Ice Cream Socials

A fun idea for a summer party!

Whatever happened to Ice Cream Socials?  Okay, I've never been invited to one, either, but there's no reason why we can't throw one of our own.

It's been blazing hot out, and we're heading into the hottest months of the year, July and August ... so I've had ice cream on my mind.

Is there any kid who didn't watch out for the ice cream truck in the summer, straining our ears to catch that tinkling tell-tale melody, alerting us to the fact that the ice cream truck was in the neighborhood?  It was one of the most exciting things in our lives!

Our local 5&10-cent store sold snow cones during the summer.  I would race down there on my bike (shhhh, don't tell my Mom!) and buy cones for me and my sister.  All we needed was a dollar, and we ruled the world!  We would have ice cream or snow cones that day.  Even my elementary school would give out snow cones at least once a year before school let out for summer.

Such innocent times, such simple joys.

It seems to me that I saw many more ice cream vending machines in my childhood than I do now, as well.  They seemed to pop up with some frequency in New York and Florida, standing right there next to the soda machines.  These days they seem to be a rare sight, indeed.

But getting back to the ice cream social ... when was the last time you ...

• Invited the gang over for homemade ice cream?
• Created your own banana splits, or hot fudge sundaes?  
• Set out bowls of sprinkles, maraschino cherries, chocolate chips, marshmallows, nuts and other fun toppings for a bowl of ice cream, just for the sheer joy of it? 
• Made your own ice cream, sherbet, cones, an ice cream cake, or ice cream cookie sandwiches?
• Tested out some healthy frozen banana ice cream recipes with the family?
• Broke out the blender for some cool ice cream shakes, ice cream sodas, or malteds? 
• Pureed some watermelon and mint together and created some delicious frozen pops with it for a pool-side treat? 
• Blended cooled tea with orange juice, honey, and fruit segments to create frozen fruit pops?
• Made your own frozen fruit slushies?
• Tried ice cream as a topping on something new, like waffles, split doughnuts, or a bowl of cereal?
• Had ice cream on top of something warm, like a freshly baked pie, cobbler, cream puffs, or chocolate chip cookies?
• Baked individual servings of your favorite chocolate chip or brownie recipe and topped it with a scoop of ice cream?
• Or hosted an ice cream party for your family, friends or the entire block?

The next time you have the whole family home for the evening, playing a board game, or watching the fireworks this 4th of July, think about creating an ice cream party for all to enjoy.  Here's the go-to place to give you some new ideas ... a Pinterest search for fun ice cream ideas to try this summer!

We all scream ... for ice cream!

Happy National Ice Cream Day!
(July 17th!)