Belinda, funny you should ask. My girls got me one of those little Cuisinart ice cream freezers for Christmas. My first batch of anything was a couple of cups of frozen strawberries, a quart of my homemade yogurt and enough Equal to sweeten it to taste. I put everything into the food processor to chop up the frozen berries, then into the freezer, it was very, very yummy and my Dad, who is diabetic, loved it. I liked it better with sweet cherries and some grated dark chocolate, same "recipe" but different fruit. It does freeze very hard, because of the ingredients, but I just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds like Bejay does, and it scoops right out nicely. I also made my very favorite ice cream, it's just amazing for those coffee lovers among us, like me. It's another recipe I got from the Cooking Forum. Espresso-Brownie Chunk Ice Cream ================================ Fatlester - Gardenweb 1/2 pound brownies cut in 1/4 inch chunks 1 cup whole Espresso, French or vienna roast coffee beans 2 1/4 cups half and half cream 3/4 cup sugar 3 egg yolks 1 cup whipping cream . Wrap and firmly freeze the brownie chunks. Put the coffee beans on a jell-roll pan and over them with a dish towel. Using a veal pounder or the bottom of a heavy sauce pan, press to crush the beans thoroughly. (Do not substitute ground coffee) Transfer the crushed coffee beans to a medium saucepan. Add the half and half and heat it to simmering. Cover and simmer 10 minutes , then set the pan aside, off heat, for 15 minutes longer. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into another saucepan, pressing to remove all liquid from the coffee beans; discard the solids. Stir the sugar into the strained coffee liquid and heat it to simmering. Put the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl and slowly whisk in the coffee liquid (or put the egg yolks in a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process, pouring in the coffee liquid). Cool the mixture slightly by stirring in the whipping cream. Set the bowl over ice or refrigerate until the custard is thoroughly chilled. (Can cover and refrigerate overnight). Transfer the custard to the cnaister of an ice-cream machine. Follow manufacturer's directions and churn until the ice cream is half frozen. Add frozen brownie pieces and continue churning until frozen. Serve immediately, or transfer ice cream to an airtight freezer container, seal and kep frozen until serving time. (Can freeze for several hours). Annie

I agree with everybody above with the caveat of telling any guests that the ice cream is made w/raw eggs. I'm one of those people with a compromised immune system & I'd like to be able to make my own choice about eating raw eggs. Like Lars, I'd use a Creme Anglaise base. Vanilla Creme Anglaise Ice Cream Ingredients 4 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 3/4 cups scalded milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 teaspoons Cognac Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean, optional Directions Beat the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch. With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the eggs. Pour the custard mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened. The custard will coat the spoon like heavy cream. Don't cook it above 180 degrees or the eggs will scramble! Pour the sauce through a fine strainer, add the vanilla extract, Cognac, and vanilla seeds, if using. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer's directions. Transfer to a plastic container and store in the freezer until ready to serve. /tricia

I have a Deni Ice Cream Maker and these are recipes from the user's manual. I'm like compumom, I've never used any of the commercial products and I'm surprised there isn't a recipe for adding yogurt instead of cream/half-and-half/milk. Have you checked the web site of the mix product you are wanting to use for recipes? Perhaps there's one that includes yogurt. (Grainlady note: This is NOT like regular ice cream. It's got quite a bit of "bite" from the sour cream - what my hubby calls "adult" ice cream ;-). CHOCOLATE FROZEN YOGURT 2 c. plain or vanilla flavored yogurt (I'd suggest vanilla flavored) 1 c. sour cream 1/4 c. light corn syrup (I use Lyle's Golden Syrup) 3/4 c. sugar 1/3 to 1/2 c. baking cocoa (I'd suggest you start with the lower amount and add more the next time if you think it needs more. If you are using Hershey's 100% Cacao Special Dark Cocoa, you may want even less than 1/3 cup. I've also added some Cacao Nibs to this recipe and only 2 T. Special Dark Cocoa Powder.) Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat well. Place in the refrigerator (or freezer for faster chilling) and chill thoroughly. Follow standard instructions for making ice cream. Note: Leave out the cocoa, reduce the sugar to 1/4 c. and add chocolate chips or peanut butter chips, or any other yummy things you can think of. We've added chopped Cherry Mash bars to the recipe. Butterfingers would also be a good addition. I've also made it with homemade yogurt made with Chocolate Morning Moo's (a whey-based milk substitute) and drained homemade kefir curd - drained to the consistency of sour cream. So use your imagination. ORANGE FROZEN YOGURT 3/4 c. evaporated skim milk 4 T. orange juice 4 oz. egg substitute (such as Egg Beaters - do NOT use raw eggs) 1-1/2 t. plain gelatin 2-1/2 c. vanilla flavored fat-free yogurt 1 T. orange zest 1 c. sugar dash salt 1. In a small sauce pan, sprinkle the gelatin over the evaporated skim milk. Warm the mixture (do NOT allow to boil) to dissolve the gelatin, stirring if necessary. 2. Combine remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor. Mix well. Add the milk/gelatin and continue processing to ensure proper mixing. 3. Chill thoroughly. 4. Follow standard instructions for making ice cream....

Here is my favorite recipe: Chocolate Ice Cream Makes about 1 quart 2 cups heavy cream 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate 1 cup whole milk 3/4 cup granulated sugar 5 large egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1. Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl. 2. Warm the milk and sugar in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan. 3. Stir the mixture constantly over the medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath. 4. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. (If the cold mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out.) I usually make it with 1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds or hazelnuts and then use 1 tbsp of Amaretto or Frangelico (depending on the nut) instead of the vanilla. I add the nuts close to the end of the freezing cycle. I would call this a "double chocolate" ice cream, as the chocolate is very intense. You may not want nuts for a three year old, but consider it when making it for adults. I've made this recipe many times, and it is definitely my favorite. Sometimes I substitute three whole eggs for the five egg yolks, and that works also. Lars