Three Glimmers For Everyday Life (including ice cream)

Nicole Prince's Lemon Raspberry Frozen Eton Mess and other offerings for Sunday Sundaes™!

Friends, hi—

I’m so happy to have Nicole Prince here with us this week. I’ve been a longtime reader of her Substack, Double Dutch, which I consider to be as good as a hot cup of coffee you didn’t have to make yourself (amen!). She even had me on for an interview, which you can read here!

Nicole is a mom of three, a writer with a sharp eye for the small details, and someone who understands the art of a well-timed treat. The kind of person I want to share a salad and giant plate of fries with. IYKYK.

What I love most about Nicole is how she makes space for two things to be true at once: life can feel heavy and we can still reach for small, bright moments. In this piece, she shares a few of those “glimmers”, and I’m living for the glimmer these days!

Because she knows us well, she’s bringing a little something sweet to the table, too.

I’m so glad she’s here. Let’s lean into the small joys together.

xo Joy

Now, here’s Nicole!

I have this chronic condition where anytime I do something mundane or mentally draining—say the dentist, taxes, a hard conversation—I must reward myself with a little treat.

Sure, I can make coffee at home…but a whole milk latte in a paper cup, with “Nicole!” scrawled across the sleeve in Sharpie just tastes so much better. I get a small-yet-undeniable hit of happiness, knowing that disposable cup is sitting in my cupholder instead of my usual Yeti. (Does anyone cosign this or do I need to get out more?)

Last year, there was a viral “how to romanticize your life” trend where people shared little things they did to make the everyday brighter. Some were funny like “Before I leave for a trip, I sternly tell my cat, ‘You better not throw any parties, do you understand?’” Others were more expected: Buy fresh flowers every week! Use the fine china on a Wednesday! Wear heels to your mammogram!

The idea of romanticizing your life didn’t go viral just because it was funny or insightful. We, as humans, crave glimmers of novelty. Especially right now.

I don’t think it’s dramatic to say that life lately is really damn hard for a lot of people. The news is dismal, groceries are hella expensive, and we’re all carrying something that’s heavy, be it a scary diagnosis, aging parents, money worries, a layoff, and the list goes on and on.

Maybe you’re trying to have a baby, but the test is negative again. Or you have what looks like the perfect family—but behind the curated outfits and beautiful house, you feel so deeply alone.

I know that a spur-of-the-moment chocolate croissant or drive-through latte isn’t going to solve anything. The heaviness you may be feeling every hour of the day isn’t cured by an inspirational quote. So, I won’t pretend that I have any semblance of an answer.

Instead, I want to offer up three things that help me shift my mindset. They’re not magic and they won’t change your life. But they’re solid tactics that give me that glimmer on otherwise tough days. Plus, two of the three are free, and the other is nearly store-bought-only, which in my book, are all wins.

Three Glimmers for Everyday Life

1. Add Sunday Sundaes™ to your week. My oldest, who is in second grade, gets the Sunday Scaries every Sunday, without fail. So, this school year, we’ve started something called Sunday Sundaes, which is to say on Sunday, we end the day with some sort of ice cream treat.

Sometimes it’s a popsicle, sometimes it’s a full-blown sundae with homemade caramel, sprinkles, whipped cream and a cherry. My kids adore it and I never turn down an excuse for ice cream. (But NGL, I love Mondays #hotcoffee #quietoffice)

2. Move your body for 30 seconds at high intensity (x3). Don’t worry, we’re not changing outfits or sweating. Just put on your sneakers (tennis shoes if you grew up in the Midwest like me).

Set a timer for 30 seconds and move as HARD as you can, whether that’s on a spin bike, sprinting down your driveway, burpees without stopping in your basement, high knees next to your desk. You should not be able to talk. Just 30 seconds, babe.

Rest for 2 minutes and repeat 2-3 times. Do this once or twice a week.

I learned about this low-volume workout from exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Stacy Sims and it’s supposed to improve body composition, boost metabolism, and reduce cortisol. If you’re my neighbor, you may have seen me running sprints down the driveway in wool wide-legs and a cashmere sweater, boobs bouncing because like I said, you only need to add sneakers. You’re welcome!

