icream

What of you could go somewhere and create your own ice cream right on the spot at a super fast speed?  Well at icream in Chicago you can!  I've never actually been there but I've read about it and seen it on TV.

You can either create your own Ice cream, frozen yogurt, milkshake, ore even hot pudding!  The create the ice cream using liquid nitrogen machines  that freezes it within seconds.  You can customize everything!  You get to pick your milk which ranges from soy to whole, you pick your flavored syrups, and you even can pick the colors so you could have pink colored mint flavored ice cream if you want! The mixture is then put into the mixer and the worker selects the size and base and then it is mixed with the liquid nitrogen.  They have a bunch of flavors including cake, chocolate, vanilla, cheesecake, mint, strawberry, and many more.  They also have a wide range of candies, cookies, and fruits to add in to the ice cream!

Check out their page for more information and to watch a video about the store :)
http://www.icreamcafe.com/about/

Mclovin it!

    When your craving a big and juicy burger, crispy and tender chicken nuggets, or the crunchy on the outside soft on the inside salty fries where do you go?  McDonalds of course! :)  It is definitely not hard to fin one these days, there everywhere!  Everyone knows there name and almost every one had eaten there.  When di it all start though? Well, here's a little information to help answer that question.

   In 1940 Dick and Mac McDonald open the McDonald's barbeque restraunt in San Bernardino, California.  It was a drive in restaurant that featured a wide ranged menu.  in 1948 Dick and Mac McDonald shut down their restaurant for a few months due to some alterations and when it reopened in December of 1948 it had definitely changed.  It was now a self service restaurant with a menu of nine items that included hamburgers, cheeseburgers, coffee, soft drinks, milk, potato chips, and pie.  The main item on the menu was the hamburger and it was sold for only 15 cents!  In 1949 the famous McDonalds french fries replace the potato chips on the menu and the triple thick milkshake is born.  In 1954 multimixer Ray Kroc visits the McDonalds restaurant and becomes very interested when he finds that the McDonald brothers are looking for a nation wide franchising agent.  in 1955 Kroc opened his first McDonalds in Des Plaines, Illinois.  The building had the famous gold arches and they attracted a lot of attention. Kroc made $366.12 on the first day in sales. In 1956 Kroc hires a man named Fred Turner to be a counter person, Turner would later become the chairman for McDonalds.  In 1958 Mcdonalds sold its 100 millionth hamburger and in 1959 its 100th restaurant opened in Wisconsin!   

   In 1961 Hamburger University opened in the basement of the McDonalds in Elk Grove, Illinois. In 1962 the Denver, Colorado McDonalds provides the first McDonalds with indoor seating.  In 1963 the 500th restaurant opens in Ohio.  McDonalds celebrates its 10th anniversary in 1965 and offers public stock for the first time.  In 1966 McDonalds has its first televised commercial and it features Ronald McDonald.  In 1967 Mcdonalds becomes international and restaurants are oopened in Canada and Puerto Rico.  In 1968 the famous Big Mac is created.  In 1969 the logo is revise to feature the two golden arches.  In 1971 the characters of Hamburgler, Grimace, Mayor McCheese, Captain Crook, and the Big Mac are created. 
    In 1973 the quarter pounder is added to the menu.  The first Ronald McDonald house opened in 1974.  The Egg McMuffin was created in 1975 and McDonalds now served breakfast.   The McDonalds All American High School Basketball team started in 1977.  In 1978 the 5,000 restaurant opened in Japan.  In 1979 the happy meal was created and the 25th anniversary is celebrated in 1980.  McDonalds celebrates its 30th anniversary in 1985 and salads are added to the menu in 1987.  In 1988 Fortune Magazines states that McDonald's hamburgers are one of the 100 things that America makes best. In 1992 a McDonalds opens in Warsaw, Poland and breaks the opening day sales record. In 1996 McDonalds.com launches.  The Happy meal celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2004 and in 2005 McDonalds celebrates its 50th anniversary.  In 2006 the snack wrap is introduced.  In 2009 the McCafe Coffee line is added to the menu and in 2010 smoothies and frappes are added to the menu. In 2011 McDonalds added the Chipotle Barbeque burger and snack wrap to their menu.

