The Ultimate 4th of July Dessert

When it comes to a 4th of July celebration, it is easy to overwhelm the cook - not the one who's manning the grill, but the one behind the scenes that does the preparations, the side dishes and the dessert. This 4th of July favorite takes some of the worry out of serving dessert to a crowd since it becomes everyone's favorite variety.

The beauty of this dessert is that it can be made completely ahead. A couple of days before the celebration, make homemade vanilla cream from your favorite recipe. Consider the number of people that will be served, and overshoot the number of batches that need to be prepared (reserving any leftovers for your own family). Scoop out each serving (make it a large serving) into a quart size zip lock freezer bag. Seal and store in the freezer until the party.

Next, prepare the toppings. Choose from the following suggestions or add any additional ones that come to mind.

(1) Strawberries. Cap and slice strawberries or purchase frozen strawberries.
(2) Chocolate chips. Mini chocolate chips are best, but regular chocolate chips can be used and crushed or grated to mix better.
(3) White chocolate chips. Again, mini chips are best, but larger chips can be grated.
(4) Caramel. The caramel is for topping. You can buy prepared topping or make your own by cooking down sweetened condensed milk very, very slowly.
(5) Nuts. These should be chopped coarsely. Some suggestions are walnuts, black walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts.
(6) Blueberries. Buy fresh or use the already frozen variety.
(7) Coconut. Flaked coconut works best.
(8) Cookies. Bake the cookies ahead and break up into small pieces. Or, you can use your favorite store-bought cookie.
(9) Jellies or Jams. Any variety. A little goes a long way.
(10) Peanut butter. Smooth or chunky.
(11) Sprinkles. Make them red, white and blue to fit the occasion.
(12) Whipped cream. I like to use the canned whipped cream.
(13) Maraschino cherries. They look so good on top of the whipped cream.

On the day of the party, set up an ice cream bar in a cool place with all of the toppings and fillings available in small bowls. If the celebration is only outside, a tub of ice can be prepared to keep the ice cream bags in. Small disposable dishes and flatware should be available for serving and eating the ice cream.

Now comes the fun part. Each guest takes one bag of ice cream and adds their own filling or combination of fillings. A permanent marker is a good way to mark each guest's bag so that there is no confusion later. The ice cream can be quickly kneaded by hand to mix all of the chosen ingredients. With the suggested large serving size, about a third of each bag can be used for an 'ice cream royalty' judging. The guests can taste each entry and vote on the best combination.

The ice cream social is a wonderful way to involve all of the guests at the party. Even the youngest child can mix their own fillings with very little help from the adults. If homemade ice cream is not your forte', a couple of large containers of vanilla ice cream from the store will substitute nicely. The modern day ice cream social is one sure way to please everyone with one dessert.