As always, thank God it’s Monday. I love Mondays. They’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you. Therefore, I hope this brings you a happy Monday.
This week, we are officially half-way through the year and more than a week into summer. Wednesday is the beginning of July, as well as the start of National Ice Cream Month.
What’s more, July is also National Independent Retailer Month. Otherwise known as “mom-and-pop” shops, these are privately owned and operated, autonomous businesses that are not part of any corporate chains or franchises. They have full control over the goods they sell, their branding, their operations, and their creativity.
Independent retailers are the backbone of the American economy. They will typically operate only one to a few local sites. They offer customers more unique and personal shopping or noshing experiences than do any of the big chains and franchises. Additionally, they can set their own prices for the items they sell.
Common examples of independent retailers include local book depots, hobby/craft stores, clothing boutiques, beauty shops (but not barbers or hair stylists – which are classified as independent “service providers”), restaurants, bars, food trucks, and more.
Most ice cream parlors are considered to be the culinary artists of the dessert world. They’re also independent retailers, classified as “specialty” retailers because they focus on a narrow, specific product line and are highly knowledgeable about it. I look to these places for sources of my own self-indulgent rewards.
It may be summertime, legitimately, but Friday officially rings in The Dog Days of Summer (which runs annually, July 3rd to Aug. 11th). However, most of this week’s temperatures are already going to be in the 90-100 (F) degrees range, with high humidity levels; triggering extreme heat warnings, to be issued for Tuesday through Friday.
It’s no wonder why this is the time of year in which independent retailers of ice cream parlors and ice cream trucks shine the brightest, as consumers eat up to 45% more during the summer (July being the highest amount) compared to the rest of the year. That being said, about 80% of Americans like ice cream as a year-round snack or treat.
SPECIAL REWARDS
Speaking for myself (and probably many others), there’s nothing like a big scoop of a favorite flavor of ice cream (or multiple flavors) on a hot day to make one happy, as well as nostalgic. Somehow eating ice cream seems to tap into those sweet, childhood memories of similar delights.
I remember when I was young, going on family boat rides down the St. Clair River to the ice cream parlor by one of the marinas. Superman and Blue Moon were the trending summertime flavors in Michigan. The boat rides to get ice cream were especially big treats we enjoyed (since we could drive to get it, too, as it was only a mile or so down the road).
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – Best Of The Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 252). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition).]
ICE CREAM SPECIALTIES
MANY OF THE GOOD MEMORIES we have of our own youth have been centered around situations in which we enjoyed a soda or a Good Humor on a stick – the way a Good Humor really should be made – and hasn’t been since.
I can remember when the Boston Cooler came into popularity and when the “slush” was offered at every 4th of July carnival or amusement park.
HOMEMADE ICE CREAM – WITHOUT AN ICE CREAM MAKER
There is something about store-bought ice cream that tastes more like the cardboard in which it has been packaged than what it was intended to be! So, devising a simple method of making ice cream at home – without an ice cream maker – I have been very fond of these recipes.
I’ve tried to make them without whipping cream, but it was nothing to write home about! Making ice cream at home can be simple and accomplished without the advertised gadgets for electric ice cream makers – or the kind that Grandma used with the rock salt and the hand-operated crank.
In fact, just a freezer container and an electric mixer can give you a very good dessert product that will be reminiscent of any you enjoyed from a commercial food company.
Even if you don’t make your own ice cream from scratch, you can try the recipes that I have so enjoyed for creating various dishes from store-bought ice creams and sherbet’s.
When memories visit you, years from now, you will probably recall among the famous ice cream places were Dairy Queen, Baskin-Robbins, Howard Johnson’s, Sanders and Friendly’s restaurants – as well as the famous specialties like Sander’s hot fudge topping, Eskimo pies, Spumoni (with chunks of cherries, almonds and pistachios included) – as well as creamy, thick malts and milk shakes.
