Tonight’s dinner was amazing…I had ice cream! This is every kids dream…and the life of living on your own, single, and on a budget. It was either eat pasta salad for umpteenth time or ice cream…and I think it’s pretty obvious which should win out. Since moving to Texas have I been introduced to the amazing, taste bud pleasing ice cream called Blue Bell.

Before I go into the most creative and delicious flavors I have tried and loved all so far, let me give you a little history of this product. (I got all this info. from Wikipedia by the way…gotta state my source 🙂

Brenham Creamery Corporation began making ice cream back in 1911 although the company was established in 1907 making butter. But by 1919 the company began to be in financial trouble. A young school teacher took over to company and the debt got larger. This is when the company expanded their production of ice cream to the locals and finally began to make a profit. They changed their name to Blue Bell Creameries in 1930 after a native Texas wildflower.

These were everywhere for two months and I loved it! Next year I definitely need to take some pictures of these.

Until 1936, the creamery made ice cream by the batch. They could create a 10-gallon batch of ice cream every 20 minutes. In 1936 the company purchased their first continuous ice cream freezer, which could make 80 gallons of ice cream per hour. The ice cream would run through a spigot, allowing it to be poured into any size container. (This is crazy huh?)

By the 60’s the company focused all its energy on ice cream and expanded their market to Houston, Dallas, and most of Texas. By the end of the decade, their sales had quadrupled, and by 1980 the creamery produced over 10 million gallons of ice cream per year, earning $30 million annually!

Blue Bell is the third-best-selling ice cream in America and can only be found 17 states, mostly southern, but it has been eaten abroad in the International Space Station and at Camp David. Blue Bell introduced its flagship flavor, “Homemade Vanilla,” in 1969 and claims to have invented the flavor “Cookie n Cream.” (Brack-we will have to try this when you come out!) Although the company at one time made Cookies ‘n Cream from Nabisco’s Oreo cookies, buying ordinary retail packages, today they bake their own cookies. As of 1997, Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla was the best-selling single flavor of ice cream in the United States.

Want more cool facts? They have 66 flavors. Twenty are offered year round while the other two or three dozen are seasonal. Their size of container has not shrunk like other competitors. And in 2001 Forbes named Blue Bell the best ice cream in the country.

OK…now on to my personal experience. I will do this in list format making it easier to read and easier for me to organize my thoughts.

The flavors I have tried:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: This is one of my favorite flavors for any ice cream and Blue Belle has become my favorite brand for it. You will never take a bite where there is not cookie dough or chocolate chip and the classic Blue Bell vanilla makes it perfect.

Homemade Vanilla: Now I know what many of you’re thinking. What’s so special about vanilla. You usually need to put something on it to make it good. And this is exactly what my point of view use to be. But that has all changed. I speak the truth when I say I could eat this vanilla by itself and be a happy woman. It is soooooo good!

The Great Divide: This is the Homemade Vanilla and Chocolate side by side. Classic and delicious.

Rocky Road: This is one of my fav.’s from way back when. The one thing that sets Blue Bell apart from its competition and makes this flavor so good is that it does not skimp on the mix-ins. There is enough marshmallow and almonds to enjoy in the chocolaty goodness.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries: Vanilla Ice Cream with chocolate syrup and real strawberries throughout, and chocolate covered strawberry goo. This is in my top 3! Strawberries are my fav. fruit and add chocolate and the vanilla…priceless.

Moo-llennium Crunch: Vanilla ice cream with chocolate, caramel, almonds, walnuts and pecans. This is kind of like a glorified pralines and cream. And I would take this any day over Baskin Robins.

Candy Jar: Start out with caramel ice cream and add peanut brittle, chocolate chunks, mini Reese’s cups. If you know me, then you know that peanut brittle and Reese’s cups are not my favorite. But Blue Bell can do no wrong and I thoroughly enjoy this flavor.

And last but not least, one of the newest flavors and what I had for dinner tonight!

Grooms Cake: Chocolate ice cream with chocolate cake pieces, chocolate coated strawberry hearts (my favorite part), swirls of strawberry and chocolate frosting. THIS IS THE BEST SO FAR! If you have access to Blue Bell, go buy it now while it is still in season. It is so good! I truly think when I am eating it I am enjoying a little piece of heaven, lol. I would love to serve this at my wedding…just gotta find a man 🙂

Well, I guess that about does it for my Blue Bell ice cream rant. I hope you enjoyed it and got inspired to try some new ice cream…it is of course practically summer. Although, I enjoy eating ice cream year round, as my good friend Steph does. She is going to love this blog! And I get to see her in like 2 weeks! And I will of course introduce her to my beloved Blue Bell.

Steph is of course in the middle and I am on the right. Steve is on the left and he will soon be enjoying Blue Bell with me as well because he is moving to Dallas in August! Yay!

I would love to hear what your favorite Blue Bell flavor is and why. Or if you are not lucky enough to enjoy Blue Bell than what is your favorite ice cream brand and flavor. I can tell you that before I moved to Austin my favorite ice cream could only be found on Main Street at Disneyland. I like to go to Gibson Girl to get the Tollhouse cookie swirl in a chocolate waffle cone. And what makes it even more perfect is eating it while watching the fireworks…oh how I miss Disneyland.

OK…I’m really done now…Until next time…PEACE OUT!