LemonGrassGirls.com

Ice Cream Inspired Calls to Action (Written Whilst Considering Dina's Ice/Whipped Cream Posts)

I'm really confused.  I thought I saw (on a Food Network program) that Tom Carvel (of Carvel ice cream cake fame) invented the first soft serve ice cream in 1939. 

As a responsible journalist, I decided to check my facts before posting this information.  I was surprised to find other sources on the internet that state the McCullough father and son team actually invented soft ice cream in 1938. 

So who was it?  What's the correct answer?  Can anyone shed some light on this frigid topic? 

And while I think about ice cream and the summertime memories it evokes ...I would be remiss if I did not mention that Vermont Shortbread is a lovely partner to ice cream AND summer.  Summer is typically a slow time in shortbread land.  A few years ago, I decided to change that by inventing shorties for the popular wedding favor market. I recognized that many weddings happen in summer months and that marketing in this sector could help me create more consistent sales year round.  It worked.  Our Shortbrides (i.e., brides who choose shortbread for wedding favors or in lieu of wedding cake) often tell us that sampling our shortbread was their favorite part of their wedding preparation! 

I never thought much about shortbread and ice cream together until a customer told me that's how he liked his shortbread.  Then my foodie imagination wheels began to spin out of control with ideas for pairing these two treats:

• How about traditional shortbread (plain) warmed up in the microwave for a few seconds with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and whipped cream (squirted as per Dina's instructions in a previous post)?
• It seems to me that our walnut cinnamon shortbread would go nicely with a maple-flavored ice cream.
• What about a lemon curd filled shortie with fresh blueberries and ice cream? 
• How about chocolate filled shortbread with chocolate ice cream (for the diehard chocoholic in your life)?
• What about an ice cream sandwich made with shortbread? 

In closing, I make two requests:

1. Consider stocking up on Vermont Shortbread this summer to enjoy with ice cream and all the sweet, fresh fruits of summer.
2. Will someone PUHLEEEEEEZE set me straight on the origins of soft ice cream?  Inquiring minds can't sleep until they have the correct data! 

Ann Zuccardy, Friend to Beautiful Shortbrides and Groovy Shortbread Heads (aka Shortheads) Worldwide

Yes, I'm a Former Friendly's Ice Cream Counter Girl.

Yes, Ann... I worked at Friendly's. But I'm sorry I must now disappoint you on two counts. One: there is NO photo evidence of my having been employed there (HAHA - I made sure I only got pics of my pals [see above]... AND had them added to the high school yearbook, which of course I was the copy editor of.)

And two: those blue "Flo from Mel's Diner" uniforms were done away with just prior to me and my buddies all getting jobs there. I mean, the girl who handed us our applications was wearing one when we filled them out. But alas, it was on to stylish '80s tan acrylic shirts, blue wraparound skirts, NYLON STOCKINGS (do they even sell those anymore?) and you had to have your ponytail tucked up and away, lest a hair accidentally fall into the ice cream vats.

Ahh, Friendly's. So much ice cream, so little time. We had a blast experimenting with various flavors of ice cream and the shake machine, making "mini" sundaes for ourselves in little plastic Dixie cups and harfing them down while manager backs were turned.

Some of my personal faves:

The orange creamsicle shake: Vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet, swirled in the shake machine (if you were dieting, you could substitute ice cream with Fribble mix which was simply lowfat ice cream but I don't remember doing that).

Sprinkles with cookies 'n cream. This treat, invented by the infamous Chris Peterson or "Crispy" as we like to call her, had more sprinkles than ice cream. Half-fill a cup with chocolate sprinkles, top with a mini-scoop of cookes 'n cream, stir and munch to your sprinkle- loving heart's delight.

The coffee, hot fudge and toasted almond Happy Ending sundae. A Happy Ending was Happy indeed, for it had an upside-down sugarcone perched on top and Reeses Pieces for eyes and a mouth - or wait, was that called a Clown Sundae?? I'm forgetting now. Anywho, we had the Friendly's Employee version which was the standby Dixie cup filled with the above ingredients and slathered in whipped cream.

Black raspberry ice cream with hot fudge. I started eating this after getting bored with the same old unlimited supply of Peanutbutter cups, rocky road and other thrilling frozen dessert treats.

The mini rootbeer float. One of my all-time favorites to this day! Why is it that when root beer hits vanilla ice cream, your drink goes into Super Foaming Action? Oh dear God, I loved these. I'm starting to salivate thinking about this.

I'd better stop talking about this before I make a mad run to the ice cream place down the road.

- Dina at Wordfeeder.com - "I write web copy that has nothing to do with food!"