These will remain favorites of an adoring public of loyal fans, despite the critics and experts who would have us replace all these with bean sprouts, alfalfa and carob products.
TOP ICE CREAM FLAVORS
Wednesday is also celebrating National Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day, which is enjoyed annually by eating (and/or developing) a new flavor of ice cream. Top Michigan made ice cream brands include Hudsonville, House of Flavors, and Moomers.
My family’s long-time favorites are the Sanders’ and Stroh’s brands of premium ice cream. Many independent ice cream retailers often make their own ice cream, creating unique flavors and special offerings; as well as serving a specialty brand, like Sanders, alongside their own.
According to surveys by the International Dairy Foods Association, the top five (but actually seven, as three are tied) most popular ice cream flavors are:
- Vanilla (at 38%)
- Chocolate (at 32%)
- Strawberry (at 25%)
- Butter Pecan, 3-way-tied with Cookie Dough, as well as Cookies and Cream (at 21%, each)
- Mint Chocolate Chip (at 20%)
My favorite flavor as a child was Stroh’s Superman ice cream, which combined Blue Moon, Red Pop (Faygo), and lemon. Later, in my teen years, my favorite was Mint Chocolate Chip. Then, as an adult, I preferred Butter Pecan the most. These days, I switch back and forth between the latter two.
SANDERS
Mom always accredited Fred Sanders, founder of the Sanders Candy Company, with the invention of the banana split. She often enjoyed Sanders’ confections and ice cream treats as a young girl, growing up in the Detroit suburbs.
Below is Fred’s version of “The American Banana Split”, as shared with her by Fred’s grandson, John M. Sanders, with whom she was friends for many, many years. As for the official inventor of the banana split – some claim it originated in Wilmington, OH; while others say it began in Latrobe, PA. Michiganders say it began here, with the Sanders Company.
MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 116)
AMERICA’S FAVORITE
I HEAR FROM MICHAEL that, since he has been away from home, he has found some very unusual restaurant offerings that he is always quick to report to me about. His most recent objection was to the way in which ice cream shops [in California] prepare a traditional American banana split!
Can you imagine? There really are people who do not know the American way to put a banana split together. Here is the original recipe – straight from the [grandson of the] inventor of it at the Fred Sanders Company, of whom I speak often and lovingly in all of my books and newsletters.
THE AMERICAN BANANA SPLIT by Fred Sanders
INGREDIENTS:
one peeled banana, sliced lengthwise in half
one scoop chocolate ice cream
one scoop vanilla ice cream
one scoop strawberry ice cream
½ cup pineapple sundae topping
½ cup chocolate syrup
½ cup strawberry sundae topping
whipped cream for garnishing
chopped nuts for garnishing
maraschino cherry for garnishing
INSTRUCTIONS:
In an oval glass dish, place each half of banana along each side of the dish, lengthwise; with the scoops of ice cream side-by-side, in between the banana slices. The vanilla scoop should be in the middle. Over the chocolate ice cream, put the strawberry sundae topping.
Over the vanilla ice cream, put the chocolate syrup. Over the strawberry ice cream, put the pineapple topping. Garnish the top in pillows of whipped cream. Sprinkle with nuts. Add a long-stemmed maraschino cherry to the center and serve it with pride!
THE FAMOUS 28 FLAVORS
As I wrote for National Retro Day, Howard Johnson’s Restaurant, founded by Howard Deering Johnson in 1925, began as an ice cream and soda fountain shop, near Boston. Within four years, it grew into a full-service family restaurant, with a second location in Cape Cod. Mom wrote about their rise to fame in one of her early cookbooks.
It was most famous for its signature orange roof and cupola design, as well as its famous 28 flavors of creamy, “homemade” ice cream – along with the restaurant’s GRILLED hot dogs and fried clam strips. By the way, the third Wednesday in July (the 15th, for 2026) is… National Hot Dog Day.
