Good things come from the freezer...recipes

Mom has been telling me that making ice cream is not just for the summertime. When she was a little girl, my grandpa used to go out in the wintertime and knock down the icicles from the gutters and downspouts. Some winters he'd knock enough icicles down to make ice cream without having to use any ice from the freezer or store. My grandma would mix the ice cream mixture, pour it into the shiny metal canister, set the wood paddled dasher in place and put the lid on. Grandpa would take it to the basement, set it in the green wooden White Mountain hand crank ice cream freezer. Packed broken icicles and rock salt around the canister. Then he'd begin to crank. He actually would let her brothers turn it to start out, then as it got harder to turn or the boys got pooped. He'd take over and finish turning it. When it was turned he'd carry the canister upstairs; open it up and lift the dasher, gently cleaning off the ice cream as he pulled it out, but always leaving some for the tasters. Mom and her brothers were always poised and waiting with a spoon in hand to attack the dasher. They had to hurry because the ice cream melted so fast. While the spoons were clanking, my grandpa hurried to get foil and the lid on the canister. Then he'd take it back down the basement and pack it back in the green bucket with more ice and salt to harden it for a couple of hours. Waiting to eat it while it hardened was the hardest. While the ice cream hardened grandma made chocolate sauce.

So all that to say mom & I made ice cream the other day. We made chocolate chocolate chip and toffee ice cream. Not the old fashioned way, we just plugged it in. Ahh, modern conveniences! My aunt and uncle were coming for dinner. We made the ice cream to go with the whole wheat chocolate chip cookies mom had made the day before. I helped mom mix the ice cream, we used the recipe that came with the maker. I stirred the sugar, salt, chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, whipping cream and heavy cream till the sugar was dissolved.

Mom layered the ice, salt and water around the canister. Round and round it went. Mom added chocolate chips and toffee bits while the ice cream was turning. It was almost done when Scruffy showed up. I think he wanted a taste.
It was a good thing mom had a chicken casserole in the freezer. It made cooking dinner so much easier. I helped take the freezer wraps off.
Hmm, she should have taken it out of the freezer and refrigerated it last night. Its still quite frozen in the middle. Oh well she just had to bake it longer. Mom says this is an old recipe that came from grandma's dearest friend Emma Lee. I thought you might like the recipe:

Emmy's Chicken Casserole

Boil 1 chicken till tender; deboned
1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing
1 Stick of Butter (melted)
1 1/2 c. Chicken Broth
10 oz. Frozen Peas & Carrots
2 cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup

Mix dressing mix with melted butter and chicken broth.
Grease bottom of casserole dish (9 x 13 works well); put thin layer of dressing mix in bottom; layer of chicken; sprinkle with peas & carrots; spread 1 can of cream of chicken soup; repeat; dressing, chicken, peas & carrots, soup; then top with remain-
ing dressing.
Bake in 350° oven - 30 minutes or until bubbly. Freezes nicely.
Great way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.
Mom uses a rotisserie chicken from the store and low sodium soup & broth.
Mom made us stand way back because it was HOT! It sure smelled good! This was a recipe and a half.

Here is Grandma's ice cream recipe, in the old days it was made with raw eggs. Mom has modified it in the interest of food safety. I guess raw eggs just ain't what they used to be.

Grandma's Freezer Ice Cream Recipe (makes 1 gallon)

3 Eggs - beaten
2 c. Sugar
1½ quarts Milk
1 quart Cream (Cream may be ½ heavy cream & ½ half and half)
1 T. Vanilla
dash of salt

Heat ½ of the milk & ½ of the cream, & all the sugar to 160° , stirring to dissolve sugar; temper the beaten eggs, by pouring the hot mixture over the eggs; whisking so the eggs don’t curdle. Then pour this into saucepan, cooking & stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. Chill this mixture. Then mix with remainder of the milk, cream & flavorings; process in ice cream freezer according to manufacturers instructions.


Grandma's Chocolate Sauce Recipe

2 c. Sugar
2 squares Unsweetened Chocolate
1 lrg. can Evaporated Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla (add after boil off heat)

cook over med heat; bring to boil; stirring occasionally. Stir constantly at boil for 5 minutes.

Mom served the casserole with tossed salad, sauteed zucchini and cranberry sauce. Then for desert the ice cream & cookies.
Scruffy and I had some of the leftover ice cream the next day.

Heehee we got to eat up in mom's sewing room. Yum!

Grr-bye for now,