Summer's Here! Time for Home-Made Ice Cream

Every summer, my Dad would make home-made ice cream, often on the 4th of July or on other special occasions. The recipe he used yielded great ice cream, but it was labor intensive, which is why when he came across a simpler recipe a few years ago that made ice cream that was just as good, we happily switched. Here it is (Ida's Vanilla Ice Cream -- I have no idea who Ida is):

• 4 eggs beaten very well
• Add 3 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 cup at a time, beaten at a moderate speed
• Gradually add 2 quarts of half-and-half, mixed at a moderate to slow speed (otherwise it splatters everywhere!)
• Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1 pint of heavy whipping cream to the concoction and mix at a moderate to slow speed
• Pour into and freeze in a 5-quart ice cream freezer (see figure up and to the right)

If you like Coffee Ice Cream, when adding the vanilla extract and whipping cream, also add 5 tablespoons of instant coffee. Starbucks "Via" packets work quite well. One is usually enough, but two gives a little more bite. Another variation is Oreo Cookie Ice Cream. Here, when adding the vanilla extract and whipping cream, add 7-10 crushed Oreo Cookies to the mix. Another recipe that a friend (Sandy Mitchell) gave us is known as the 6-3's (or the 3 fruits):

• 3 oranges (juiced)
• 3 lemons (juiced)
• 3 bananas (smooshed)
• 3 cups of sugar
• 3 cups of milk
• 3 cups of heavy whipping cream
• Pour into and freeze in a 5-quart ice cream freezer

Enjoy!