I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

Ok. So. It's 100+ degrees today. It was yesterday and the day before. It will be tomorrow and the day after. What's up with that? I mean, this isn't Phoenix. This is New York. We don't do 100 until the dog days of summer in August...until now.

Yesterday, we beat the heat at a friend's house - their pool was a little more inviting than ours - given that ours had not yet reached 70 degrees. A 30 degree difference in temperature might seem like it is refreshing. But at our age, could actually induce a heart attack.

At the end of a long, hot, steamy day, we stopped for my favorite treat and number 1 vice. Ice cream. Ice cream is very personal for me. When all else fails, any ice cream will do, but when I have my ultimate choices, they are few and specific.

#1. Frozen Custard from Abbotts.

"A food critic once said a frozen custard stand
is 'where God gets his ice cream'. "

This is a flavor and sensory memory from my childhood and teenage years. Going down to the beachfront of Lake Ontario and standing in lines that stretched around the block from an old fashioned stand (the picture above is NOT my generation, but it is the actual stand I went to!) that served the ultimate frozen treat. We would get a large cone with a twist of chocolate and vanilla custard dipped in chocolate sprinkles (known as Jimmies to many) and walk the pier/beach. The scent of lake water, sand, and chocolate still fills my nose.

#2. Breyer's Black Raspberry Chocolate

A relatively new discovery, this is has moved up my list quickly. The tart raspberry and the rich dark chocolate are perfect blends for a summer treat. Sometimes hard to find, I recommend you grab a container when you see it! Pair it with chocolate sauce or better yet, yummy raspberry chocolate chip cookies (I have the secret recipe) and you'll be in heaven. Fat heaven, but heaven all the same.

#3. Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby

When friends and I first read the ingredients to this ice cream I thought it sounded disgusting. According to B&J, it began with two office jokesters' pulling a prank on a colleague whose endless tales of his love for Ben & Jerry's made them nuts. They hatched an imaginary batch packed with pretzels, peanut butter, & fudge in vanilla malt ice cream & spread a rumor of a brand new Ben & Jerry's hit called "Chubby Hubby". After searching obsessively he was crushed when the hoax was revealed, so the jokesters home-made a pint. He proclaimed it too good to be a joke & after one taste, so did B&J. The rest is history. Chubby Hubby -- it's no joke!But it is delicious. This is a very rich recipe that can be enjoyed a couple of times a year for a special treat, but could never become a regular snack. Both because of calories and because the flavor would be too much to enjoy on a weekly basis.

#4. Edy's Slow Churned Mint Chocolate Chip

This slow churned craze reminds me of when frozen yogurt first arrived on the scene. People think they can eat ice cream guilt free. As a woman who has always struggled to balance a strong sweet tooth with a desire to stay of reasonably healthy weight (never thin, mind you) - this is a slippery slope. Suffice it to say that I dish up the same amount regardless of the "fat free" or "low fat" labels and don't try to fool myself. Regardless of fat content, these slow churned ice creams actually taste better to me - creamier - than most standard ice creams.

#5. For a classic treat...most any brand - Neapolitan flavor.

How can you pass up strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate in one helping?

And when you've finished with these indulgences, sit back and enjoy the creamy goodness without guilt. After all, Scarlett, tomorrow IS another day, and the diet begins again.