I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream

Ooey, gooey, icky, sticky, dripping decadence - we're all in it together for summer kind of goodness. Above all else, the go-to summer food has got to be ice cream. Keep your bar-b-cues, your cotton candy, and your range of salads, the all-time comfort food is ICE CREAM.

One of my best memories is mom and dad calling out to all four of us kids - hey get ready, we're going to the Dairy Queen!! We would all go ballistic, cartwheels included, and rush to the station wagon bare feet and all. Friday night treat night we all lived for. After the week of work, dinner and dishes were done we would go for a family weekly car ride. Sometimes it would be under the Bluewater Bridge for french fries, sometimes the A&W for floats, sometimes to the Animal Farm with a pop but the absolute best was summer evenings and going for ice cream.

Acting up in the car was also a favorite thing to do - "he's got his foot in my face," "he farted eww," "he took the window again," "moooom tell her to stop singing to the radio pleeeease," or the constant, "I get the back of the wagon!!" Then once the car was in motion for a few minutes, silliness would subside we would gaze at the brilliant sky and the fresh air breezing through, mesmerized by the summer sights. Bicycles everywhere, people pushing buggies, frisbees on front lawns, sprinklers sprinkling, and the sun steady in the sky for a little while more.

After being in all season for a Canadian winter you would understand what I mean. Then the sheer excitement as we pulled up to the Dairy Queen and dad would go in to get our order. Dad had it memorized, a Mr. Malty for one, Dilly Bars for two, and Dipped Cone for one, while he and mom shared a Banana Split. Settling into the utter taste bud satisfaction we relished the treat.

At summer camp too, good 'ol Day Camp Saradaca or Knights of Columbus where there were sleepovers. It seemed like a mile of kids lined up at the Tuck Shop in between jaunts to the beach and outdoor games, for ice cream.

The love for a summer treat stayed with me always. When I was older my partner and I would go to the Point Edward Ice Cream Galore on Saturday afternoons before going to Canatara Beach, a long-standing tradition in the city I live. The choices beyond belief - Pistachio, Heavenly Hash, Vanilla, Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip, Neopolitan, Rocky Road, Pralines and Cream, Butterscotch, and many more. Double and triple scoops are optional.

Or we would go over the bridge to Port Huron Michigan to Palm's Crystal Bar / Chicken In The Rough, a classic, and authentic 1950's style diner with world-class food, and we'd have a Hummer for dessert, which is an alcohol-laden milkshake. Here is the recipe and believe me, the momentary brain freeze is worth it.

Hummer Recipe

Ingredients

3-5 ice cubes

1½ ounces of light rum (Adams likes Bacardi or Castillo)

1½ ounces Kahlúa coffee-flavored liqueur

2 scoops of good-quality vanilla ice cream (half-and-half with a few drops of vanilla flavoring can be substituted)

Directions

Mix everything in a blender. Pour, drink, and hum.

If there is one type of store that just grows and grows as the summer gets long it is Ice Cream Parlors in Sarnia, Ontario: Ice Cream Galore was around since the 1970's and used to have lineups out the door and down the sidewalk; then there is the Ice Creamery, Marble Slab, and the Dairy Queens. Every weekend a different choice and a bike ride later to burn off the calories.

Are the kids bored? Break out the ice cream! Any plain flavor can be dressed up with chocolate sauce, sliced bananas or strawberries, or microwave melted peanut butter.

Did you know the HISTORY of ICE CREAM actually goes back to the days of Alexander the Great, Solomon, and Marco Polo! Check out the link here.

If one needs an excuse there are always the nutritional benefits to look at too. Nutritional elements include dairy (yes it is good for you unless you are lactose intolerant), and there are even vegan brands now, plus ice cream contains protein, and if you add nuts and fresh fruit, even better. Average calories for one scoop, depending on the favor are from 145 - 200 calories - not bad. Plus who cares! The mood benefits of a treat outweigh the cons. Walk it off if you are really that concerned.

Even now as an adult it is a celebratory thing. A quick walk to the convenience store to get an orange Creamsicle or Nutty-buddy, yep, that does it for me - begins the summer.

Sink your teeth into this!

And this!

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