Frozen Yogurt- A tasty summer treat

I have an ice cream maker I picked up for free while we were living in England. I had been looking at boying one just like it when I walked into the Airman's Attic (which is sorta like a thrift store, but everything is free. It's a military thing) and there it was just sitting on the shelf waiting for me to take it home. It's one of these.

It is fabulous. Makes yummy frozen treats in no time without the hassle of salt and all that jazz.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I made some crockopt yogurt (recipe is coming soon. I just want to make it one more time) and I had some still sitting in the fridge. So, I decided that since it's a million degrees here in He...urm...Texas, frozen yogurt would be yummy. I searched the internet and found this recipe. Then I promptly tweaked it. Here's what I did.

Vanilla Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

3 cups plain yogurt-I used homemade plain, but any would do.

1-2tsp vanilla extract- it depends on how vanilla-y you want it

Honey- I added enough to take the 'tang' out of the yogurt and make it slightly sweet. Probably about 1/2cup-ish. Sorry I can't be more exact, but it's really a personal taste thing

1/2 c frozen blueberries-You could probably use fresh, but I only had frozen.

Put yogurt, vanilla, and honey in a bowl and stir well. Add the yogrut mixture to you ice cream makin' machine and turn it on. Let the machine do it's thang. It took mine about an hour or so to get to the right consistency. At that point I tasted it for sweetness and added a bit more honey and the blueberries. I let the machine run about 5 more minutes. Just long enough for the blueberries and honey to mix in. At this point, it was a soft serve consistency, which we all thought was fine. I like a little harder of ice cream, but it was fine. There was a tad bit left that I put in the freezer to firm up. After about an hour or so it was much firmer, and more like I prefer it.

This was a great treat. Not terrible for you. I knew exactly what was in it, and the family loved it. I'll be making this a lot during the summer. Guess I better keep on crankin' out that homemade yogurt.

Ice Cream Cake

So, my "baby" turned 19 on May 21st. I always make the kids their birthday cakes. Nothing fancy. Usually just a box cake with their choice of frosting. Most of the time they pick buttercream frosting (which is my favorite frosting of all time). I asked the Large Boy what kind of cake he wanted and he replied..."an ice cream cake". A "vanilla with mint chocolate chip" ice cream cake. Great. I have made an ice cream cake before. It was about 7-8 years ago for the Medium Boy's birthday. When I made that one, I had a glass 9x13 baking pan explode. Not fun.

So, I went out and purchased my ingredients, returned home, and gave it my best shot.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

1 box of vanilla cake mix

1/2 gallon of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

1 container of hot fudge sauce or chocolate syrup

1 bag of Andes mint candy pieces

Buttercream frosting-enough to cover a 9x13 cake

Mix and bake the cake according to the package directions, but divide the batter between two 9x13 pans. ( I made 2 boxes of cake mix and 2 cakes, and it was way too much). Remove cakes from oven and let cool. Place ice cream in the fridge to soften.

Once cakes have cooled, place one of them on a serving platter. I used one of these. Hollow out the center of the cake (or not, it's your cake. It really depends on how much cake you want). Fill the hollowed out section with the ice cream. (If you didn't hollow out your cake, spread the softened ice cream over the cooled cake.) Sprinkle 1/2 of the Andes candy pieces over the ice cream. Drizzle hot fudge sauce or chocolate sauce over the ice cream. Carefully place the second cake on top of the ice cream. Put the whole thing in the freezer for a couple of hours. I left mine in there for about 2 hours. Just long enough for the ice cream to firm back up and the top layer of cake to freeze slightly.

After the cake has been in the freezer for a couple of hours, you get to frost it. :) Now, let me just say I am not a "for pretty" type of cook. What I make tastes good and looks alright, but it is nothing fancy. So, no pressure to make it look professional quality here, just frost it. Put a thin layer of frosting on the cake and return it to the freezer. If you keep it out too long the ice cream starts to melt and get oozy and it just makes a mess. Trust me on this one. After about an hour take the cake out of the freezer and put the final coat of frosting on it. Return to the freezer until ready to serve.