Soda Pop Ice Cream

Last night, I made homemade ice cream. For some, that's no big deal given that we are now officially into summer in the South. Why is it a big deal for me? This was my very first time! Hard to believe, I know. Oh, I've had my fair share of homemade ice cream that others have made. It's just that I had never made it myself before now.

For something so cold, eating homemade ice cream always conjures up such warm feelings. This time of year, Mom would typically make some kind of flavor with fruit:  pineapple (my favorite), peach, strawberry, etc. Another fond memory is when we lived in St. Ives subdivision in Alcoa. We would have impromptu dessert socials with some of our neighbors. "Just bring a lawn chair and a favorite dessert and come join us in our driveway!" (I love that kind of entertaining, by the way: long, lazy days of summer with the focus on friendships and not the stress of trying to plan the perfect party.) That was when I had my first taste of soda pop ice cream. My former sweet neighbor Dottie Kidd brought homemade orange sherbet. I have been wanting to make it ever since.

So, speaking of sweet friendships, last night we enjoyed having Renee McCracken and her husband Tim over for dinner. Renee's daughter Stephanie and Keely were best friends in elementary school, so we spent the evening reminiscing over some awesome times they had together. I served leftover pulled pork barbecue from Buffy's wedding. (What??? Leftovers??? Yep. Actually, Stephanie is getting married in a couple of months, and they're considering the same caterer for their reception. This gave Renee a chance to check them out.) The sides included macaroni salad (already in the family cookbook), green beans and new potatoes, cucumber salad, and easy corn on the cob.

This was a perfect time to try my new ice cream maker, an attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer.

Instead of making Dottie's orange version, I decided to try cherry. You simply start with a 2-liter bottle of soda. I chose Diet Cherry 7-Up, whereas Dottie used Orange Crush. You can only imagine the limitless variations! You will also need sweetened condensed milk. Last night, I ended up using a recipe I found on Your Homebased Mom blog; however, this morning I realized that Dottie's recipe was a little simpler and didn't require any measuring. That's the one I'll be making from here on out. So, here's to reconnecting with old friends and enjoying lazy days of summer!

Soda Pop Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 2-liter soda pop, refrigerated
• 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk
• Mix-ins (optional)

Directions:
Mix well.  Pour into ice cream maker and proceed according to manufacturer's directions.

Variation 1: Diet Cherry 7-Up and a jar of maraschino cherries
Variation 2: Orange Crush and a large can of crushed pineapple

What variations do you plan on trying? Have fun with it!

Cheese Baked Grits

Last year, Keely and I made brunch for Mom for Mother's Day. I wanted to do something similar for Dad this year. This time, though, we ended up having a larger crowd. Vicke's and Scott's families joined in the celebration.

This was the first time I remember when we had a large family gathering where the focus was on breakfast foods. Yum! I made the same two breakfast casseroles as before: my Aunt Marilyn's Easy Breakfast Casserole  (already in the family cookbook) and Bacon Asparagus Strata.

 

Other sides included: homemade cinnamon rolls, Vicke's hashbrown casserole, Mom's biscuits with country ham and her homemade apple butter, fresh fruit salad, and pumpkin chocolate mini muffins. Most of these are already in the family cookbook, too.

 

  

  

 

My favorite? Tina's cheese baked grits.  Honestly, these are the best! Scott's been saying that for years as it's a tradition in his family for Tina to serve these every Christmas morning.  Although this recipe is in the family cookbook, this was my first time to taste such a treat. I've never had cheese grits with a kick. Tina's special ingredient is red pepper flakes. These are too good to serve just once a year. I'm hoping that she agrees to make them a part of our Father's Day tradition from here on out. Come to think of it, I might make them this weekend! 

 

Cheese Baked Grits

Ingredients:

• 1 quart (or 4 cups) milk
• 1-1/3 sticks butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 cup quick cooking grits
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring milk and 1 stick of butter to a slow boil. Stir in grits, cover, reduce heat and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add salt, pepper and red pepper. Beat hard with electric beater for 5 minutes, no less, until creamy. Pour into oiled 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until firm. Cut in rectangular pieces. Pour remaining 1/3 cup melted butter over grits. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese. At this point, the grits can be refrigerated for 24 hours. Next morning, bake at 400 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes until browned. Serves 6-8.