Shake up an ice cream treat inside a couple of plastic bags

When your kids think of ice cream, give them an opportunity to make their own delicious concoction using their energy and creativity. One of my favorite techniques is making ice cream in coffee cans. You can find it in the recipe section of my Web site, www.donnasday.com. But if you're not a coffee drinker, you'll want to try this simple "shake-and-make" version in a plastic bag.

Here's what you'll need for the basic vanilla recipe:

1 medium-size zipper-style plastic bag (I prefer using the sturdier freezer style)

1 large zipper-style plastic bag

several cups of crushed ice

1/2 cup salt

1 cup half-and-half cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons sugar

mixing bowl

Optional extras include 1/4 cup crushed ripe strawberries or peaches, mini chocolate chips or a squirt or two of chocolate syrup.

Stir together the half-and-half, vanilla and sugar in the bowl. Add an optional extra if you wish. Pour into the smaller bag. Press out as much air as you can, then seal it. Place enough ice in the larger bag to cover the bottom. Sprinkle some of the salt over the ice. Place the small sealed bag inside the large bag, add more ice and salt and seal the large bag, making sure you get as much of the air pressed out as you can before you seal it.

Hold the large bag with both hands and turn it over and over for about 10-15 minutes. Since it will feel very cold, you might prefer wrapping it in newspaper or a kitchen towel. Shake consistently for about 10 minutes, until the mixture turns into ice cream in the small bag.

Carefully unseal the bags, making sure that ice and salt don't get into your batch of ice cream. Spoon into a bowl and enjoy! You may also spoon it into a plastic storage container and put into the freezer if you wish to firm it up more to serve later.

TIP: For a larger quantity, double the above recipe, divide the mixture into two small bags and place both of the bags in the large bag at the same time.

Write Donna with your questions and ideas at www.donnasday.com. Donna's latest book, "Donna Erickson's Fabulous Funstuff for Families," is available in bookstores nationwide.

? Donna Erickson

Dist. by King Features Syndicate

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