In upstate New York this summer, the prevailing weather has been hot and humid. Being a native New Yorker, I have had my fair share of conversations where I found myself rationalizing to out of state friends why my family has chosen to stay where the winters are long, and sometimes brutally cold. Part of my explanation always includes how much easier it is to pile on layers of trendy clothes to stay warm, than it is to dress for comfort in hot weather. This New York summer has forced me to find the most fashionable and functional accessory to beat the heat: the ice cream cone.

When I’m with a group of friends, I tend to accessorize with a cone of cookie dough ice cream. I feel that flavor tells everyone: “I’m daring…ready for whatever comes my way…bring it on!” For years we have seen advertisements warning of the dangers of eating raw cookie dough; it has been thought of as risky and a taboo of sorts. It is written on the side of those tubes of ready to bake cookie dough…the ones that put that little voice in your ear to “take just one taste, come on; do it”. Luckily in early July, a few articles found cited the FDA has deemed “commercially” prepared cookie dough for ice cream as being safe to consume. As previously stated, Bring it On!

When I’m feeling on the bored side, I choose to enhance my summer wear with a Panda Paws cone. A vanilla base with rivers of fudge throughout and chocolate covered peanut butter paws hidden throughout. It is literally a treasure trove of buried treats for my tongue to hunt for. The size of cone I choose depends on how long of a quest I am up for.

I have found a custard twist with rainbow sprinkles to be the perfect complement when I go out with my immediate family; the twist has become a family favorite go to, and frankly “if it ain’t broke, why fix it?” At our local ice cream stand, it seems that it is a common pick among families.

The recent weather has certainly provided inspiration for getting creative with how to add to your look, and ice cream has proven to be the perfect accessory. No one will notice how the humidity made your hair go flat when you have a delicious looking chocolate dipped sugar cone in your hand, filled with beautiful pistachio ice cream. Strangers won’t be aware of that bead of sweat making its way down the side of your face if you have a regular cone full of Rocky Mountain Raspberry. Remember feeling a bit peeved when your best friends ran out and bought the same pair of shoes you spent hours picking out? That feeling doesn’t happen when friends choose the same ice cream to accessorize with; it just reinforces how delicious the flavor you chose is. Maybe we should look at more things the way we do ice cream.