Ice Cream Maker

My new favorite toy. Steve found me one for $20 at TJMaxx (normally priced at $80!). Even more amazing than the price is the fact that I had been wanting one for several weeks but didn't mention it to Steve because I felt it was an unnecessary luxury. Somehow he figured it out anyway. He's brilliant.

So far we have made vanilla ice cream, orange julius, and strawberry frozen yogurt. They have all been good but vanilla remains our favorite. The trick is to get REAL vanilla - not that imitation flavoring. Mix it in with some sugar and half-and-half (half cream/half milk) and you've got yourself one delicious dessert!

Here's the official recipe, for any fellow ice cream maker users...

Vanilla Ice Cream*
1 1/2 cups half-and-half, plus 3 cups
1 1/8 cups sugar
1 1/2 T. vanilla extract

Blend the 1 1/2 cups half-and-half with the sugar on low speed until sugar dissolves (1-2 minutes). Then gently mix in the remaining half-and-half as well as the vanilla. Pour it all in your ice cream maker and let it churn for 25 minutes. Eat immediately (soft-serve consistency) or freeze for later ("hard" ice cream). Makes 7 cups. 100 calories per 1/2 cup serving.

*A note on this particular recipe: this is not a custard-style ice cream. It is very light and refreshing, which is how we prefer it, but if you like thick and creamy you might want to look elsewhere. And I'm pretty sure you'll have to use eggs. Good luck!