Seasonal Sundays (Week 26) Summer Ice Cream

Here's to making memories all summer long, one bowl of ice cream at a time. Made from scratch? Sure! (Or not. No judgment.) With a fruity sauce? Definitely. This week I'm sharing seven recipes for summer ice creams, summer toppings, and more. I so hope you'll find one or two memory-makers in your own circle of life. Here's to the best summer ever!

PS So sorry, all. For about three hours this morning, I updated this post with the wrong code. I've been blogging since 2002 and this is only the second time so, hmm, what does that say?

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

~ PIN This ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

Hey, all. Thank you for following Kitchen Parade, for checking out my Sunday recipe collections. It means the world to be welcomed into your InBox and RSS readers and most of all, your kitchens. So thank you, thank you.

It's Dark Early but there's enough light in the field across the way to see if Ruby and Freya, the neighborhood rescue horses, are out of the barn yet. I close my eyes in thanks. We get another day. We get another summer.

And then I go about my day, ever mindful how lucky we are.

Did anyone else keep a journal in 2020 and 2021 and even 2022? It was hard, yes. Sooo many lives lost, soooooooo many more lives deeply affected. And while Covid is hardly gone – a funeral last week, a niece-in-law still plagued with a vexing ear issue after getting on a plane over Memorial Day for the first time without a mask and wiping down her seat – but isn't it really just a remarkable thing that mostly, in so many ways, for so many people, it really is over? (I know, I know. Not for everyone, not even us.)

Just think. The so-called Black Death of the 1300s lasted for 19 years. The smallpox of the 1500s lasted more than 80 years. HIV has been with us 44 years so far.

And yet we, at least as we know so far, have come out on the other side of Covid after three years or maybe depending on who's counting, two years. As Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer sang in The Sound of Music, we "must have done some thing right."

We get another day, we get another summer.

PS Happy Canada Day to all the loyal Canadian readers here! It means the world to have so many followers from my mom's home country, where all the family from that side still live and thrive. Nobody's left!

In Praise Of ... Useful Ice Cream Gear

I bought my first ice cream maker back in 2002, it was a real workhorse. I don't remember replacing it but Amazon says I did in 2014 and 2021 (so three in 21 years), this is the current version of the Cuisinart ice cream processor I have, it's 1.5 quarts, that's perfect, I think, since most recipes are written for this size.

How to know? They call for 3 to 4 cups of liquid.

Interesting fact. I remember paying $50 for my first ice cream processor in 2002 and the sale price, right now in the summer of 2023, is still $50. According to this handy-dandy inflation calculator I keep on my phone, if the price had kept up with inflation, it would cost $84.

In the summer, I make ice cream so often that a second freezer bowl comes in handy. You can always buy a second one later, though, once you see how it works for you.

Essential, I think, is a metal ice cream scoop. Dip it in hot water between scoops and it'll just melt its way to smooth, perfect-looking scoops. We actually keep two scoops since my husband likes softer ice cream from the downstairs freezer so we keep a second one nearby!

Less essential are special ice cream containers. You can use any freezer container, just cover the surface of the ice cream with waxed paper to avoid crystals forming on top. But I've come to rely on specialty containers, they are super air-tight and just "work" for ice cream. I love these long ice cream tubs from Tovolo, an ice cream scoop pulls along its length so easily! Make sure it fits your freezer though. I also have a couple of these quart-size ice cream tubs, also from Tovolo, they're a more traditional shape.

Early on and still now occasionally, I turn to The Perfect Scoop by pastry chef, cookbook author and food blogger David Lebovitz.

PS These Amazon links are "affiliate links". That means if you click through to Amazon and buy the item I've recommended or another item, I'll earn a small (very small) commission at no extra cost to you. Why do I mention this? Because in the U.S. it's an FTC disclosure requirement, it's also just plain good manners. Rest assured, unless I say otherwise, I only link to products I use and rely on personally. Here's more info, My Disclosure Promise.

Made Me Think ...

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? Dark Early one morning this week, he dog ruuuuuuushed out the door, jumped a low wall but then abruptly stopped, only to slowly approach a tiny skunk getting breakfast out below the bird feeder.

Now, the Dog knows skunks. He had an, um let's call it a, stinky encounter the night before my breast-cancer surgery four years this week, right before we were all supposed to be heading to bed early. Ever since, any skunk odor makes him wary of going out. But on this morning, the White Dog with Black Spots and the Tiny Black Skunk with a White Stripe just sniffed at one another then turned in opposite directions.

See? It's that easy.

May I Suggest ... a Link?

