Elliott's Strawberry Ice Cream Pops

A while back, I wrote the post on how to make Homemade Ice Cream in a bag. My son, Elliott loves the way it tastes and loves to make it himself. I thought by now my 14 year old son would think that this is no longer cool to do... Last night, he got out the strawberries (which he wrote on his part of the grocery list) and decided to make his own ice cream.

Of course he turns away!

He's "churning" the ice cream.

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
• 6 tablespoons Rock Salt or Kosher Salt
• 1 pint size plastic bag
• 1 gallon size plastic bag
• Ice

What you do:

Put sugar, milk and vanilla in the small bag and seal it good and tight. Fill the big bag half way with ice and the salt. Put the small bag inside the big bag with the ice and salt. Shake and roll the bags around for about 5 minutes. Wipe the salt water of the top of the small bag and open carefully. Voila! Ice Cream

Tip:

The ice and salt gets really cold, so give the kids oven mits or a towel to handle the bags.

Next, he cut up the strawberries... 

Taking the ice cream bag

out of the salt and ice bag... 

Make sure you wipe off the bag

so you don't get salty water in the ice cream.

He layered the popsicle mold

alternating strawberries and ice cream.

He piped in the ice cream

by clipping the corner of the bag.

To the freezer...

Strawberry Ice Cream Pops... by Elliott!

Home-made Ice Cream in a Bag!

Summer is almost upon us... Here in SC, I feel like summer is in full swing. It's 86 degrees outside and 90 degrees in my kitchen! This ice cream sure hits the spot and it's a great thing to get kids active in the kitchen! My son, Elliott loves to do this!

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
• 6 tablespoons Rock Salt or Kosher Salt
• 1 pint size plastic bag
• 1 gallon size plastic bag
• Ice

What you do:

Put sugar, milk and vanilla in the small bag and seal it good and tight. Fill the big bag half way with ice and the salt. Put the small bag inside the big bag with the ice and salt. Shake and roll the bags around for about 5 minutes. Wipe the salt water of the top of the small bag and open carefully. Voila! Ice Cream

Tip:

The ice and salt gets really cold, so give the kids oven mits or a towel to handle the bags.

Retro Fondue Party Menu

A fondue theme dinner party is easy to put together and something that will provide fun for all ages. Fondue comes from the French language meaning "to melt." Fondue can be made in a special fondue pot but can also be created in a crock pot, microwave or saucepan. If using the microwave or saucepan place pan or microwave bowl on a electric hot plate. Set on low and stir often.

Use your Fondue pot as your centerpiece. Include sticks for your food and have each family member or guest pick out a dipper to bring to the party. Ideas could be bread cubes, ham chunks, chicken cubes, fresh vegetables or one of the dessert dippers below.


Gourmet Cheese Fondue

1 cup chicken broth
1 clove garlic minced
1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese or Monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup chicken broth
French bread cut in cubes, sausages, cubed cooked chicken, whole mushrooms

In saucepan add chicken broth and garlic together. Allow to heat. Turn heat to medium-low and add cheeses. Stir constantly until melted. Add salt and Worcestershire sauce. In separate glass or bowl add cornstarch with cold chicken broth. Whip together. Blend into cheese mixture and stir until well blended. Pour into a fondue pot or crock pot. Serve with French bread or other dippers.

Quick & Simple Cheese Dip

Melt in a microwave bowl:
8 oz. of Velveeta cheese
1-2 Tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, optional

Serve immediately with French bread or sourdough bread cubes and cut up vegetables.


Cheesy Pizza Fondue

1 (30 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (1 pound) loaf unsliced Italian bread,cut into cubes

In a 1-1/2-qt. slow cooker, combine the spaghetti sauce, cheeses, oregano, onion and garlic powder. Cook for 4-6 hours or until cheese is melted and sauce is hot. Serve with bread cubes.

Dessert Fondue Theme Dinner Recipes

Chocolate Fondue

6-ounce semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup half and half

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sliced fruits such as strawberries, bananas, peaches, etc.

Angel food cake cut in cubes

Melt chocolate chips and half and half in a microwave safe dish. Stirring often. Add vanilla extract and pour mixture into a fondue pot or crock pot. Serve with dippers.


