There are few things in life that bring a smile the way ice cream does.  It can bring refreshment on a hot day, soothe the soul, heal a boo-boo, or complete a birthday cake.

While I was one of many teenage girls to drown her sorrows in a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough or Chunky Monkey, I have come to appreciate the simplicity of ice cream, where fewer ingredients equals a much more palatable cone.  I now adore a simple well made vanilla bean – you know, where you can still see the little dark flecks of vanilla from the actual bean.  Here in East Lansing we are lucky to have the Michigan State University Dairy Store with fresh ice cream, made right on campus with locally produced milk.  They have a flavor to tempt anyone from the rival football fan to the local scholar – every one a treat for the taste buds.

One of my favorite ways to eat ice cream in the summer is over grilled peaches that have been drizzled with honey – it’s a dessert that just makes you feel like you are eating something grand (I’ll take it over strawberry shortcake ANY day).

And there’s just something so whimsical about watching my daughter gobble up her ice cream.  I love watching her take a giant spoonful and cram it in her mouth – one of those bites any adult would get ‘brain freeze’ from.  Ice cream makes us think of the best parts of our childhood, of summer, of family or friends.

…Or maybe it actually is a magical elixir of milk, cream, and sugar that really does make everything better….