Vanilla Ice Cream

The Thursday before carmaggedon I was sitting at my desk typing away…until the UPS man came to the door. Package for Margaret..."oh that’s me...whoa what is that, it’s huge?”

Yup it was a huge and unexpected gift from my mother: a Cuisinart ice cream maker!!!..(that is me after I just opened the box- see how happy I am!?---->)

I love ice cream and frozen yogurt! I really thought about jumping right into it and making cookies and cream or mint chocolate chip ice cream.. but I thought, " No Marge, keep it simple and basic for your first time using the machine."

So in sticking  with my stay in cook all weekend theme- the ice cream maker came at the perfect time. I figured after the monkey bread we could have our own little ice cream party. I bought candy, sprinkles, waffle bowls-the works.

There are only 4 ingredients...you stir them together,then pour the mixture into Cuisinart, and the machine does all the work for you.

There will be no flour or baking soda for me to clean up.

I thought "This will be a breeze…what could I possibly do to mess this up?"

Well instead it turned into an episode of I Love Lucy.

You see I was so consumed with how the aerator fit into the machine that I completely forgot about the freezer bowl. (this part fits in the machine but is kept in the freezer)

Mind you the directions for cleaning the Cuisinart specifically state... in bold letters: do not get water or wash the base of the machine, if necessary just gently clean the machine by wiping the outsides of it with a cloth…

Well so much for following directions.

As I said I placed the tricky looking aerator into the Cuisinart..it didn’t seem to stand still unless I placed the lid on right away.- so I did. I then turn the machine on, poured the mixture into the Cuisinart turned around to clean the bowl I made the milk mixture in…

ALL OF A SUDDEN I felt a wet cold substance on my toes…I look down...and it is the vanilla mixture...I look to my left...and see a waterfall of vanilla ice cream flooding my counters and kitchen floor.

After using a few inappropriate words… I suddenly realized what I forgot! I forgot to take the freezer bowl out of the freezer and place the freezer bowl into the machine!

I turned the machine off, grabbed about 5 beach towels, and didn’t know really where to begin..

I threw two on the ground, one on the opposite counter, transferred the leaking Cuisinart to drain out…siiiiiince I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO WASH IT aka not get it wet whatsoever!!!

As I was scrubbing the ground, the mixture poured from the counter onto my head….(I have a very tiny kitchen!)

It was literally everywhere!

After I cleaned everything and everywhere I possibly could, I was too scared to turn the machine on … I really didn’t think it would recover from all the internal mechanical damage.

Therefore I thought it best to take a break and go for a jog; and perhaps mentally prepare how I was going to tell my mother I just broke the generous gift she gave me.

Thankfully luck was on my side this day; the machine survived, and I successfully made my first batch of vanilla ice cream!

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups whole milk
1-1/8 cups granulated sugar
3 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 tblspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Servings

Makes about fourteen 1/2-cup servings