Here we are in the month of July. The daylight is hanging around a little longer, the mercury in the thermometer jumped up, Farmers Market has returned, folks are traveling, children are playing on the slip-n-slide… all signals that we have made it to the summer season of 2021. So, I thought I would start a series just to celebrate all things, Summer.

So, put on your flip-flop shoes, cue the Jimmy Buffet music, slather on some sunscreen, get comfy, and let’s get started.

What says summer more than ice cream?

Ice cream is the quintessential symbol of summer, isn’t it? As the saying goes, we all like ice cream - or at least I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like ice cream.

There was a hit song in the 1920s that celebrates the universal appreciation of ice cream. And, yes, I borrowed from that song for this post’s title. I know you can probably finish the phrase I started in the title. (Bonus points if you can actually sing the song without an Internet search.)

The song serves as further justification for my sweeping generalization that everyone likes ice cream. So, I will invoke this song as a precedent should someone want to challenge me on this issue. (joking)

I think everyone has some memory that revolves around ice cream… from the neighborhood ice cream truck with its annoying songs signaling its approach (which translated into; it’s time to round-up coins and start running), to perfecting the skill of eating a cone without losing a drip… or the scoop in the process, … to making your own ice cream.

Makin’ the Cream Babe!

I don’t particularly remember social events as a child, but I do remember fairly regular summer family “parties” that involved the female adults mixing together ingredients, handing them off to the male adults to pour into the cylinders of hand-cranked ice cream makers, and, with that simple handoff of ingredients - the party was ON!

Those buckets holding the creamy contents were packed with ice and topped with salt. Next, the newspapers and towels were put atop the ice cream maker for good measure, and the cranking began.

As the adults visited, the children played, always with one eye laser-focused on the line-up of ice cream makers. The play never really began in earnest because the anticipation of when we might “help” was palpable.

Then, when the resistance of the crank handle firmed up, it was finally our signal to sit on the ice cream maker in order to add a little weight for cranking the handle.

The Unveiling

When it was finally announced that the ice cream was ready, we stood in expectation as the newspapers started peeling back. Finally, it was time for the ice cream smörgåsbord to commence.

I have to say, each family’s ice cream was so good. However, Mrs. Dalton’s was always a special bowl of creamy goodness - especially when she added bananas to the mix. I don’t know what it was about her batch, maybe it was that “made with love” thing you hear about so often, but, I do know, her “cream” seemed to be the first to go.

My Turn

Very early in my married life, I purchased an honest to goodness, hand crank, old-fashion, ice cream maker. I would not even consider the electric version. It was a right of passage for me to own the gadget and have an ice cream party of my own.

Sadly, the ice cream just never tasted as good as I remembered. Perhaps I have become less accustomed to cups (plural) of sugar.

Nor did I ever host an ice cream party. In addition to my changing taste buds, there was the “bring your ice cream maker and the kids over for an ice cream party in the back yard…” Well, can you imagine? You’d be pulling out the surge protectors rather than the newspapers - IF anyone had an ice cream maker at all. The kids would need their digital gadgets… it would be a whole “thing” and not in a good way.

In any event, as a result of one of our moves, we parted with the rarely used appliance. I guess that is another “right of passage” in a way. However, in recent years, I’ve been coveting those countertop appliances to make small batches of ice cream because I can’t seem to just let that ice cream dream go.

Your Turn

Do you have a memory that involves ice cream? What about a favorite recipe, flavor, or topping?

AND, if you have the countertop version - give me the scoop (pun intended) on what you think.

Let me know in the comments.