Meet and greet over the perfect treat

As the holidays draw nearer and finals come to an end, people are finding more and more reasons to celebrate.

And nothing says "celebrate" like ice cream.

The ice cream social is the ultimate way to bring people together, and, best of all for the college student, requires no cooking.

I recently read about a university's College Republicans and Young Democrats throwing a political ice cream social, in hopes of easing the tension between the two groups.

What resulted was a gathering of students who found common ground long enough to eat a bowl of ice cream, and hopefully interact a little in between bites.

Love is in the air.

Throwing an ice cream social is incredibly simple. Follow these steps and you can't go wrong:

1. Buy a few large buckets from your local grocery store. If you're supplying a lot of toppings, no need to get fancy. Stick to the basics like vanilla, chocolate, mint and maybe strawberry.

2. Pick out some toppings. Always include nuts, a couple syrups and sprinkles. Nothing says fun like sprinkles.

Other dry topping could be your favorite candy bar or sliced fruit. Hot toppings should be stored in a crock pot, because they harden pretty fast.

3. Line up the goodies with some bowls and spoons. Don't forget to put cherries on the end.

4. Butt whoever is in line in front of you.

That's really all there is to it.

So whether your having an office Christmas party, an end of finals bash or a New Year's fiesta, come together over the cream.

Trust me, it's the best way to chillax.

The Black Apples of my eye

As the semester comes to an end, ice cream topics are growing slim.

So this may be a stretch, but bear with me.

The Black Apples, a local band from Conifer, Colorado, make good music.

They also like good ice cream.

Coincidence? I think not.

The band includes Robert Shipton, Andrew and Campbell Scarborough, whose favorite ice cream flavors are vanilla, cookie dough and cookies and cream, in that order.

Drawing influence from bands like the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Kinks and the Talking Heads, their classic sound mixed with a unique spin will get even you dancing.

Whether or not that's a good thing.

Although they've yet to be signed, the band has been drawing crowds to places like Hodi's Half Note since they formed in 2005.

The combination of their musical talent, charm on stage and 70s reminiscent good looks leaves one wondering what else a record label could possibly need.

They will be playing Dec. 7 at the Larimer Lounge in Denver, Colorado, and will make it worth the hour drive to any Fort Collins Resident.

Any music lover should try and make it, because who knows, next year, they could be playing the Pepsi Center.

And trust me, it will cost a lot more.

The ice cream of the crop

If money isn't an issue, than I've found the best dessert.

It has succulent looking cherries scattered throughout a giant scoop piled to the top of an enticing waffle cone.

And best of all, when it sells, hundreds of disadvantaged children will receive a million dollars.

Talk about more cream for your green.

Last June, Bruster's Ice Cream teamed up with Lazare Kaplan International Inc., a worldwide diamond distributor, to create the world's most expensive cone.

The 152.16 carat creation, unveiled in Las Vegas in June, was designed to look like Bruster's cherry vanilla ice cream. It was made using white and yellow gold and three types of diamonds.

Biting into this gem would cause a lot more damage than a brain freeze.

The idea behind the cone, besides, of course, to promote the two companies, was also to sell this shiny scoop for a million dollars to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), the oldest and largest youth mentoring program in the U.S.

It's a cone for a cause.

The diamond dessert is currently on tour, and will be shone in Philadelphia this weekend, its last U.S. stop. before going overseas.

According to their Web site, Bruster's, founded in 1989 in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania, features over 140 different homemade ice cream recipes, and each of the 260 stores offers up to 40 at one time.

Sadly, Colorado isn't home to even one of them.

However, I have started saving for my own diamond cone.

And I am accepting donations.

Pie's best friend

Thanksgiving is almost here, and everything is ready.

You've got turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole and enough gravy to cover any cooking mistakes.

But no matter how stuffed with stuffing every guest gets, you'll never satisfy them without pie.

And you'll never satisfy pie without ice cream.

"A la mode," translating to "in the current fashion" has come to mean "with ice cream" in the U.S.

So it's basically French for better.

According to What's Cooking America, the term was created in the 1890s when Professor Charles Watson Townsend ordered apple pie with a side of ice cream regularly at one of his favorite restaurants in Cambridge Hotel.

A fellow diner nicknamed his dessert "pie a la mode," and the name stuck.

However, when Townsend tried ordering it at Delmonicos in New York City, he was appalled to find they didn't have it. After speaking with the manager, the restaurant added it to the menu.

The run-in was soon publicized by the New York Sun and the rest is dessert history.

When the term is used by itself in France, a la mode can refer to a beef dish marinated in red wine and herbs, according to the Food Reference Web site.

Not exactly what you want on top of pastry.

So here are some hints for preparing pie "a la mode" a la right:

Serve the pie hot. The idea is for the ice cream to melt and blend with the pie, mixing the hot and cold to intensify both tastes.

