The hottest part of summer has definitely arrived!  Are you being creative with ways to beat the heat and enjoy your days?

May I suggest ice cream?

Some of my family’s best summer memories center around making and serving delicious ice cream treats.

Here are some of my best suggestions:

FAKE FRIED ICE CREAM

(Fried ice cream with no frying involved.  Just like what they serve in some Mexican restaurants.)

Ingredients:

1 (18oz.) box corn flake cereal

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

vanilla ice cream

Any Favorite Toppings

Directions::

Shape ice cream into 3 inch balls and place in a muffin tin to freeze very hard.  Place cereal in a food processor and process until finely crushed (or place cereal in batches in sealable plastic bags and crush with rolling pin).

Place crushed cereal in a large mixing bowl and mix in melted butter. Stir in sugar and cinnamon until well blended.

Roll frozen ice cream balls in the crunchy mixture, pressing down to make it all stick and stay on the ice cream.

Place in a pretty serving dish, drizzle with caramel or chocolate, add a dollop of whipped cream if desired, place a cherry on top and serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM TACOS

Ingredients:

6 Old El Paso flour tortillas for soft tacos and fajitas (6 inch)

1 bag (10 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons coconut oil

6 scoops vanilla ice cream

Candy sprinkles

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper.  Make 6 foil shaped balls and fold tortillas over balls to create taco shapes.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake tortillas about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.  Cool.  Place cooled pan of tortillas in freezer 10 to 15 minutes or until cold.

In a medium microwavable bowl heat chocolate chips and oil in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.  Spoon or brush melted chocolate mixture on inside of each shell to coat.  Place them back on the tray and freeze another 10 to 15 minutes until cold and chocolate is hardened.  Reserve the remaining chocolate.

While chocolate is hardening let ice cream soften a bit.  Once shells are cold they are ready to fill with ice cream.  Fill each shell to the edges with ice cream being careful not to break the shells.  The chocolate may crack a bit, but that is okay.  Place the ice cream filled tacos back on the tray in the freezer 1 to 2 hours or until ice cream is very firm.

Reheat the reserved chocolate coating in microwave 30 to 60 seconds as necessary.  Pour chocolate into wide container, like a small loaf pan.  Remove ice cream tacos from freezer and working quickly dip each taco into the chocolate coating, being sure to seal the ice cream completely and add candy sprinkles.  Place back on parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze another 2 hours or until firm before serving.

HOMEMADE BLUEBERRY GELATO

Ingredients:

4 Cups Fresh Blueberries

2 Cups White Sugar

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Salt (to taste)  I use a pinch

One Cup Heavy Cream

1 Cup Whole Milk

One Cup Half and Half

Directions:

Pour the blueberries in a blender and puree.  Add them to a sauce pan and add sugar.  Heat until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.  Refrigerate mixture until cold.  Add vanilla, salt, cream, milk and Half and Half.

Pour into Gelato maker and start machine to churning.  After prepared, freeze until use.  Ice Cream will set up more solid after freezing.

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