You scream... I scream
Ultimate summer love
Sweat dripping, mouth open almost panting you shriek
“give it to me”
as you reach for the joy in a bowl, the sweet melting cold and creamy ice cream your mom had set down a moment ago and your brother ran up and swiped both bowls. Your brother laughs as he runs away with yours taunting you.
The memory flashes through my mind as I spoon another scoop of ice cream into my 5-year-olds bowl to stop her crying since her sister swiped a spoonful from her bowl. I smile despite the tears of my 5-year-old at the memory. Summer always went hand in hand with ice cream for me. After all what is better than a cold creamy treat when you are hot and sweaty? And has such variety?! I mean there is literally an ice cream flavor for just about everything (and I mean literally... Thanksgiving dinner ice cream, dill pickle ice cream, avocado and cayenne pepper ice cream ghost pepper and peppermint ice cream are all legit ice cream flavors... look it up!) There are now ice creams for just about all allergy types from gluten free to dairy free to peanut free and you can always add a variety of toppings to make it your own as well. I have yet to meet a kid who doesn't love an ice cream party! Another memory floats through my mind at the thought of ice cream parties to the summer of 2016... when I moved into our new home in the panhandle of Florida and having a toddler with no family or friends nearby. I was desperate for friends and joined a local mom and tot group and had offered to host an ice cream party. All other events I tried to host had ended in disaster with little to no people showing up. It had been a last-ditch effort. And it had ended up being smashing success. I made friends that stuck with me for years. That ice cream party had been a turning point for me where I found a tribe and had support. My youngest tugs at my shirt breaking the spell of nostalgia to ask for
"spwrinkles mommy! Want spwrinkles! Pease mommy pease! "
I laugh and grab the sprinkles to pour over her ice cream. Ice cream is linked to so many special events in my life from birthday cakes(Carvel ice cream cake), dates with boyfriends(cold Stone creamery), pregnancy cravings(any cookies and cream ice cream and Snickers ice cream bars), post pregnancy milk production (Ben and Jerrys oat of this swirled) and of course the memories of learning to make my own ice cream starting from kitchen science experiment ice cream in a bag, to the ice cream maker kit sold at Walmart to the hand churning small batch ice cream I have started in recent years. The memories made with my nephews, younger siblings, and my own children from when we make our own is something I will always treasure. I particularly loved making it with my own children with the Walmart churner as it started our journey in how to make our own flavors. We had tried the traditional vanilla, and chocolate and had even tried our hand at strawberry and cookies and cream but those are all relatively simple. Our first flavor experiment was with a caramel peanut butter chocolate chip and pretzel. Each of my kids got a chance to crush the pretzels and add some caramel and peanut butter to the mix. We sat around that day talking about flavors to try out and different ways to add stuff. And that night we excitedly sampled it to find that the pretzels had gone soggy, chocolate chips had sunk to the bottom, and the peanut butter had overwhelmed the rest. Needless to say we were disappointed but we learned a lot from that one. Now we know to add the chips and other bits in almost at the end and strong flavors like peanut butter is better when added in extremely small doses until you get the right amount. It took a while, but we got really good at making ice cream. Now we are about to open our own cafe featuring house made ice cream flavors like vanilla bean and honeysuckle, vanilla lavender and honey, dolce de leche chocolate, cinnamon caramel, mint chocolate Irish cream, orange honey and graham cracker lemon. We have worked hard and hope to share our joy and help others make special memories like I did. Now that I think about it ice cream isn't just a link to special moments in my life, it may just be something that changed my life if this cafe does well. Here is to hoping that the ultimate summer food can create another special memory.
About the Creator
Amaryllis Blake
I am mother, wife, and domestic goddess with a bit of hippy gypsy flavor. I write, dance, create and/or manage chaos daily. A lover of fantasy, romance and strong female leads. New to sharing my work hope to gain experience an confidence
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