GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL - ALL ABOUT ME - KIMMY RIPLEY

I wanted to do something a little different today and instead of sharing reviews and recipes I want to share some details about ME, in case anyone was wondering who I am! My name is Kimmy Ripley and I am from the city of St. Clair Shores in Michigan. I am very very VERY passionate about food and drink. I try my best to always eat with an open mind and I live for the thrill of trying out new things. This Give It A Whirl Girl food blog was started last June and it such a big joy to share my food and drink experiences with you all!

Today I will be sharing 10 questions and answers on the blog so you can get to know me better! There are going to be a ton of photos in this post so get ready! I know some people who “read” blogs don’t read and just check out the photos, so if you are one of those people you are in luck today!

Me! Kimmy Ripley AKA Give It A Whirl Girl

My hubby and I at Kona Grill for one of my birthdays

Give It A Whirl Girl with some Enlightened ice cream pop

Me and my daughter, Chloe Pearl, at the Heidelberg Project

You can also learn more about me in my introductory post!

All About Give It A Whirl Girl – Get To Know Me

1) Favorite food:

This is a tough question. I am not a very picky eater and I consider myself to be a foodie! There are so many foods out there that I absolutely love but if I had to choose one thing, just one thing, it would be…

Sushi! – I love love love sushi but I am also a big fan of things like crab legs or lobster tail because they are such a pricey and super rare treat for me.

My go-to place for sushi is Inyo in Ferndale, MI. We discovered this fantastic Asian fusion restaurant through Groupon. Inyo Ferndale is almost always on Groupon, so if you are local be sure to grab a Groupon for this spectacular Asian restaurant. You can thank me later… wink! wink! Their food is top-notch and we are regulars there.

And just for fun! Here is a photo of my daughter, Chloe Pear, with her chicken teriyaki dinner at Inyo Ferndale — And just for fun! Here is a photo of my daughter, Chloe Pearl, with her chicken teriyaki dinner at Inyo Ferndale

Ok guys! I am obsessed with Inyo. Here is a photo of my Walnut Lobster. This was the most recent meal that I ordered

Honorable mention:

Gotta love a big bowl of noodly pho at Minh Chau restaurant (they just changed the name to New Asian Star). Pho is comfort food for me. The broth here at New Asian Star is on-point! The pho that I enjoy ordering has sliced beef, brisket, meatballs, and soft tendon in it. Yeah I said tendon… and it is a weird meat to eat but I do enjoy it here. They also have a pho available with tripe if you are feeling really adventurous.

You can also stop in here for a bubble drink!

Big bowl of yummy pho at Minh Chau (now known as New Asian Star)

Pure comfort food right over here. I love pho at Minh Chau (New Asian Star)!

2) Least favorite food:

Oh this is an easy one. I used to eat some funky stuff when I was a little girl… things I could not fathom stomaching now!

Herrings in cream sauce (ew) I used to eat these fishy fishes straight out of the jar.

Giblets and hearts in my stuffing (ew! ew!) My mom always put those nasty things in my Thanksgiving stuffing. NEVER AGAIN

Liverwurst (ew! ew! ew!) All by itself or on some plain white bread. No thank you!

3) Favorite fruit

Want to know about my favorite fruit? This is an easy one to answer for me… dragon fruit, and that is followed by passion fruit, another favorite of mine. I am a HUGE fan of exotic fruits and I love to create exotic smoothie bowls with these fruits. If you are local, you can usually pick up a wide variety of exotic fruits at Nino Salvaggio.

Dragon fruit can have either a white center or pink center. You never know until you slice it!

[easy-image-collage id=8670]

Exotic fruits that I purchased at Nino Salvaggio

4) Favorite meals that I have cooked:

Truth be told, and many of you all know, cooking and baking is my #1 passion in life! I love to serve up a delicious dish for my little family of 3

Italian drunken noodle is hands down the family favorite over here in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen. You can find the recipe for this delicious dish on my blog. Italian Drunken Noodle features Pappardelle pasta, Italian sausage, and mix of peppers with chardonnay wine.