Let me just presume that if you're reading this, well, you're both a cook and a recipe collector. Don't the two kinda go together? And that means you tuck aside interesting recipes all over the place and then, dang, where is that chicken recipe that looked so good anyway? Here's an idea. Start a folder on your phone, call it "Kitchen Parade" or "Alanna" or whatever makes best sense to you. Then save the recipes you're most interested in right there in one place. Easy Peasy.

• Start here?
• Ice Cream Recipes & Toppings

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SEASONAL INSPIRATION: Seven Summer Ice Creams & Summer Toppings

• THE RECIPE Strawberry Ice Cream No-cook ice cream with big strawberry flavor and pretty pink color.
• ANOTHER TAKE Strawberry Milk Not a smoothie, almost a milkshake.

• THE RECIPE Homemade Frozen Yogurt with Blackberry Sauce Just five ingredients!
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Fruit Sorbet aka "If You’ve Got Three Ingredients and Five Minutes, You’ve Got Sorbet".

• THE MASTER RECIPE Rustic Fruit Ice Cream An easy, no-cook rich, creamy and fruity ice cream, here peach but also blueberry, strawberry and banana.
• ANOTHER TAKE Spiced Banana Ice Cream Rich-tasting banana ice cream made memorable with a trio of pantry spices.

• THE RECIPE Chocolate Malt Ice Cream Old-time fountain flavor at home. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Buttered Pecan Ice Cream Old-fashioned goodness featuring native Missouri pecans.

• THE RECIPE Raspberry & Red Wine Granita An icy-cold raspberry slushee for grown-ups.
• ANOTHER TAKE Rhubarb Sorbet So simple, so surprising! Just four ingredients.

• THE RECIPE Simple Sliced Peaches Just four ingredients, turns tables to silent.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy-Easy Pear Sauce Four Ingredients + Five Minutes = Simple Sweet. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Peach, Cherry & Blueberry Fruit Sauce or Fruit Soup A special three-fruit combo, especially good on chocolate ice cream. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Peach Syrup with Fresh Peaches Thick, caramel-y peach syrup.

• THE COLLECTION Ice Cream Recipes Ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt, granita & more plus toppings.
• AND ANOTHER "Summer Easy" Sweet Endings Less Cookin'. More Livin'. That's the summer's motto.

Looking Ahead ...

• July 1 (this Saturday!) - Canada Day
• July 4th (bummer, a Tuesday) - July 4th

• THE COLLECTION Canada Day Recipes & Ideas Join Canadians on July 1.

• THE COLLECTION July 4th Recipes & Ideas Join Americans on Independence Day.
• AND ANOTHER Easy Summer Recipes Less Cookin', More Livin', that's the summer motto. (PIN This)

Looking Back ...

• Summer Sandwiches (Week 25) (PIN This)
• Finding Juneteenth (Week 24) (PIN This)
• Summer Tips & Ideas, No Cooking Required (Week 23) (PIN This)
• Early-Summer Salads (Week 21) (PIN This)
• Spring Recipes to Make a Mom's Life Just a Little Bit Easier (Week 20) (PIN This)
• Strawberry Season (Week 19) (PIN This)
• Mexican Meal Prep (Week 18) (PIN This)
• Feta Lovers (Week 17)
• Asparagus Season! (Week 16)
• Quick Pickles (Week 15)
• Celebration Breads & Cakes (Week 14)

A Quick Peek Into a Real-Life Kitchen

Just so you know, everything's not all pretty pictures around here, in the background is a pile of dirty dishes. And just like many (all?) of us, come five o'clock, I too draw a blank about what to make for supper, despite so many recipes I so dearly love. Here's a quick peek from the last week.

And what a week! After close to zero cooking for too long (thank you, travel and an out-of-commission fridge), it felt so great to be in the kitchen again. I could even include four or five additional dishes I cooked but but they really do need updates first.

• THIS WEEK It was "beet week" at Chez Kitchen Parade, thanks to bringing home ten pounds of just-dug beets from a farmstand in southwestern Missouri. First up? Roasting a big bunch, My Favorite Way to Roast Beets, then getting out the butter ... just for one beet ... or maybe two, they're small. :-)
• THE RECIPE King Hill Farms Simple & Sublime Warm Beets with Butter Just warm beets, butter and a little salt.

