I scream, You scream, I made ice cream!

I'm totally digging this KitchenAid ice cream maker! Bought it at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon. Came to roughly $65, three trips for 6 people to Coldstone approx $57 plus gas to get there. Once we get our family cow buying milk will be a thing of the past and will futher minimize our cost on making this delicious treat!

I'm reminded by hubby that ice cream is not healthy. Yes, I get that. BUT (and ice cream does contribute to big butts) making it at home is not only fun but a better treat option, as the ingredients are fresh and there are no additives (well, unless you add them). I could also use over ripe fruit to make sorbets and can use this machine to make butter (again something we'll be doing when that cow gets here).

I use the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Book to make my base. I prefer sweet cream base #1 but they give you three to choose from so you can play around with background flavors and ingredients.

I make some of my own ice creams using ingredient lists from others I've had. The two that I've come up with are a mix between a Ben & Jerry's and a Coldstone flavor mix. I hope you enjoy!

Coffee Toffee Caramel Crunch

Start with sweet cream #1 base from the B&J ice cream book.

When you're mixing the base add in some instant coffee (I use decaf as ice cream is usually a before bed treat). I use the Nescafe Tasters Choice because it comes in 6 single cup packets and costs $1. This way you can add more or less coffee and easily save what isn't used or don't have a whole can left over when you're done. I make ice cream every 5-6 weeks so this makes sense for me as I don't drink decaf otherwise.

After, the now, coffee base has been put through the ice cream maker for about 25 min add in three heath bars (frozen and crushed up while in package works best) and a bunch of nuts. I prefer raw pecans but walnuts or almonds would be yummy too. Mix it up for a minute.

I use the Ikea 365 red lidded square containers to hold one batch of ice cream. They have see through lids which makes identifying ice cream flavors easy and are freezer and dishwasher safe. They're also fantastically affordable. Before you dump in the semi-firm ice cream add a drizzle of caramel over the top and swirl it into the ice cream as you scoop, this way you'll have ripples of caramel throughout instead of a part ofthe base flavor. Makes a difference, trust me.

Freeze for a few hours and enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Cherry

This is a little something close to Cherry Garcia but uniquely my own. I used to get the gang at Coldstone to make this for me but they discontinued carrying marichino cherries. Alas! What self respecting Ice Cream joint dosen't carry these iconic disturbingly red orbs?? They even have them in the ice cream accessory section at the grocery store and Target, making one believe that this is not just common but slated for use exclusively with ice cream! But, I digress, let's get back to making it ourselves, shall we?

Again, I started with B&J's sweet cream base #1. Just mix this up and run it through the machine for about 22-25 min. the firmer it is the more evenly distributed.

Drain a jar of cherries (the more cherries you drain, well, the more cherries in the ice cream unless your "helpers" are sneaking them) and chop 'em up (again the more you chop them, the more will be distributed. You like big chunks here and there, leave 'em more whole; some in every bite, chop 'em smaller.)

Add these (sometimes I also add the juice to give the base a cherry flavor) and a few handfuls of mini chocolate chips and let it whirl for a minute or so.

Then do the same thing with some chocolate syrup or fudge syrup as I explained in the other recipe above. Put it on top, "ripple" it while you transfer it by scooping to another container.

Yummy Yummy.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and are inspired to make your own ice cream at home! If you happen to try out any of the above, post a comment and let me know how it went!