A big plate of Italian Drunken Noodle and a glass of chardonnay

Italian Drunken Noodle - Give It A Whirl Girl's favorite meal to cook — Italian Drunken Noodle – Give It A Whirl Girl’s favorite meal to cook

Honorable mention:

Gigantic mozzarella stuffed meatballs are a big favorite and I have the recipe for these on my blog. This is the kind of meal that I invite my family over for. This recipe serves up a generous portion of meatballs.

CLICK HERE for my Huge Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs RECIPE!

Huge mozzarella stuffed meatballs simmering in the slow-cooker

A big plate of mozzarella stuffed meatballs served over spaghetti noodles

Pineapples stuffed with a teriyaki chicken is another family fave but it is somewhat complicated and tedious to create. You can find the recipe and learn more about this gluten-free dish on my blog.

Pineapples stuffed with teriyaki chicken are a fabulous summer meal

[easy-image-collage id=8689]

5) Favorite desserts I have created

I love to bake cakes even though I am not the most talented baker and cake decorator. I created a bubblegum cake and a cotton candy cake. These cakes and cupcakes were a ton of fun to create and even more fun to eat!

Here are some photos of my favorite baking projects:

Bubblegum Gluten-Free Cake - Let's Get The Party Started — Bubblegum Gluten-Free Cake – Let’s Get The Party Started

COTTON CANDY CAKE by GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL - Gluten-Free - How I Created It — COTTON CANDY CAKE

6) Favorite drink (non-alcoholic):

I don’t know how I can pick one here. I am a self-confessed coffee addict and I am also addicted to my energy drinks (have to have at least one a day!). My favorite energy drinks are by Bang Energy. With flavors like Unicorn and Cotton Candy, how can you resist?

7) Favorite alcoholic drink:

I recently started getting into craft beer and hard ciders. I was always attracted to the labels and packaging. It is so fun and colorful! I grew up my entire life, hating on beer, and saying it tasted like pee. Then one day I went to Hop Cat and I went there with the intention of giving beer a whirl and I ordered a flight with three different craft beers. Guess what? I enjoyed each and every one of them! I was impressed with myself that I gave craft beer a chance. I love craft beer and the entire drink experience with them. I love all of the unique flavors out there… Lucky Charms cereal, etc. etc.!

So sorry for the poor quality photo! I apologize but here is a photo of me with my first craft beer! I gave it a whirl at Hop Cat in Royal Oak, MI

First flight of craft beer for me at Hop Cat and I loved each one of them!

Rekorderling Passion Fruit hard cider – This was the greatest hard cider I have tried!

An assortment of craft beers... all delicious! — An assortment of craft beers… all delicious!

Cranium Crush - Raspberry Waffle Cone Ale — Cranium Crush – Raspberry Waffle Cone Ale

An assortment of craft beers that I tried out. And we save all of the bottles and cans and display them in our basement.

8) Favorite candy

Jelly Belly Raspberries & Blackberries are my favorite candy! What is yours?

There is no better candy than Jelly Belly’s Raspberries & Blackberries! These berry flavored candies are extremely highly addictive to me and I will kill a bag in just a couple of minutes!

9) Favorite post on the blog

I am nearing 200 published posts on the blog and if I had to choose one favorite post I simply can’t. I am going to declare a tie here. The two posts that were my favorite to do were both local reviews. I would love to visit more places nearby and review them. The local reviews I have done are my top performing posts. Here we go…

Modern Cone Review

and

Kawaii Bubble Tea Review

Modern Cone is an ice cream shop in St. Clair Shores that specializes in creative ice cream concoctions. This is the place to go if you want a unique ice cream concoction that is fun to eat, and very Instagrammable!

Make sure you are following my Facebook page because I will be sharing a Modern Cone gift card giveaway very soon!

