Review: Blizzard of the Month - Caramel Nut Roll

Yes, it's November, and that means a new Dairy Queen Blizzard of the month! October took care of Pumpkin Pie, so I was wondering what kind of potential holiday-themed concoction they would come up with to honor American thanksgiving? Well the answer is clearly....peanuts, caramel, and marshmallows? Not like pecan or...something? DQ claims this "took all my favorite desserts and combined them in a treat so delicious it makes the turkeys jealous." Which desserts exactly? And more importantly, who the hell is this anonymous Blizzard describer that seems to be speaking in first person to us? Seriously, does this even qualify as anything thanksgiving-y south of the border?

OK, OK, I guess it doesn't really need to relate to thanksgiving - and if it somehow does, it's way over my head. And don't get me wrong, I like all three primary ingredients in this mixture of "gooey caramel and marshmallow blended with peanuts." In fact, I generally enjoyed this blizzard. There were a LOT of peanuts in it, which is good because I am a big fan of peanuts + vanilla ice cream, but I could see it getting a bit overwhelming for some. In fact the peanut overload did make it a bit difficult to isolate the other flavours that were supposed to be present. I could taste the marshmallow, though as the flavour is somewhat similar to vanilla soft serve in the first place, it took a bit. As for the caramel...

You are looking at the only evidence of caramel I could find in this Blizzard. It just...wasn't really there. Which is a shame, because it would have added an extra dimension to a treat that was essentially just peanuts + vanilla. Note to DQ employees: equally proportioned mix-ins!

Recommend to a friend? Yes, if you like peanuts. This was a fairly satisfactory treat
Repurchase? Potentially. I would probably put Crispy Crunch ahead of this one though. :-/

Qualicum Beach: 24+ Soft Serve Flavours!

With our afternoon class cancelled, we had time to drive one of our classmates home, and on the way we stopped for ice cream at the concession stand at Qualicum Beach (right along the old Vancouver Island highway).

What's so special about getting ice cream here? They have over 30 flavours! Big deal, you say? Over 30 flavours of soft serve. Don't know about you, but that's something we haven't seen before. The system they use allows them to add flavoured syrup to plain soft serve and dispense it to the cone as a unique-flavoured creation. Check out some of the flavours they offer (click image to enlarge):

There were four of us there and we each ordered a different kind: kahlua, praline, root beer, and watermelon. All the flavours were quite tasty, and the root beer one especially tasted like a nice root beer float.  This is definitely a spot that was worth the drive and the fact that you can enjoy your ice cream while sitting right next to the beach only sweetens the deal. If you're in Qualicum Beach, or even just driving through, definitely plan to make a pit stop here!

Watermelon soft serve - awesome!