• THIS WEEK The next night, I made quick salad suppers, just by tossing fresh spinach, roasted beet, diced cantaloupe and a little feta with some leftover Strawberry Vinaigrette. I added a piece of chicken for my husband but the salad was well enough for me. So so good, will definitely make this again.
• THE RECIPE Strawberry Vinaigrette with Chipotle Bright with berry color and flavor, spiked with a touch of heat. (PIN This)

• THIS WEEK We found these pretty little red potatoes at the farmers market and I knew exactly how I'd use them! This is a family favorite, all year long. The potatoes get a head start, then the beans follow in the same pot. Hmm. I just realized, I overheard this recipe at this same farmers market 15 years ago! Don't miss this one ...
• THE RECIPE "Best Ever" New Potatoes & Green Beans A magical combination, a must-make side dish all summer long. (PIN This)

• THIS WEEK We finally managed to save a few small green peppers from the garden, somebody ate the first few. I knew exactly how I'd use them, green pepper really works in this frittata and was extra pretty paired with strips of red onion. If you don't like the texture of "usual" frittatas, me either. That's why I am so taken with Never-the-Same-Twice Vegetable Frittata, it's got this silky almost custard-like texture that is just so so nice.
• THE RECIPE Green Pepper Frittata Perfect for late-summer breakfast.

• THIS WEEK A grandniece came over to help strategize a new sunflower garden, her husband and three-year old came along to swim. We cooked burgers but the niece doesn't eat meat or gluten so I mixed this sweet potato salad for her "main dish" and as a salad for the rest of us. Love this!
• THE RECIPE Sweet Potato Salad with Roasted Poblano, Roasted Corn & Chipotle A sweet potato salad for summer, a colorful and mouth-watering blend.

• THIS WEEK The notes on my 3x5 reminded me that "grated works great too" so instead of dragging out the spiralizer (affiliate link), I used the large holes of a cheese grater. (I've had the same four-sided one for years but like the looks of how this two-sided cheese grater (affiliate link) folds flat for storage. Handy!) So light and refreshing, this!
• THE RECIPE Zucchini Spiral "Noodle" Salad A sexy, seductive zucchini-noodle salad. (PIN This)

• LIGHT LUNCH We're just thrilled that my husband's grandniece, husband and Three Littles are back in St. Louis. Everybody came to swim their first full day in town so in the morning, I mixed up chicken salad ahead of time. Just before serving, it took only five minutes to place a scoop onto slider buns (very kid and light eater friendly!), put out a couple of refrigerator salads I'd made the day before and some fruit ... voilà, lunch! Total keeper for this purpose.
• THE RECIPE Chicken Salad for Sandwiches Makes up in minutes with pantry ingredients. (PIN This)

• THIS WEEK The Littles ooo'd and awww'd when I appeared with an American-flag version of this easy poke cake. The kids' eyes lit up, even the almost-four-year-old got the design, "That's our flag." And the adults were pretty enamored, too. "Oooh, it's nice and light and fruity." My husband had two slices before bed and two more after breakfast the next day. This was wayyyyy easier and less fussy than I remember. Let's just call it a new mid-summer tradition.
• THE RECIPE Canadian Flag Cake with Strawberries A festive cake emblazed with the Canadian maple leaf in strawberries. (PIN This)

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Chilled Green Bean Salad with Rosemary & Garlic Oil Rave reviews! (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Fresh Three-Bean Salad That old potluck favorite except with fresh green beans and "skinny" with less oil and less sugar.

Something to Read

For a couple of years, I've been "watching" the Kindle Paperwhite for Kids, including suggestions that it just might be the best Kindle device for adults, too.

But me being me, I just didn't want "another" device, especially since I have the Kindle app on my phone. And since I'm not really "reading" books these days instead "listening" to books. And since, well, $180.

But me still being me, I'd actually really like to "read" more, especially at night before bed and the Kindle Paperwhite doesn't have that phone and TV blue light that so interrupts sleep.

So when the 8G version went on sale, I snapped one up, just like that. There must be more people "me being me" because sorry, it's no longer available, otherwise I'd link up.

Oh. But here's the family of Kindle devices (affiliate link) for anyone who'd like to explore more.

So we'll see. The backlit screen kind of surprised me, it makes me realize how accustomed I've become to a bright screen. I'm also surprised how I've become so accustomed to Apple touch features that they're second nature ... and don't work on the Kindle. And I haven't figured out the busy Home page, I will, of course, but it's not intuitive.

Anyone care to chime in with your own Kindle experience?

• BOOK CLUB BOOK IDEAS My Reading Group's Book List since 1994!
• NO TIME TO READ? How I Read 4X More This Year Than Last What I gave up, how I read so much, what I read.

Don't Be a Stranger ...

I'd love to hear from you. Comment, send me a quick e-mail (my current address is in the FAQs), dot-dash in Morse code, build a fire for smoke signals, launch a message in a bottle, send a Christmas letter, get the dog to yip, toss me a note wrapped in a rubberband, write a message in the sky, scratch a note in the sand, listen to a seashell, tuck a question into a plastic Easter egg, whatever.

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. When you make my recipes, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below or better still, on the specific recipe's page.

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