Snuffy's is great.

I guess I have a bit of a history with Snuffy's Malt Shop. I had my first date with David there, and I went there a couple times with Poppy too. I had fond memories of the red booths and cartoon murals, but I hadn't actually been to Snuffy's in quite a while.

I think it was thanks to Debbie that we went the day before school started this semester. Great idea, Debbie. It was a success. I mean, Snuffy's is just really good. The cheeseburgers and fries are very decent and if you ask for onions on the burger they ask if you want them raw or grilled! Wow. But the shakes are excellent -- I'll admit, I've only gotten chocolate banana . . . but that's because it's so good! No fake banana syrup (unlike some other unnamed St. Paul diners), and no big chunks of banana that block up your straw suction. It's also nice that you can order a half or a full size shake. I do wish they put whipped cream on them, though.


Debbie ordered a "black and white" milkshake, which of course spurred a stimulating conversation on the topic. When she ordered, the waitress seemed a bit unsure what she meant and explained that they use vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. That's what I've always defined as a black and white. I guess Debbie uses chocolate and vanilla ice creams AND syrups when she makes them. That sounds delicious.


That was quite a mustache Joe had.

Then last weekend, a bunch of us went to Snuffy's again. Amir almost ordered a bacon cheeseburger. Almost. Travis got a root beer shake, which seemed to go over with mediocre enthusiasm. I wasn't very interested -- I think soda and ice cream should only be together in floats. Especially root beer. I haven't had an ice cream soda in ages . . . my dad makes really good ones. Chocolate or vanilla ice cream, Coke, chocolate syrup and a little milk. They fizz and foam and you have to put the cup in a bowl to catch the overflow. My dad always has pretzels with his.

Okay, well, I think I'm gonna go make a milkshake now.

the perfect combination

It was my birthday a few days ago. Allison always makes the birthday cakes around here, and during the days leading up to my birthday, I was nervous that for some reason she wasn't making me one since she hadn't asked me for requests. I should have known that Allison didn't need my input to think of the cake of my dreams. She, Harley, Hannah, and Debbie teamed up to make this:


Allison said she was trying to think of a way she could make me a milkshake cake. I'd say she succeeded: three layers of chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream in between and banana oreo frosting on top.


I think chocolate banana oreo milkshakes are my favorite. I made one the other night. It was so good. It's the best combination -- it's what I get in blizzards and any other kind of ice cream with stuff mixed in.

I generally make my milkshakes at night, as a dessert or bedtime snack -- I drink them solo, not as part of meal. When I go to a diner, of course, I'll get a milkshake with my meal, which is generally a cheeseburger and fries. Most people think of a milkshake and a burger as the perfect pair. I think they go together all right, although when I consume them in one meal it usually makes my tummy hurt . . . but I think I prefer drinking my milkshake with just french fries. The salty and the sweet together, and the dipping -- it's the best.

I'm curious what other people think of as the best food partner for a milkshake. My dad refuses to drink a milkshake with a burger. They just don't go together. According to my dad, the perfect food partner for a milkshake is an egg salad sandwich on white bread. And the milkshake should be a chocolate malted. I've never tried it, but he swears by it.


MMMMMMMM CAKE

elvis?

Yesterday David and I went to Mr. Bartley's Burgers for lunch. We walked inside, and the hostess (an elderly woman -- I hope it was Mrs. Bartley) sat us down at a table right next to the counter and the grill. I looked up, and posted directly above our table was this board:


WHOA! If you haven't already, take a look at my previous post from two days ago. I mean, really. The coincidence is kind of amazing. I was a little excited. When I chose "all shook up" for the title, I was just referencing our whipped cream effort, I didn't even think of the Elvis reference! Wow.
Anyway, we got burgers and a chocolate banana frappe, and it was fantastic.

all shook up

Last night, David and I decided to finish off our carton of ice cream in style -- chocolate-banana-peanut-butter-cup milkshakes with homemade whipped cream. They were delicious, but I'll be honest, they would've been worlds better had we been using my Hamilton Beach Classic Drinkmaster. Yes, this is what I'm used to making my milkshakes with:

My mom got me this beauty for my birthday several years ago, and I rediscovered it at our house in NC over the summer and brought it back with me. What an excellent birthday present. It's currently sitting in our kitchen in Saint Paul, hibernating next to Allison's Kitchenaid. I would request that my housemates put it to good use while I'm gone, but I'm afraid you would all freeze your intestines if you drank milkshakes in the current weather. I'll admit, I'm a little worried that I'll be too cold drink milkshakes very often when I go back. I guess I'll just have to bundle up and suffer through it.

