Yumz Las Vegas

Summer is in full swing and temps are hitting 100+ degrees here in Vegas. Most people are hibernating in their A/C filled home, but not us! People always wonder how Las Vegans make it through these dry heat summers. I'll give you a hint.....FROYO! I'm been obsessed with frozen yogurt from the get-go, but let me tell ya, Yumz has brought my addiction to a whole other level. I was invited to their Grand Opening celebration to sample their products complimentary, however, all thoughts and opinions in this post are 100% my own.

Starting out in my hometown state of Illinois, Yumz has migrated to the West Coast and opened their first Las Vegas location. Yumz Las Vegas opened their doors on May 2nd, 2014 and I had the pleasure of meeting both Tanner Hodson, General Manager, as well as John Barnes, co-founder of Yumz. Both of them were so humble, which made me love their establishment even more.

John Barnes, co-founder of Yumz

They offer a self-serve concept which allows customers to fill their cup with any gourmet frozen yogurt flavor, add a variety of toppings, weigh it and then love it. Not only does their froyo have the creamy consistency of ice cream, but it's also only 85 to 100 calories per serving!! Woot woot! They have also mastered all of their 50+ flavors to be fat free, gluten free, kosher certified, and packed with probiotics. Their Greek flavors even provide a whopping 7g of protein per serving. Walking into Yumz, you'll notice that they offer about 14 different flavors at a time and they rotate the flavors about every two weeks so everyone can experience their wide array of flavors. They're sectioned off into four different categories: tart, regular, no sugar added, and sorbet so there's a little something for everyone. Their toppings bar is the most extensive one I've seen at any frozen yogurt place! Anything you can dream of: cereal, candy, fresh fruit, popping boba, nuts (which are separated for people who may have nut allergies), whipped cream, and even Ghirardelli chocolate and caramel flavored sauce. Yea I know, Yumz is right!

They also have a party room, which I think is genius! It can accommodate up to 30 guests and you have two party room options:

1. "The Room" Package: You can rent the room itself for just $100 for 2 hours and bring your own food. Tanner also has connections with the local restaurants adjacent to Yumz if you needed catering help. This package is great for things such as after-season soccer celebrations or club meetings where you just want a space to gather, eat, and mingle. $50 for each additional hour. (froyo not included)
2. The "Froyo" Package: Pay $15 per person and that price will include unlimited Yumz frozen yogurt along with the party space for a two hour time span.This is great package to host a birthday party among other celebrations. I mean 2 hours of unlimited froyo for $15?! It's a no-brainer. $50 for each additional hour.

There's even a TV in the party room to stream you favorite movie. Ahem, Frozen lovers. *sigh* All this talk about Yumz is making me crave it again. It's OK though, it's a healthy snack for me and I joined their Frequent Filler Club so I get rewarded every time I go. It's free to join and you just swipe your card every time you go to earn your rewards. It'll save you $2 on any shirt or hat, and you earn 1 point for every ounce of yogurt purchased. After you purchase 100 ounces, you’ll get a free 6 ounce yogurt. After 500 ounces, you’ll get a free Yumz shirt. What's are my favorite flavors you ask? Hmm, that's a trick question isn't it? If I had to choose, so far I love NY Cheesecake, Oatmeal Cookie, and Watermelon Cooler. JAM recommends Oatmeal Cookie, Chocolate, and Cake Batter. Look out for Yumz's seasonal flavors during the holidays like Egg Nog, Gingerbread, and Pumpkin Pie.

Check out their other awesome deals!

For more information about Yumz, please visit their website http://www.yumzfrozenyogurt.com/.

 Follow Them!
Yumz on Facebook
Yumz Las Vegas' Facebook
Twitter: @YumzFroyo
Instagram: @YumzFrozenYogurt

If you're ever in the Las Vegas area, be sure to visit their awesome location:
Yumz Gourmet Frozen Yogurt
6135 S. Fort Apache Rd. Suite #400
Las Vegas, NV 89148
(702) 201-1155

Recipe: Cake Pops

I love to bake all kinds of things and experiment with different recipes, but one of my signature desserts to make is cake pops. My sister introduced it to me about 5 years ago and it became a popular dessert to make once Bakerella started jazzing it up a bit. I started seeing more and more ladies buying the cake pop machine, and although it's my personal opinion, the easy way out isn't always the best way to do things (hehe). I never tried cake pops made from the machine until I attended a baby shower with my best friend and cake pops were the giveaways for the guests. I was so excited to take it home and try it because it looked so cute, I heard it was red velvet, and I wasn't the one who made them for once. However, I was so disappointed when I got home. The cake pops were ridiculously dry! I couldn't figure out why, but then I found out they used a cake pop machine to make them so they didn't mix the cake mix with icing (which is a key component). To each is own, but I'd rather make them by hand. If you always wondered how to make them here you go!

Ingredients:

•1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)

•1 can of frosting (16 oz.)

•Wax paper

•Candy melts (1 lb. pkg.)

•Lollipop sticks 

Styrofoam Bricks (or something to stand the cake pops in to dry)

I personally like Duncan Hines cake because the cake is a moist consistency. I've used Pillsbury Strawberry and Funfetti flavor but those tend to be more sweeter. 

Directions:

1. After the cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble it into large bowl. 

2. Mix cake thoroughly with 1/2 a can of frosting. The consistency should be sticky enough to shape the mixture into balls. If it isn't sticking well add more frosting. TIP: For yellow cake I add 3/4 can of icing sometimes, but beware of adding that much to other flavors such as chocolate and strawberry because the cake is naturally very moist and it will make the cake pop sweeter with too much icing.

3. Roll mixture into quarter or half dollar size balls (depending how big you want it) and place on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. 

4. Melt about 5-7 chocolate pieces in the microwave per directions on package. 

5. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls about halfway.

6. Place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. 

7. Carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating and softly tap and rotate the cake pop against the edge of the bowl until the excess chocolate falls off. TIP: Don't tap too hard or else the cake ball will fall off the stick! It's all in the wrist ;)

8. Place in a Styrofoam block to dry. If you see cracking in the candy melt as it dries it's usually because you froze it for too long and the confliction with the frozen cake pops and the hot candy melt is causing it to crack. Usually if that happens I just decorate the cake pop to cover it up hehe. TIP: cover the Styrofoam blocks with cling wrap to protect it from the the dripping excess chocolate.

9. Enjoy!

Most of the ingredients can be found at Walmart, but I bought the Styrofoam bricks, candy melt, and lollipop sticks at Michael's. Michael's usually has a better selection in candy melt colors. TIP: all the candy melt is white chocolate except the brown one, which is milk or dark chocolate. I know some people don't like white chocolate so I wanted to give you a heads up.

Take a picture of your creation and let me know how it turned out!!