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Friday, July 10, 2009

Welcome to the Ice Cream Social!




Welcome to the Ice Cream Social! Please see Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post to add your blog link! Any post related to ice cream in some form or fashion is welcome! Now, sit back, get out your spoons and dig in to all of the fabulous ice cream that I know everyone is going to share!


Did you know July is Ice Cream Month? And a great month for it too! There’s nothing like cooling off in the summer with a bowl of cold creamy ice cream. When I was a very little kid we had an old timey crank ice cream maker something like this one. It might not be identical but very close in style and color. Later we got an electric one but I still remember taking a turn to crank on the old one. I think the hard work must have made it extra good!


I found this old advertisement and had to share. I'm not sure but I think those are Ice Cream Brownies!


As I was working on this post it occurred to me that ice cream and I have quite the history. I have so many food memories associated with ice cream I couldn’t possibly include them all here or you’d be bored to tears. But since this is a social..and an opportunity to get to know me, I did want to do a brief synopsis of my very lengthy love affair with ice cream.



From very early on (I’m guessing from before I could walk or talk) ice cream was a treat kept on hand at our house. Typically it was the standard vanilla, but I do recall the occasional carton of sherbet or even neopolitan..but that was usually reserved for a special occasion like a birthday.


Over the years, and especially after I was able to reach the bowls and ice cream by myself I created a couple of concoctions that I still love. The first is kind of a sundae minus the hot fudge….Vanilla, with lots of maraschino cherries, cherry juice and a sprinkling of chopped pecans. And the second is pretty simple….vanilla with a tablespoon of peanut butter plopped on top and swirl in with every bite. MMMMM!



Not only did we eat ice cream at home, but we made frequent trips to the local ice cream joints. We had an old fashioned Dairy Queen in my hometown of Alexandria, La which had the actual Dairy Queen with blond pigtails on top of the building. I always remember that my mom got a banana split! And I seem to recall that I thought I needed one too! There was also a neat older Drive-In in my parents hometown of Port Barre, La called the Big Wheel. We were allowed to walk across the highway by ourselves to get a treat. I think my standard was the Dip Cone!


Another Port Barre memory is the Nutty Buddies my Aunt Gussie would keep in the freezer to share with her nieces and nephews and other assorted neighborhood kids. I don’t think they make them anymore but it was similar to a drumstick.


In my early high school days I remember many a date nights when we would drive through the Dairy Queen to get what we called Frosted Cokes (or Root Beers or Dr. Peppers). I think they call them blended floats now…the ice cream and soda is all mixed up instead of the ice cream floating. A Peanut Buster Parfait was always a favorite too.


Later, when I attended a residential high school we would walk to the store (because we couldn’t have cars!) and buy pints of Haagen-Dazs . Is it any wonder I have a weight problem!!!!??? A whole pint is so rich and full of fat it could be my whole days worth of calories. My absolute favorite was Vanilla Swiss Almond. I haven’t had any in years, but I bought a pint to share with you here at the Ice Cream Social. Wasn’t that sweet of me?


In college I moved on to waffle cones filled with Swenson’s ice cream. They had a little restaurant in our Student Union at LSU and it did a very brisk business.



Then came my ice cream epiphany…my trip to Europe during Law School. I fell in love with Italian Gelato!!! So creamy and rich..unlike anything I’d ever had before. A few years ago when I was dreaming of that gelato I decided I needed one of those new fangled Ice Cream makers you could use inside, so I bought my little Cuisinart. If you don’t have one I think it’s a great investment and lots of fun besides.


More recently, in my weight loss efforts I have explored the world of light and low-fat ice creams and to be honest there are some very good ones on the market. Dreyers Slow Churned line is excellent and I also think they are a pretty cool company. About 4 years ago I entered their Slow Churned Neighborhood Salute and won (along with a couple other thousand people)! They sent 12 cartons of ice cream, tablecloths, spoons, scoops, games & signs for me to throw a block party. I ended up bringing most of it to work because my neighborhood was going through some turmoil at the time…it actually might have helped to bring everyone together!




Just last month I found another incredibly good but low fat item from Weight Watchers…it’s a knock off of the Snicker’s Ice Cream Bar which I adore. So it doesn't hurt to bad to trade in some of my super fattening ice cream goodies!



So enough already you say..quit babbling on about your own silly love of ice cream and give us some goodies! Well today I’ve prepared three very special ice creams especially for you. I’ve got whipped cream, sprinkles, nuts, hot fudge and other toppings just waiting for you to create your own masterpiece! Come into the parlor!



First up is Fresh Raspberry with Chocolate Chunks. I wanted to use something in season and the raspberries couldn't be fresher since I picked them and brought them inside to make this ice cream. This is a perfect recipe for those of you (like me) who thinks its a lot of trouble to cook custard..then cool it..then make the ice cream. No waiting involved in this one except churning time.



