Ice Cream

Hamilton Beach 68330R 4-Quart Automatic Ice-Cream Maker
$32.99
I have been researching ice cream makers and settled on this one after reading lots of reviews. I had been looking at more expensive ones, but since I didn't know how much I'd actually use it, and since the recipes are so fatteningly delicious, I figured I shouldn't be eating it too often anyway. :) I got it in the mail yesterday from Amazon. I made the custard recipe that came with the unit. I followed all the diretions, and allowed the mixture that I cooked to cool over night in the fridge. Today I made it. 25 minutes, about 8 lbs of ice and 2 c. of rock salt...and we had out of this world, home made frozen custard. The machine shut itself off and the consistency of the ice cream was mainly soft serve, but the stuff towards the bottom was already becoming more firm. The directions clearly state that to get the solid ice cream, it needs to go in a freezer, OR pack it with ice and let it set 2 hours in the sink. So, just make sure you understand, that when it is "done" churning, it is at soft serve state....VERY thick soft serve, and oh so delicious!!! I am so glad I didn't spend over $100 to get a White Mountain brand. This little guy makes 4 Qts. of ice cream flawlessly! Just follow the directions!

Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book
$9.95

The receipes in this book are real easy to understand and use and for everyone I have tried has turned out real well. After using this book you will learn to experiment on your own.

The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks, And More
$16.99
I have been using this book down in Australia for YEARS. I have my favourite recipes from it, that i make time-and-time again: Pistachio, hazelnut and the lemon sorbet are almost always sitting up in my freezer! A great resource for lovers of homemade ice cream....

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Ice Cream Parlor Set
$29.99
I purchased this ice cream parlor set for my 3 year old niece's birthday after reading all of the positive reviews on it. Her and her older sisters couldn't get enough of playing with the set. Even the adults got into it! This toy seems to be well made and the magnetic functionality was pretty cool. I would definitely recommend this toy to kids of ages 10 and below.