News Release – gThankYou! Summer Enclosure Cards

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Rick Kiley| Leave a comment

gThankYou!, America’s employee gift certificate leader, announces New Free Enclosure Card designs.

What’s better than a triple scoop cone on a hot summer day? A free enclosure card from gThankYou that says “Thanks for a job well done!”.  Corporate America’s favorite employee gift source is pleased to offer four new free enclosure cards this summer to help make workplace gift giving more personal and simple.

Triple Scoop Enclosure Card

Triple Scoop Enclosure Card

Designs include an Ice Cream Sundae (complete with chocolate sauce and acherry on top), a tempting Three-scoop Waffle Cone, a

Sizzling BBQ Grill and an a collage of Favorite Summertime Activities. All gThankYou Enclosure Cards are displayed on the company’s website.  Each design was developed by artist Amy Pierquet of Waterfront Graphic Design.

“There’s nothing more fun to eat than ice cream, and nothing that makes for a better celebration,” says gThankYou President Rick Kiley of the new card options sure to make anyone smile.  They’re the perfect compliment to our new Ice Cream Gift Certificates.

These cards make giving gThankYou Gift Certificates

Summertime Favorites Enclosure Card

more convenient and meaningful.  Add a custom message and  your company logo to personalize your gift, and make it more special.

A popular choice for employee recognition and reward programs, and end-of-quarter employee gifts, gThankYou Gift Certificates give employers the ease of selecting new Ice Cream, Turkey, Ham or Grocery Gift Cards in a variety of denominations. Employees have the convenience of deciding the type of Ice Cream, Turkey or Ham they want by redeeming gThankYou! Gift Certificates at any grocery store.

About gThankYou.com. gThankYou® Certificates of Gratitude™ are an ideal employee gift. Turkey Gift Certificates, Ham Gift Certificates, Ice Cream Certificates and Grocery Gift Certificates are favorites because they are fun, meaningful, affordable and appreciated by all.

Convenience is the top reason companies choose gThankYou Gift Certificates.  gThankYou Certificates can be ordered quickly online or by telephone, are easy to distribute to employees, and can be redeemed at virtually any grocery stores for the ice cream, turkey, ham or groceries that employees choose.  gThankYou Gift Certificates create a perfect opportunity for workplace leaders to recognize success.

gThankYou, LLC (www.gthankyou.com ) is based in Madison, Wisconsin. Find out more about gThankYou on the company’s website. And read more about how Thanks can boost your company at the gThankYou Blog. Contact: Rick Kiley, President, gThankYou, LLC, info@gthankyou.com, 888-484-1658.

Certificates of Gratitude™ is a trademark and “gThankYou” is a registered trademark of gThankYou, LLC.

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Posted in * News Releases - gThankYou!, Ice Cream Gift Certificates

Best Ice Cream Sundaes

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Lynn Welch| Leave a comment

We’re big fans of Ice Cream Sundaes, as well as lists. So it was great fun pouring over some lists of the top Ice Cream Sundaes. The Ice Cream Sundae remains among the most simple, yet elegant desserts. But one thing is certain: there’s no end to what you can create using ice cream, toppings and your imagination.

Here’s a sample:

Breyers Spaghetti and Meatball Sundae

  • Michel’s Frozen Custard in Madison, WI, once offered the Viva Las Vegas Sundae (available now only by request) featuring vanilla custard topped with creamy peanut butter (a la Elvis), hot fudge and banana slices.
  • Grown ups and kids with advanced palates will enjoy the Tiramasu Sundae posted in the Augusta Chronicle from “Sundaes & Splits: Delicious Recipes For Ice Cream Treats,” by Hannah Miles. It uses homemade mascarpone ice cream with from-scratch syrup.
  • Blue Bunny Ice Cream has a recipe for the Cinnamon Bun Hot Apple Sundae posted in the Chatanooga Times Free Press. Think of a gooey, halved cinnamon roll with vanilla ice cream, glazed walnuts, apple pie filling and butterscotch-caramel topping.
  • Breyers Ice Cream and chef Gale Gand have created a Spaghetti & Meatballs Sundae with rocky road “meatballs”, sauce made of mashed strawberries and vanille ice cream extruded through a potato ricer to become noodles.

Think you make the Best Ice Cream Sundae? Now, you can prove it. Breyer’s is searching for the next best treat in its Sundae Scoop-Off Contest. Submit family-friendly entries containing 10 or fewer ingredients through September 13. The winner gets $10,000, a trip to Chicago and a private cooking lesson with Gale Gand.

And don’t be shy about sharing your favorite, and best, Sundae picks here.

