Chocolate Ice Cream, Oil & Vinegar for Summer

Chocolate

Ice Cream, Oil & Vinegar--

Must-Have Home Cures

By Cal Orey

It's hot. We're having a heat wave at Lake Tahoe. And dark chocolate Italian gourmet ice cream is calling my name. But I can't find it... The ceiling fan is on, the windows in every room are open, and swimming today was bliss. Truly the cool water felt heavenly. The warm air is still lingering. I'm feeling summer and wishing it were fall.

Today, at the grocery store (when it's hot or you eat fresh food it's a good place to be) with finesse of a veteran local I dodged the multiple tourists and walked up and down the ice cream aisle in desperate search of the perfect gourmet dark chocolate ice cream. I didn't find it. Tomorrow, I'll have to hit another local store with a larger all-natural, premium health food section. And the ice cream I crave may be there. Or not.

I read that July is National Ice Cream Month. Oh, oh, oh--the Ice Cream Man with music drove down our street earlier today! Memories of childhood hit fast. Remember fudgesicles? Or how about soft chocolate ice cream topped with hard chocolate fudge sauce? Mint chocolate chip ice cream with its bittersweet chocolatey chunks comes to mind, too.

Tomorrow, I will search for the cold ice cream of my dreams. Due to the "severe recession" or some reason that baffles me, our Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors Ice Cream Store is MIA. All gone. No more swirl cookie lines before we get to get our choice of flavor.

I remember one time in Marin...a treat to cherish forever was a genuine gourmet dark Italian ice cream cone I savored and that is what I want. I want the good stuff. That's right. Rich, creamy, dark chocolate ice cream (Italian, French or Belgian) is what I'm talking about and I will hunt it down until I find it.

Meanwhile, if you have the ice cream of your choice, I have some DIY home cures that may make your sizzling summer a bit more comfy. Here, take a look at 5 must-have treatments with olive oil and vinegar.

1. Sunburn: Apply ice cold apple cider vinegar for fast relief.

2. Swimmer's Ear: To protect against ear infections from swimming pools, a popular folk remedy to try is using a mixutre of one part white vinegar to one part rubbing alcohol.

3. Insect and Bee Stings: Make yourself more comfortable in a homemade past from vinegar nd cornstarch. Apply it directly to the bumps and blisters.

4. Diaper Rash: Use 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil with 1 teaspoon of water. Shake these two ingredients until you get a pasty emulsion, a sort of cream ready to be spread on the irritated area.

5. Poison Ivy and Oak: Try mixing equal parts vinegar and rubbing alcohol and apply to rash. Or mix equal parts buttermilk, vinegar, and salt and apply.

So there you go. Olive oil and vinegar--most likely in your kitchen cupboard--and chocolate ice cream--in your freezer or you may have to join me to find the perfect brand. These are three superfoods that will make your life sweeter this summer. I'll keep you posted on my gourmet chocolate ice cream quest. My mantra is haunting me: "Fall, fall, fall." Two more months. I can do this. And the right chocolate ice cream will help take the edge off.