Chocolate Fondue in the Crock Pot

1 1/2 teaspoon butter
8 oz. chocolate candy bars with almonds
1 1/2 Cups mini marshmallows
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 Cup whipped cream

Rub crock pot with butter. Put in candy bars, marshmallows and milk. Cook for 30 minutes until melted. Add cream and keep lid on to keep warm until serving. Dip strawberries, pound cake, bananas, apple slices or marshmallows.


Caramel Fondue

14 oz. caramels unwrapped
2/3 Cup cream
1/2 Cup mini marshmallows

Mix caramels and cream in crock pot. Cook for 2-3 hours Add marshmallows 30 minutes before serving. Stir to combine. Dip apple slices, marshmallows, pound cake or bananas in fondue.


Strawberry Fondue

1 teaspoon grated orange
1 lb. fresh strawberries, smashed
4 oz. plain yogurt

Mix ingredients together and warm in crock pot or saucepan on low. Serve with small pieces of angel food cake.

Birthday Chocolates

I always loved going up the ‘path’ to visit Grandmama Elliott for our 30 minute visits in the afternoon. We would sit out on the porch swing and eat ‘birthday chocolates’ and talk about school or whatever was going on that day.

At birthday parties, it seems that Grandmama was concerned that the smaller kids would feel left out when the birthday person opens their presents. She used to buy the miniature ‘Reece's Peanut Butter Cups’ in the box to wrap and give as a gift to the others. Those Reece's Peanut Butter Cups became known as ‘Birthday Chocolates.’ Grandmama seemed to always keep some on hand. Here's a recipe to make your own. It's fun and tasty too!

Peanut Butter Cups

2 cups milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

In a small bowl, melt 1cup chips and 1 T shortening in microwave for 1 minute, stir and microwave for an additional 30 seconds or until melted and smooth. Do this in steps so the chocolate doesn't harden before you finish filling the cups...

In 2-quart saucepan combine butter or margarine and peanut butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until melted (4 to 6 minutes). Stir in confectioners' sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Let mixture cool completely.

The easiest way to make the cups is to use some sort of squeeze bottle, or maybe even a plastic bag with one corner cut to fill the cups. First, line your cups with the paper or use a mold*. Form all of the balls of the PB mixture by rolling about a teaspoon of the dough in your hands and forming it into a ball. Set the PB balls on a cookie sheet. Fill a squeeze bottle with chocolate, squeeze a bottom into all of the cups, place a peanut butter ball in the middle of the chocolate and then squeeze the remaining chocolate in around the sides and tops of the cups. Freeze until firm. Store refrigerated.

*If you look in kitchen specialty shops or candy making equipment shops, you can find the plastic candy cup molds to make these. You follow the same procedure as above. When chilled, they just pop right out when you bend the mold back and forth!

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

I made this cake yesterday for Wednesday Night Supper at PBC. It's not the prettiest dessert, but it is OH SO GOOD... How can you go wrong with ice cream sandwiches???

2 boxes Ice Cream Sandwiches
16 oz tub Whipped Cream Topping
8 oz jar Caramel Ice Cream Topping
8 oz jar Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping
Mini Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Shavings or Ground Nuts

Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread a layer of whipped cream in the pan, then layer with sandwiches. Pour on the caramel topping, then the hot fudge. Top with another layer of sandwiches. Continue to layer until all sandwiches are used. Finish with a covering of Whipped Cream. Freeze for about 3 hours. Invert cake onto serving dish and peel away plastic wrap. Garnish the cake with your choice of toppings.

Homemade Ice Cream

Summer is here! School is out! What now? My son is already saying that dreaded phrase, "I'm bored!" This is a great recipe to get the kids moving and cure that boredoom, at least for a little while. AND they get to eat some pretty good ice cream when they are done. They might even want to do more. My son, Elliott has made this time and time again and has even experimented with different flavors. The only problem you should have with this recipe is running out of plastic bags!



What you need:

• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
• 6 tablespoons Rock Salt or Kosher Salt
• 1 pint size plastic bag
• 1 gallon size plastic bag
• Ice

What you do:

Put sugar, milk and vanilla in the small bag and seal it good and tight. Fill the big bag half way with ice and the salt. Put the small bag inside the big bag with the ice and salt. Shake and roll the bags around for about 5 minutes. Wipe the salt water of the top of the small bag and open carefully. Voila! Ice Cream

Tip:

The ice and salt gets really cold, so give the kids oven mits or a towel to handle the bags.