I grew up in rural southwestern Virginia. Land of apples, hunting season, and the Statler Brothers.
Yes, the Statler Brothers. What? You've never heard of them?
Well, once these men were BIG in the world of country music and they just happened to have roots in the tiny little town of Staunton, Virginia.
Every fall my dad would pack us all in the van to go on the drive to Staunton. Dad wanted to get a glimpse of the wonderous fall mountain foliage, visit a discount book store, and get dinner at the Statler Brother's Restaurant.
I don't know if the Statler's actually owned that restaurant, but I DO know that they served up some mighty tasty cinnamon ice cream.
I loved that ice cream. It tasted like a crisp fall morning and warm apple pie. It tasted like the beginning of the holiday season. It tasted like apple butter, church potlucks, picking out pumpkins and everything else I loved about that beautiful time of year. I ate that ice cream as slowly as I possibly could to make it last. And I've never forgotten it.
When we were first married Michael would look at me strangely when I sprinkled cinnamon into my vanilla ice cream.
M - "What are you doing?"
Me - "Making cinnamon ice cream."
M - "Cinnamon?? ice cream??"
Me - "Yes. It's lovely. It tastes like apple pie! Want some?"
M - "No. You're weird. But I love you anyway."
I think we had this conversation several times before Michael came to accept cinnamon ice cream as the norm in our household.
I learned an incredibly easy recipe for making ice cream at home earlier this summer. It's frugal, fun, and a great guest pleaser! This ice cream is frozen simply by pouring it into ice trays or a container like this and placing in your freezer. You don't need an ice cream maker, you just need a few simple ingredients, a crisp fall afternoon, and good memories. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Ice Cream
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon (or as much as you'd like!)
Plan to make this ice cream 4-5 hours before serving. Mix all ingredients together and pour into ice trays or into a large shallow container, like this deviled egg tray. Place in freezer and stir occasionally. Serve when frozen.
Enjoy!
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