Strawberry-Peach Milk Shakes

The balcony Fourth of July. It was small by design — me, Megan, Tom, Linda, and my buddy Ryan and his girlfriend. Six people on a balcony that fits four, with a smoker and a grill and a cooler and more patriotic decorations than Megan should have been allowed to buy. She went to Target and came back with flag bunting, star-shaped plates, and red-white-and-blue napkins. I said, "We're grilling on a balcony, not hosting the Rose Parade." She said, "Ambiance matters, Jake."

I grilled. Brats (obviously), burgers, corn on the cob. Tom brought his potato salad, which he made specifically because I told him mine was better last year and this was his way of issuing a challenge. I tasted his. It was good. Not as good as mine. I told him so. He said, "You're wrong." This is the Kowalski version of a cook-off and it will never be resolved and I wouldn't have it any other way.

We watched the fireworks from the balcony — you can see them over the lake from our building if you lean a little and squint. Megan sat in my lap because there weren't enough chairs. Tom and Linda held hands, which they do so rarely that seeing it always makes something catch in my chest. Ryan and his girlfriend were arguing about something, because Ryan is always arguing about something. It was loud and small and perfect.

Made a red, white, and blue trifle for dessert because Megan insisted on a patriotic dessert and I am not the kind of man who says no to dessert. Strawberries, blueberries, pound cake, whipped cream, layered in a big glass bowl. It looked festive. It tasted like summer. Linda took a photo and posted it on Facebook with the caption "My son made this!" She has forty-seven Facebook friends and every single one of them liked it. I am living my best social media-adjacent life.

The trifle got all the glory that night — Linda posted it on Facebook and everything — but honestly, the flavor that kept coming back to me after everyone went home was just pure summer fruit: the strawberries layered into that bowl, the sweetness of everything at its peak in July. If you want to bottle that same feeling without assembling a whole layered dessert, this Strawberry-Peach Milk Shake is exactly it — the kind of thing you can throw together in five minutes after the fireworks are done and the balcony is finally quiet. Megan would absolutely insist on drinking it out of a red-white-and-blue cup.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 2

Ingredients

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled
1 large ripe peach, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped (or 3/4 cup frozen peach slices)
1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon honey or sugar, optional (adjust to sweetness of fruit)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fresh strawberry slices or peach wedges, for garnish

Instructions

Prep the fruit. If using fresh strawberries and peaches, rinse, hull, and chop them into rough chunks. For a colder, thicker shake, freeze the fresh fruit for 30 minutes ahead of time.
Blend. Add the strawberries, peach, vanilla ice cream, milk, vanilla extract, and honey (if using) to a blender. Blend on high for 30—45 seconds until completely smooth and creamy.
Taste and adjust. Taste the shake and add a splash more milk if it’s too thick, or an extra scoop of ice cream if you want it richer. Blend briefly to combine.
Serve immediately. Pour into two tall chilled glasses. Garnish with a fresh strawberry slice or peach wedge on the rim. Serve right away for best texture.

Nutrition (per serving)

Strawberry-Peach Milk Shakes — The Dessert That Almost Stole the Show from the Trifle