June is National Dairy Month

 

June is National Dairy Month. When I think of dairy, ice cream is always the first thing that pops into my head.

It's a summery treat that's been enjoyed by many generations. 

In my new release, Sarah, I picture the characters sitting on a porch, indulging in a bowl of the cool, creamy confection after a long day in the hot sun. 

My aunt used to make the best chocolate ice cream. Here's her recipe:

Chocolate Ice Cream

3 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups half-and-half
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 quart heavy whipping cream
Approximately 2 quarts of whole milk

Blend sugar and cocoa powder together then add 1 quart of milk in large saucepan. Bring to a simmer, add a small amount of the hot mixture to the eggs to temper. Beat well and add back to the pan. Bring this to a boil and then remove from heat. 

After it cools a few minutes, add vanilla, half-and-half and the heavy cream. 

 Refrigerate until cold, stir occasionally. Overnight is good if you don't need to make it right away. Add the cold mixture to your ice cream freezer can and fill up to the one gallon mark with whole milk. Freeze as your ice cream freezer directs. 

Makes one gallon.

And if you haven't yet read Sarah, the book is available on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited, and in paperback!

She desires his heart.
He longs for her love.
Can they find common ground when he returns forever altered by the war.

In a world turned upside down by World War I, all Sarah Richards desires is to love Brett Rawlings and build a future together. After graduating high school a year early, she’s ready to dive into her dreams of college and a home filled with laughter and love. But one impulsive decision threatens all her aspirations—as well as her relationship with Brett.

As the war rages on and men head off to fight, sixteen-year-old Brett reluctantly follows his twin brother, Ben, sneaking off to France to join the American Expeditionary Forces. As the months pass, Ben thrives amidst the chaos of battle, while Brett finds himself haunted by the girl he left behind and the uncertainty of his own heart. When Ben reveals a life-altering secret, the bond between the brothers is shattered, forcing Brett to grapple with betrayal as he faces the brutal realities of war.

Brett returns home a changed man, burdened with memories too heavy to bear, yet yearning to mend the fractures of the past. Will Sarah still be waiting for him, or have time and truth forged an unbridgeable chasm between them?

Find out in this heartfelt historical romance that weaves a tale of hope, grace, forgiveness, and sweet, enduring love.

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences.

Today, Shanna draws on her rural roots to create sweet and wholesome romances filled with hope, humor, quirky small-town characters, realistic heroes, and women of strength. Her historical westerns have been described as historically accurate, blending facts with engaging fiction, while her contemporary works have been called laugh-out-loud funny, swoony, and heartwarming.

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller.

In The Good Old Summertime

by Shanna Hatfield

This time of year, I seem to wax a bit nostalgic as I think of the summers of my youth.

My childhood years, spent on a farm, meant in between helping irrigate, haying, harvesting wheat, babysitting and employing evasive tactics to avoid the domestic skills my mother was determined I learn, we had a lot of fun.

Twice a month, the Schawn's delivery truck would roll down the road, stirring a sea of dust in his wake. My mom would purchase two big tins of ice cream that we would invariably run out of before his next arrival. The tins held approximately two and a half gallons of delicious, creamy frozen confection that my family consumed on a daily basis. Lest you think we were ice cream gluttons (which we admittedly were), my brothers often invited friends or cousins to join us. We could have ten to twelve people at our house to help gobble up the ice cream on any given day.

Once the work was done for the day and the cool evening shadows greeted us, we'd get a bowl of ice cream and sit on the back porch where a breeze blew up from the pond and we could watch the moon rise over the water. 

Another favorite sweet of summer was Idaho Spud Bars. The little drug store in town always had a huge barrel full of them near the cash register and they were often four for a dollar. We'd take them home and stick them in the freezer where they'd become another cool treat we enjoyed to beat the heat of July and August. Manufactured by the Owyhee Candy Company, in business since 1901 in Boise, Idaho, you can still find Idaho Spud Bars and other goodies made by them today.

The 4th of July Parade was a huge event in our little hometown. My oldest brother and his friends would generally ride horses while my other brother would drive his Model T in the parade. One year, Mom helped me make an early 1900s costume so I could ride along in the car.

I played the song In the Good Old Summertime on the piano about fifty times in a row, recording it on our tape player, then blasted the song from a boom box in the car as we drove down the street. (Yes, that was before we could download a song and play it on a loop on smart phones!)

Anytime I hear that song, it brings back sweet memories of my childhood and golden, glorious moments from summers long past. 

If you've never heard it, you can listen to a little of here. And if you haven't seen the movie, it's an oldie but a goodie!

After spending her formative years on a farm in eastern Oregon, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield turns her rural experiences into sweet historical and contemporary romances filled with sarcasm, humor, and hunky heroes.

When this USA Today bestselling author isn’t writing or covertly hiding decadent chocolate from the other occupants of her home, Shanna hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna loves to hear from readers. Follow her online at:

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Find Shanna’s books at:

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