Pinkalicious ~ and a Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

I absolutely love it when the cherry/plum trees bloom. For me, it signifies the beginning of spring. Nature has a way of creating the most vibrant and most beautiful colors... I just want everything in this pink color (but I may have a few objections on the home front)..... Sorry, I couldn't decide on just one photo to post.... I wish the blooms would last a little longer on the trees. This is the first time I have ever photographed the blooms. All of these photos were taken at Paige's preschool. Here's a random white one.....

All of this pink! Uh oh, more childhood memories coming back......

I loved Strawberry Quik... We ate our fill of Franken Berry.....

And Fruity Pebbles...... Strawberry ice cream was my favorite....

Yes, we were allowed a lot of sugar growing up, but I don't crave it much as an adult....thankfully. But for the days that I do, here's a great recipe.....

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

This fresh tasting homemade ice cream is easy to make. If you like strawberry chunks in your ice cream, just slice up some fresh strawberries or if you like the strawberry taste without the chunks, just puree fresh strawberries. Whatever you choose, this fresh tasting strawberry ice cream is sure to hit the spot!

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Chill Time: 2 - 24 hours

Ice Cream Maker Time: Approximately 25-30 minutes (see below for no ice cream maker)

Servings: Ten 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients: Strawberries16 oz fresh strawberries (1 pint)

3 tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

Ice Cream Base

1 cup milk

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy cream ( I use whole or 2% milk to cut down on the calories)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: If you don't have an ice cream maker, see below. Strawberries -wash, stem, and slice strawberries. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 1/3 cup sugar in a small airtight container. Place strawberry mixture in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Leaving the strawberries, in the fridge longer will enhance the flavor.

Ice Cream Base: Mix milk and sugar, allowing the sugar to dissolve (mix about 1 -2 minutes with a hand mixer or whisk). Drain strawberries, adding juice to milk mixture. Set strawberries aside. Stir in heavy cream and vanilla. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker. (or see below) Mix about 20-25 minutes. Add about half the strawberries to ice cream mixture (use the other half as a fresh berry topping!). Mix 5 minutes more in your ice cream maker.

If you don't have an ice cream maker: Pour the ice cream mixture into a wide, airtight container. Metal bowls work best (stainless steel is my personal favorite). Ice cream has a smoother consistency when it is frozen faster. Metal bowls speed up the freezing process. If you don't have a metal bowl, plastic will work as well. Make sure the bowl you choose is wide rather than tall. A wide bowl aids freezing and allows you to mix your ice cream easily.

Place ice cream in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Ice cream will need to be in fridge longer if the mixture has been heated and cooked. Ice cream must be well chilled before proceeding. Place the chilled ice cream mixture in the freezer for 30 minutes. Beat ice cream mixture with an electric mixer until smooth. The edges of your ice cream should have started to thicken. Scrape the edges with a fork or spatula and beat with an electric mixer to add air to the mixture and break up ice crystals. You can use a fork instead of an electric mixer, but the ice cream will be less smooth and creamy.

Place ice cream in the freezer for 40 minutes - then beat with an electric mixer. Repeat "40 minute freeze-then-beat cycle" 3 times This should total 2 1/2 hours of freezing. You can choose to either beat your ice cream mixture every 40 minutes until frozen or let your ice cream mixture freeze on its own.

Either method works fine. The more you beat it, the softer it will be. Total freezing time can take anywhere between 3-5 hours.

Here's to the color pink and some good memories. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Thursday!

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