"I Scream...........You Scream..

..........Everybody Screams Ice Cream!"

Of course folks in Hopkins County have known for a long, long time that one of the best ways to "beat the summer heat," is a cold, rich bowl of ice cream. With a tradition of dairy farming so rich in our heritage, and once ice was available in the home, it was only natural that residents would "concoct" some mighty special recipes for the favorite treat.

What began as a quite quaint procedure of filling a syrup bucket with the ice cream mix and putting it down in a larger bucket filled with ice, and hand-turning the cream until it froze, has evolved into a handy and electrical process that can be done with relative ease, in the confines of your air-conditioned home. Aren't we spoiled?

However, for many of us born during the 50's and 60's, there are still those fond memories of sitting on the top of the ice cream freezer, on a padding of newspapers or a bath towel, and helping steady the freezer, while dad or mom turned the hand crank, in the back yard, beneath the shade tree. It was just a summertime ritual and the anticipation of the delightful ice cream can't be matched with our modern conveniences. Ice cream will never taste that good!

Nonetheless, follow some of the recipes below and make those same kind of memories with your own children or grandchildren, while celebrating "June is Dairy Month" and enjoying one of America's favorite ways of "beating the summer heat!"

Gary Craft Hick's
Homemade Ice Cream

The following recipe was included in the Hopkins County
Genealogical Society Cookbook, entitled "Heritage and Ham Hocks"

Beat 3 eggs until smooth, add 1 cup of sugar
Add one pint of cream
Beat until smooth
Add a pinch of salt
Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Pour ice cream mix into ice cream container and fill the rest of the way
with good cow's milk.

The following recipes were crowd favorites at the Sulphur Springs
Sesquicentennial Celebration in July 2004, and appeared in the
Sesquicentennial Cookbook, "Tastes, Tales, and Traditions."

Ben and Kiffer's Chocolate Ice Cream

1 cup Egg Beaters egg substitute
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2cups sugar
1 quart heavy whipping cream
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 quart Half & Half
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. Cocoa

In a microwave or saucepan, warm about 2 cups of the half and half and mix with
the cocoa. In the top of a double boiler or in the microwave, melt the unsweetened
chocolate. Slowly stir the milk and cocoa mixture into the melted chocolate. Mix the
Egg Beaters, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, whipping cream, remaining half and
half, salt, and vanilla together. Add to chocolate mixture and refrigerate for several
hours. Then, freeze and enjoy!

Mary Koon's
Homemade Peach Ice Cream

2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 can Eagle Brand Milk
1 large can Carnation Milk
1 small carton whipping cream
1 carton half and half
4 medium, soft peaches, peeled and crushed

Mix all the ingredients together well in a large bowl and pour into an
ice cream freezer, adding peaches last. Finish filling the freezer with
whole Jersey milk, and freeze for about 30 to 45 minutes according to
manufacturer's directions. When freezer stops, remove the dasher and
pack ice on top of the freezer and cover with a small quilt or heavy towel.
Let sit at least an hour to ripen.

Mary Ellen Hoybook's
Chocolate Nut Toffee Chip Ice Cream

1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 to 1 1/2 cups toasted pecan pieces
1 1/2 cup toffee bits
4 eggs or equivalent in Egg Beaters substitute
2 cans condensed milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 quart half and half
1 quart whipping cream
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. cocoa
4 oz.unsweetened chocolate

Melt chocolate chips and stir in toasted pecans and toffee. Spread chocolate
mixture on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer. When hardened, process in a
food processor in small pieces. Keep in freezer until ready to use.

Mix eggs or Egg Beaters, condensed milk, sugar, cream, half and half, salt, and
vanilla together. Refrigerate mix for several hours or overnight. In a small saucepan,
mix 2 cups of the milk mixture with the cocoa and heat through. In the top of a
double boiler, melt the unsweetened chocolate. Slowly stir in the heated cocoa and
milk mixture until well mixed. Add to remaining milk mixture and refrigerate. Put
milk mixture in ice cream freezer and begin freezing. After 10 minutes, add frozen
chocolate nut toffee pieces and finish freezing. Yeild: 4 plus quarts.