McDonalds Facts:
-McDonalds has more than 33,000 restaurants worldwide
-1.7 million people are employed at McDonalds
-McDonalds is in 119 countries

Informatioin from:
http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcdonalds_history_timeline.html
http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company.html

Picture from:
http://thestamp.umd.edu/food/mcdonalds.html

Crazy for Orange Leaf!

  I looove Ice cream and I eat it all of the time.  I love almost any ice cream that has Oreos in it, I mean what can't be better with Oreos? I know right! Well, during the winter I've been eating a lot of Dairy Queen, but recently a new place opened in town and it's called Orange Leaf.  Orange Leaf serves soft serve frozen yogurt instead of ice cream.  At first, I was a little skeptical because I've heard that frozen yogurt can sometimes have a sort of bitter taste, but I still wanted to give it a try.  One day about a week ago some friends invited me to come with them and it sounded like a lot of fun so of course I said yes.  At first I wasn't going to eat due to not being very hungry because of a few health issues but after watching every one make their creations I couldn't resist getting a bowl to go.  It was the most amazing thing I think I've ever tasted!
   The atmosphere of the place is really cool.  You walk in and the whole place is painted in bright colors like bright orange and lime green.  They also have a lot of bright and lighted up pictures.  Orange Leaf is set up really nice there is a tiled wall in the back with all of the yogurt machines, a toppings bar, and then the check out.  The rest of the place is filled with tables that have really cool curvy chairs and couches for you to sit on and hang out with friends while enjoying your delicious concoction.
   When you walk in you immediately go to the back of the restraurant and pick out the size of bowl you want, either huge or huger :). Then you move on to the yogurt machines.  They have a bunch of flavors to choose from and you can get as many and as much or little as you want.  Some of the flavors include cheesecake, vanilla, chocolate, brownie batter, white chocolate, mango, strawberry, cookies and cream, and my personal favorite birthday cake!  Next you move on to the toppings bar where you get to select what you want from and ocean of choices.  There is a bunch of stuff to choose from including cereals, M&M's, candy bars, Oreos, cookies, fruit, candies, and much, much more!  Then you put your creation on a scale and you pay by the ounce.  I felt the price was pretty reasonable, about 33 cents per ounce.  The worker then gives you the most amazing spoon that is orange and shaped like a mini shovel (I saved mine).  It is now time to enjoy the most delicious and personalized creation! Yum!  I would definitely give this place 5 stars and recommend it!

Picture from:
http://www.bargainez.com/deal/frozen-yogurt-at-orange-leaf-frozen-yogurt/

Marshmallows!

There fluffy and sweet, almost like eating a cloud; marshmallows! Everyone loves a good marshmallow and there are so many ways to enjoy them. In the winter you can put them in a warm cup of hot chocolate where they melt and add a creaminess to your delicious, chocolaty drink. In the summer you can roast them over a campfire and either enjoy them plain, burnt or golden brown, or you can put them between two graham crackers with a piece of chocolate for a delicious and sticky s'more. You can also use marshmallows in baking to create tasty rice krispie bars or some delectable fudge. The marshmallow is used a lot in our society but where does it come from? Well, lets find out.
Would you believe me if I told you that marshmallows originally came from a plant? Well, they did! Marshmallows came from a sweet sap produced by the mallow plant found in marshes and is native to Europe and West Asia. Hence the name marsh-mallow. This plant was originally used for medicinal purposes such as curing inflammation and sore throats and didn't become a yummy treat until the 19th century.
The French found that if you mixed the mallow sap with egg whites and corn syrup a moldable substance was formed; the marshmallow was born! Eventually, the plant extract was replaced by gelatin. This way of baking produced the same fluffy concoction but took a lot less work. In the 1900's marsmallows were sold in tins as penny candies and also during this time period the mallow cup was created by the Boyer brothers. Marshmallows really grew in popularity during the 1920's and many treats were created such as the moon pie.
Marshmallows continue to be a classic treat and are enjoyed plain, in fun shapes such as peeps, inside of candy bars, in frostings, and in many other treats!
Marshmallow facts:
-the first known s'mores recipe came from a Girl Scout cook book in 1927
-Americans buy 90 million pounds of marshmallows a year (about the same amount of weight as 1,286 gray whales!)
- In 2003 the largest s'more was made and it used 20,000 marshmallows, all toasted, and 7,000 chocolate bars. It weighed 1,600 pounds!
-more than 50% of marshmallows sold each summer are roasted over a fire
-The term s'more is thought to stand for "gimmie some more"
-Americans spend about 125 million dollars on marshmallows each year
-Ligonier, Noble County, Indiana is the marshmallow capital of the world

