Squeeze Freeze Ice Cream

Even though June Dairy Month is coming to an end, we still have a lot of summer time to celebrate! Squeeze Freeze Ice Cream is a perfect project for the 4th of July  family picnic, any summer camping trip or a day-camp activity. It's  just  one of the many delicious dairy  recipes  found at DairyMakesSense.

Squeeze Freeze Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon salt

Ice cubes

Other Items:

Small re-sealable plastic bag

Large re-sealable plastic  bag

Measuring spoons

Measuring cup

Plastic spoon

Preparation:

Put sugar,vanilla, and milk into small plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible from the bag and properly seal. Put salt into large plastic bag. Drop the small bag into the large plastic bag with salt in it. Add 18-20 ice cubes. Remove as much air as possible from the large bag and properly seal. Knead the bag for approximately 10 minutes, making sure ice in the larger bag surrounds the smaller bag.

When a soft ice cream is formed, remove small bag from large bag, open and eat right out of bag with a plastic spoon. For extra fun, add fresh seasonal fruit or other favorite ice cream toppings.

Notes:

It is important to use whole milk. Other types of milk take too long to freeze. Salt is also very important. Without it, the ice cream will not freeze. One pint of half and half can be added to a gallon of milk. This  makes the ice cream richer and freezes faster.

Peachy Ice Cream

I haven't found any Arkansas peaches at the local market but thanks to farmers in other states--I've had some really sweet, juicy peaches this week! Flavor rich peaches like these will be perfect in homemade ice cream--a perfect treat for celebrating National Ice Cream Month! 


Fresh Peach Ice Cream

1 quart milk
1 10-ounce package of marshmallows
2 cups sugar
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups Half & Half dairy creamer
3 cups mashed fresh peaches

Combine milk and marshmallows in Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until marshmallows melt; remove from heat. Add sugar and remaining ingredients; mix well. Chill. Pour mixture into freezer container of gallon hand-turned or electric ice cream freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Pack freezer with additional ice and salt, and let stand for 1 to 2 hours to ripen before serving.

Homemade Memories

 The highlight of any summer family gathering during my childhood  was the experience of making homemade ice cream.  The adults would fight over who would get to lick the paddle once the ice cream was made but we children fought for the right to sit on top of the bucket while the adults turned the crank!

I wouldn't trade the memories I have of hand cranked homemade ice cream but I do enjoy the ease of making ice cream with the  electric freezer Ryan and I received as a joint birthday gift! Since  July is  National Ice Cream Month, I've decided to experiment with a few new recipes for homemade ice cream.  Butter Pecan Ice Cream recipe  is from one of my favorite recipe books-Jim Graham's Farm Family Cookbook for City Folks.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

1/4 cup butter
2 cups chopped pecans
7 cups milk,divided
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 5.1-ounce package of vanilla instant pudding mix
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pecans. Cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Drain and set aside. Combine 1 cup milk, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and eggs in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes, or until mixture coats back of a spoon. Cool. Stir in remaining 6 cups milk, pudding mix, and vanilla. Add pecans; stir well. Pour mixture into freezer container of a 5-quart ice-cream freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Pack freezer with additional ice and rock salt. Let stand 1 hour before serving. Makes 1 gallon

 

Happy memory making!

Dairy Diversion for Hot Weather

As a diversion from the hot weather and stressful weather conditions that we are experiencing on the dairy farm, I'm thinking about next week's holiday celebration that we will enjoy as a family. Even though fireworks won't be part of our July 4th celebration due to the drought, we will be making our traditional freezer of ice cream to go with our hamburgers and hotdogs! If I can find some ripe peaches, I'm going to try this recipe I found in my Jim Graham's Farm Family Cookbook for City Folks which is a collection of recipes from a lot of good cooks in North Carolina.

Fresh Peach Ice Cream

1 quart milk
1 10-ounce package of marshmallows
2 cups sugar
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups Half & Half dairy creamer
3 cups mashed fresh peaches

Combine milk and marshmallows in Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until marshmallows melt; remove from heat. Add sugar and remaining ingredients; mix well. chill. Pour mixture into freezer container of gallon hand-turned or electric ice cream freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Pack freezer with additional ice and salt, and let stand for 1 to 2 hours to ripen before serving.

                     Hope you have a safe, dairy good July 4th!

Peach Ice Cream

Enjoying a bowl of homemade peach ice cream that my Mother made to celebrate my Uncle Carl's seventy seventh birthday was a perfect end to one of the hottest days on the dairy farm. The secret to the great flavor of this ice cream is to make sure you have juicy ripe peaches.

Peach Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 quart fresh crushed peaches (juicy ripe!)

juice of 3 lemons

dash salt

1- 12 oz. can evaporated milk

3 cups of sugar

whole milk

1 gallon ice cream freezer

Crush peaches and mix with lemon juice and salt. Add evaporated milk and sugar to peaches and mix well. Add whole milk to fill line on freezer. Freeze.

Yield: 1 gallon

What ever you might be celebrating--homemade ice cream is the perfect summer treat!

Ice Cream Tradition

Today is National Ice Cream Day! Do you have a favorite flavor?
With the many choices available, it is more difficult to decide. One of our favorite family summertime family traditions is to make a freezer of ice cream. When I was growing up, we used the hand crank model. It was such a thrill to get to help turn the crank or sit on the top to provide weight for the person cranking the handle. Life is much easier now with the electric model but I have great family memories of making ice cream. If you don't have an ice cream freezer, you can make your own family memories with your kids or grandkids by making ice cream in a bag.



Squeeze Freeze Ice Cream
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
Ice cubes
Other Items:
Small re-sealable plastic bag
Large re-sealable plastic bag
Measuring spoons
Measuring cup
Plastic spoon

Preparation:
Put sugar and vanilla in small plastic bag. Also put salt in large plastic bag. Hold the small bag open and pour in milk. Remove as much air as possible from the bag and properly seal. Drop the small bag in to the large plastic bag with salt in it. Add 18-20 ice cubes. Remove as much air as possible from the large bag and properly seal. Knead the bag for approximately 10 minutes, making sure ice in the larger bag surrounds the smaller bag. When a soft ice cream is formed, remove small bag from large bag, open and eat right out of bag with a plastic spoon. For extra fun, add fresh seasonal fruit or other favorite ice cream toppings.
Note:It is important to use whole milk. Other types of milk take too long to freeze. Salt is also very important. Without it, the ice cream will not freeze. One pint of half and half can be added to a gallon of milk. This makes the ice cream richer and freezes faster. Be sure to have plenty of paper towels on hand.



I would also suggest you have your camera ready to capture the smiles you will see with this project!
You can find information about how dairy farmers work to produce milk for all these dairy foods that we enjoy at http://www.dairyfarmingtoday.org. This fun recipe can be found with a great variety of other dairy recipes at http://www.midwestdairy.com.

Hope you enjoy your favorite flavor today and provide a memory for your family!