TARBORO — I love summer. However, I don’t love day after day of 95+ temperatures. Still, I would rather be hot than cold.

Even when it’s this hot, we can find ways to help cool down and enjoy our summer weather. Ice cream is always at the top of my list! But, I don’t want to spend hours making ice cream. So, I look for easy ice cream recipes.

Here are a few.

The first one is one that I just learned about this weekend. I’ve tried it already and it’s as easy as it sounds. However, I used store brand orange soda in mine and it wasn’t as sharp a flavor.

The second is a brown sugar recipe that is wonderful! You do cook this one. But, it’s worth it.

Recipe three is for my friends who can’t have sugar! You also don’t cook it. The kids will never know the difference.

The fourth recipe is for the kids. It’s so much fun. Phyllis Talbot showed me this a gazillion years ago and I still use it regularly.

The fifth is a Milky Way candy bar ice cream. What can be better than that?

The last three are no-cook and different flavors. They are vanilla, banana, pina colada and peach .



Easy Orange Sherbet

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 2-Liter Orange Crush



Mix together and pour into your ice cream churn. Process as directed on churn. Remove dasher, plug top of churn container and freeze for an hour before serving.



Brown Sugar Ice Cream

4 egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup (packed) brown sugar

3 cup half-and-half or light cream

1-1/2 Tsp vanilla extract



In heavy, medium, non aluminum saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and brown sugar until thick. In another medium saucepan bring the cream and half and half just to a boil over moderate heat. Gradually whisk the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream. Cook over low heat stirring constantly, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon about 6 minutes. Do Not Boil. Immediately strain the custard into a medium bowl. Stir in the vanilla and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 5 hours. Pour the cold custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Let the ice cream soften slightly before serving.



Sugarless Ice Cream

1 qt. Coffee Rich

1 cup whole milk

1 tbsp. Sweet 10 sweetener

1 can Eagle Brand milk

6 eggs, well beaten (Egg Beaters or equivalent of 6 eggs)

3 tsp. vanilla



Combine all ingredients and put in container in freezer. Stir a couple of times during freezing to keep well blended.





Roll the Can Ice Cream

2 empty cans, 1 lb. & a 3 lb. with plastic lids

1 1/2 cups rock or kosher salt

20 cups (about 7 1/2 lbs.) crushed ice

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup any of the following:

raisins, diced peaches, crushed

Oreos, diced strawberries

1 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine ice cream ingredients in smaller can. Cover can tightly with lid and set in the center of the larger can. Layer 1/2 the ice alternately with 1/2 the salt in the empty space between cans. Cover the larger can with lid. Roll the can back and forth 10 minutes on a hard surface. Open outer can, empty old ice and water. Lift out small can, wipe lid dry and remove. Scrape ice cream from sides with a knife. Replace in large and re-pack with remaining ice and salt. Cover and roll about 5 more minutes or until done.



Milky Way Ice Cream

12 lg. Milky Way candy bar or 24 miniature bars

1 can Eagle Brand milk

Milk



Melt Milky Way bars and slowly add Eagle Brand. Mix well and let cool a little bit. Put in freezer and fill with milk.



Easy Vanilla                Ice Cream

2 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand milk

1 qt. half & half milk

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Ice cream freezer



Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Pour mixture into freezer can of a 1 gallon hand turned or electric freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Ripen ice cream 1 hour, if desired. Yield 2 1/3 quarts.



Banana Ice Cream

2 cans Eagle Brand milk

3 bananas, cut up small

3 pts. half & half

Milk to finish filling 1 gallon freezer



Mix all together. Freeze in 1 gallon freezer. May use any type of fruit mashed up or chopped small. Very rich.



Pina Colada                 Ice Cream

1 (12 oz.) can crushed pineapple

1 pkg. frozen coconut

1 qt. half and half

1 pt. whipping cream

1 can Eagle Brand milk

4 eggs, beaten well (or Egg Beaters)

2 c. sugar

2 tsp. rum flavoring



Mix Eagle Brand milk, sugar and eggs in large bowl. Beat well; add cream and half and half. Add remaining ingredients. Place in ice cream freezer.



Peach Ice Cream

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

4 c. mashed or chopped fresh peaches

1 tbsp. flour

1 tbsp. vanilla

2 qt. milk



Combine sweetened condensed milk and peaches; add flour. Beat well. Add vanilla and milk; mix well. Pour in hand freezer; freeze according to freezer directions.



Did you know?



When buying ice cream, know that it all has air pumped into it. The most desirable is 20 to 50 percent air, which gives it just the right fluffiness and ease of scooping. Unfortunately, the only way to determine this is by weight. A pint with 25 percent air will weigh about 17 ounces after subtraction for the carton weight.

When making ice cream at home, be sure to read and be familiar with the directions for your particular appliance, be it hand-crank or electrical.

The faster the freeze, the smoother the texture of the ice cream.

Never let ice cream melt and refreeze. The result can be an unpalatable mess.

Ice cream is best when stored between -5 and 0 F.

Store ice cream covered so it does not absorb flavors from other foods.

Make up mixtures for churn-frozen ice creams the day before you freeze, to increase yield and produce a smoother texture.

As a rule, fill the churn/machine no more than two-thirds full to permit room for expansion.

Allow 5 to 6 quarts of chipped or cracked ice to 1 cup of coarse rock salt for those old-fashioned machines, and let the ice stand about three minutes before beginning.

For hand-crank machines, it's best to begin with a slow crank, about 40 turns per minute until you feel the mixture begin to thicken by resistance. Then triple your speed for 5-6 minutes. Add any chopped fruit after this step before repacking the salt ice and finishing with about 80 turns per minute for another few minutes to finish.

Too much salt in the ice-packing mixture, overfilling the inner container with the ice cream mixture and/or churning too rapidly can result in a granular texture.

For ices, use no more than 1 part sugar to 4 parts liquid. If there is too much sugar, the ice will not freeze properly. Any alcohol additions should be added after the ice has frozen.

The larger the proportion of sugar or other sweetener, the slower the mixture freezes.

Whipped cream or evaporated milk, melted marshmallows, beaten eggs, gelatin, rennet tablets and other ingredients are all additives used to prevent the formation of large ice crystals as well as to improve or vary flavor.

Evaporated milk triples in volume when whipped whereas heavy cream doubles in volume. To substitute, use 1-1/2 cups whipped heavy cream for 1 cup whipped evaporated milk. Or, 1 cup whipped heavy cream will equal 2/3 cup whipped evaporated milk.



Karen’s Kitchen is a weekly column by Karen Freeman of Tarboro. Contact Karen at:

kvfreeman@triad.rr.com to exchange ideas, ask questions, submit recipes, tips or suggestions.

Check out her Web site: http://www.geocities.com/kvfreeman27886/