To me, nothing says summer like ice cream! Really, what could be better than sitting in the backyard, or in the park, with a nice ice cream cone on a wonderfully hot day to cool you down. My absolute all-time favourite is cherry garcia. I mean you cannot go wrong with cherries and chocolate wrapped up in the cool refreshing taste of ice cream. Do you have a favourite ice cream??
This weekend, why not make your own! Here’s how you do it.
You will need:
- 2 zip-lock bags (1 large and 1 medium)
- ½ c. half and half
- Ice (lots of it)
- ½ c. rock salt (I just use my table salt when I don’t have rock salt on hand)
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- Additional toppings you may want in your ice cream (sprinkles, smarties, M&Ms, gummies, etc.)
Fill the large zip-lock bag about half way full with ice. Pour the salt in so that it covers all the ice. (Don’t worry, you will not be eating this part). In the small bag, combine the half and half, sugar, vanilla, and any special toppings you may want to add. As you seal the bag, make sure to press out as much air as possible. Place the little bag into the big bag ensuring that the little bag is sitting in the ice. You may need to adjust the ice to ensure that it is actually surrounding the little bag. As you seal the large bag closed, make sure to press out as much air as possible. Now the fun part! Toss the bag, shake the bag, jiggle and dance! (You may want to wrap it in a towel so your kids don’t feel like their hands are freezing off!) After 5-10 minutes, check the ice cream (in the little bag). Shake more if you have not yet reached the desired consistency for your ice cream. Enjoy it right out of the bag or scoop it into bowls.
I challenge you to experiment with creating different flavours. How would you make chocolate ice cream? Can you make strawberry? What about your favourite flavour?