not healthy in the least...but FUN. and can actually become a lovely science project
Shaken ice cream.
(note, there is a "toy" on the market that you can use to make this, and it works well)
Ingredients:
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1/2 cup milk or half & half
* vanilla or other flavoring
* rock salt
* pint-size Ziploc plastic bags (freezer bags = best...they get fewer holes, which is important)
* gallon-size Ziploc plastic bags (again, freezer is better)
* Ice cubes
1. Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, flavoring (1/4 tsp of an extract like mint or vanilla, or cocoa powder, or quick. or peanut butter. Mixing flavors tends to be bad, but on rare occasions is fun. You were warned), and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside the large one and seal again carefully.
4. Shake until mixture is ice cream, about 5 minutes (shake well! If they just leave it sitting out, it doesn't work--I'd reccoend gloves if the kids don't like cold fingers). (and outside = best...any holes in the outer bag = droplets of salt water everywhere. Can be kinda messy that way)
5. Wipe off top of small bag (wipe WELL, salt water mixing w/ it makes it icky), then open carefully and enjoy!
Variations:
-Carageenen. If you have trouble getting things to thicken, this works wonders. (just be careful in mentionining "ooh, seaweed extract!")
-coffee can. A good can can replace the large ziploc, then 2 kids can roll it between them, less grousing about cold hands
-In a pinch, normal salt works instead of rock salt.
-If you want to try for healthier, low fat milk makes soemthing more like a milkshake. (also works to add malt powder as your flavoring then)
-I have heard (but haven't yet tried) that fruit juice can also work and make sorbet. But like I said, haven't tried.
