On Wednesday Timmy and I visited the Offutt AFB Community Center for a “Moms, Pops n Tots” (MPNT) Open House/End of Summer Party. Since Timmy was in preschool in the mornings last year, we never made it to the MPNT sessions. But this year maybe we’ll show up when we can, since he’ll be in afternoon preschool starting after Labor Day.

Timmy had a really nice time, there’s a big play room and an arts and crafts area. For yesterday’s party, there were a food spread and face painting.

What caught my attention was when one of the Community Center ladies (Ms. Villi, I think was her name, she’s wearing a red shirt in the picture below) brought out the supplies to make ice cream using a coffee can ice cream maker! I’d never seen this setup before. It was essentially two coffee cans: a 1 lb. can embedded inside a 3 lb. can. Fill the inner can with the ice cream ingredients. Then you surround the inner can with ice and rock salt inside the outer can. Seal up both cans well — so the salt doesn’t leak into the inner can, and so you don’t get melted ice all over the place. Timmy’s adding rock salt below.

From 2009 08 19 CommunityCenterParty_IceCreamMaker

From 2009 08 19 CommunityCenterParty_IceCreamMaker

Roll the can back and forth for 10-15 minutes. You have to periodically refill the ice and salt.

From 2009 08 19 CommunityCenterParty_IceCreamMaker

But when it was done, it was no-kidding ice cream! Made with pure ingredients! The kids loved this (although it was hard to keep the preschoolers rolling the cans for the full 15 minutes…we parents ended up taking over).

Considering I have all the supplies for this sitting around the house anyway (well, I’d have to work through a 3 lb. can of coffee, I have a recently-emptied 1 lb. coffee can already), I think this is worth a try!

From 2009 08 19 CommunityCenterParty_IceCreamMaker

From 2009 08 19 CommunityCenterParty_IceCreamMaker