Vanilla Ice Cream
Recipes
Chill Out
An easy July 4 th dessert : homemade ice cream
These days , it ’ s really convenient to run by the grocery story and pick up a half gallon of Blue Bell or Breyers when ice cream is on the menu . But storebought ice cream is not the same as the cold , sweet , creamy , soft serve ice cream that comes from churning it yourself . Homemade ice cream is about more than just a sugary treat . A nostalgic food , ice cream that is homemade is wrapped in childhood memories of picnics , backyard gatherings , and family reunions on hot summer days . In those days , your mom or grandmother mixed up the ingredients for homemade vanilla flavor , then turned it over to your dad or an uncle to churn in an old fashioned ice cream maker . Of course , turning it over to the men usually meant the kids were lined up to each take a turn of hand cranking the maker . These five recipes are insanely easy to make and are a great dessert for your Fourth of July celebration .
Vanilla Ice Cream
2 quarts half-and-half ( Land of Lakes preferred ) 2 cans sweet and condensed milk 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon pure vanilla milk
Mix together that half-and-half , condensed milk , sugar , and vanilla and pour into ice cream maker . Add milk , if needed , to reach fill line . Freeze in ice cream maker .
FUN FACTS ABOUT ICE CREAM
• Some consider vanilla to be a boring flavor , but it is the most popular flavor in most ice cream-loving countries , including the U . S .
• The month of July has the highest ice cream sales in the U . S .
• The ice cream cone vaulted into popularity in America during the 1904 World ’ s Fair in St . Louis . Fairgoers were seen eating ice cream out of an inverted waffle-like pastry cone .
• After World War II ended and the government lifted dairy rationing , Americans celebrated with ice cream .
• Our Founding Fathers were fond of ice cream . George Washington kept ice cream pots and serving supplies at both the White House and his Mount Vernon estate . Thomas Jefferson is credited with writing down the first known ice cream recipe in America , one for vanilla ice cream ,
18 • MERIDIAN LIFE