Cereal Killer ice-cream Stacker available at Modern Cone

Kawaii Bubble Tea is located in Clinton Township, MI and they have some of the best bubble teas (boba) that I have ever tried. They also have a wide variety of macarons available. If you have never ever tried boba you definitely need to check out this place. It is a very fun drink experience.

Enjoying our boba drinks and macarons at Kawaii Bubble Tea in Clinton Township, MI
What a fun experience for all of us!

Honorable mention:

Tou & Mai is located in Detroit’s midtown area and they offer some very unique desserts. I tried their halo halo (Hello Hello is what they call it). You can read the review on my blog where I spill all the beans about this awesome dessert destination!

Tou & Mai Review

Sweet beans in my ice cream~!

Hello Hello (Halo Halo) at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MI

10) Favorite place to grab a sweet treat

This is an easy question to answer. Menchie’s and Orange Leaf are definitely my favorite place to grab a dessert. I am obsessed with frozen yogurt, also known as froyo. You can read my Menchie’s review on the blog.

Want to give Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt a whirl? Grab a Groupon and save on your visit!

Menchie's Frozen Yogurt (Froyo) Build-Your-Own Creation — Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt (Froyo) Build-Your-Own Creation
Edible art!

Menchies Heritage Village in Warren, MI toppings bar

Final thoughts

I truly hope you enjoyed this post over here at Give It A Whirl Girl. I would love to hear from my readers so leave me a comment here and tell me about your favorite food!

Question Time!

What is your favorite food? Least favorite food? Please share with me. I love to hear from my audience!

Also…

If you have any questions that you would like to ask me, leave a question in the comment box and I will be happy to answer it.

Follow Give It A Whirl Girl on social media

Give It A Whirl prepping a from-scratch pizza

At Tony's I-75 in Birch Run, MI with our gigantic banana split — At Tony’s I-75 in Birch Run, MI with our gigantic banana split

Learn more about this COLOSSAL banana split in my Tony’s I-75 restaurant review

Chloe Pearl and I cooking a from-scratch pizza in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen

Did you enjoy this post? Here are more posts at Give It A Whirl Girl that you might enjoy!

SHOP PYKNIC ON AMAZON (One of my favorite brands… all food/drink related items too!)

April 26, 2019 12

My Visit To Menchie’s – REVIEW – Froyo Is Always The Best Medicine

Menchie's Frozen Yogurt (FROYO) REVIEW (Warren, MI)

Menchie’s is nothing new to me. This serve-yourself frozen yogurt bar has been a family favorite dessert destination spot for years now. The great thing about Menchie’s is that each and every trip here can be a new experience. There is always a wide variety of frozen yogurt flavors to choose from, as well as sorbets. Menchie’s also often introduces new flavors to try to keep things exciting. We go to Menchie’s to celebrate. We go to Menchie’s to drown our sorrows on a bad day. I always joke around about Menchie’s being the best medicine and a remedy to take your day to better heights. When I’m stuffing my face with froyo I don’t have a care in the world. This Menchie’s review will inform you of everything you need to know about this unique frozen yogurt shop!

My Menchie’s Review & everything you need to know!

Serve Yourself At Menchie’s

Upon walking in you see a serve yourself frozen yogurt and topping area. How neat! I have always had a spot in my heart for frozen yogurt. I used to get so excited when my mom took us to TCBY and we could choose 3 different toppings for a parfait. You, however, did not have the opportunity to serve yourself there, somebody else took care of you. Menchie’s has a help yourself frozen yogurt bar and a serve yourself topping bar where all your wildest dessert dreams can become a reality. You can build and create anything your heart desires. I love this help-yourself approach to frozen yogurt. It is a gratifying experience to walk into a place like this and create your own little (or big) cup of edible art.

Get creative at Menchie’s

At Menchie’s your creation is completely and totally up to you! The froyo is in your hands. Your froyo creation is sold by weight. So if you go wild and crazy with the froyo and the toppings be prepared to pay a hefty amount for that epic creation of yours.

Fun flavors!

