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Ice Cream Season!

Summer is nearly upon us. Well, let's be honest, in Florida, Summer is ALWAYS upon us. There is a season for ice cream, however, and it has arrived. I will preface this by saying that I do own an ice cream maker. It's the Cuisinart in Turquoise. It's very pretty and as Alton Brown calls it, a unitasker, but I just don't care. When I need it, I need it.

Being in mid-life, I stumble across the periodic craving and I had a bad one for a Dairy Queen Peanut Buster Parfait. But, ugh. It's so far. And no drive through, so I have to go in the store and look at the sketchy floors and counters. I discovered the joy of ice cream making in my jammies with very few (and fresh, whole, no weird name) ingredients. I understand you don't need an ice cream maker for this one, but I like the lighter texture the churning gives it. Here's the deal:


1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated, sweetened condensed!)

4 cups of half and half (and the real stuff, not the "fat free" with the nasty chemicals)
2 Tablespoons of vanilla (homemade if you have it...SO easy, I'll make another post on that one)

That's it. Yep. Stir it up and dump it in your ice cream maker or in a bowl and plop it in the freezer. Delicious, creamy, vanilla ice cream all ready for stir-ins, flavor-ups, or purists.


OK, remember how I said I was craving the parfait thingy? Well, that takes FUDGE SAUCE. Not something I keep on hand. Not to be left hanging with plain vanilla and peanuts:


1/3 cup cocoa powder (I like the darker version)

2/3 cups sugar
1 cup half and half (real, see above. If you're gonna blow calories, DO IT)
1/3 cup mini marshmallows
1 tablespoon butter
pinch of salt

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir the cocoa, sugar, and half and half until it's nice and bubbly, but not boiling. Once it's good and hot, sprinkle in the salt, then add the marshmallows, stirring until they are melted. Remove from heat, stir in the butter and let it cool before putting it into a mason jar for storage. As if. Let it chill a bit, then layer over that delicious, creamy ice cream topped with some Spanish peanuts. So much easier than getting dressed and driving somewhere.Plus knowing it was made with fresh ingredients and love in a clean kitchen. Win.

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