Happy National Ice Cream Day

In recognition of July 17th being National Ice Cream Day I thought I would share some fun ice cream related stuff with you.

This piece of awesomeness has replaced my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer as my favorite small kitchen appliance. Never did I think those words would leave my mouth. I’m sure it is a temporary promotion.

It is a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. I was hesitant to buy an ice cream maker. I thought it would be messy and take up a lot of room that I could otherwise use for hiding my secret stash of Peanut M&M’s.

Then ice cream prices started going up. I refuse to spent $6.99 for Dryers. REFUSE! So I picked up one of these babys at Costco when they had it for a great price with an instant rebate.

Let me tell you- the stuff you can make in this sucker is way better than the stuff from the grocery store (except Ben and Jerrys.....I still love me some Ben and Jerry’s). It is super easy to use, the kids love helping with it, and you can make it for cheaper than buying. LOVE!

I got mine in red, but look at all these fun colors you could get for yourself.

And here are some fun Etsy ice cream finds if you really want to celebrate National Ice Cream Day in style (with links):

Vintage ice cream spoons. These would be super cute as a little anniversary gift.

Traveling Snack Bags. Reusable, washable, and I love the clip on the side.

This screen print would be fun in the kitchen.

Any National Ice Cream Day celebration would be incomplete without eating ice cream. We whipped up a batch of vanilla last night and the kids had crushed M&M’s and cherries on top.

I made Drunken Cherry Jubilee to top the adult's ice cream.

1 ½ cup fresh pitted cherrys

½ cup dry red wine

¼ cup cherry preserves (add more if you want it a little sweeter)

1 tabelspoon Ameretto (or Almond Torani Syrup)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Bring the first 3 ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add the last two ingredients. Stir. Serve on top of your favorite ice cream- warm or at room temperature.

As Franklin would say, it was “wicked”!

Now go eat some ice cream, and thanks for reading!