Good morning! 
Some early bird thunderstorms rained out my morning Mom walk (again!) but they’ve since cleared up, and it’s actually shaping up to be a real dazzler of a day!
I got it started with a nice breakfast, that I even tweeted my excitement about last night. Let’s see, what do we have here…
A steaming, hot cup of coffee made in my lovely, oh-so-convenient Keurig.
Getting breakfast ready to the smell of freshly brewed coffee is the BEST!
I drank mine black today, because I was feeling hard core. I never drink mine without any mix ins – and now I am feeling all caff’d UP!
Brewed directly into my Las Vegas Starby’s mug. I always thought the LV mug should be hot pink or something, and embedded with rhinestones…just a thought. 
I also whipped up an English Muffin slathered in raspberry jam and almond butter.
I picked up these Thomas 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins at the store this weekend.
They’re super fluffy, squishy and light – SO GOOD.
And even better when simply dressed. 
Rounded out with half a ‘loupe. I can tell this one is going to be juic-ay!
Don’t get me wrong – oatmeal breakfasts with tons of toppings are fun – but sometimes the simple things in life are the best. Don’t ya’ think?!
I packed a leftover Mozzarella Stuffed Bruschetta Turkey Burger for lunch. Good news – Ben declared that these have officially taken over BBQ Chicken Quesadillas as his favorite food!!
There’s just so many layers of flavor, and the mozzarella cheese stuffed inside the burger keeps the turkey so moist.
Along for the ride are some crunchy Wheat Thins and silky, whipped Basha Hommus.
A couple readers told me that “hOmmus”, spelled with an O, is the authentic, Middle-Eastern way to spell hommus. ”HUmmus”, spelled with a U, is the Americanized way to spell/pronounce it. Interesting!
However you spell it, I want to eat it. I love this meal!
Wells Blue Bunny Trip Recap: Create Your Own Ice Cream Flavor!
After the unforgettable ice cream factory tour and delicious 5-course lunch prepared by Blue Bunny’s corporate chef John Kennedy (here are two of the recipes he used in our dessert course!) we sat through a fascinating presentation about snacking & dessert trends with Blue Bunny’s Director of Insights & Innovation (seriously, it was fascinating. I eat this stuff up! Pun intended.)
Afterwards we returned to Chef John’s kitchen, where we were greeted by THIS!
Holy ice cream toppings, batman! It was clear that we had entered the make your own ice cream portion of the tour! 
Every ice cream topping, mix in and swirl in under the SUN was laid out before our very eyes. We’re talking chocolate chip cookie dough, snickerdoodle cookie dough, sprinkles of every color, cheesecake, red velvet cake, chocolate cake,
brownies, dark chocolate, apple-cinnamon crunchies, chocolate covered waffle cones, peppermint pieces, nuts, chocolate covered nuts, caramel pieces, sea salt caramel crunchies… That doesn’t even include the ice cream base flavorings like peanut butter, chocolate and black raspberry – oh my!!!
Us bloggers could hardly believe our eyes! 
Before we got started we settled in to listen to a presentation about how Blue Bunny develops new products from one of their resident food scientists.
It’s surprisingly technical, and the scientists are heavily involved in the process. Lots of checks & balances to make sure the finished product isn’t too sweet, too tart, or really, too anything! Every flavor and product should have a perfect balance. It’s hard work! (Please note how giddy I am.)
The presentation wrapped up not a moment too soon. I mean, hello, look what we were staring at!
It was time to get to work.
Chef John gave us a demo on how to create our own flavor (as if we needed any help ) He started with several scoops of premium, Blue Bunny vanilla ice cream, then added in a peanut butter base, to flavor the ice cream, and several mix-ins. After a quick whirl in a mixer, his combo was good to go!
Our turn! Clearly, we were not shy about digging right in.
Here’s the thing – the food scientist told us that a really good flavor of ice cream has good balance. For instance, if there were chunks of brownie in the ice cream, then maybe they’d add a ribbon of peanut butter to add a hint of savory to balance out the sweet.
If strawberries were the mix-in du jour, maybe they’d use a more tart ice cream base to create a sweet/tart balance.
I took all these helpful hints into consideration when creating my ice cream flavor.
I really did.
In the end though, my inner 8 year old dominated the situation and I ended up with THIS! Muwahahaha!!
Let’s see here…we’ve got premium vanilla ice cream, chocolate chip cookie dough, snickerdoodle cookie dough, caramel bits, brownie chunks, chopped nuts and peanut butter flavoring. I know.
I patiently waited until it was my turn to get have my ingredients whirred up to become real ice cream.
Presto…
chango!!! Best ice cream I’ve ever had. Sweet, peanut buttery, chewy, crunchy, salty – AMAZING!!
Over the top? Sure. Obnoxiously sweet? You bet. But like I always say – go big, or go home baby!!!!!
We all silently devoured our luscious, creamy-sweet creations with delight.
Even our hosts got in on the action!