Fresh Raspberry Ice Cream (No-Cook) Adapted from a Southern Living recipe

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 Tbls Lemon Juice

Pinch of salt

1/2 cups whole milk

16oz Fresh berries

4 oz dark chocolate, cut into chunks

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

POUR mixture into freezer container of a 1 -quart electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Instructions and times will vary.)

REMOVE container with ice cream from ice-cream maker, mix in chocolate and place in freezer 15 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container; freeze until firm, about 1 tO 1½ hours.



Next up Cookies and Cream..this was Randy's request and he helped me make it. I ran out of time last night so I had him put the chilled mix into the maker today and he even added the Oreo Mix-Ins! Thanks Honey! Good Job! For this recipe and the next I did go all out and make a custard base using a combo of David Lebovitz' recipe from his book Perfect Scoop which was featured in this month's Fine Cooking and Sheila Lukins recipe from her USA Cookbook.



Cookies and Cream Ice Cream


3 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

4 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

18 oreos, crushed


In a saucepan or double boiler combine cream, milk, sugar and salt. Warm until sugar is melted but don't boil. In the meantime beat the egg yolk. Add 1 cup of the warmed cream mixture slowly to the eggs, whisking as you pour. Whisk until smooth, then slow add egg mix into the rest of the cream. Add vanilla at this time as well. Cook for 4-8 minutes or until the custard slightly thickens and coats the spoon or spatula. Strain the mixture, cool completely and chill. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to instruction. When you remove the ice cream from the container, mix in the oreos as you put in the container you will be freezing it in. You can eat at this point, but if you want it hard enough to scoop you should freeze for a few hours.


And finally a very rich and decadent Dark Dutch Chocolate



Dark Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream


3 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

4 egg yolks

8 oz good quality dark chocolate
1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa

In a saucepan or double boiler combine cream, milk, sugar and salt. Warm until sugar is melted but don't boil. In the meantime beat the egg yolk. Add 1 cup of the warmed cream mixture slowly to the eggs, whisking as you pour. Whisk until smooth, then slow add egg mix into the rest of the cream. Cook for 4-8 minutes or until the custard slightly thickens and coats the spoon or spatula. In a separate pot melt chocolate, then add cocoa and stir. Add chocolate to warm custard. Strain the mixture, then cool completely and chill. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to instruction. Remove from ice cream maker bowl and place in another sealable bowl to freeze.


Together they make kind of an updated Neopolitan!




In case you missed them please check out my other recent Ice Cream themed posts:
Flashback Friday ~ Ice Cream Memories


Outdoor Wednesdays and Two Birthdays


Mosaic Monday ~ Ice Cream Colors



Hope you all enjoyed the Social! Please join me by placing your link below! Any ice cream related post is welcome..even if it's an older one.
Ice Cream Social Participants
1. Barb - Foley's Follies (Baked Alaska)
2. Darnold23-Dining With Debbie (Snickers Ice Cream Cake)
3. Darnold23 - Ice Cream Pies (repost)
4. Susan at Savoring Time in the Kitchen
5. A Grain of Salt
6. CuisineKathleen
7. Kate @ Spoonful of Thyme
8. Christi @ A Southern Life
9. Sheila
10. peachkins
11. Mary@OnePerfect Bite
12. Michelle@Big Black Dog
13. Debbie - Lavender Bars
14. Karen @ Nittany Inspirations
15. Rhonda @ Shellbelle's Tiki Hut
16. printersdevil~Felecia
17. Kristen (vanilla custard ice cream)
18. Jacqueline - Tinned Tomatoes (Cinnamon Ice Cream)
19. Christie's Corner
20. semi psycho baker
21. Charity @ Sweet Charity Pie
22. Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook
23. Patricia @ Brownies for Dinner

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.



Adding this late because I just learned about it, but there is another Ice Cream Social going on Monday July, 13 at Sweet Eye Candy Creations. Go check it out..her blog is beautiful and there are other creative bloggers that are participating.



The next big event is next weekend July18-19th. Join us at the Garden Party over at Susan's place, Savoring Time in the Kitchen. I can guarantee that you will get your socks knocked off by the beautiful and elegant party she's going to throw! Bring your garden party themed posts!

35 comments:

Foley said...

OMG Suzy - this weekend at your house is going to be fun! The raspberry with chocolate chunks would be at the top of my list!!

Loved your entire post - all the "old-time" posters and even the 'trip down memory lane'! Don't you sometimes wish you had a 'parlor' like the one you showed?

Thanks so much for hosting this fun, fun event! There will be lots of smiles...

Carol said...

WOW, Suzy, you sure do know your ice cream! Great post! Vanilla Swiss Almond was my absolute favorite back then, too! Those chocolate covered almonds. Love the three you came up with, so many choices, who can choose? but I'm with Barb, the choc raspberry!