Scoop the ice cream only after cutting the pie slices and putting on warm plates. When served, the ice cream should be in scoop rather than puddle form, so make sure guests are ready before the scooping begins.

Using ice cream with a strong vanilla flavor, like vanilla bean, is best so that you can still taste it over the pie flavor.

To spice things up, try using Dreyer's Grand cinnamon ice cream. It pairs great with both apple and pumpkin pie.

If time is tight, and no pie has been prepared, Baskin Robbins also offers pumpkin ice cream pies.

They're overpriced and hard to cut, but taste pretty good.

Keep in mind, when the stress of entertaining starts getting to you, that as long as you keep glasses and stomachs full, everyone will be happy.

Or drunk. Or happy and drunk.

You really can't go wrong either way.

Ice cream royalty

Its time to bow down and pay our respects to one of the biggest and most successful ice cream companies in the entire world.

So successful, in fact, that it deserves its own blog.

Dairy Queen has been keeping Americans fat and happy since the first store opened in 1940, and has created a soft serve legacy that not just any hot fudge can fill.

It all started, according to DQ's Web site, with a father and son from Greenville, Illinois and a 10 cent all-you-can-eat ice cream sale, in hopes of promoting their new dairy invention.

Over 1500 stomach aches later, it was obvious their product was a hit, and so was born an ice cream company that would take the nation by storm.

The first store opened in Joliet, Illinois, and grew from 10 stores in 1941 to almost 6000 in the U.S. and 20 other countries. The "we treat you right" slogan has since become a household phrase.

Their signature blizzards, introduced in 1957, are still perhaps the most popular item.

And with a small at $2.30 and 675 calories, according to Nutrition Data, you get more than twice what you pay for.

Dennis the Menace became Dairy Queen's spokesman when the two joined forces in 1972, bringing Dennis' face to milkshake cups everywhere.

Dairy Queen also joined forces with Orange Julius, buying the orange smoothie makers out.

Corporate America has never tasted so good.

DQ also offers what they call "hot eats," or a variety of crappy fast food options from chicken fingers to hot dogs.

Personally, however, I'd stick to the soft serve.

Unless, of course, you like the taste of rubber.

Ice cream imposters

Not everyone's freezer is fruitful.

When your Ben and Jerry's tastes like half baked freezer burn, but you still need to get your fix, stay calm.

There are ice cream alternatives that just may temporarily suffice.

Everyday Joe's, a freezer challenged coffee shop on Mason Street, has had to get creative when it comes to frozen treats. Besides the standard blended coffee beverages, they also offer the "you wont believe it's not a root beer float," a drink that tastes so much like the original, you'll wonder why they put ice cream in floats in the first place.

The $2.50 beverage is made with a combination of IBC or Jones root beer, half and half and vanilla syrup. Poured over ice, it tastes just like a melted version of the real thing.

A similar drink can be purchased at most bars, made with Baileys and root beer liqueur, according to Daryle Dickens, Joe's director.

When you're limited to gas station supplements, there's also the slushy route. Whether you call them icees, slurpees or Mr. Mistys, these blended frozen drinks make for a tasty alternative when ice cream is scarce.

I have a friend who likes freezing Cool Whip and eating it like ice cream, sometimes with chocolate syrup on top.

In my opionion, this doesn't even come close to the real thing.

But I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.

Custard's last fan

If the term 'frozen custard' makes you think of your grandparents, then its time to welcome dentures and wrinkles with open arms.

Combine the richness of gelato with the creaminess of frosting, and you'll be somewhere in frozen custard's ball park.

Made using most of ice cream's standard ingredients, but with a higher concentration of butterfat and/or egg yolk, custard is denser and more flavorful than most in the frozen family.

Recipes can be traced back to the 1900s, according to Wisegeek.com, but the invention of commercial custard making machines didn't happen until somewhere around the 1920s.

These 'custard machines' work their magic by folding the ingredients and air together in a process called "overrun." They work much slower than ice cream makers, adding in much less air than standard ice cream, resulting in a richer, more flavorful dessert.

Custard, be definition, also must include at least 10 percent butterfat. It used to be made with egg yolks, but that practice has decreased due to health concerns.

Some things, in my opinion, are worth salmonella poisoning.

Custard is hard to store and therefore usually made fresh daily, making it hard to find in stores. This limits most custard creaters to less than three flavors, generally chocolate, vanilla and a 'flavor of the day.'

Goodtimes fast food restaurant offers affordable frozen custard and fun weekend and seasonal flavors, including pumpkin pie and the upcoming December's eggnog.

They also have a variety of sundaes and "spoon benders" to rival any DQ Blizzard.

This gem of a drive thru also has daily custard specials. My favorite is Wednesday's New York cheesecake.

It's almost beats the real thing. Almost.

Culver's is another fast food custard option. Their flavor of the day options put 31 Flavors to shame, and the custard shakes make for a French fry-dipper from heaven.

And it's not to late to invite grandma.