A Norwegian Welcome Home

          You may think the way to beat this crazy summer heat is to jump into a pool or gulp down a big glass of ice water.

          But take it from me, the woman whose makeup melts down onto her neck when the mercury rises to 113 (yes, A HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN!!).  The way to beat the heat is

          ICE CREAM.

          When our daughter, Nicole, returned from the much cooler land of Norway, where she’s been serving an 18-month LDS church mission, we decided to invite friends to an open house, welcoming her back.  

          Uncle Ken and Aunt Sherri sent this gorgeous yellow arrangement:

          But instead of turning on the oven and risking spontaneous combustion in this ridiculous weather, I chose to have an ice cream sundae bar. But not just any ice cream sundae bar.  None of this Cub Scout cheapie ice cream with syrup out of a squeeze bottle.  Instead, I decided to have gourmet syrups and toppings, then label them both in English and Norwegian.  And we all slid in to happy, heat-free delirium.

          And so, my dear readers, I am sharing this idea with you to save you from heat exhaustion, sun stroke, and from being too thin.  Here’s how to dress up your ice cream if you live in Joniopolis:

          We started with good chocolate and vanilla ice cream.  Next, make a wonderful hot fudge sauce and stir in crumbled bits of cooked bacon. 

Also make a salted caramel sauce.

Then offer the following items to be spooned on or sprinkled:

You cannot go wrong with these items because there’s something for everyone— fruity, nutty, sweet, spicy—it’s all there.  We even served the orange soda Norwegians love.  And guess what?  Even though they spend much of the year in frigid weather, Norwegians are smart: They eat ice cream all year round.

Check out my website, and look for my cooking videos—I’m the Youtube Mom, and many of the videos on my channel teach you how to make luscious yummers in the kitchen.