I Scream, You Scream...

Here in the United States it's National Ice Cream Day!  As national holidays go, this one is right up there among my favorites.  I mean, what's not to love about a holiday that promotes the eating of my of my favorite treats?  Sure, my hips might not be too thrilled with the prospect but, for one day, how much harm can a person do?  Okay, so maybe I can do a lot (grin) but, hey, I can always diet/exercise/deprive myself tomorrow.  Today's a holiday and I intend to indulge.  When I was a teen, I helped out at my aunt and uncle's Tastee-Freez one summer and learned to swirl a vanilla cone with the best of them.  I also devoured vanilla cones with the best of them. lol!  You would think that summer would have turned me off of the delicious treat but it didn't.  When it comes to cones, vanilla is still my "go to" flavor.

While I enjoy the purity of a plain vanilla cone, when it comes to sundaes my motto is the goopier the better.  My favorite sundae is hot fudge but there's another - the name escapes me - that DQ offered when I was a kid that I also love.  It's vanilla ice cream with hot fudge on one side, caramel topping on the other side and topped with chopped walnuts.  I'm salivating just thinking of it!  Oh, and speaking of Dairy Queen (DQ), anybody else out there as big a fan of Dilly Bars as I am?  Yummy hard shell chocolate covering rich, creamy vanilla ice cream on a stick.  Good thing the closest DQ to me these days is 30 miles away or I might be having a fudge-caramel sundae with a Dilly Bar chaser for breakfast!  lol!

Some people prefer a straw to a spoon when indulging in ice cream delights.  For that, I highly recommend a shake from Johnny Rockets.  Again, it's a good thing we don't have any close by!  While in Florida a couple weeks ago, we had dinner at a Johnny Rockets and the rich, creamy, chocolate shake that I had was just as delightfully delicious as I remembered from the last time I indulged - about ten years ago.  My nephew ordered the strawberry (pictured above) and declared it just as good as the chocolate.

Okay, so those are all good choices for eating out but what about those late nights / hot afternoons / early mornings at home SCREECH!!!!!!  No?  You don't eat ice cream early in the morning? Seriously?  It's not appropriate breakfast food?  Are you sure?  Okaaaaay!  (big sigh)  For those late nights and hot afternoons at home, my favorite ice cream indulgence is Moose Tracks by Mayfield Dairy; vanilla ice cream with chunks of dark, rich Denali fudge and mini peanut butter cups.  Who needs a bowl?  Just hand me the carton and a spoon and I'm a very happy camper!  :)

Of course, being a responsible puppy mom, I can't forget my furkids on these hot July days.  What's a great way to help them cool down after a hot romp in the back yard?  Frosty Paws!  I first discovered these delicious (well, I assume they're delicious though I haven't tried them...and don't plan to anytime soon!)  treats more than 17 years ago when we lived in Florida.  (Publix is my friend!)  My dog was addicted to them.  Then we moved to South Carolina where the grocery store managers looked at me like I was one card short of a full deck when I explained what they were.  "Ice cream for dogs?  Are you sure?"  Finally, Publix opened a store 35 miles from us and we were back in business.  Yes, that's right. I drove 35 miles to buy frozen "ice cream" for my dog.  Hey, have you ever tried to explain to a 95 pound dog why he suddenly can't have his favorite treat?  Not pretty, my friends.  Not pretty.  Thankfully, the rest of the grocery buying world has since caught on and I now pick up Frosty Paws at my local Walmart.  




Are you going to celebrate National Ice Cream day today?  What's your favorite flavor?  Waffle cone or regular?  Shake or malt?  Bowl or carton?  Do you go out for ice cream, buy it at the store or make your own?  Frosty Paws for the four-legged members of your family?  Let's dish some ice cream!


~PJ