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Best Ice Cream Dessert

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Lynn Welch| Leave a comment

We don’t want to start any arguments or anything, but an informal poll of ice cream lovers here has revealed that, hands down, the Best Ice Cream Dessert is (drum roll please…) Ice Cream Cake! It appears that 2010 has unofficially been declared the year of the Ice Cream Cake as more and more specialty ice cream shops and national chains offer their own versions.

Nothing draws guests to a party than the mention of Ice Cream Cake on the invitation – a proven phenomenon. The great go-togethers pair very well combined in a frozen treat.

But if you’re a DIY type, there are many technique tutorials and how-to’s available to help you create the perfect Ice Cream Cake for your get-together or party. Here are a batch of recipes and tip sheets to get you going:

Several sources say the idea for ice cream cake came from the trifle, an elegant dessert  made by layering cream and cookies or cake in a big, glass serving bowl called (what else?) a trifle bowl. Seems anything goes with today’s Ice Cream Cakes.

What’s your favorite Ice Cream Cake, or nomination for the Best Ice Cream Dessert ever?

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Grilled ice cream, and other ways to celebrate National Ice Cream Day

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Lynn Welch| Leave a comment

We’re halfway through July and would be remiss if we didn’t mention that this month is National Ice Cream Month! In fact, this Sunday, July 18, is National Ice Cream Day. It’s apt to point out the many ways to celebrate everyone’s favorite frozen treat.

As the story goes, former President Ronald Reagan in 1984 named July National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday in July National Ice Cream Day. In true populist fashion, he proclaimed the celebration pointing out that a full 90% of Americans love ice cream. Sounds about right.

There are so many ways to celebrate with ice cream from an old fashioned Ice Cream Social to trying new concoctions, like barbecue ice cream. (You read that right.)

The World Dairy Diary Blog recently featured the dessert by self-proclaimed Grillmaster Rick Browne. It’s a version of Baked Alaska you can make on the grill. (Is there anything you can’t prepare on the grill?) Check out the video and try making it yourself. Or, check locally to find ice cream festivities where you live this weekend.

Here’s some ways people are celebrating Ice Cream this year:

  • Scope out freebies, like these at Buffalo’s Perry’s shops.
  • Go for some artisanal treats. Because we in the U.S. eat more ice cream per person than any other country, every town and city has its own special scoop shop, with specially made Ice Cream, like these in Minneapolis.
  • Play Ice Cream Trivia while enjoying your favorite dish or cone. The Great Falls Tribune has posted a good bit of history to get you started.

Remember, you have the whole of the month to celebrate. How will you mark this cool occasion?

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Ice Cream or Custard?

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Lynn Welch| Leave a comment

Last week, Vice President Joe Biden stumped for Wisconsin Democratic Senator Russ Feingold in Southeastern Wisconsin when he made what he may not have realized is a political gaffe here. Stopping to scoop cones at Kopps Frozen Custard in Glendale, Biden asked, “Where’s the ice cream?”

An employee reportedly informed the vice president that the shop served custard, not ice cream.

Biden’s mistake illustrates a really good point. Most people don’t know the difference. That strikes me as somewhat odd, because I sense most do grasp the difference between ice cream and other frozen treats like, for example, sherbet or granita.

In the interest of clearing up the confusion, here’s a primer:

Let’s start with the misunderstood frozen custard. It’s not soft serve ice cream. But it is unmistakable from any other type of ice cream once in your mouth and belly. It’s much richer than ice cream, made with egg yolks in addition to cream and sugar and contains more milk fat. Its extra creaminess also comes from a different churning process.

From the folks at WiseGeek:

“Frozen custard gets its creaminess from a higher percentage of butterfat compared to standard grade ice creams. In order to be considered a true custard, the mix must contain at least 10% butterfat, but it’s not unusual to see butterfat percentages as high as 18% or more. The beaters inside the chamber of a frozen custard machine turn much more slowly than those in a soft-serve ice cream or frozen yogurt machine. This slow churning prevents excessive air from being mixed into the custard as it freezes.”

Various regions stake claim to serving the first custard — Chicago and New York among them. But I’ve never seen a concentration of custard stands and devotees as in Southern Wisconsin. There are three local stands within a bike ride or walk from my house alone. (It’s a true mystery why our city keeps appearing on lists of the healthiest places to live.)

And now, for comparison, let’s discuss Ice Cream. Epicurious’ food dictionary describes Ice Cream as such:

“…ice creams with solid additions must contain a minimum of 8% milk fat, while plain ice creams must have at least 10% milk fat. French ice cream has a cooked egg-custard base. Ice milk is made in much the same way as ice cream, except for the fact that it contains less milk fat and milk solids.”

So, there you have it. Custard is denser and richer than ice cream or other frozen treats. Perhaps the White House staff can bone up on regional culinary specialties next time Biden travels, lest they want to endure another classic Biden blunder.

