Family Recipe Friday: Ice Cream A Go Go!!

Summer is FINALLY here!! I'm sure the July fog will soon be rolling into San Francisco, but we've been enjoying fantastic weather this week. Kinda makes me want some homemade ice cream. I have a fancy-schmancy ice cream maker in my kitchen, but today I'm going to share a really low-tech recipe with you.

Our family calls this recipe "Ice Cream A Go Go" and we often used it to make delicious homemade ice cream on our many camping trips to Yosemite when I was growing up. While you don't need an ice cream maker, you will need some 1-pound and 3-pound coffee cans as well as some energy and elbow grease. I know, with Starbucks or Peet's (or Tim Horton's for you Canadians out there) on every corner, not everyone makes coffee from cans these days... However, if you know anyone who still loves their Folgers, you might ask them to save their cans for you!

Growing up, we camped at least a few times a year with
family and friends up in beautiful Yosemite. We made
lots of Ice Cream A Go Go!

 Here's how it's done:

Ingredients:

2 quarts milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 13-oz cans evaporated milk
2 small packs instant vanilla pudding
Rock salt
Ice

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients well.
2. Divide equally between four 1-pound coffee cans (rinsed well, unless you want coffee-flavored ice cream). Seal cans with lid and lots of masking tape.
3. Place each filled 1-pound cans into a 3-pound coffee can. Put mixture of one part rock salt and four parts ice around the 1-pound cans. Put lids on the 3-pound cans and seal with more masking tape.
4. Shake cans for 20 minutes. It's a bit of a workout, but you'll be rewarded with yummy ice cream!

Once the shaking is done, take the 1-pound cans out of the 3-pound cans, carefully open them and enjoy your delicious frozen treat.

One tip: make sure you have some mittens, gloves or towels handy for the shaking because those cans get very cold.

This is a great recipe for kids. We always thought shaking the cans was way more fun than turning the boring old crank on our old ice cream maker. It'll wear your more energetic kids out pretty quickly, too. =)

Happy Summer & have fun!