GREAT FOR SUMMER TREATS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!
I have three small children. When they were all babies or toddlers, we moved to a more remote part of the state due to rising costs in the housing market. Having three kids is not cheap, so it made sense to cut down on costs wherever we could. Unfortunately with that move, our access to certain things reduced as well.
It really bummed me out specifically that there were no local ice cream shops or an ice cream man driving around the neighborhood. Those were some of my favorite memories as a child, and I was really hoping my kids would get to experience it as well. But unless our area got more built up, we wouldn’t be having this experience anytime soon. Not to mention, we wouldn’t want that, because it would increase the cost of living in our area.
So we had to make due with what we had. I came up with the idea to start making homemade ice cream. We didn’t own an ice cream maker, and I didn’t really want to buy one since it only makes ice cream and doesn’t do anything else. I went on the internet to do some research and found out that I could easily make ice cream in my Cuisinart food processor! My husband and I received it as a wedding gift, and I had only used it a handful of times to make some simpler things.
I pulled out the gadget, only to find that my work bowl was cracked. I forgot that I had dropped it with my last use, and spaced out on checking into getting another one. I did a Google search and found KitchenWorksInc. They sell authentic Cuisinart DFP 14 parts. This was great news, as I’m sure a cracked work bowl would result in quite the mess. I ordered one right away, along with another chopping blade, just in case mine wore out. One problem solved, and onto the next one.
The grocery store was not very close to our house, but there was a smaller indoor/outdoor farmer’s market right in town that we frequented. We were able to get the necessities for making ice cream there: sugar, heavy whipping cream, evaporated milk, eggs, fruits, nut butters, cocoa powder, or really anything else you like in your ice cream. It was a bit more expensive, but it beat making the trek all the way to the store.
It was really a great excuse to start getting creative with my kids, rather than buying regular store bought ice cream. Plus, I knew exactly what ingredients were going into what we were making, rather than having a product with preservatives and artificial things. It seemed like a no-brainer.
My husband, who is a contractor, came up with the awesome idea of building a little ice cream stand with a picnic table in our backyard, so that we could serve up ice cream in a different setting in the summer, rather than just in our kitchen. It was complete with a chalkboard menu in the back, and built in ice bins to put our reusable pint containers in.
It’s become an awesome summer tradition that we do each year, mostly on weekends but also on the occasional super hot weekday. It’s been wonderful for the kids’ birthday parties as well! While it isn’t what I experienced as a child, it’s such a cool bonding experience with the kids, and it’s so enjoyable, I think they would actually prefer this over an ice cream truck or parlor.
