Being stuck at home can be fun, with the right activities. The Pa. Department of Agriculture shared a few fun activities that can distract and even provide a yummy treat.

First, this no-cook recipe for vanilla ice cream makes about eight half-cup servings.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups half-and-half cream

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 bag crushed ice

4 cups coarse salt

Directions

In small, resealable plastic bags, combine a ½ cup mixture of whipping cream, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla extract in each bag. Push out excess air and seal.

Place each sealed bag into another bag, again squeezing out extra air. Seal carefully.

In a large resealable gallon-size plastic bag, combine the ice and add 1/2 cup coarse salt. Place the sealed small bag into the large bag, squeeze out most of the air, and seal the large bag.

Time to shake! Shake the bag vigorously for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the ice cream has hardened. Have fun with this part. Have a dance party, shake it around, jump up and down, or play catch…just don’t drop it on the floor! Wear mittens or thick gloves or wrap the bag in a towel to protect hands against the extreme cold. Add more salt and ice to the outer bag if ice cream hasn’t formed after 10 minutes of continuous motion.

Remove the outer pint-size bag before you open the inner bag so you don’t get any of the salty ice on your ice cream!

Scoop your ice cream into a bowl and enjoy!

How does it work? The salt lowers the freezing point of the ice and creates an extra cold brine that absorbs the heat from the milk mixture, causing the mixture to freeze. The motion of shaking the bag creates smoother ice cream by breaking up large ice crystals and allows the ice cream to freeze consistently. You can customize your ice cream before the big shake up by adding flavored syrups, bits of fruit, cookie crumbles, or small candies.

We’ll share more ideas in a future RTS.