I'm joining in tomorrow, you always host a super fun event!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the SWEET post:) We do love our ice cream at our house. The chocolate raspberry looks sooooo appealing - bet I give that one a try this week. I, too, love my Cuisinart ice cream maker. I keep the insert in the freezer all of the time just for "emergencies." I actually added two posts - one is the Yarnell's ice cream post and the other is a new one for a sinfully rich dessert. Blue Bunny has my new summer favorite - blackberry cobbler. Have you tried it? Until now, it was Ben and Jerry's Heath bar (vanilla or coffee). I'm still on the look out for the Yarnell's watermelen - I actually discovered a pint in the bottom of the freezer this week. Think it would still be good? Just a reminder that beginning August 5, I will be hosting Crock Pot Wednesday at DiningwithDebbie.blogspot.com. I hope to see you there. Again, thanks for the party.

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

What a great post, Suzy! One that brings back lots of memories for me too. I used to love Nutty Buddys and the dipped cones from Dairy Queen and Dreamsicles.

Your triple scoop creations look wonderful. I would love to try the raspberry or the rich, dark chocolate but I know John would love the Cookies and Cream! I'm saving all three recipes :)

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful post. I wish I would have know about your party sooner because I love Ice Cream! I have been thinking of getting one of those ice cream makers. Thanks for the recipes.

Kathy Walker said...

Great post! I so enjoyed reading it. Cute pink ice cream parlor! Cookies and Cream Ice Cream....yummy.

Thank you so much for inviting me to the social. It has been great fun.

Christi @ A Southern Life said...

Thanks so much for inviting me to this fun ice cream social. What fun! Lots of yummy ice cream goodness!

Christi

The Quintessential Magpie said...

I enjoyed your social. I had thought I would be tied up all morning, but those plans changed long enough for me to run by and taste test all of the ice creams, and boy, they were delicious!

Thanks for hosting...

XO,

Sheila :-)

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a wonderful post. A lot of thought and effort must have gone into its creation. Thanks for making this event possible.

Printersdevil said...

Thank you for hosting such a fun social. I will be back later today or tomorrow with my photos. I love ice cream so much.

I still love the chocolate dipped cones at DQ. We have a DQ in a neighboring town.

I don't know if you know it, but there is another blog ice cream social on Monday. The meme for it is also in my sidebar. We are having another ice cream party tomorrow when DD comes home from a week long cruise, so I will have a second entry for the other party.

Thanks for a delightful post. I loved all your memories.

Michelle said...

Hi Susie! Not sure you'll remember but I did post on GB for a short time. Kathleen told me about your ice cream social and I though it sounded like fun.

Love all your ice cream flavors!

Michelle

Debbie@Mountain Breaths said...

Suzy, I loved your ice cream social to bits! From the fond memories you shared, to that lovely little ice cream parlor where I would like to be sitting with your ladies right now. Wouldn't that be a hoot!

I loved the Nutty Buddies, but my all time favorite was a plain ole ice cream sandwich. I'm saving all your ice cream recipes, and my goal is to make a half batch of ice cream every other week this summer.

Thank you so much for hosting this wonderful event!

Kathleen said...

That was great! Loved the history and the pics.
My fond memories of ice cream include my dad taking me to the drug store for a Frappe. I think it is just a sundae!
The Fresh Raspberry with choc chunks is calling me, and they other two look wonderful too!
Thank you for getting me to get the machine out. With the local fruit coming in, it is a good time to experiment!
Thanks for hosting, Suzy. It was delicious fun!

Shellbelle said...

Hi Suzy, thanks for hosting this scrumptious event!

We always had neopolitan ice cream in the freezer when I was growing up, that's the only way my dad could get us kids to not fight over which flavor to buy. With your update version I would just eat the whole thing with no complaints — yummy!

Printersdevil said...

Suzy, I have to apologize for my links. I linked up to your party and ended up with it being a link to my CIJ party post. They both have snowmen in them and I just grabbed the wrong one. When I realized it, I tried to relink and I guess I was flustered and copied your url, so it linked to your site!!

I feel like such an idiot!!!! Anyway, I linked my Ice Cream post and got it right on the third time. I do this linking all the time and have never made goofs like this. I thought that I could remove the goofs, but just found out that I can't. I think you are able to remove links, so if you can, please remove the first two. Sorry for the problem. I loved your party.

Kristen said...

What a fun post. Thanks for inviting us to your ice cream social.

My First Kitchen said...

So I'm pretty sure we're ice cream soulmates. I saw your raspberry dark chocolate photo on Foodgawker, and now I'm remembering my own crank machine as a kid (we ate peach a lot), nutty buddies from the ice cream truck, the bar at Swensons, Ben and Jerry's in college by the pint, and my amazing love and appreciation for Ciao Bella gelato now. We are seriously cut out of the same ice cream cone mold. Beautiful.

