Welcome to Street Prophets Coffee Hour, the place where politics meets up with religion, art, photography, food, and life. Have a cuppa. Or something iced, since it’s July.
Well, so we got through the 4th, maybe bloodied but unbowed. Fireworks, anyone? I remember sparklers from my childhood, because I loved the way they looked, a shower of light and stars. I was even willing to put up with the stinging on my hand to hold them, waving them around just for the joy of the light trails. Ah, 1950s America.
So yesterday was a national holiday, that I didn’t celebrate, because why? Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday, that I will definitely celebrate, because of course! She’ll be 55. (I was 7 when she was born; honest!) Presents will probably mostly be T-shirts, although I got her a small book. Maybe there will be cake on a hot ol’ July day, but definitely there will be ice cream.
My aunt and uncle (way more cool than my own parents) had an ice cream maker. There are several ways to make ice cream at home, but they did it the super easy way, just toss everything in and crank until it froze. Yep, that meant raw eggs, too. (Don’t do this at home today, kids.) It wasn’t as creamy as ice cream made from a custard (where the eggs are cooked, for heaven’s sake), but it made a bunch of kids happy.
For commercial ice cream, I liked the kinds with fruit you could taste and feel. Strawberry. Peach. Raspberry Ripple (although it was a bit too sweet for me).
And then there was Black Walnut, still my absolute favorite, and still very, very hard to find. Failing that, I’ll buy (or try to buy) Butter Pecan. Although the last two times I’ve ordered it with my groceries (I’m no longer able to get to a store and shop for myself) I got, first, Pecan Pralines ‘N Cream (cloyingly sweet), and then Banana Fudge (WTF?). Thank goodness for a 21-year-old grandson, who kindly and generously took them off my hands.
I’ve heard from several sources, though I haven’t tried myself, that you can blend bananas until they are absolutely smooth and freeze those, as a non-sugar alternative. Anyone do that? Probably far healthier than the creamy, sugary treat that’s real ice cream.
So what about you? Any favorites? Any special ice cream memories (hopefully not involving raw eggs)?
Enjoy the video showing kids how to make ice cream, with no eggs, raw or cooked.
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