Summer Fun :: {Homemade Ice Cream + Strawberry Topping!}

How is it that I have accrued so many small kitchen appliances already!  Oh, and to mention the cupboard space I have in this house….wait, it’s nonexistent.  I have always wanted an ice cream maker but I haven’t been able to justify purchasing one.  Trust me, it’s not that I can justify each and every one of these bulky little items I do already own.  It’s the idea of adding just one more, even if it is only little, and then trying to find a home for it….it’s unjustifiable.  I don’t have any good reason to go out and buy one today, unfortunately.

I do love homemade food.  And of course we ALL love ice cream.  In search to find a simple {easy} way to make healthy homemade ice cream for my family, I remembered making homemade ice cream in a baggie as a kid.  And made it again with my sister + her son when he was growing up.  Now it’s my turn to try it with my tikes!  We don’t usually have dairy milk or half + half on hand, but we always have almond milk or coconut milk.  Which worked out just fine.  I think this recipe will work great with any type of milk you already have in your refrigerator at home.  There shouldn’t be a need to make an extra trip to the store for these simple ingredients.

It’s strawberry season and I had some on hand.  I decided to make a yummy strawberry topping to go on top of the homemade ice cream.  I try to limit sugar around here so I used only a little bit  in this recipe.  I also planned on adding the strawberry topping which is plenty sweet too.  If you like things a little bit sweeter, just adjust the sugar.  The kids had a blast helping mom in the kitchen + shaking the bags to turn the milk into ice cream.  They were also amazed which led them to ask some great

questions, it kind of felt like a little science experiment too!

{Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Topping Recipe}

1 cup of frozen strawberries {I think frozen strawberries could work with this recipe too!}

2-4 tbs. of sugar

Heat the strawberries + sugar over medium heat on the stove, bring it to a slight bubble and remove from the heat after about 5 minutes.  That’s it, it took about 5 minutes from the time I placed the pan on the stove. A small pint size mason jar is perfect for storing this recipe.  It makes almost 8 oz.  I made the homemade strawberry topping first because I didn’t want it to make the ice cream melt.  I placed it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before we even attempted to make the ice cream.

{{P.S. I make this same strawberry topping to go on top of strawberry shortcake + angel food cake, two other simple summery treats.  This recipe makes for yummy leftovers and I am sure you won’t let this one go to waste, it’s even delicious by the spoonful!}}

{Homemade Ice Cream Recipe}

1 cup of unsweetened almond milk {or milk of your choice}

1/4 tsp. almond extract {or vanilla!}

1-2 tbs. sugar {or sweetener of your choice}

5-6 tbs. of salt {the larger the salt crystal the better, I used table salt + added 6 tbs., kosher or rock salt are better…}

ice cubes {to fill 1/2 of a 1 gallon zip lock bag}

1 gallon size zip lock bag {freezer kind is best, less likely to open or puncture while being mixed}

1 pint size zip lock bag

Toppings of your choice {try the strawberry topping recipe above!  We also went patriotic and added some red + blue sprinkles on top!}

I added the sugar, milk + almond {or vanilla} extract into the small pint size zip lock bag. Then I added the salt and ice into the large gallon bag.  Then placed the pint size inside the gallon size, zipped it up + shake, shake, shake!  Shake for about 5 minutes, you will see the consistency change and it turns into what looks like soft serve ice cream!  It does melt quickly, especially on a hot summer day.  {I even added my sons melted mixed up mess back into the baggie and gave it another shake!  Which led me to the decision to only make one ice bag next time…and I buy cheap zip locks, so I will double up next time as well!  Gotta love lessons learned!}

{{P.S. my boys LOVE Boston Coolers, one of them remarked that this would be SO good if we added Vernors to it!!!  I love their ideas;)  I think we just might have to try making their recipe one day!}}