The very best thing about having birthday cake is the ice cream that goes along with it. This delicious home made ice cream recipe can be made with a few simple ingredients and a couple of coffee cans.

Learn how to make your own yummy blend! It's so easy to make and fun to eat! A great hands-on kids party activity!

There's always room for ice cream. (That's my motto!)

Home Made Ice Cream Recipe

1 lb. Coffee Can
3 lb. Coffee Can
1/2 cup Rock salt
1 pint Half and Half
1 1/2 tsps. Vanilla
1/3 cup + 2 tblsps. Sugar

For flavored ice cream, choose one:

3 tblsps. of your favorite flavor of instant pudding
1/3 cup of fruit (such as, bananas, strawberries, peaches)
3 of your favorite cookies, crushed into pea-size pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts

METHOD:

Mix the first three basic ingredients together and pour into the one pound coffee can. Add flavorings if desired. Place the lid on securely and set inside the three pound can.

Add ice, and alternate layers of ice and salt outside the small can and inside the large can. When totally full, secure the lid on the large can. You may wish to add duct tape for good measure.

Now here comes the fun part! Place a sheet on the floor or wrap the can in a large towel. Let party guests roll the can back and forth for at least 10 minutes. Open the cans and check the ice cream.

If it is not starting to freeze, replace lids and roll 10 minutes more. The ice cream should be frozen to the sides and bottom of the can. If not thick enough, place in freezer and check every 10 minutes or so.

YIELD: 2 cups ice cream

Note: This recipe can be effected by temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors, so make a trial run before attempting in a group setting.

Copyright 2005 Kids Party Paradise All Rights Reserved

Patricia Jensen

I have a passion for the written word, and have been a freelance writer for many years. I enjoy growing my website, Kids Party Paradise, because it is like creating an ever-changing, ever-evolving online ?book? about a topic I enjoy - kids parties!

As a mother of three, I have plenty of first-hand knowledge about making kids party cakes and decorations, organizing games, making costumes, crafts, and party food, and more. I share much of this kid-focused information on Kids Party Paradise.com.

As a Work-at-Home Mom, my online endeavors not only satisfy my creative side and contribute to the family income, but it allows me to spend more time with my children.

I also trade on Ebay, a fun and fascinating venue to market just about anything. In addition to reselling various items, I buy and sell vintage and collectible children?s pop up books on Ebay. I have become an expert on this subject, simply by monitoring auctions each day and studying the popularity and marketability of various pop-up engineers and their work.

I am a devout Catholic and enjoy practicing and sharing my faith with others.

In the future, I plan to expand into more web sites based on my hobbies and interests.

I hope you enjoy reading my family-friendly articles and visiting my kids party site!