Celebrating National Ice Cream Month In Pictures

National Ice Cream Month is here again with National Ice Cream Day just around the corner. Here's a list of all my previous ice cream blog posts on the subject of National Ice Cream Month.

Making ice cream is an obvious way to celebrate and you can find lots of ice cream recipes to have fun with.

Another way to celebrate the fun of ice cream is to enjoy great ice cream photographs - and I have thousands that I have taken over the years! So between now and the end of July I'm going to post a succession of some of the most mouth-watering ice cream pictures you'll ever see! Here's the first.

Ice Cream Sundae Treats In National Ice Cream Month

My last ice cream blog post focused on National Ice Cream Month and trying your hand at making ice cream sorbets. Well, here's another idea before the month is out .... try a making a special ice cream sundae. Here is my favorite .... the Knickerbocker Glory.

Ingredients for the Knickerbocker Glory in the photo above ....
(I know because I made it and my husband photographed it!)

Slices/pieces of fresh fruit of your choice to go in the bottom of the ice cream glass - I chose strawberry, melon and black grape

2 scoops of vanilla ice cream

1 scoop of strawberry ice cream

Fruit sauce to pour over - I chose strawberry sauce though melba sauce is just as nice

Whipped or squirter cream to top off the sundae

Glace cherry put on last (strawberry is a popular alternative)

NOTE: You can use homemade ice cream or bought-in ice cream (though homemade I find is always best if you have time).

See the Wikihow page on the Knickerbocker Glory for extra hints and tips.

Ice Cream Sorbet Treats In National Ice Cream Month

In the US many people indulged in an ice cream treat last Sunday as it was National Ice Cream Day. However, the ice cream fun does not stop there because the whole of this month is in fact National Ice Cream Month - a declaration made official by Ronald Reagan 27 years ago when he was in Presidential office.

So if you've already enjoyed an ice cream cone or two, you might like to try something different. Here's an idea to get you going ....

Make your own refreshing ice sorbet - here is a picture of a blackcurrant sorbet I made recently. I picked the blackcurrants fresh from my own garden just minutes before I made it. Served with a few fresh blackcurrants and sprig of apple mint - again all fresh from the garden. Never made sorbet before? Read my ice cream sorbets page.

18 July Is National Ice Cream Day

It's July again! 4 July celebrations ALWAYS include ice cream - well at least that's what my readers tell me. It's the single most important day of the year for downloads of recipes from my ice cream recipes website.

July is also National Ice Cream Month and this year the 18 July is National Ice Cream Day.

Don't know about it? Shame on you! Get yourself 'educated' and can read my National Ice Cream Month & National Ice Cream Day page.

My knowledge of political history can be a little patchy but if there's one thing I DO know, it's that we have Ronald Reagan to thank for National Ice Cream Month.

So don't hold back this July .... go out with your friends and family and enjoy an ice cream in the park or take them for a treat to an ice cream parlor. Then on a sunny day when you decide to have a bbq, invite a few extra guests to come and enjoy some homemade ice cream. Here are the top 10 ice cream recipes most downloaded from my website.

Ice cream is FUN!

Let's Celebrate National Ice Cream Month

One of the best ways to celebrate anything is to recall past events that have a strong association. On a wedding anniversary people think back to their wedding day and anniversaries over the years; at Christmas many people think of past Christmas celebrations, often childhood ones. Looking back in this way seems to somehow solidify and strengthen the meaning of whatever is being celebrated.

With this month being National Ice Cream Month in the USA, I thought it might be good to look back at past posts on Blog Of Ice Cream and pick out some of the more unusual ones to help put people in the right frame of mind. For those reading these posts for the first time, I hope you enjoy them and for those already familiar with them .... well, if you really love all things ice cream, you can never have too much of a good thing!

Here goes ....

Ice Cream In The Movies - from Jackie Chan to Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

Sausage & Mash and Wensleydale Ice Cream - a master gelatiere's amazing ice cream challenge

The Story Of The Long Distance Strasberries - my quest for a new homemade ice cream

If these articles don't make you see the fun in ice cream .... nothing will!

Britain's First National Ice Cream Week

Celebrating ice cream is done by many people every day all over the world - just eating an ice cream cone whilst walking in the park is a great example. Recognising the importance of ice cream is, I believe, very important; after all, it's a part of our cultural heritage and for many people is a great 'escapist' food - I've yet to see anyone with an ice cream cone that doesn't smile at some point in the experience!

