I just finished making a freezer of home made lemon cream sherbet for our family get-together on Memorial Day. You see, it’s become somewhat of a tradition to have our family over to remember this holiday, and at that time have some good eats, like a bar-b-que, salad, and, of course home made ice cream.

The grandchildren who were here just had to see if the ice cream turned out OK, so we all had a little bowl to check it out. It was fantastic!

It got me to thinking of who we had to thank for bringing ice cream recipes to the United States. Do you know who it was?

When Thomas Jefferson was in France helping to procure the peace treaty to end the Revolutionary War, he found he really loved the French cuisine. He brought some recipes home with him to America.

When he was elected the third President of the United States he held many dinners and banquets. He was a widower, Martha had died many years before. So Tom had his good friend, Dolly Madison, serve as the official President’s Mansion Hostess. Together they introduced several new concoctions to the American menu. The new items included waffles, macaroni (or pasta, as we refer to it), and, yes, ice cream. Tom had become a promoter and aficionado of these foods while abroad.

So we have Thomas Jefferson to thank for not only the Declaration of Independence, but also for ice cream—equally as important, don’t you think?