May 26, 2011

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!

COOL TREAT!

On a scorcher of a day, who wants to eat hot food or treats? Tying to get out of the heat, celebrate the holiday and relax with friends.  Fruit Kabobs and mix berry frozen yogurt is a great dessert!!

HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS

Simple and Easy, this can be done in advance or on the fly.

Ingredients:
Your choice of fruit
(pictured): Kiwi, Strawberry, blackberry, and pineapple
mint leaf
plain yogurt
blue berry, raspberry
Skewers
small/medium ramekins


Directions:
Wash, peal, and slice selected fruit
place fruit on skewer in desired order
place on sheet pan or serving platter(refrigerate)

Take plain yogurt place in a bowl, add desired berries, mix gently
Scoop yogurt mix into small ramekins(freeze)




Toppings
(pictured): Rum Carmel Drizzle
Whip cream, carmel sauce, chocolate, or plain.


To serve: Invert frozen yogurt in desired serving vessel, place fruit kabobs over, add mint leaf and serve.


WHO WANTS TO PAY MORE?!?!?!?!

WHAT CITY DO YOU LIVE IN?
DID YOU KNOW THAT IS THE REASON YOU PAY MORE OR LESS IN MEAL TAX?

Living in Chesapeake for the majority of my life, I never paid attention to meal tax and the way it can vary from city to city. Living in Virginia, I thought that the meal tax was the same in the Seven Cities. Clearly I was mistaken, and if you didn't know so were you.








Living in Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk you will pay 6.5% in meal tax. Living in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Poquoson you will pay 5.5% meal tax. Believe it or not, our meal tax in the state of Virginia is high that New York.



As I looked at some old receipts from the same restaurant for the exact same meal, the prices were different and I didn't realize it. When you are ordering you really don't take that into consideration.   Originally the meal tax was imposed on those that were coming into the area to enjoy Virginia Beach which would be the tourist. However as it is now, the locals are gobbling up these meal taxes more than the tourist are. The Peninsula also has the higher meal tax rather than the southside.


I asked some of my friends, and they didn't know either. So its interesting, just take a look at your receipts when you are eating in different areas. 


For a full version of this story done by Sandra Parker check out http://www.wvec.com/news/business/Meals-tax-eats-into--122600334.html