You can scope out all of the flavors that Menchie’s has available by clicking THIS LINK. Please note that not all flavors will be available at your location. Call your local store up if you want to inquire about what flavors they have available.

My local Menchie’s has seven self-serve froyo stations and each station has two flavors. You can help yourself or swirl both flavors together. This means that there are usually 14 different flavors available. One of my usual go-tos is the Takes The Cake Batter. The Rich ‘n” Nutty Pistachio is another favorite. The pistachio always gives me flashbacks of the pistachio pudding that my grandma used to make with me and my sister.

Menchie’s toppings… the fun part!

My favorite part of visiting Menchie’s is dressing up my froyo with all of the available toppings. Decisions! Decisions! Only so much can fit into the cup so you have to be a little choosy with what you go with. Menchie’s has the available toppings menu online. Please note with this as well, not all toppings will be available at every Menchie’s location. I didn’t see the Bursting Boba toppings available yesterday and those are one of Chloe’s favorites. She usually builds a fruity sorbet cup and goes with colorful toppings such as boba and gummy candies.

Menchies Heritage Village in Warren, MI – Fresh fruit at the toppings bar

Menchies Heritage Village in Warren, MI – Toppings bar (whipped cream, cherries, cheesecake, cookie dough, brownie, etc)

Insider tips:

Do not go too crazy with different flavors and toppings. Think things through and really think to yourself, “is this going to taste good?” If your Menchie’s does not taste good, you are probably to blame.
They charge by weight so if you want to keep it on the cheap side do not out an enormous amount of froyo in your cup. Also, stick to light toppings like candy sprinkles, whipped cream, etc.
They have a lot of gummy candy toppings to choose from but keep in mind that your froyo is FROZEN yogurt so once that gummy candy sits there on top of your creation for a bit it does tend to get on the hard side, as opposed to soft like a gummy candy should be.
I forgot to get a photo of the liquid toppings available like marshmallow and hot fudge. It is a good idea to put this on your froyo BEFORE the toppings.
Menchie’s does offer a rewards program, known as My Smileage, so you can save on frozen yogurt once you reach a certain amount of money spent. Once you reach 50 Smiles (spend $50) you get a $5 reward. Just for signing up they start your account with 25 Smiles.
Don’t forget Menchie’s for your next celebration. They do offer frozen yogurt cakes!

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:

Rocket Fizz – Soda Pop & Candy Shop REVIEW

How can Menchie’s improve?

Orange Leaf is a froyo competitor and they offer little paper dividers for your cup so different flavors and prevented from blending together.
Offer breakfast flavors as a regular option. Last year Orange Leaf offered a line of breakfast flavored froyo like pancakes w/ syrup, Fruity Pebbles, etc. The breakfast flavors are my favorite. Keeping these flavors as a permanent offering would be fabulous. I would even visit in the morning for a breakfast treat if those flavors were always available.
Rearrange the stations just a bit. The liquid topping area is at the end of the self-serve area. I think it just makes sense to put hot fudge, etc. on top of your froyo BEFORE you put the cute little toppings on. When you put this on last it smothers your creation.

Final thoughts

I hope my Menchie’s review has opened your eyes about this unique place to visit. The possibilities really truly are endless! You can get creative at Menchie’s with the HUGE toppings bar that they have. There is a wide variety of toppings and sauces for your frozen yogurt creation. It is also a very family-friendly place. Your children will love Menchies… I guarantee it!

Want to learn more about Menchie’s?

Find them online at their website.
Use the handy store locator tool.
Find them on Facebook.
Instagram
Twitter

Have you ever been to Menchie’s? What does your favorite cup of froyo look like? Leave me a comment and let me know, don’t be shy!

If you have never visited this place will this Menchie’s review inspire you to go? I sure hope so and I hope you love your first experience there. I was hooked from my first visit!

