Megaload isn’t the name we’d have given to this candy line. It’s more like “double the fun.”

Created by someone who obviously couldn’t decided among different treats, Megaload offers peanut butter cups and caramel cups topped with other favorite sweet snacks:

Hmm…where to start? Photo courtesy Megaload.

Packages of three cups include:

This is fun “kids’ candy,” not gourmet chocolate. But adults who enjoy PB cups and caramel cups will like them just as much.

Right now they’re available at Amazon.com, and soon will be coming to a Walmart near you.

Celebrate with a vanilla milkshake. Photo by
Inga Nielsen | IST.

June 20th is National Vanilla Milkshake Day, and we’ve got some delicious recipes.

A milkshake is a simple combination of ice cream, milk and syrup, combined in a blender and optionally garnished with whipped cream, a maraschino cherry or sprinkles (you can be more daring with chocolate-covered coffee beans, mini chips, etc.).

Adults can add a shot of whiskey or liqueur.

VANILLA MILKSHAKE RECIPE

Ingredients For 6 Half-Cup Servings

Preparation

1. PLACE ice cream, milk, alcohol and syrup/vanilla in blender. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth.

2. POUR into glasses. Garnish as desired and serve immediately.

More ice cream in the mix makes a thicker shake.

If you like cardamom, try this delicious vanilla cardamom milkshake shooter.

MILKSHAKE HISTORY

Most people know a “milkshake” as a cold beverage made from milk, ice cream and often, syrup, served in a tall, fluted glass with a straw (the classic milkshake glass is known as a Y glass).

The Random House Dictionary describes a milkshake as an American creation, “a frothy drink made of cold milk, flavoring, and usually ice cream, shaken together or blended in a mixer.” And it states that the word dates to 1885.

That’s when the word “milkshake” is first found in print. But that original milkshake was not suitable for children or teetotalers. It was an alcoholic drink, a “…sturdy, healthful eggnog type of drink, with eggs, whiskey, etc., served as a tonic as well as a treat.”*

By 1900, the whiskey and eggs were out, and the term “milkshake” referred to “wholesome drinks made with chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla syrups.”*

Yet, the milkshake still contained no ice cream.

THE MODERN MILKSHAKE

The modern milkshake was born in 1922, when an employee at a Chicago Walgreens, Ivar “Pop” Coulson, was inspired to add two scoops of ice cream to malted milk. Malted milk was a drink made by blending milk, chocolate syrup and malt (malt was invented in 1887—as a nutritional supplement for infants).

The malted milkshake shot to stardom nationwide. By the 1930s, soda fountains were known as “malt shops.” In 1937 two milkshake-worthy events occurred: A superior blender was invented by Fred Waring, and the flexible straw was invented by Joseph Friedman.

But not all milkshakes were malted milkshakes. Many people preferred their milkshakes malt-free.

By the late 1930s, the term “frosted” was being used to describe maltless milkshakes that blended ice cream and milk into one smooth drink, while a “float” had scoops of ice cream “floating” in milk.

Vanilla cardamom milkshake shooter with a whoopie pie. Here’s the recipe. Photo courtesy McCormick.

Soda fountain owners also came up with their own names. In New England, milkshakes were variously called frappes (Massachusetts), velvets, frosteds and cabinets (Rhode Island, referring to the freezer cabinet from which the ice cream was scooped). Someone in a drive-through restaurant in St. Louis invented the concrete, a milkshake so thick that it was handed out the order window upside down for a wow factor. (We’ve had a few, and would argue that the concrete is not really a milkshake, but ice cream that’s been blended with just enough milk to turn it into a malleable form. It needs to be eaten with a spoon: It’s so thick it can’t be drunk through a straw).

*Source: Stuart Berg Flexner, Listening to America (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1982) p. 178.

FOOD TRIVIA

In the 1950s, a milkshake machine salesman named Ray Kroc bought became the exclusive distributor of a speedier milkshake machine, the Multimixer. He inadvertently invented modern fast food with his vision of franchising McDonald’s hamburger stand in San Bernardino, California—in order to sell several Multimixers to each location.

FLOAT, MALTED, MILKSHAKE: THE DIFFERENCE

A float is a carbonated soft drink—cola, root beer, etc.—with a scoop of ice cream “floating” in it.

A malt is a milkshake—ice cream, milk, flavoring—with added malted milk.

Green iced tea with berries. Photo by Eugene
Bochkarev | Dreamstime.

To quench thirsts over July 4th weekend, brew up a special batch of red, white and blue iced tea.

Use red and blue berries and a white fruit to garnish:

White fruits can include:

 
If you don’t want to add a white fruit, default to a white straw!

ICED TEA TIPS

 
ICED TEA FUN

Take our iced tea trivia quiz.

Learn all about tea in our Gourmet Tea Section.

Talk tea like a pro: See our Tea Glossary.

