Penguin What???

Last week on Tuesday I was at the cannery canning jam. I have enjoyed doing things like that while the kids are at school now. The best thing about going to the cannery is bringing home free stuff! It doesnt always happen but it sometimes does. So, as we were all leaving the head guy said that there was a bunch of ice cream and frozen treats to take. I was in heaven! Especially when I saw an incredible chocholate mousse cake (which is best when kept frozen and snuck into when no one is watching - especially during stressful moments during the day). Anyhow, one of the other things they had was a big tub of icecream from Baskin Robbins called Penguin Swirl. I thought that sounded different - but fun for the kids. I loaded it up with my chocolate mousse cake and some other wonderful known Dryers flavors and went on home.

A few days later on Saturday Trevor's group of cub scouts had an activity and I invited the leaders to bring the boys over to our house for ice cream since there was plenty for the taking. I wasnt about to share my chocolate mousse cake but I figured that I might be able to let go of some penguin swirl. All was good and I got the cones, scooper and ice cream out and then opened several tubs of icecream - one being the penguin swirl. I wondered to myself -- is it because of all of the pengiun movies that have been out lately - Surf's Up, Happy Feet etc etc that someone would come up with such a title? I opened the lids and I should not have been surprized but before me was pitch BLACK ice cream! Never in my life had I seen such a thing. I imagined millions of gallons of this stuff rejected by Baskin Robbins and sent to thousands of canneries all over the country. As I scooped deeper I saw scant traces of a frosting like white concoction swirled around what turned out to be a black licorice sea. The boys were thrilled at the thought of diving into such a mixture! I carefully told then to lean over the table as to not get the stuff on their uniforms. My hands were stained with black as I started scooping and the two den moms wisely chose peppermint for themselves laughing with me all the while. Before we knew it the cones were devoured and I was a hero. The boys left happily satisfied by the new flavor.

That night we has waffles for dinner -a family favorite. I was proud of the fact that I had added some of my ground wheat flour to the mix to make a hearty, healthy meal for my family (ok- dont laugh). We started to dig in and I noticed that Trevor was trying to sneak some of his waffle over to a famished looking Brandon. I said, "Trevor what are you doing? You need to eat your own food!! Why...???" He looked at me blankly and promptly expelled black sludge from his mouth onto his plate and said, "Thats why!"!!!! He ran to the bathroom with us helping --- and I was amazed that we thought that we'd seen it all before this experience.

In true Trevor form he said later that he had thown up earlier in the trash can but hadnt mentioned it to us yet. The next day as I was preparing another meal I found the remnants and promptly explained to my 9 1/2 year old the importance of letting us know when those types of things happen so we can take care of it in a quick and orderly fashion. He was assigned to spray and lysol the trash can and stay home that day to re coop. The only thing else to say is that when foods like that go in they must come out one way or the other and for poor Trevor it was both for awhile. so my advice to you is that if you ever see Penguin Swirl -- RUN Away!! -- and go for the Cabin Fever Chocolate Frozen Mousse!!!