Just Like the Pioneers Did It

I am always looking for new fun (and hopefully easy and not too messy) things to do with my kids. One of our favorite things to make is homemade ice-cream. We have been doing this for years, and they love it and so do I (a perfect combination!!).

Ok, we start with 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup sugar in a small plastic bag and seal it. Then, you put the small plastic bag in a larger plastic bag that has a bunch of ice in it, put salt all over the ice, and the kids shake and mix the sealed bag until their milk mush turns magically into their favorite frozen treat. Finally, we put toppings or mix ins on or whatever, and it's off to the races (there is no slow eating in our house resulting in frequent ice-cream headaches...someday they'll learn).

This time around, Bryce informed me that we were making ice-cream just like the pioneers used to do it. I thought, "Yes, they pulled out their plastic, Ziploc containers, extracted ice cubes from the fridge's automatic ice maker, poured in their pasteurized milk and away they went." I guess it all depends on who you count as pioneers. I've done this with my grandparents and they are pretty old, especially to Bryce, so maybe that counts. Anyway, lots of fun, really simple, and minimal clean up (just make sure your bags seal well or else your ice cream tastes like salt water...not my favorite flavor, but I don't judge).