By Peter Van Allen

An excessive heat watch is in effect through Sunday, and relief is in order.

Short of forecasting the weather, we did a little research on places that offer summer refreshments — water ice stands, ice cream parlors, frozen yogurt shops and the like.

What we found is this: They’re everywhere and there’s no “best” and, at least as far as we found, no “worst.”

Any place that offers something cold this time of year is worth checking out. At Custard and Cakes Creamery’s walk-up counter, we even felt an icy blast of wind when the server opened the sliding-glass window.

Where can you find the best ice cream or frozen yogurt in Roseville?

What frozen treat do you crave during the summer heat and what place has the best ice cream or frozen yogurt?

We’re asking you, your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers and anyone else who enjoys ice cream to nominate the best ice cream and frozen yogurt places in Maple Grove.

Nominate your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt in Roseville in the comments below.

We will take nominations starting this week. Nominations end July 9 and voting will be from July 23 to Aug. 17, 2012.

LONDONDERRY, NH–(Marketwire – June 29, 2012) – Summer with no ice cream? No problem! July marks another National Ice Cream Month in the U.S. and this year Stonyfield is giving ice cream lovers a reason to put down those high-calorie ice cream cones and pick up a refreshingly delicious scoop of Organic Oikos Frozen Greek Yogurt. Available in six palette pleasing flavors — including new Peach Mango and Superfruits — Organic Oikos Frozen Greek Yogurt is the perfect treat to satisfy a craving for something cool and creamy with no fat and just over 100 calories per serving.

By Sarah Studley

Complete with kid-sized couches, loaded iPads and a bright pink and green interior, Pleasantville’s latest yogurt shop has been a welcome sight to locals on Manville Road.

“We have been really busy,” said Aunt B’s Yogurt Bar Owner Barbara Loeb on Tuesday just a few hours after the shop opened its doors.

The Pleasantville location is Loeb’s second and opened just seven months after she launched her first business under the same name in Somers.

“We are really doing well,” she said. “We love the people.”

By MOLLY TIPPEN

It’s pink and green and bright white, and promises to be a destination for residents who shop at the Vitale Plaza strip mall at the Van Dyke and 25 Mile corridor in Shelby Township.

And despite its friendly, relaxing environment, being the first Michigan franchisee of Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt is the result of what has been a long process for Lou and Jyl Messina; Shelby Township residents who have put tremendous faith – not to mention money – into going into the frozen yogurt business.

By Lisa Jennings

The frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry is testing breakfast.

Instead of its signature frozen yogurt, test locations are offering coffee and unfrozen Greek yogurt, which can be topped with a variety of fruit, granola or natural sweeteners, like fruit purees, infused honey or agave nectar.

Pinkberry joins a growing number of frozen yogurt chains that are adding Greek yogurt to their menus, responding to the growing popularity of the higher-protein product as a meal replacement. TCBY, 16 Handles, and Ben and Jerry’s have introduced new frozen Greek yogurt flavors this summer, but generally as a later-daypart snack. Pinkberry may be the first to target breakfast.

By: Jillian Dexheimer

Yo-Joe’s Frozen Yogurt & Coffee Shoppe, a self-serve sold-by-the-ounce frozen yogurt shop, is set to open Aug. 1 at 123 South Main Street, according to co-founder Laurie Levine.

With eight different flavors of high-grade YoCream frozen yogurt and 50-plus toppings, everyone should be able to find something to indulge in – and when it’s cool outside, Yo-Joe’s full-bar of coffee will warm one up.

Besides selling frozen yogurt and coffee, Levine hopes Yo-Joe’s will be family friendly place that becomes a meeting place for those in the community.

Perfect for a Sunday brunch, this unique dish takes the standard eggs, toast and bacon to the next level by adding a side of raisin toast with smooth maple butter, fried eggs topped with creamy yogurt and sprinkled with crunchy sliced almonds.

Almond Eggs

90 ml (3 oz) maple syrup, divided

250 ml (1 cup) sultana raisins

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) plain Greek yogurt

1 ml (1/4 tsp) ground cinnamon

125 ml (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature

12 eggs

50 ml (1/4 cup) butter, room temperature

250 ml (1 cup) sliced, roasted almonds

by Lorraine Mirabella

That’s the assessment of two frozen yogurt shop owners from Chicago who are bringing their self-serve concept, Forever Yogurt, to the East Coast. Within the next six months founder Mandy Calara wants to open four new shops in the Baltimore area, including one in downtown Baltimore, one in Fells Point and two in Annapolis.

Since the first Forever Yogurt shop opened in Chicago in 2010, the chain has expanded to eight locations, mostly in the Chicago area. Now, with the help of some venture capital backing, Calara, the chain’s chief executive, and co-founder Ahmad Yilmaz have launched a three-year plan to add 50 corporately owned locations and about 250 franchise operations.

Bio Green Dairy, a Middlesex based yoghurt producer, has unveiled new branding and packaging designs created by the design agency carter Wong.

Embracing a multi-cultural ethos Bio Green Dairy has introduced the exotic Asian fruit Lassis to its range – including mango, passion fruit and lychee versions.

All three have been developed by Daksha Kumar, who is most famous for bringing authentic Indian home cooking to Tesco.

Celebrating this mish-mash of cultures Carter Wong have combined eastern and western influences in their designs; including Bollywood inspired colourful foiled discs and traditional Indian henna motifs.