3. Compliment the cashier. How many times a day do you think your cashier is actually seen? Not just “Hi, how are you,” but asked with real curiosity?

One of my best friends’ dads was job insecure for much of his life. I’ll never forget when we first met and she told me about him.

“He’s the guy who’s bagging your groceries and mopping floors. He gets overlooked by everyone who’s going about their day, but just goes on with a cheerful attitude. I love him so much and it breaks my heart at the same time.”

Ask your cashier how they are, genuinely. Admire their cool sweatshirt or their gorgeous skin. Find out what they’re looking forward to this month or if they have weekend plans.

It costs nothing, and it shifts something—for both of you.

And because I can’t write something for Joy and not include a recipe, here’s a really incredible, EASY treat we made recently for Sunday Sundaes. The plan wasn’t to have one of my children helping, but it happened so it’s not as pretty as I was hoping, but it was a sweet time.

Frozen Raspberry & Lemon Eton Mess

Serves 8

An eton mess is a traditional English dessert composed of crushed meringues, whipped cream, and berries, similar to a pavlova. This is an entirely unauthentic take on one. I’ve simplified it to use mostly store-bought items; all you have to do is whip the cream, layer meringues, jam, and curd together, and freeze.

The beauty of this frozen version is its ease and its novelty. People won’t be able to pinpoint exactly what it is: it’s like ice cream, but airy. Cold, but feather-light. Tart and sweet and creamy. They will demand the recipe to which you can either direct them here or just say, “Oh it’s just a little of this and a little of that” with a laugh, and keep it your delicious party trick.

Ingredients:

3 cups heavy whipping cream

3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3.5 oz store-bought meringues, crushed*

1 jar lemon curd (you’ll use around ½ cup)

1 jar raspberry jam (you’ll use ½ cup)

Directions:

Crush meringues in a Ziploc with a rolling pin. They can vary in size, but should be a mix of popcorn-size to pea-size. Set aside.

Whip the 3 cups of heavy whipping cream in a stand mixer until very soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until almost-stiff peaks form. The cream should nearly stand up straight. Taste it—it should be very lightly sweetened. If there’s no hint of sweetness, add one more tablespoon of powdered sugar.

Fold the crushed meringues into the whipped cream and stir until incorporated. Layer half of the whipped cream mixture into a loaf pan. Scoop 3-4 tablespoons of lemon curd and 3-4 tablespoons jam over the cream and swirl lightly with a knife to ribbon it through the cream. Repeat with remaining cream, jam, and curd.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for at least four hours or until frozen through. Set out for 10 minutes, then scoop into a dish or cone.

Notes:

I used Trader Joe’s for the meringues, lemon curd, and raspberry jam. You can use any brands here, just don’t use low-sugar jam. The sugar keeps it from becoming icy!

You can buy meringues online at World Market and Amazon. At the grocery store, they can often be found in the bakery section.

Eton Mess is traditionally served not in frozen form, which you can also do. Or split it into two—freeze one, fridge the other and see which you prefer!

Or you can download and print the PDF here!

Nicole Prince's Eton Mess

593KB ∙ PDF file

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A Few More Offerings for Sunday Sundaes

A day which I’m willing to make a big part of my personality, thank you Nicole!

My Favorite Coffee Ice Cream Without An Ice Cream Maker - creamy, coffee-forward, and streaked with truly so many Oreo cookie bits! This no-churn situation feels is like akin to pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

Three Easy Store-Bought Ice Cream Treats - we love a shortcut and I’m here to tell you that Ritz crackers make for a perfect ice cream sandwich (especially when half dipped in chocolate) and sprinkled with a few jimmies!

Jeni’s Ice Cream Bake Shop Collection - just the best ice cream in the game! Whether it’s one of their classic flavors, or Jeni’s seasonal lineup, the flavors are SO FUN, the quality is so high. It’s a splurge and money well spent.

Deb Perelman Really Does Make The Best Ice Cream Sandwiches - soft cookies, just-set ice cream, and that perfect slightly messy bite! Deb’s approach, as always, is exactly right. Make a batch, wrap them up, and suddenly our freezers are working a little harder for our happiness. I made my batch with a combination of vanilla and strawberry ice cream, but there are no wrong answers.