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:

• eHow’s How to Make an Ice Cream Cake.
• Real Simple Recipes’ Ice Cream Cake.
• Rachel Ray’s Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Cake.
• Nigela Lawson’s Ice Cream Cake courtesy of Food Network.
• Martha Stewart’s Strawberry and Pistachio Ice Cream Cake.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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):

• Sherbet Float Food Network
• Coco Chocolate Chai Milkshake
• Goat Cheese Ice Cream Sandwich
• Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

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

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!

Although the certificate (suitable for framing) held no monetary value, it was treasured by the recipient and often displayed for years in cubes and offices. Accolades like this have been proven to be the greatest workplace gift of all. And I would argue that it’s not so much what or when (see Parts I and II of this series), but how the gift is presented that is really key to a successful workplace gift program that will return rewards to your company.

Saying Thank You to employees with meaningful rewards is good. Doing it in a way that recognizes specific achievements in a forum that creates awareness is great. Even if it’s a simple gift, putting thought behind the presentation has been proven to motivate.

It a recent Workplace Wrangler blog the Seattle Post Intelligencier drew attention to author Daniel Pink’s recent speech at the TED conference. The talk, detailing the science of motivation, notes that “when it comes to motivation, there is a huge gap between what science knows and what companies do.” Pink wrote the acclaimed Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. According to the PI:

Pink convincingly argues that once our basic need for financial stability is taken care of, the desire for intrinsic motivation kicks in. Intrinsic motivation is founded upon personal rewards (individual interest or love) rather than extrinsic motivation (money). In fact, many scientific studies have demonstrated that people actually become less motivated when money is tied to doing something we are already drawn to doing. It actually devalues it for us!

Pink advocates employers to adopt a “now-that” approach to rewards and gifts instead of the usual quid-pro-quo “if-then” rewards system to gain motivation.

A recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers and OfficeTeam reported in the Toronto-based Globe & Mail recently  noted that 33 percent of workers in North America believe their manager fails to recognize them.

The certificate and hearty handshake method worked because it was a gift that carried a lot of meaning behind it. The recipient was most often a surprise, and always well deserved.

What’s the best workplace gift you have received? What’s the best reward program you’ve been involved with at a company? Chime in.

He retired after 25+ years on the job. Along the way, he was given traditional service awards. Treasured were his gold pocket watch, and bronzed locomotive plaque.

Times, of course, have changed. Gone are the service awards of my Poppy’s day. Often by choice, employees don’t stay with one company long enough to earn a reward based on years and years of service. The next generation of workers in a recent survey from I Love Rewards says they really don’t plan on sticking with one job that long:

“The average job seeker according to the survey wants to stay with their first employer for 8.9 years, but the reality is that students only stay an average of 1.5 years according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employers have a real opportunity to save money in the long term by investing in robust retention strategies in order to keep this group engaged,” says I Love Rewards CEO and founder Razor Suleman.

This survey indicates that employees today need rewards early and often:

“…they don’t care about years-of-service awards, which 91 per cent of companies offer.”

Companies have a real opportunity to create a new paradigm in their employee reward (and retention) programs. Here’s a blueprint to get you started:

• Implement and keep a program that reflects your company’s values. In her Work with Me column,  Detroit Free Press workplace reporter Patricia Montemurri recently wrote on the decline of company recognition programs. Victims of tough economic times, these programs hold real value. Don’t cut, experts say.

• Establish rewards that are given regular intervals. Earlier is better, according to Montemurri’s column:

“Instead of waiting decades to recognize employees,  it’s becoming more popular to acknowledge an employee’s one-year anniversary — perhaps with a token gift such as a titanium flashlight or a pen and pencil set. If you keep somebody and train them well, and recognize them during the first year, you’ve got a better chance of keeping them on the second year,” according to Anthony Luciano of TharpeRobbin

• In addition to these regularly scheduled rewards, it’s a real motivational boost to recognize special effort of teams of employees or individuals with tokens that are meaningful.

Employers may not get much chance to hand out gold pocket watches any more, but there is ample opportunity and reason to recognize achievement and service in the workplace. Your company’s success may depend on it.

This recent post from Career Builder advises companies how to attract and win over ideal job candidates. The list includes lots of perks that range widely:

• Offering a healthy work/life balance
• Having flexible or alternative work schedules
• Corporate volunteering groups and efforts
• Cross-training opportunities
• A “Green” facility
• Tuition reimbursement
• Health benefits for an employee and his/her family
• Casual dress
• Dogs in the office
• Employee trips
• Candy at the reception desk
• Free yoga
• In-house massage
• Learning opportunities
• Fun contests to promote recognition
• 15 days off during the holiday season
• Profit sharing

Missing from this list, arguably, is the key strategy of engaging current employees and offering them a tangible system that helps them set, achieve and celebrate goals. Employees under your roof now are your greatest asset, and best advertising tool to boost your ranks with top-performing people. Best to start the year right by setting a policy and agenda toward employee engagement for a sustainable organization.

As discussed in this recent post from Jo Confino, executive at the London-based Guardian, employee engagement is not really rocket science, but more a matter of communication. Says Jo:

“We are delighted that our most recent employee survey has shown that our staff engagement programme has led to a dramatic uplift in the scores on sustainability, compared with the same survey the previous year.”

According to Career Builder, the job forecast for the upcoming period is improving. It’s probably a good time  to shore up employee engagement to build a truly sustainable and productive workforce.

Peter Warr and Guy Capperto’s new book “The Joy of Work?” is among the work being presented on this hot topic. We spend one quarter of our lives at work, so it’s important to make the best of it, says Warr, emeritus professor a the UK-based Institute of Work Psychology. It’s important, Warr explains in a New York Times article, to focus on job satisfaction or finding meaning in your work, describing nine necessary elements of happiness in work and life. These include: having some sense of empowerment, using and expanding your skills.

There’s more:

• Consultant and author Alexander Kjerulf (self-dubbed Chief Happiness Officer) offers 10 reasons happiness at work is the top productivity booster. Among the benefits of workplace happiness Kjerulf cites: less complaining, more energy, higher optimism, increased motivation and fewer sick days.

• Performance Coach Arvind Devalia chimes in with his 12 steps to workplace happiness. He cites a  UK survey that found that two out of three people are dissatisfied with thier jobs and encourages workers to “See your work as a game. Life is meant to be fun and if you are going to spend a third of it at work, you might as well enjoy the game.”

• Finally, author Gretchen Rubin of the Happiness Project shares 16 practical tips for feeling happier at work.

This offers more proof that employees, and companies, gain from thankfulness and appreciation.

Rick Kiley is President of gThankYou, LLC, based in Madison, WI.  gThankYou® Certificates of Gratitude™ are one way  savvy companies demonstrate commitment to valued employees. The company is best known for its Turkey Gift Certificates, Ham Gift Certificates, and Grocery Gift Cards.