Information from:
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/2011/01/its-a-marshmallow-world/
https://boyercandies.com/mallowhistory.php
http://mallowmaster.com/Marshmallow%20facts.htm
http://www.candyusa.com/FunStuff/FunFactsDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=973

Picture From:
http://www.bigoven.com/glossary/Marshmallow

Groundhog's Day

    Every February 2nd we wake up and want to know, did the groundhog see his shadow?  If he did we sigh as there will supposedly now be six more weeks of winter and if he didn't we get excited and anticipate an early spring.  Isn't it funny that we let a groundhog predict our future weather as if it is trained in meteorology?  How did this tradition come to be?  I looked online and found out a little more about this holiday.

    Groundhog's day is February 2nd because this is Candlemas day for Christians.  On this day in Europe the Christian clergymen would hand out candles to people for use during the winter and they would also offer blessings.  The Europeans believed that if it was sunny on Candlemas day that this would mean six more weeks of winter.  The Germans then added the idea of an animal being scared of its shadow would lead to six more weeks of winter and at first they used hedgehogs not ground hogs.  In the 18th century, when Germans brought this idea with them to America, they started using groundhogs because they were abundant in America. 

    in America we celebrate groundhogs day with the famous Punxsutawney Phil, who of course lives in Punsxutawney, Pennsylvania.  People will go each year and watch this groundhog emerge to either see or not see his shadow.  Punxsutawney Phil was started by a local newspaper editor and has predicted the weather for 126 years!  He has seen his shadow 99 times and not seen it 16 times (9 years of data is missing).
   Groundhogs day is a fun little celebration to brighten up the winter and since its started there have been many groundhogs trying to predict the weather including one who bit the New York City mayor.

Information from:
http://www.local10.com/weather/History-of-Groundhog-Day/-/1717142/8581658/-/ywv6ybz/-/

Picture from:
http://www.local10.com/weather/History-of-Groundhog-Day/-/1717142/8581658/-/ywv6ybz/-/
  

Preparing for a New Furry Friend

    One of the best experiences in a persons life is getting a new pet.  You get all excited and can't wait for the day to arrive when you get to pick out your new furry little bundle of joy.  For the days before you just dream of what their personality is going to be like and how much your going to love and dote over this little dog.  Then if you already know they type and gender of your dog you get to make the most exciting trip to the pet store.  You pick out matching bowls, a little puppy collar and leash, toys, food, and a soft dog bed for the puppy to nap on.  I'm excited to say that next week a new pug will be joining our family.  I have the most wonderful pug right now and she is so much fun, so we decided to add a new little friend to our lives.  But, when getting a new dog how do you prepare for it, especially if it is a puppy? Well, here are a few tips!

    The most important thing is to decide on the type of dog you want.  I personally wanted a pug because they are a great family dog.  They love to cuddle and play and they always make you laugh.  It's important to look at your life style and to find a dog that matches the amount of time you can put in and the activities that you enjoy doing.

   Next, it is time to find a dog.  You can look in your local paper, research online, or check your local shelter or rescue groups in you area.
   Once you have a dog picked out you should puppy proof your house.  Puppies love to chew! make sure to keep small things that they could choke on off of the floor and to avoid having many electrical cords exposed.  Also, you may want to consider getting baby gates to bocok stair ways until  the dog is big enough to safely go up and down the stairs.
   Now it is time to go to the pet store.  This is one of the most exciting parts of getting a new dog.  You get to pick out all of the new toys, food, bowl, collars, leashes, and other accessories for your dog.  It is important to get chew toys for you dog since puppies love to chew, especially when they are young.  also, you should get a variety of toys so they don't get bored.  There are a lot of foods to choose from and you could consider doing some research to figure out what ingredients you do and don't want in your dogs food.  You might also want to consider getting a doggy tooth brush because it is important to keep a dogs teeth clean.
   After you've gotten everything ready for your furry friend it is time to go and pick him or her up.  This will be the very beginning of your new friendship!

Picture from:
http://petandbaby.com/2011/cute-pug-puppies/