Homemade ice cream is love

Nothing says love like homemade ice cream.

Growing up, I can remember the big family get-togethers we had on our small, Minnesota dairy farm. They were always a blast, even though I often had to be pulled away from the fun to take care of my chores.

I can still recall how much fun they were. Usually, at these family get-togethers we would make homemade ice cream. It is something my late grandpa Otto Rahn, or Gramps, as we called him, loved to do.

It's not like making homemade ice cream the way we do today. Nope, it was much different.

First, we would chop the bricks of ice in a gunnysack with an axe. Then we would mix the chopped ice, salt and water together.

We would pour this mixture around the ice-cream container that had our precious ice cream liquid in it. At this point one of the smaller children would sit on top of the ice cream maker to hold it in place while the machine turned the ice cream. Yes. We used to use the crank method, but later I remember us switching to the electric ice-cream maker because it was faster.

About 20 minutes later, my mom would check on the ice cream to make sure it was just right. Once the ice cream received my mother's approval, she would take bowls and spoons out of the freezer and start dishing it up.

All of the kids in the house quickly gathered to see which one of us would receive the coveted ice cream beaters to lick off. Just the thought makes me salivate.

We would then receive a bowl of ice cream. It was probably the only time our entire house was quiet with that many people in it. We all would just sit there enjoying the homemade ice cream and commenting on how good it was.

A few years ago, I was at a garage sale and saw a brand-new crank ice-cream maker. It is different than the one I used growing up, but it looked really easy to use. I bought it for a quarter or something like that. Anyway, all I do is keep the cold part of it in my freezer; and anytime I want to make homemade ice cream I take it out of the freezer, put it into my ice cream maker, pour in the ice-cream mix and crank it every two minutes for 15 to 20 minutes. And, yippee, I have homemade ice cream.

I don't make it all of the time, but I have branched out from the traditional vanilla flavor. I have made peppermint and sweet mint from the mint leaves I grew in my garden. I have also added candy to the vanilla. Out of all of them I have tried, nothing beats the original. Or at least that is what my family has determined.

Although the recipe is simple, the memories it has created in my family will always be there.

Vanilla Ice Cream

2 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1 3/4 cups milk

2 cups cream

2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and cream colored. Add milk, cream and vanilla. Mix well. This mix may be refrigerated or used immediately.

Follow your ice-cream makers directions.