Seasonal Joy

Sometimes I just have to do what my mind and body tell me. I was feeling a strong calling from the frozen section in my favorite fruit market. It is that time of year again - peppermint ice cream. This is the pink kind, with little pieces of pink peppermint in it. The ice cream is very rich and creamy. It just glides into my mouth and melts, leaving a smile on my face. It's seasonal, and I can't get it all year long. Oh, sure, there are other peppermint ice creams on the market, but this particular kind is only available around the holidays.

I approached the freezer with trepidation. I have just lost weight - is eating something like ice cream a good idea? I normally only give in to an occasional Dairy Queen, which is made from ice milk and not so rich. Spooning it out myself rather than getting a small cone - hm, harder to control the portion. I decided that it is a good time, since I did just lose some pounds and, in fact, my jeans were at that very moment needing a hike before they slid too far south. Surely a few dishes of ice cream couldn't ruin my hard work?

Another option immediately popped into my mind. I am not really one to eat sauces or use dips. I like foods as they are or I don't like them. I do not go with the concept of hiding something nasty under something horribly unhealthy in order to eat the nasty thing which is "good for me." For example, I don't see why people put a cheese sauce on broccoli if they don't like broccoli. Find something else that tastes good, and eat it. But, I digress. I was gazing at whipped cream.

Whipped cream isn't really hiding anything, is it? It adds to the flavor. It enhances the texture. It tastes good in it's very own light. Who hasn't taken an extra spoon of whipped cream at some point and just savored it with a guilty little smile? Exactly. Whipped cream adds to the visual of the dish, also. A pretty arrangement of confection that imitates the seasonal accumulation of snow that so many people love to see. Not a sauce or a dip - but an enhancement. Why not add something to the special treat to make it even more enjoyable? It's not like I can continue to indulge in this wicked desire forever. The ice cream will cease to be produced in a matter of weeks.

Best to grab it while it's available, is how I see it.

Then, there is also spumoni, a seasonal flavor......