MENCHIE’S LOCATION (Heritage Village – Warren, MI)

29367 Mound Road

Warren, MI 48092

MENCHIE’S HOURS (Heritage Village – Warren, MI)

Mon-Sun: 12 PM-10 PM

Party Hardy With A Yasso Frozen Yogurt Treat – Product Review of Party Animal Froyo

While browsing the frozen treat aisle at Meijer the pint of Yasso Party Animal frozen yogurt was like screaming my name… Kimmy! Kimmy! Get over here and get down and party with me! So I had no choice but to grab a pint of Yasso frozen yogurt, take it home, plop down and give it a whirl! Yasso Party Animal frozen yogurt (froyo) is one of my first product reviews over here at Give It A Whirl Girl and I’m so excited to share this information with you! I really hope this Yasso Party Animal review inspires you to give it a BIG whirl! Keep reading my Yasso review to find out how I created the ultimate froyo sundae with this Party Animal pint!

36349969_10156448013824420_7922174341201002496_n — Yasso Frozen Yogurt – Party Animal

36347726_10156448014169420_3782005466209452032_n — Party Animal Yasso Frozen Yogurt Pint overflowing!

36224890_10156448013154420_1577609713376296960_n — Party Animal Yasso Sundae w/ frosted animal cookies, candy sprinkles, and a cherry on top!

YASSO FROZEN YOGURT FLAVORS

Yasso ice-cream pints come in 8 tasty flavors:

Best of Both Swirlds This pint is chocolate frozen Greek yogurt and
vanilla-flavored frozen Greek yogurt
Caramel Pretzel Mania – This pint is sea salt caramel frozen Greek yogurt with pieces of chocolate-covered pretzels and a caramel swirl
Chocolate PB & Yay – This pint is chocolate frozen Greek yogurt with a
peanut butter swirl and peanut butter chips
Coffee Brownie Break – This pint is coffee frozen Greek yogurt with
chunks of brownie and crushed cookies
Loco Coco Caramel – This pint is toasted coconut-flavored frozen Greek yogurt
with a caramel swirl and chocolate-flavored chips
Mint Champion Chip – This pint is mint frozen Greek yogurt with chocolate-flavored chips
Party Animal – This pint is cake-flavored frozen Greek yogurt
with rainbow sprinkles and chunks of cake
Rolling In The Dough – This pint is vanilla-flavored frozen Greek yogurt with
chocolate-flavored chips and pieces of cookie dough

Which Yasso frozen yogurt will you be giving a whirl first?

Tasty Ice-Cream REVIEW – Try 4 Limited Edition Ice-Cream Flavors

YASSO FROZEN YOGURT Also Has Froyo Bars

And if you are a fan of ice-cream bars great news for you~ Yasso has a collection of 16 different flavors of their ice cream bars! I snazzed my bar up a bit with a chocolate shell and rainbow sprinkles. I felt that because the bar was only 100 calories I had a little wiggle room to take it to the next level.

How To Make A Simple & Easy Chocolate Shell

To make a chocolate shell for your Yasso froyo bar, simply just melt a bit of chocolate chips in a bowl with a tiny bit of coconut oil. Microwave it in 20-second increments and stir until the chocolate is melted down to a liquid. Then pour it onto your bar and add sprinkles if your sweet tooth is telling you to do so! I really do enjoy using Enjoy Life Foods dark chocolate chips to create this chocolate shell.

Yasso Frozen Yogurt - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bar — Yasso Frozen Yogurt – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bar

YASSO PARTY ANIMAL REVIEW

The Yasso frozen yogurt pints are chock full of protein (24g per pint) but they also do not have that chalky aftertaste that other protein products contain. Yasso keeps that protein discrete but packs it in. Yasso is also lower in calories vs regular ice-cream. Let’s use Party Animal as an example here: 130 calories in a half cup serving.

You will fall in love with Yasso’s creamy texture. They use only high-quality Greek yogurt. Yasso is a healthier alternative to other ice-creams on the market but you would never even know that it is healthier for you when you are eating it. How cool is that? In the summer I often like to indulge in something cold and refreshing. I can not think of a better way to curb that craving. I feel no guilt eating Yasso and I also feel great about serving it to my daughter. Chloe is 8 years old and loves this product. So there you have it~ kid-friendly too!

