Summer desserts

As most of you know, I try to make as much as possible from scratch. The sugar and chemical content in bottled sauces, condiments, etc, are sometimes unbelievable.  For instance, one tablespoon of Heinz ketchup has 4g of sugar.  Tell a 9 yr old that she can't put ketchup on anything and she will tell you that there's not much she's going to eat!  Because of this, we have found some really good and tasty sauces.

But, I digress.  We love ice cream.  Growing up, my parents made homemade ice cream quite a bit.  Always vanilla, once in a while we got peach or strawberry.  I can remember chocolate a couple of times.  But, made in an ice cream freezer, it was a frozen concoction that quickly turned to liquid.  And after you put it in the freezer, it became a solid rock.  Delicious, but not really comparable to store bought. 

I've been searching for really good ice cream recipes and finally found one in Woman'sDay magazine.  It is rich, creamy, and decadent. And incredibly easy to make!  There are only three ingredients - heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, and pure vanilla extract.  Mix them together, put them into a freezer container, and freeze for at least 8 hours.  When it's done, you have a rich, creamy, ice cream that will stand up to Baskin Robbins or Breyers any day.  Now, here comes the fun part - you can put anything you want into it to flavor it!!  You say your favorite ice cream is rocky road?  Ok, add chocolate syrup to the mixture.  After it's done mixing, stir in chopped nuts & mini marshmallows. Then freeze it!  My favorite is to add coffee to the mix and then stir in hot fudge & caramel toppings.  Yum!!!

Homemade Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer on highspeed, beat the ingredients in a large bowl until thick, stiff peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Spoon the mixture to a freezer-safe container, cover and freeze for at least 8 hours.  It will last up to 2 weeks in the freezer.

 

Now, we also like to grill in the summer.  Actually, we like to grill all year round, but most of all in the summer when we can get lots of fresh fruits & veggies to grill.  One of our favorite desserts is a grilled pineapple sundae.  We got the recipe from Taste of Home.  We not only get to use fresh pineapple on the grill, but a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream too! 

 

Grilled Pineapple Sundae

 

4 fresh pineapple slices, about 1/2" thick each

4 scoops vanilla or coconut ice cream

1 cup whipped topping

1/2 cup hot caramel ice cream topping

1/4 cup flaked coconut

 

Place the pineapple slices on the grill and cook until heated through, about 2 or 3 minutes.   Place each slice into an individual bowl.  Top with ice cream & whipped cream.  Drizzle with caramel sauce.  Sprinkle coconut on top. 

 

Now, in our house, we make our own whipped cream from heavy whipping cream.  We also make our own caramel sauce.  It is really easy to make.  Simply place a can of sweetened condensed milk into a crockpot before you go to bed. Cover with water and turn it on low.  When you wake up in the morning, the milk will have turned to caramel.  Yum!

 

Ok, go make your own.  You know you want to!