Homemade Ice Cream

Yesterday, Donna made ice cream in our Krups Automatic Ice Cream Maker. Not like the old style bucket with ice and rock salt variety, but easy, clean and noiseless (almost). The container must not have been cooled sufficiently because the ice cream came out too slushy, so we put it in a Tupperware and put it in the freezer. Today, that ice cream is like a brick....tasty, but still the consistency of concrete. It brought back memories of homemade ice cream from childhood....ah yes.....reliving the delight of rock hard vanilla ice cream!

Making vanilla ice cream (was there ever another flavor?) in the crank style freezer was a summertime high point growing up. We may have skimped a bit on the heavy cream, but not the sugar! We would all take a turn cranking the handle for what seemed like hours. Adding ice, adding rock salt, draining some water, adding ice, adding rock salt....you get the idea. All of us, mom included, were a bit over-anxious for the taste of that frozen delight, to actually wait until the cranking got real difficult. Just a bit harder was enough for us! We'd bring the metal container out of the icy brine and pop off the lid, and each would take a spoonful of pure vanilla heaven....a bit like grainy/gritty soft-serve. We would fight for who got to lick the beater. Then mom would put the container in the freezer to let it "finish". By the next day, the ice cream would be like a rock! We'd almost need a chisle and sledge to chip off a few flakes of the golden delight. It didn't deter us, however, and I think we assumed this was how it was supposed to be. The added energy expenditure, I think, kept us slim (?skinny) in spite of the calories consumed. (Well, maybe not EVERYONE). It probably lasted longer that way as well. We'd chip and dig until we would get a small bowl full, and then add the topping of choice - which in our house was Nesquik powder. We never had REAL chocolate syrup, although we would occasionally have butterscotch because it was dad's favorite. Sliced bananas and a little whipped cream from the spritzer can, and we had a banana split!