I made a second bowl, but we won’t talk about that…
Best afternoon EVER!
There you have it folks! Creating your own ice cream flavor. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it!
Time for another Blue Bunny free ice cream coupon giveaway! Today’s question, which you have until 10pm tonight to guess correctly, is…
What is Blue Bunny’s most popular flavor of ice cream?
a. Bunny Tracks
b. Vanilla
c. Chocolate
d. Peanut Butter Panic
The answer to yesterday’s question was “c”. You could fill 1,000,000 pies with the amount of strawberries Blue Bunny uses in their products every year! Woah! Congrats to winner:
Ashley: My answer is C! And the picture of the Big Bopper Sandwiches is definitely a money shot!! Thanks for sharing
Congrats Ashley! Email me your address at IowaGirlEats@hotmail.com so I can get your free ice cream coupon out to you in the mail. Good luck to today’s entrants!
I would say B…everyone loves a good vanilla ice cream! Though I never get that because I’m always too tempted by the great mix-ins. The create your own that you did looks so fun!
I’d have to guess B (Vanilla) – a little boring, but goes with anything!
My guess is A. Bunny Tracks! Only makes sense with the brand in the name and ingredients of course!
I’d go with B–can’t go wrong with vanilla!
I am going to guess B. Vanilla but I have to admit I am a Chocolate kind of girl (which I bet is their 2nd most popular)!
My guess is A. Bunny Tracks — looks like you had fun making your own ice cream flavor!
I am going B, although I feel that it’s too obvious!
I’m going with A. Blue Bunny, Bunny Tracks, i don’t know.
Vanilla!
The answer is B. Vanilla. Your ice cream creation sounds delish. Definitely something I would buy if I saw it in the store.
My answer is A.
Cindy
My answer is B- Vanilla. Although that is my LEAST favorite flavor, I do believe it is America’s favorite flavor!! Ice cream makes the world go round, doesn’t it??
B all the way.
My guess is B) vanilla. But I adore Bunny Tracks. Definitely my fav.
I guess B. Vanilla is the perfect compliment to any cake, pie, tart, cookie…I could go on all day!
Sweet and salty combos are my downfall. That’s why I love salted caramel stuff.
My guess is A- mainly because Bunny Tracks is the best!!
It has to be vanilla! From one Midwest Girl to another. Have a blessed day!!!
Definitely b – vanilla! Thanks for such a great giveaway!
I will have to say that the most popular flavor is probably Vanilla. While I am pretty sure that is the most popular flavor, my personal favorite is probably bunny tracks, because I love all of the caramel filled bunnies in the ice cream!!
I’m going with A – Bunny Tracks. You can get vanilla in any brand! Bunny Tracks is the best!
I’m gonna guess bunny tracks! I’m pretty sure it’s their signature item!
I think its B. but that is also my favorite
I would have to say B. Vanilla. If I were picking I would say Bunny Tracks – but I bet the answer is B.
It’s a toss up.. but… I will choose A.. Bunny Tracks.
:O)
It’s got to be vanilla! Nothing beats fresh fruit on vanilla in the summer.
Definitely vanilla…that lets the eater decide what toppings to put on it. Possibilities are endless as you just showed!
It must be B. Vanilla!
Right?!
Your ice cream sounds awesome – I would definitely buy it!
I think B (vanilla) is the most popular flavor….can’t go wrong w/ vanilla!
My guess is definitely vanilla! I am so incredibly jealous of your experience at Wells Blue Bunny and would also love your sweet & salty creation!
Our answer is B. And I’m pretty sure we would have made an ice cream “suicide” – remember mixing all kinds of fountain sodas together as a kid? Yeah…that’s what we’d do with the ice cream toppings.
Must be A because that is my favorite! Your ice cream concoction looked delicious!
everyone loves vanilla ice cream! i, however, like to go with the more complex flavors…peanut butter with allllll the mix-ins!
I’m gonna go with b. Classic. Vanilla.
Personally, I’d prefer Bunny Tracks… but… the all-time American fav? Probably Vanilla. It goes with everything.
i’ll go with A
I’m gonna go with Bunny Tracks. Just becaaause
vanilla!
Vanilla, so you can put on any topping
I’m gonna guess B, Vanilla
I am guessing B Vanilla is the most popular though that seems boring to me! I like ice cream flavors that have different textures and flavors throughout. Your creation looks awesome
I’m going with A because i love Bunny Tracks!
I am going to go with A
Definitely have to go with the classic… VANILLA!!!
snickerdoodle dough…sweet Lord. b, vanilla, though, and rightfully so–i wouldn’t bother with the whole building if the foundation was bogus, either.
My answer is B, Vanilla
B: Vanilla
Then, you can top it with whatever you want!
Oh my – what a freakin’ awesome thing to do! LOVE IT!!!!
I’m going to guess bunny tracks… cause that is MY favorite!
My answer is B vanilla!
A. Vanilla! No one can resist it. Warm Apple Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream is my biggest weakness!