A couple of decades later, in the 1950s, Howard Johnson’s evolved even more, opening a chain of motels – each one near or featuring one of its famous restaurants and creameries. It became one of the biggest chains in the country. At its peak in the 1960s and 1970s, it operated more than 500 motor lodges and over a thousand restaurants and creameries.
MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Eating Out at Home (National Home News, St. Clair, MI; September 1978, p. 16)
[HOWARD JOHNSON’S]
ONE OF THE OLDEST chains in this country, Howard Johnson’s, keeps its current [circa 1976] sales and profits climbing by meeting customer needs. Now, 550 of its off-turnpike restaurants feature 24-hour service. The old fountain [counter] areas are being replaced with tables and chairs for greater seating room.
Salad bars and cocktail lounges are fitted into units wherever possible. New, warmer paints decorate buildings outside, while earthtones soften the inside décor, along with butcher-block type tables, all contributing to a new look.
Even the menu is changing. Tests continue on a new fried chicken item and on yogurt (soft or frozen). Howard Johnson’s relatively new ground round limited restaurant concept (started in 1969) is projected to have more than 100 units by the end of 1977.
The company also gets added milage here, by converting older Howard Johnson’s restaurants to the ground round concept.
IMMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY
Mom developed and published more than a dozen copycat recipes for their famous ice creams and sherbets, including their highly popular “Chocolate Ice Cream” and “Spumoni”, which I’ve already shared on the recipes tab. She changed the name of her imitations to “Flowered John’s Sons”.
Ice cream consistently ranks as the #1 favorite dessert in the U.S., as well as worldwide; easily beating out cake, cookies, and pie. As a snack, it’s also #1, over potato chips. New Zealand consumes the most ice cream per capita globally (at over 60 pints per year), while the second-place Americans eat about 23 pounds of ice cream per person, annually.
Incidentally, more ice cream celebrations are coming up this month, including National Peach Ice Cream Day (on the 17th), National Ice Cream Day (on the third Sunday, which is the 19th, for 2026), and National Vanilla Ice Cream Day (on the 23rd).
LAST THOUGHTS…
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my memories of my mom, her memories, and other related things. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at therecipedetective@outlook.com. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective. I look forward to hearing from you!
IN CLOSING…
In honor of it still being June and National Candy Month, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for “Honey Suckle Suckers”, with variations for “Hard Candies” and “Old Fashioned Candy”; as seen in her self-published cookbook, The Joy Of NOT Cooking – Any More Than You Have To (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Nov. 1983, p. 199).
As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share it.
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
The month of June celebrates… National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, National Camping Month, National Caribbean American Month, National Country Cooking Month, National Dairy Month, National Great Outdoors Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Papaya Month, National Soul Food Month, National Rose Month, and more.
Today is also… National Camera Day, National Waffle Iron Day, and National Almond Buttercrunch Day.
Tomorrow is… National Meteor Watch Day and Social Media Day.
Wednesday is the start of July, which also observes… National Baked Bean Month, National Culinary Arts Month, National Grilling Month, National Horseradish Month, National Hot Dog Month, National Blueberry Month, National Picnic Month, National Peach Month, and more.
July 1st is also… National Gingersnap Day, National Postal Worker Day and National U.S. Postage Stamp Day.
Thursday, July 2nd, is… National Anisette Day.
Friday, July 3rd, is… National Fried Clam Day, National Eat Your Beans Day, and National Chocolate Wafer Day.
July 4th is… of course, our Independence Day, as well as National Barbecued Spareribs Day and National Caesar Salad Day. Plus, as the first Saturday in July (for 2026), it’s also… Hop-a-Park Day and National Play Outside Day (which is the 1st Saturday of EVERY month).
Sunday, July 5th, is… National Apple Turnover Day, National Graham Cracker Day, National Hawaii Day, and National Workaholics Day.
Have a great week!
…26 down and 26 to go.