Marsha said...

Suzy, what a wonderful post - I enjoyed each and every photo/ad and loved your lifetime of ice cream memories.

Your ice cream photos look good enough to eat - I'll take the dish of neopolitan.

Cynthia said...

Suzy, I cannot think of a better hostess for an ice cream social than you. ... I, too, remember the salt and ice and the joy making homemade ice cream as a child AND when our family switched from the crank style to an electric one. ... I thoroughly enjoyed reading your ice cream memories. Dip cones ... how wonderful, but how MESSY.

You (and Randy) made a quite the variety of ice cream for your social. I'd love to try the raspberry. ... How fun "an updated Neopolitan".

Suzy, thanks for hosting such a fun event. I'm looking forward to reading all other bloggers post.

Suzy said...

I'm so happy that all of the come and visit at the social! This has been a great event so far and there is still another day to come.

Barb..loved your post. I DO have a lot of ice cream to eat lol.

Carol..hey..cool. But then again it WAS the best ice cream back then!

Debbie I'm looking forward to your crockpot event. It works well in this heat. Your posts were great!

Susan Dreamsicles..yes..MMMMM. So many ice cream treats I love! Your cake was divine.

Charli, thanks for stopping by!

Kate, Christi, Mary, Kristen and Sheila I loved all of you posts. Thanks so much for joining in.

Felecia, thanks for mentioning the other ice cream social. Looks like a beautiful event!

Hi Michelle! So glad you joined in.

Waving hi to my Ice Cream Twin!

Marsha..hope all this ice cream doesn't make you feel woozy! I'll save some for you for when you are feeling better!

Cynthia..thanks! Glad you stopped by to enjoy all of the posts. Randy was a big help thats for sure!

Brittany (He Cooks She Cooks) said...

Happy to see another person actively celebrating Ice Cream Month! Raspberry Chocolate Chunk sounds great, especially not needing a custard. I'm usually one of those impatient ice cream makers too.

Oh, and you made me really want a Peanut Buster Parfait for the first time in years!

The Messy Baker said...

Love ice cream and think your ice cream social is a great event. I can't believe all the flavour combinations!!

I posted this link inadvertently in your scone section. For some reason (we shall blame the cat) I didn't realize I'd scrolled too far down and entered the link in the wrong area. Please feel free to remove it.

Suzy said...

Brittany and Christie thanks so much for joining in! Christie I got your link squared away. No big deal!

Kathy Walker said...

Suzy,

Thank you so much for hosting the Ice Cream Social this week end. It was so much fun to read the ideas and recipes that were shared!

I totally enjoyed the week end.

Thank you!

Suzy said...

Awww thanks Kate! It was great having you. I do think we had a fabulous turnout!

CM said...

Thanks so much for hosting the social, and thanks for inviting me to participate! Love your "neopolitan"... I would eat every flavor in it, rather than just scooping out the chocolate :)

Anya said...

aw, i was late. i did have an ice cream post yesterday, hehe.

your blog is pretty, i love pink!

Patricia @ Brownies for dinner said...

I love ice cream. Thanks for hosting the ice cream social :)

Sara said...

Yum! You reminded me that I need to pull my ice cream maker out of storage now that it's summer :)

Jennifer Hayslip said...

Hi Suze! YAY!!! We both are celebrating national ice cream month! WHOO-HOO! LOVE your post! I too LOVE Gelato. WHen hubby and I went to Italy on our honeymoon I literally had Gelato EVERYDAY! LOL!! Omigosh, how could I forget DQ peanut buster parfiets!!! Those were my FAVORITE from DQ. Gosh, such great fond memories. Thanks for stopping by my blog. This has been fun!!! :) XO,Jenn

parasols and maryjanes said...

Thanks for visiting our little ice cream social. Your stories, photos, and memories of this delicious food is, hands down, the cutest I've seen. It was lovely being here and finding your scrumptious blog.
Carol

parasols and maryjanes said...

Thanks for visiting our little ice cream social. Your stories, photos, and memories of this delicious food is, hands down, the cutest I've seen. It was lovely being here and finding your scrumptious blog.
Carol

Lori said...

Suzy
Boy you sold me on the raspberry flavor, my favorite flavor of anything!!! Even more then chocolate! What a delightful post! I so enjoyed it I'm going to go back through your posts! Thanks for visiting! Lori

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful idea. WishI had an ice cream maker.

How would anyone select a favorite from these delightful flavors?

Glad I found your blog. I will be here more often, just to drool. Not very becoming.....

A Grain of Salt said...

Oh, gosh Suzy... I see I missed commenting the first time I read your post. Well, what a treat! Yum, Swiss Almond Vanilla... an old fave of mine too. It's been years. Love your post!

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