My New Toy

Last week, I bought myself a little gift!

Sheri got this handy-dandy 2 quart ice cream maker a few months ago, and after tasting her many concoctions, I decided that one would be sitting in my kitchen in the very near future. Now, don't think for one minute that I don't already HAVE an ice cream maker...c'mon, you know me better than that!!! But the ice cream maker I have is a whopping 6 QUART size, and it is kind of a pain in the a@# to use. First of all, it's incredibly messy, with the rock salt and ice and everything, so we have to use it outside. Plus, it's really loud. So when I saw this baby in action, I was sold.

Now I did balk a bit at the price tag, of course. I was going to have to save my pennies. But then I was walking through Sam's Club one day and there it was...for under $60!!! I was so excited, I think I might have peed a little! I went back that very week and snatched one up for myself...vowing to immediately post mine on Craig's List when I got home.

Oh me, oh my, were we ever excited!! The kids and I started planning what flavor we would make first. It ended up being Strawberry Chip, inspired by my favorite flavor at Graeters. And lordy, lordy, was it GOOD!!! Loads of fresh strawberries, real cream, whole milk, sugar, and of course, Dove dark chocolate!! It was fantastic! And you know what else? It only takes 25 minutes!!
Sorry, I forgot to take pics of the end result...it was so good, we ate it immediately! Then, that next weekend, I made Cookies and Cream for my friend Amy. I only had a little taste, but it was very tasty too. This week, I think I'm going to try for chocolate with a peanut butter swirl. We'll see how that turns out! Of course, my analytical hubby has already decided that even with the price tag on this baby, we'll be better off making our ice cream at home. Pretty cheap, really! So, stay tuned for more ice cream this summer! Sheri told me that her brother and his wife put Mike's Hard Lemonade in there and make slushes. I see those in my very near future!! YUM!