Summer definitely made itself known this week.  The heat peaked at record levels in many areas around the country and trying to stay cool became the name of the game.  Seeing as I am a frosty weather kind of girl, this swelter can, in my most humble of opinions, take a much needed hike straight outta town.  I prefer a sweater to a swimming suit any day of the week but that’s just me.  Needless to say, I live in an area that is guaranteed to be steamy this time of the year so I need to create ways to make it through until the cooler weather reappears.

One of my favorite approaches to this is through the creation of homemade ice cream.  Seriously, why buy the pre-made stuff with gosh knows what’s in it when you can easily create a delicious, you control your own destiny, homemade version that is not only healthier but tastes miles better.  With cherries in season and gracing the front stands of my favorite produce sections, I simply needed to create a cherry inspired dairy treat.  Watch out with this stuff; it’s seriously good.  You’ll find yourself doing away with the bowl in favor of a spoon and an ice cream bucket.

Start the batch going with a quick and dirty homemade cherry sauce.  Add in some of those fresh summer cherries along with a little sugar, lemon juice, and water.  Bring it to a boil and cook down.

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