Tart and terrific hibiscus iced tea. For a fourth of July drink, substitute red, white and blue fruits for the lime. Photo courtesy Republic Of Tea.

Today’s the day to pick up a bottle or two of Robert Mondavi wine.

It’s Mondavi’s 100th birthday (June 18, 1913 – May 16, 2008). The American wine pioneer and innovator made technical improvements and developed marketing strategies that brought worldwide recognition for the wines of California’s Napa Valley. Until then, California wines “got no respect”: American wine buyers were French-wine-focused.

A bottle of Robert Mondavi Winery’s 2011 Fume Blanc is a beautiful warm weather wine and a great choice for a birthday celebration. It’s an exceptionally well-balanced, fruit-forward varietal (Sauvignon Blanc) that is enjoyable on its own or as a food wine, with fish, shellfish and lighter dishes. Fume Blanc, a name Mondavi trademarked, is made in the style of French Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre wines), with citrusy fruit and herbal flavors, minerality and racy acidity. It’s one of our favorite wines.

One of Mondavi’s innovations was to promote the labeling of wines by their varietal names, i.e., Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc/Fume Blanc. The European tradition is to name the wine based on its village, region or other geography (Burgundy, Bordeaux, Port, etc.).

Robert Mondavi’s acclaimed Fume Blanc. Photo courtesy Robert Mondavi Winery.

Mondavi‘s father had a business in California that shipped grapes to the East Coast for home winemaking. The family then acquired the Charles Krug Winery in Napa, and after graduating from Stanford, Mondavi joined his father and brother Peter in the business.

You can read the story—a saga worthy of a motion picture or mini series—in The House Of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty.

Today, the Robert Mondavi Winery produces a large variety of wines in multiple lines, ranging from connoisseur wines to everyday wines: Reserve Wines, District Wines, Napa Valley Wines and Winery Exclusive Wines, the latter of which can only be purchased at the winery.

Learn more at RobertMondaviWinery.com. And plan a trip to visit the lovely winery. It’s an easy drive from San Francisco.

Dolce de bananas becomes a banana toffee
pie. Here’s the recipe. Photo courtesy
OurBestBites.com.

We went overboard at Trader Joe’s, buying too many bananas with the thought that we’d eat one or two each day. You can guess the outcome: a lot of overripe bananas.

So we headed to our mental archive of delicious things to make with overripe bananas:

Dolce de bananas (in Italian) or dulce de bananas (in Spanish) is a type of banana pudding. Some recipes are “wet”—the consistency of American chocolate pudding—or “dry,” like a bread pudding.

Here’s a basic “wet” pudding recipe from Dole, which slow-cooks the overripe bananas into a pudding consistency. Unlike American puddings, it uses no dairy. The recipe makes 4 servings. Prep time 15 minutes, cook time: 3 hours.

RECIPE: DOLCE DE BANANAS or DULCE DE BANANAS or BANANA PUDDING

Ingredients

Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a saucepan.

2. COOK slowly over low heat for 3 hours. If the mixture becomes too thick, thin with a little water.

3. COOL for 10 minutes. Garnish as desired; serve.
 
MORE RECIPES FOR OVERRIPE BANANAS

Dolce De Bananas Pie. Blogger Kate from OurBestBites.com fills a chocolate cookie pie crust with her own recipe for dolce de bananas, using sweetened condensed milk and cream, plus brown sugar, cream cheese and toffee chocolate bars. She calls it a “naughty, naughty pie that should only be eaten once a year.”

Pretty ripe but not really overripe (those bananas aren’t as pretty). Photo courtesy BakingLibrary.Blogspot.

But you can throw caution to the wind and have it more frequently. Here‘s the recipe.

Banana Chocolate Cake. This recipe, from BakingLibrary.com, turns those overripe bananas into a delicious cake.

Bananas & Sour Cream. One of our favorite childhood treats with ripe—but not overripe—bananas: Top them with sour cream and brown sugar. We still love this in adulthood. Try it for dessert or a snack.
 
No time to bake right now?

Mash the bananas and freeze them in cup or half-cup portions, in airtight containers. You can add the frozen bananas into a milkshake or smoothie when the mood strikes.

Or, blend in some sweetener and freeze the mashed banana in ice pop molds.

A spin on fries: tofu and coconut. Photo courtesy House Foods.

Most people have had french fries in some or all of their variations*, sweet potato fries, even zucchini fries. But how about tofu fries?

House Foods created this tasty recipe, which evokes coconut-battered shrimp:

CRISPY COCONUT TOFU FRIES WITH SPICY
APRICOT SAUCE

Ingredients

For Tofu Fries

*French fries in all their shapes—crinkle, curly, shoestring, steak cut, thick-cut, wedges and others—and recipes such as cheese fries, chili fries, poutine, etc.

