Favorite Warm-Weather Recipes

It’s prime time to dig out those recipes that our family enjoys during the warmer months. And why not start with dessert first?

cranking homemade ice cream by hand

Here’s the recipe* we use in our Old Fashioned Ice Cream Freezer to make homemade vanilla ice cream:

3¼ cup granulated sugar

2 tblsp. cornstarch

½ tsp. salt

1½ tblsp. vanilla

7 cups milk (I use whole milk)

5 eggs, beaten

2¾ cups heavy cream

1½ cups half and half

Mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan. Over medium heat, slowly stir in the milk, stirring constantly. Very slowly, add the beaten eggs and continue to stir. (I usually dip out some of the warm milk mixture and mix it with the beaten eggs and then add them in slowly — to keep them from cooking too fast.) Reduce heat to low and cook until mixture thickens slightly. Slowly add vanilla, half and half, and heavy cream. Pour into a large glass bowl and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours or until mixture has chilled. Remove from refrigerator. Pour mixture into the mixing canister and follow directions for your specific ice cream freezer.

*Note: In my opinion, homemade ice cream is only truly homemade when cranked by hand outside! In my family, freezers with an electric crank are considered cheating, especially when done in the kitchen sink! And you can tell my in-laws I said that!

By the way, the ice cream is even better when served with these chocolate cupcakes.

It’s a Snow Day!

Someone recently asked me if homeschoolers ever get snow days.

By my measurement, that’s a deep question. So I guess it requires a pretty deep answer. 

Consider the beauty of a snow day: Catch up on sleep. Hang out all day with people you love dearly. Take a break from the usual routine of school or work. Stay home. Wear your pajamas all day. Sip some hot chocolate in the middle of the afternoon. Slow down and enjoy a new experience outside like sledding or building a snowman.

Homeschooling is a lot like that. A flexible schedule allows homeschoolers to catch up on sleep when they’ve been deprived. They hang out all day with the people they love dearly. They can wear pajamas all day, though we never make it much past 8 a.m. in ours. Homeschoolers often have time to enjoy a new experience as a family, whether it’s through a book that’s read-aloud, a field trip to the theatre or museum, or a science project worked on together.

Also consider the classic book Snowy Day, written by Ezra Jack Keats. It’s a simple story of a little boy who wakes up to a winter wonderland of snow. Since school is canceled, the boy spends the entire day exploring and playing in the fresh snow. Among other things, he experiments with his foot prints, makes a snowangel, and eventually discovers that snowballs melt when brought inside. That one day he learns more about snow than he ever would learn about it in a classroom.

Likewise, when there’s an opportunity to sink deeply into a certain subject,

homeschoolers have the freedom to wallow in it for a while.

They also have the freedom to step back and view it from a totally different angle.

Don’t get me wrong. A classroom can be great for practicing handwriting and studying spelling words and reading all about this incredible world our Father created. But often a textbook experience falls way short of a true learning experience. And that’s what’s great about education that isn’t trapped inside the four walls of a classroom. That’s why it’s essential for students to have the freedom to go out into the world to learn about it up close, first hand!

Most folks agree, enjoying a snow day is the safe, cozy thing to do when the snow is really piling up outside. And for our family, homeschooling is a safe and cozy way to truly learn about this great big world God created.

Yes, homeschooling has its ups.

And homeschooling has its downsides.

But we strive to enjoy the ride anyhow.

And we are thankful for friends who help us up when we reach the bottom.

Together may we reach new heights every day, whether it’s a snow day or not.

Morning Recess on Columbus Day

snowday

Snowmen before pumpkins. Snowmen on Columbus Day.

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Call it ridiculous. Call it absurd.

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Call it life in Minnesota.

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The kiddy pool was sitting on this same patio three weeks ago. Seriously!