I created a sundae with my Yasso Party Animal frozen yogurt. I topped it a with a sugar-free marshmallow topping, added a bit of candy-coated chocolate, some fun little-frosted animal crackers, and a maraschino cherry on top. My daughter said this sundae was the best she ever had and she really enjoyed it with the fun toppings!

Final Thoughts On Yasso Party Animal Frozen Yogurt

My family loves this line of frozen yogurt products from Yasso and we are really looking forward to trying out all of the other flavors available. I feel that the only drawback to this is the sugar content. A half-cup of the Yasso Party Animal has 16 grams of sugar. We have been enjoying the Enlightened and Halo Top ice-cream pints and their product will only set you back about 5-6 grams of sugar. So while this frozen yogurt is a wonderful, tasty treat I do not want to overindulge too often due to the sugar content. There is still that major plus side to this product though with the low-calorie content.

Store Locator & Request Form

Wondering where you can grab a few of these frozen treats?? Never fear the store locator is here! CLICK HERE to find out where you can stock up! If you can not find them in your area, spread the word by printing out this REQUEST FORM and turn it into your store manager.

You can also learn more about me in my introductory post!

All About Give It A Whirl Girl – Get To Know Me

1) Favorite food:

Honorable mention:

2) Least favorite food:

3) Favorite fruit

4) Favorite meals that I have cooked:

Honorable mention:

CLICK HERE for my Huge Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs RECIPE!

5) Favorite desserts I have created

6) Favorite drink (non-alcoholic):

7) Favorite alcoholic drink:

8) Favorite candy

9) Favorite post on the blog

Modern Cone Review

Kawaii Bubble Tea Review

Make sure you are following my Facebook page because I will be sharing a Modern Cone gift card giveaway very soon!

Honorable mention:

Tou & Mai Review

Sweet beans in my ice cream~!

10) Favorite place to grab a sweet treat

Want to give Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt a whirl? Grab a Groupon and save on your visit!

Final thoughts

Question Time!

What is your favorite food? Least favorite food? Please share with me. I love to hear from my audience!

If you have any questions that you would like to ask me, leave a question in the comment box and I will be happy to answer it.

Follow Give It A Whirl Girl on social media

Did you enjoy this post? Here are more posts at Give It A Whirl Girl that you might enjoy!

SHOP PYKNIC ON AMAZON (One of my favorite brands… all food/drink related items too!)

Share this:

Like this:

My Menchie’s Review & everything you need to know!

Serve Yourself At Menchie’s

Get creative at Menchie’s

Fun flavors!

Menchie’s toppings… the fun part!

Insider tips:

How can Menchie’s improve?

Final thoughts

Want to learn more about Menchie’s?

Have you ever been to Menchie’s? What does your favorite cup of froyo look like? Leave me a comment and let me know, don’t be shy!

If you have never visited this place will this Menchie’s review inspire you to go? I sure hope so and I hope you love your first experience there. I was hooked from my first visit!

MENCHIE’S LOCATION (Heritage Village – Warren, MI)

MENCHIE’S HOURS (Heritage Village – Warren, MI)

OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY!

Share this:

Like this:

YASSO FROZEN YOGURT FLAVORS

You might also enjoy this post:

Tasty Ice-Cream REVIEW – Try 4 Limited Edition Ice-Cream Flavors

YASSO FROZEN YOGURT Also Has Froyo Bars

How To Make A Simple & Easy Chocolate Shell

YASSO PARTY ANIMAL REVIEW

Final Thoughts On Yasso Party Animal Frozen Yogurt

Store Locator & Request Form

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YASSO FROZEN YOGURT:

QUESTION TIME What flavor of Yasso frozen yogurt will you try out first?

Will you pick up a pint or will you give the bars a whirl?

RELATED POSTS AT GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL THAT YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

Share this:

Like this:

Disclaimer – The Fine Print