I Can Make You Ice Cream, We Could be a Sweet Team: Ice Cream as Emotional Therapy

*New Young Pony Club

Ok so I believe that ice cream can be therapy for the soul. Or, maybe just emotional well-being (although it's clearly not helpful to physical perfection). It's delicious, it's customizable, it's an adventure. In an instant, it brings you back to simpler times, when you were a kid and your biggest problem was the decision between chocolate or strawberry syrup. You probably couldn't decide and picked both. It's a food you can play with. A masterpiece concoction waiting to be born from your creative genius. Plus, it's got a lot of sugar and calories, making it bad for you...and all the more exciting for this, its dangerous quality.

Now anybody that knows me is probably asking, "What are you talking about? You don't even like ice cream." It's true; for the most part I'm not a big fan. I enjoy the (unfortunately) seasonal peppermint. It's like mint chocolate chip, except the disgusting chocolate chips are replaced by delightful hot pink and lime green peppermint pieces. I also have an intimate relationship with the Cake Batter and brownies combo from Cold Stone Creamery. I'd eat that everyday if I could.

And then there's the creation my former roommate and I have bestowed with the name "Party in a Cone." Hers was actually "Party in a Bowl," but that night I really had a hankerin' for those cake cones you get in a bright pink box at the grocery store. Comet Cups by Nabisco...I just looked in the pantry. Now, because hers was in a bowl, she had the advantages of a large surface area and stability. Mine, on the other hand, was more tricky. You can't really pile sprinkles and syrup and maraschino cherries on a mound of ice cream sticking out of a tiny, weak wafer cone with no walls of protection for your delectable toppings. So how is it done? You're dying to know!

Things you will need: cone, ice cream, spoon (preferrably small because the cone is also small), toppings.

1. Select a cone.

2. There is little space inside this foundation, and you need all you can muster. The first scoop should be small. After this one, I like to push the ice cream down into the grid a the bottom, maximizing my ice cream storage and giving myself more than a dry wafer at the end of my delicious treat.

*Helpful Hint: running water over the spoon before scooping out ice cream makes the task easier.*

3. Just before you get to the part of the cone where the opening widens, add your toppings. This way they are protected from loss due to spilling...and you now have a middle-of-the-snack surprise! Everybody loves surprises.

4. Finish filling your cone with your selected flavor, and top it off with more syrup--it stays on for the most part.

5. Enjoy your therapy.

"This is dessert, not therapy." Is that what you say? Well, desserts is stressed backwards. Think about it. It's comfort food. Whenever old roomie and I had stressful days, we'd come together over our "Party in a Bowl/Cone" and relax as the sugar high and deliciousness melted away all our worries. Used in moderation, I think this therapy can be just as effective as bubble baths, classical music and candles--or whatever it is you use--without becoming a problem for your waistline. Enjoy!

"Life's hard...ice cream helps." -unknown