Okay, well the point of this post is to talk about the reasons that my wonderful milkshake machine, with its two speeds, 28-oz steel cup, detachable spindle, and timeless design, is far superior to the standard blender (at least when making milkshakes).

First of all, whipped cream. It's PERFECT for making whipped cream. I mean, I love Reddi Wip, but it's so satisfying and delicious to plop a spoonful of thick, sweet, homemade whipped cream on top of your milkshake, or hot chocolate, or strawberries, or tongue. So the first way I ever learned to make my own whipped cream was to pour some cream and sugar in a jar/covered container, drop in a marble and SHAKE. With the Hamilton Beach Classic DrinkMaster, all you have to do is pour your cream and sugar in the 28-oz steel cup, start mixing, and in less than a minute, you've got a cup of whipped cream. It's AWESOME. Well, last night, we resorted to the old-fashioned way:

We shook.
... And shook some more.


... And continued to shake.


It took a while. But eventually, we had ourselves some whipped cream. And maybe slightly stronger arms. Well, then it was time for the shakes themselves. Pre-blend:


That's about 4 scoops of chocolate ice cream, 3/4 of a banana, and 3 mini Reese's cups. I added milk too. And the result:




David was pleased. I was sort of pleased. You just can't make a proper milkshake with a regular blender. I had to blend these long enough to mix in the banana and peanut butter cups, which left the shake itself too liquidy, with chunks of the good stuff at the bottom. My HBCD, on the other hand, gently blends everything together without pureeing the ice cream into liquid. The chunks of good stuff are evenly distributed in a thick, icy shake.
Oh well. Soon I'll be reunited with the DrinkMaster. And the possibility of frozen intestines.

teenage mutant ninja milkshakes

Chocolate ice cream and milk and ninja turtles.

So, like I said, I'm in Boston now. And I've heard, that in this part of the country, what I refer to as a "milkshake" is known as a "frappe." That if I were to order a "milkshake" at a restaurant, I would be ordering a cup of milk mixed with a flavor, like chocolate syrup or something. At least, that's what Debbie told me. And she's pretty much an authority in my mind. I'm going to look into it, though. I haven't ordered any milkshakes or frappes yet -- although I do remember when I was here last time, the menu at Mr. Bartley's said "frappes." I got a chocolate banana one and it was REALLY good. We should probably go back there very soon.

But the point is, in other parts of the country, like the South and the Midwest, we call 'em milkshakes. And we call milk and chocolate syrup "chocolate milk." So I'm a little skeptical, New England.

my milkshake brings all the boys to the blog.

One night over Christmas, I went to the movies with my family. On the way back, I began discussing plans for the milkshake I would make upon arriving at home. It was at that moment that Jess said,

"Caitlyn, I think you should start a blog about milkshakes."

Well, I thought it was a brilliant idea, obviously, because here we are.

I really love milkshakes. I think they are so delightful. I love getting them at diners, and ice cream shops, but I especially love making them myself. Which I do with high frequency. Seriously, when Breyers is buy one get one free at the grocery store, it's pretty much every night. I love when Breyers is buy one get one free.

So, I'm in Boston right now. I'd been at home in NC for the past two weeks, and, anticipating my arrival, my wonderful mom stocked the freezer with Breyer's chocolate, vanilla, AND mint chocolate chip. Well, I made a bunch of delicious milkshakes when I was at home. Some highlights included:

Chocolate banana (a classic, and maybe my favorite)
Chocolate espresso
Vanilla mango blueberry
Plain old chocolate

Wow. It was a good two weeks. Tuesday night, Jamie and I created a grand finale:


These were our Mint Chocolate Oreo Chip sensations -- chocolate, vanilla, and mint chocolate chip ice cream, oreo, chocolate syrup and milk. And whipped cream of course. They were delicious. I think I did a pretty nice job with presentation, too.

Jamie seemed to enjoy hers.

It was a good way to finish my stay at home.

Lucky for me, Edy's was on sale for $2.99 at the grocery store here in Boston! David and I just enjoyed some chocolate shakes tonight. More to come.