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The Weirdest Ice Cream Toppings

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Lynn Welch| Leave a comment

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve eaten on top of your ice cream? How about buttered popcorn? It’s perhaps the oddest on this list of weird ice cream toppings.

The best thing about ice cream is the countless ways there are to serve it. It’s the ultimate customizable treat with toppings, mix-ins and variations to please everyone.

But what’s the top ice cream topping? According to WiseGeek, hot fudge, caramel and butterscotch sauces are the most popular, with strawberry sauce and maple syrup following. My favorite, particularly with a bowl of quality vanilla, is homemade rhubarb sauce.

There’s so much more than sauce, categorized like this:  fruits, candies, nuts and other fun other stuff — think sprinkles and whipped cream.

Some of the more unusual toppings listed by Quazen include warmed peanut butter, chocolate-covered coffee beans, green tea and canned pumpkin. I still say the most odd has got to be buttered popcorn. (I’d love to hear from anyone who has tried this – doesn’t the topping get mushy?) Says Quazen:

“Ooooo, gross! Nope. Give it a try. Microwave some buttered popcorn, then sprinkle a handful on top of a bowl of vanilla ice cream (or any choice of your own). It’s fantastic, with a nice mix of sweet and salty.”

If you need new topping ideas find them on Suite101. And if you like from-scratch, try this recipe for toffee sauce from ice-cream-recipes.com. Add texture with this Graham Cracker Crunch topping recipe from All Recipes.

Then, if you’re up for a fun challenge, try this trivia game on Sporcle where you can guess the Top 10 Ice Cream toppings. I scored a six. And buttered popcorn was not on this list.

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News Release – Ice Cream Gift Certificates, New from gThankYou

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Rick Kiley| Leave a comment

NEWS RELEASE:Ice-Cream-Gift-Certificates

Celebrate Success with New Ice Cream Certificates from gThankYou. Employee gift expert gThankYou has introduced Ice Cream Gift Certificates, a new and fun way for companies to engage employees and say “Thank You” for a job well done. Ice Cream Gift Certificates are the perfect, and tasty, addition of your company’s recognition and reward program.

I Scream, You Scream…
“There’s nothing more fun to eat than ice cream, and the season is upon us,” says Rick Kiley, president of gThankYou, Corporate America’s favorite employee gift source. “There’s nothing that makes for a better celebration with friends and the entire family.”

Fun Varieties
Choose gThankYou Ice Cream Certificates for a variety of celebrations:

  • The Sundae –  good for one container of ice cream up to a $5 value
  • The Double Scoop – redeemable for two containers of ice cream up to a $10 value
  • The Triple Scoop — purchases three containers up to a $15 total value.
  • The Ice Cream Social – up to a $20 value good for four containers of ice cream.
  • The Extravaganza – up to a $25 value toward five containers of ice cream.
  • The Ultimate Scoop – an ice cream lovers dream good for six containers at up to $30 value.

Plus, add $5 or $10 to your certificate for mix-ins and toppings like nuts, candies, whipped cream and sauce.

Each certificate is redeemable at any grocery store for any brand of ice cream, frozen novelty or similar frozen dessert in the appropriate denomination and container count. Employees can also choose the brand and type of toppings of their choice, if included in the certificate.

More Information
There’s a lot more information about gThankYou® Ice Cream Gift Certificates at the Company’s website, including:

About gThankYou, LLC gThankYou helps companies celebrate with employees, offering Gift Certificates that are simple to purchase, easy to distribute and convenient to redeem for employees, customers and friends. gThankYou Gift Certificates create an ideal opportunity for workplace leaders to recognize successes. gThankYou, LLC is based in Madison, Wisconsin. Learn More about gThankYou on the company’s website. And find out how rewards can boost your company’s bottom line at Celebrating Work, the blog of gThankYou.

Already known for its popular Turkey Gift Certificates, Ham Gift Certificates and Grocery Gift Certificates, gThankYou is the top choice gift for employees; as convenient and easy for firms to give as it’s meaningful and appreciated and simple for employees to redeem.

Contact: Rick Kiley, President, gThankYou, LLC, info@gthankyou.com, 888-484-1658.

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Posted in * News Releases - gThankYou!, Ice Cream Gift Certificates, Workplace Gifts

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Frozen Dairyland (or Ice Cream Flavors we Love)

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Lynn Welch| 1 Comment

It’s hard to imagine just how many flavors of ice cream exist. But creative ice cream makers keep coming up with new tastes all the time.

