I Scream for Ice Cream!

A soda fountain in Des Moines, Iowa, 1945
Photo by Nina Leen from LIFE Photo Archive

Ok, so here in Southern California we haven't hit the triple digits yet, but that is no reason not to hit the ice cream barrel.  I try to be "good" and mostly stick to the Skinny Cow variety of frozen treats, but once in a while it's nice to indulge in a heaping sundae with lots of toppings or an honest-to-goodness real ice cream shake.  So this got me thinking of ice cream parlors and how great they are.  What could be better than a cool (literally) hangout where you can indulge in a root beer float, have a few laughs with your friends, and avoid doing whatever it is you should be doing (like the piles of laundry I have waiting at home)?  So if you can't make it to your local ice cream parlor (I've listed a few Los Angeles area ones here), then head to the grocery store and whip these babies up for yourself and your loved ones - they will be glad you did. 

Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain in South Pasadena

1526 Mission St.

Fosselman's Ice Cream Co. in Alhambra

1824 W. Main St.

Soda Jerks in Santa Monica

200 Santa Monica Pier

Some classic ice cream and soda fountain recipes:

A Root Beer Float (makes 2)

2 scoops of vanilla ice cream

12 oz. of root beer

Whipped cream

A maraschino cherry

Scoop a ball of ice cream into a cold glass. Add half of the root beer (slowly, or tip the glass at an angle while pouring). Add the whipped topping and the cherry.

A Banana Split

(dates back to the early 1900's and gave way to the banana boat dish in which it is served)

The ingredients are really up to your own imagination, but simply put you need a halved banana, three scoops of ice cream, chocolate sauce, marshmallow creme or mini marshmallows, nuts, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry. Also, you can check out an actual banana split festival that takes place every year in Wilmington, Ohio.

An Egg Cream

(doesn't contain eggs or cream!)

Seltzer water or club soda

Chocolate syrup

Cold milk

Start layering your glass with the chocolate syrup.  Then add the seltzer water or club soda. Finally add the milk. Stir, stir, and stir some more.

A Malted Milk Shake

4 scoops of vanilla ice cream

1 1/2 cups of milk

4 tablespoons of a flavored syrup

2 tablespoons of malted milk powder (unflavored)

Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend away.

Make your own soda

Use seltzer water and a flavored syrup (you can usually find these in the spirits section or the coffee and tea section of the grocery store or at a store like BevMo!).  Add some ice cream and you got yourself an ice cream soda!

Photo by Judepics from Flickr Creative Commons