Sweet Summer Delights From The J. M. Smucker Company

(Family Features) Making homemade ice cream for friends and family is a sweet way to celebrate summer -- and it's easier than you might think.

Who invented ice cream?To help you make your summer entertaining even more delightful, Ingrid has some helpful tips:Mix the milk, vanilla and sugar together in one of the quart size bags. Seal tightly, allowing as little air to remain in the bag as possible. Too much air left inside may force the bag open during shaking. Place this bag inside the other quart size bag, again leaving as ittle air inside as possible and sealing well. By double-bagging, the risk of salt and ice leaking into the ice cream is minimized. Put the two bags inside the gallon size bag and fill the bag with ice, then sprinkle salt on top. Again let all the air escape and seal the bag. Wrap the bag in the towel or put your gloves on, and shake and massage the bag, making sure the ice surrounds the cream mixture. Five to eight minutes is adequate time for the mixture to freeze into ice cream.Visit www.eaglebrand.com (and in Spanish at www.marcaeagle.com ) for more dessert recipes, as well as helpful baking and entertaining tips.Wendy MacDonald wmacdonald@familyfeatures.com 1-888-824-3337 ext. 235 http://editors.familyfeatures.comInstructions 1. COMBINE sweetened condensed milk and vanilla in large bowl; stir in 1 cup pureed fruit and food coloring, if desired. Fold in 2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream (do not use non-dairy whipped topping). Pour into 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or a 2-quart freezer container; cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1661067Here are some interesting tidbits:What does the salt do? Just like we use salt on icy roads in the winter, salt mixed with ice in this case also causes the ice to melt. When salt comes into contact with ice, the freezing point of the ice is lowered. Water will normally freeze at 32 degrees F. A 10% salt solution freezes at 20 degrees F, and a 20% solution freezes at 2 degrees F. By lowering the temperature at which ice is frozen, we are able to create an environment in which the milk mixture can freeze at a temperature below 32 degrees F into icecream.Freezer bags work best because they are thicker and less likely to develop small holes, allowing the bags to leak. You can get away with using regular Zip-loc bags for the smaller quart sizes, because you are double-bagging.Especially if you plan to do this indoors, I strongly recommend using gallon size freezer bags.Instructions 1. COMBINE orange juice, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, orange peel and rose water, if desired, in large bowl; mix well.

2. POUR into 9-inch square baking pan. Cover and freeze just until edges are frozen, about 1 1/2 hours. Using a fork, scrape frozen granita toward center to break up ice crystals. Pat mixture evenly into pan. Cover and freeze. Repeat every 30 minutes until granita is firm, about 4 hours.

Wendy MacDonald wmacdonald@familyfeatures.com 1-888-824-3337 ext. 235 http://editors.familyfeatures.com