Ruth!)

If you need inspiration, you can also be inspired by the waffle sundae (photo above) that I posted about the other day.

Ice Cream for Breakfast Day Tomorrow!

Get out your ice cream makers and churn up some ice cream or go out and get a carton so you will be ready for tomorrow morning, because I'm betting a lot of your favorite ice cream shops will not be open in time for breakfast!*

However, they should be...Tomorrow is "Ice Cream For Breakfast Day." Thank you to Marsha for the heads up about this one!

Man, am I excited. When my sisters and were younger, we usually had ice cream cake for our birthdays and as a special treat, the day after, we got to have the cake for breakfast.

Not only that, sometimes sleepovers at Grandma and Grandpa's resulted in ice cream for breakfast and a game of Po-ke-no, complete with puppytoes. It's almost as if this holiday was made for grandparents and grandchildren everywhere! (Turns out it was a grandma who named this day, Florence Rappaport...)

Anywho, I am not 100% I get the concept as the website is (sorry, but...) a complete mess, but the story (from the website) goes like this:

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Ruth and a little boy named Joe. Ruth and Joe grew up in the back of beyond in New York state where it was very very cold. Every winter between New Year's Eve and Passover, life in up-state New York got extremely boring, so their parents invented a holiday to brighten up the dreary days of winter. It was called Ice Cream For Breakfast Day. This was a wonderful holiday for children and parents alike because to celebrate you had to eat ice cream for breakfast on the first Saturday in February.

Well, Ruth and Joe grew up and went away to a university. They made many friends and taught them all about Ice Cream For Breakfast Day. After college Ruth had a roomate named Barry to whom she also told about this tradition. Many years later, Barry met Itzah C. Kret in Washington, D.C. and converted him into an Ice Cream For Breakfast Day observer.

Nobody has kept precise track but through word of mouth ICFBD has been celebrated in many homes, states and countries all over the world. Some people give parties with musical instruments, others simply celebrate with family members. There is no right or wrong so long as you follow the 3 plus 1 simple Ice Cream for Breakfast Day Rules

(1) Eat ice cream
(2) for breakfast
(3) on the first Saturday in February
(4) spread the word

The rest is up to you!

One who is interested in reading more can also check out the Ice Cream for Breakfast Blog but don't be expecting a better explanation.

Though I am not quite sure I understand all of it, I think I get the gist and will be happy to be celebrating tomorrow morning.

I'm thinking David Lebovitz's Candied Bacon Ice Cream sounds like a perfect breakfast ice cream...really, it's wonderful.

*However, you Seattle-dwellers are in luck -- Molly Moon's will be serving what seems to be a scrumptious "Ice Cream for Breakfast" of oatmeal and ice cream from 9am-1pm...

Today, July 1, is Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day

We start July off with National Ice Cream Month as well as today being Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day. What could be finer?

Many things come to mind with Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day. It brings back to mind the list I made a while back of the Top 10 Craziest Ice Cream Flavors. In the meantime, Arianna sent another good one: Thai Black Bean Ice Cream.

This also makes me want to visit Udder Delight Ice Cream House and Jeni's Ice Cream which were also in that post and certainly had some very creative flavors. If you live near Rehoboth Beach, Deleware or Columbus, Ohio, today might be the day to pay them a visit!

I think my most creative flavors have been:

1. Lisa's White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie Crunch (I promise to post this recipe soon!)
2. Vanilla Bean Jelly Bean (OK, maybe I just like the name the best!)
3. Shirley Temple Ice Cream
   

There are a couple of good ones in the works, but I don't want to post them until they are tried and true!

What is the most creative flavor you have ever tried or made? Post a reply and let us know (be sure to include your email) and enter for a chance to win a coupon for a free pint of Ben and Jerry's! Change of date: Let us know by this Saturday, July 5.