Take, for example, one boutique ice cream maker here that concocts custom ice cream flavors for big events and special occasions. During a recent charity event, The Chocolate Shoppe came up with a “festive yellow/red cookie dough” ice cream that had the distinct appearance of – you guessed it – sausage laden with yellow mustard. (Yum!) When the city this year wooed Google to bring its fiber optic service here, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Babcock Dairy launched Madfiber ice cream featuring M&Ms in Google’s company colors with sweet granola in vanilla ice cream.

Although it appears that I live in a magical Frozen Dairyland, plenty of other ice cream artisans across the country come up with unusual flavor combinations , too.  Exotic is the niche at In the Mood Coffee and Ice Cream in Woodbury and Magic Fountain in Mattituck. Not to be outdone, the tiny Humphry Slocombe in San Francisco keeps customers current with its 100 flavors including prosciutto, milk chocolate tarragon and foie via Twitter.

Regardless of the number of flavors out there, one flavor stands alone as the consummate favorite: vanilla. There are good reasons why. Vanilla is anything but plain or boring. Vanilla’s flavor profile is complex as the Washington Post notes.

“Such complexity and multidimensionality have made vanilla one of the most sought-after and copied spices. But its use is still fairly limited. We add it to sweet dishes to emphasize their sweetness. And that’s about it. Although homemade vanilla ice cream is one of the most wonderful things I know, I don’t think we should stop there.”

Plus, vanilla pairs well with just about everything. Check these top flavors from a Food Network survey. The top five of 15:

  1. Vanilla
  2. Chocolate
  3. Butter pecan
  4. Strawberry
  5. Neapolitan

For contrast, here are the top ice cream flavors based on sales listed by the NPD Group:

  1. Vanilla
  2. Chocolate
  3. Butter Pecan
  4. Strawberry
  5. Chocolate Chip Mint

I see a trend. What’s your favorite scoop?

www.npd.com

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Posted in Fun with Gratitude, Gratitude

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Ice Cream Season

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Lynn Welch| Leave a comment

It hit 90 this week, a rare occasion for Wisconsin in May. We officially moved full-force into summer living. The kitchen is closed. The grill is open. We’re outside working and playing, and hungry for our favorite summer treat: Ice Cream.

Ice cream is a favorite of everyone, period. In fact, I’ve never met anyone who does not like it.

Since it’s such a favorite, innovative eaters have come up with many ways to enjoy ice cream, and all of its many forms. Food Network recently posted its top dessert trends for 2010. About half of them include ice cream, and it topped the list in 2009.

Food Network’s trends this year  include:

Ice Cream Mixer: The root beer float gets company as ice cream gets mixed into all sorts of beverages to make new forms of shakes, floats, malts and coolers. The trend follows research showing an uptick in a return to the past.  Says Food Network:

“Nostalgia is certainly part of this trend. Sweets connect us to pleasant childhood memories, and those of us old enough to remember fondly the old drugstore soda fountains will enjoy the new twists on those old favorites.”

Newfangled sandwiches:  I’ve noticed this trend taking shape in scoop shops and restaurants across the Dairy State in recent years as ice cream sandwiches have gotten an upgrade. New flavors of premium ice cream between artisan cookies, brownies or mini brioche have emerged.

Try making some of these fancy ice cream concoctions at home (with gThanks to Food Network and Rachel Ray Magazine):

Enjoy these and other ice cream treats, during Memorial Day weekend, and throughout Ice Cream Season.

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Growing Engagement: Just add dirt

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Lynn Welch| 2 Comments

What’s an instant recipe for growing  morale? Just add dirt.

Some companies have  found a fun and innovative way to engage employees by providing an unlikely benefit: a vegetable garden. This growing trend was recognized as one of the best ideas in Human Resources recently.

Minneapolis PR and branding company Haberman & Associates  spent about $10,000 last year to start a garden for its employees.  “It’s creating that water-cooler effect,” the article quotes company co-founder and chief executive Fred Haberman “People have a greater excitement [about] working at Haberman.”

Haberman’s off-site garden, called the “Dude Ranch,” was recognized by Human Resource Executive magazine editors as one of the  “Best HR Ideas for 2010.” You can follow the company’s growing season, or get tips on how to start an employer-sponsored garden yourself, at the project blog.

The National Gardening Association says vegetable gardening is up about 20 percent, although it’s not clear how much of that is done by companies. But a growing number of firms have taken up the hoe including Google, Yahoo, Kohl’s, PepsiCo and Twisted Limb Paperworks, which began a 1,500-square-foot garden outside its offices to boost engagement, as this Washington Post story relates.

University of Maryland business professor Paul Tesluk says a garden can encourage camaraderie, help in recruiting and differentiate a business from competitors. Perhaps it’s time to plant a row for employee morale and engagement and, of course, to just say Thanks!

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Posted in Fun with Gratitude, Thank You, The Art of Thank You, Trends

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