Imagine a world without ice cream? No thanks, that would be incredibly dull!

Q: So how do we recognise the importance of ice cream?
Q: How do we say: "Thank you ice cream for making life that little bit extra special" ?
A: We have special ice cream days!

In the USA of course there's been a tradition of National Ice Cream Month (July) and National Ice Cream Day (3rd Sunday in July) since Ronald Reagan was in office - back in 1984 he proclaimed National Ice Cream Month an official, annual celebration. Nice one Mr. President! But what about other countries?

Well, although it's not been endorsed (as yet!) by the British Government or HM The Queen, 2009 sees a "National Ice Cream Week" for the first time in Britain. Admittedly, it's the brainchild of a British ice cream manufacturer who undoubtedly is looking to see their sales increase, but hopefully during the week of 1 June people all over Britain will enter the spirit of the idea and enjoy some of the fun that ice cream offers. I shall watch with interest how the British react to this new idea. Hopefully, they will embrace it and demand that we celebrate with an even more special week in the summer of 2010.

As one of my favorite singers James Taylor occasionally sings:

"If you're down and troubled and you need a helpin' hand .... and nothing is going right ...."

My advice? Go get some ice cream!
Moreover, make your own ice cream if you can, it's not that difficult. Here are some of my easy ice cream recipes.

National Ice Cream Month & National Ice Cream Day

Last year in July, I wrote about the 24th anniversary of 'National Ice Cream Month'. So this year of course it's going to be the 25th anniversary - a quarter of a century that Americans have officially recognised the importance of celebrating the magic of ice cream!

When you sit down and think about it, you begin to realise that ice cream is not just a treat; it was never going to be a passing fad either but it has become a part of modern culture. For many people ice cream is a symbol of fun, enjoyable summer days and brings back childhood memories chasing after the ice cream truck when it came down the street. I certainly remember that!

Today we have a marvellous rich variety of ice cream flavors to choose from - whether it's from the ice cream truck or whether you make your own homemade ice cream. You might choose a simple vanilla ice cream decorated with a delicious ice cream topping or sauce or you might prefer to try something a little more adventurous such as coconut ice cream. You can even go a step further and try making gelato for the first time. It's easy enough and there are some great, simple gelato recipes you can try out. Always sounds good too when you next meet up with friends and talk about how your gelato worked out - very impressive!

Oh and don't forget - 20 July is National Ice Cream Day this year.

Ice Cream Ripple

Today of course commercial ice cream makers produce all manner of exotic flavors and combinations of ice cream to delight our palates. Yet many of us who enjoyed our childhood in the 60s remember with fondness the simple Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream when it first became available. I was reminiscing about this recently and decided to have a go at rippling my own homemade ice cream. It was great fun and not only tasted great but it made me feel like a child again!

There are 2 different ways you can do this and my web page ice cream rippling gives the details.

You also need to think about what sauce to ripple the ice cream with. Again, there's so many to choose from. After raspberry sauce (naturally!) my favorites are strawberry, toffee, chocolate and last but not least maple syrup. If you want to make your own sauce try my toffee sauce recipe (see bottom of web page link).

Don't forget, it's still National Ice Cream Month so there's no need to look for an excuse to make your own homemade ice cream - especially if you've never rippled before!

National Ice Cream Month (USA)

This year sees the 24th anniversary of "National Ice Cream Month" in the United States. Instigated by the President Reagan in 1984, this great month of celebration is always July with the 3rd Sunday in July being "National Ice Cream Day".

The International Dairy Foods Association in Washington DC, which represents the US Dairy Industry as a whole ( dairy farmers, manufacturers, marketing and supply companies), is at the forefront of promoting "National Ice Cream Month" - here is their page.

Whether you're a dairy farmer, an ice cream manufacturer or just someone who loves ice cream, if you live in the US then next month is a great time for you! To celebrate in style why not:

Make Your Own Homemade Ice Cream
Choose whatever flavor seems right for the occasion. You might like to try a recipe for Nougat ice cream or a celebratory white wine sorbet. The choices are endless. Follow these links for more on popular ice cream recipes and unusual ice cream recipes for more great ideas.

Make Your Own Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
Here's Oliver's White Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe to make some delicious cookies and then you can sandwich between them a batch of homemade chocolate ice cream or vanilla ice cream. Whatever you do, enjoy it!