For the Spicy Apricot Sauce

; 
†Sriracha is a hot chili sauce from Thailand. It is made from sun-ripened chile peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. It can be found in the Asian aisle of some supermarkets, in Asian grocery stores and online.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick baking spray.

House Foods makes conventional tofu and organic varieties. Photo courtesy House Foods.

2. SLICE tofu crosswise into 4 slabs. Line a plate with several layers of paper towels, arrange tofu in a single layer on the plate, cover with more paper towels and then top with a second plate weighed down by a heavy pot. Set aside for about 15 minutes to dry out, then slice tofu slabs into 1/2” sticks.

3. BEAT together eggs, salt, pepper and lime zest in shallow dish.

4. MIX panko and coconut in a second shallow dish.

5. DIP tofu in egg mixture, turning to coat; then toss in breading mixture pressing gently to help coating adhere.

6. ARRANGE in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp and golden, flipping the fries after 15 minutes.While the fries bake…

7. MAKE the sauce by melting the apricot jam with the lime juice, sriracha and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Transfer to a bowl.

8. SERVE the fries hot, with the warm sauce for dipping.

Funfetti for a fun July 4th.Photo by Elvira
Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

If you’re planning July 4th festivities, start with breakfast. Hungry Jack has a patriotic pancake mix for Independence Day: Funfetti Stars & Stripes Pancake Mix.

There are neither stars nor stripes in the mix, but teeny red and blue candy bits* that provide specks of color. They’re too small to add significant flavor or texture to the pancakes, but they are, as the product name says, fun. And the pancakes are delicious.

If you want to make more of an impact, you can make special July 4th pancakes with:

 
HOW MANY TYPES OF PANAKES HAVE YOU
HAD?

Check out all the different types of pancakes in our Pancake & Waffle Glossary.

*Ingredients include sugar, cornstarch, vegetable oil, confectioner’s glaze, canuba wax and color.

If your family loves potato salad, you can turn it into a main course—a “dinner salad.” Toss in some green beans, add a Caesar-type dressing, and you have an all-in-one dish. It packs flavor and nutrition and uses just five ingredients are needed to create this dish!

The recipe is courtesy of BeefItsWhatsFordDnner.com. It yields 4 servings; prep time 30 minutes; cook time 25 minutes.

RECIPE: BEEFY POTATO SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS

Ingredients

Protein and sides in one dish. Photo courtesy Beef It’s What’s For Dinner.

The salad close up. Photo courtesy Beef It’s What’s For
Dinner.

Preparation

1. CUT beef lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick strips.

2. COMBINE 1/4 cup dressing and beef in medium bowl. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes to 2 hours.

3. HEAT 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add green beans; stir-fry 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and potatoes; continue stir-frying 4 to 6 minutes or until potatoes and green beans are heated through and starting to brown. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

4. HEAT same skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/2 of beef; stir-fry 1 to 3 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Do not overcook. Remove from skillet; add to vegetable mixture. Repeat with remaining beef.

5. ADD remaining 1/4 cup dressing to beef and vegetables; toss to coat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variations

Steak: One pound beef top round steak, cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick, or flank steak may be substituted for top sirloin steak.

Potatoes: Four cups leftover cooked potato wedges may be substituted for refrigerated/frozen prepared potatoes.

Fresh goat cheese is one of our favorite foods. We’re always looking for new ways to use it. Since it spreads and melts easily, that’s not hard to do.

It’s called chèvre (SHEV) in French, which is the word for both the goat and its cheese.

One of our favorite first courses: beet and goat cheese Napoleons. Here‘s the recipe. Photo courtesy Ile de France.

What’s better than a cheese soufflé? A goat
cheese soufflé! Here’s the recipe. Photo
courtesy Ile de France.

 
There’s much more, of course. Check out all the delicious goat cheese recipes from Ile de France.

We love the fun concepts of Lee Zalben, proprietor of Peanut Butter & Co. The man lives for peanut butter, and how to serve it in new and creative ways. He posts a different idea every day at the Nutropolitan Museum of Art.

Peanut butter and strawberry jelly. Cut the crusts off soft white bread. Spread with PB & J. Roll.

PEANUT BUTTER SUSHI RECIPE

Ingredients

Peanut butter and jelly sushi rolls. Photo by Andrea Hernandez.

 
*Here’s how to shave a cucumber to make a cucumber wrap.

Optional Inclusions

Go for “cucumber sushi” with peanut butter.
Photo by Andrea Hernandez.

Preparation

1. ROLL bread flat with a rolling pin.

2. SPREAD with a thin layer of peanut butter and jam.

3. SPRINKLE with 1/2 teaspoon inclusions and gently roll into a tight log. Slice into 2-inch “sushi rolls.”
 
MORE WAYS TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER SUSHI

SUSHI LOVER?

Check out all the types of sushi in our Sushi Glossary.