The kitchen thermometer is flirting with 100° F in the shade, so I’m declaring that summer has arrived. Bring on the ice cream! I like ice cream that has stuff in it. Crunchy, gooey stuff. Not so much the fruity stuff, although I love raspberry sherbet. But we’re talking ice cream today. Vanilla is essential for topping pies and making Dr Pepper floats, my deadline fuel, but if I’m eating ice cream by itself, I want nuts, and caramel, and chocolate. My current favorite is Blue Bell Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream. I like Blue Bell, but it’s expensive. On the other hand, I detest the way other brands are downsizing. Or even worse, whipping the product so that air increases the volume and leaves foam when it melts. Blech. So Blue Bell remained the gold (or brown-rimmed) standard for us until my brother-in-law claimed his home-town favorite, Graeters, was better. Impossible. So he ordered it and served it to us. And, well, okay. It was better. But not by much and at $4.99 a pint, now that it’s available locally at Krogers, it’ll remain a holiday treat.

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?