Ok, I tried the About.com recipe, which was essentially chocolate milk, sweetened condensed milk and cool whip. (I added some HersheyÂs syrup to make it more chocolate-y). It didnÂt turn out to be what I hoped for, and given the ingredients, I know why - itÂs really more like ice milk than ice cream. It didnÂt freeze well in the ice cream maker, instead staying at a WendyÂs Frosty consistency  and thatÂs kind of what it tasted like, too (which isnÂt bad of course, just not what I was going for) When I put it in the freezer, it froze very solid, too solid. Taking it out of the container was like a granita. the next time we're in this "predicament" of too much chocolate milk, I'll try a recipe with more fat, either from cream or eggs. Until then, I have a stash of this ice milk in the freeze which will make quite a few awesome milk shakes...

PEARS MELBA (serves 4) 3 cups water 3" cinnamon stick 1 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 TBL fresh lemon juice, reserving 1/2 tsp One 1x3" piece of lemon zest 4 large pears, stems intact, peeled, halved & cored 1 TBL cornstarch 10 oz frozen raspberries, thawed, drained, reserve juice 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese 2 tsp sugar Mint leaves In large skillet combine water, cinnamon stick, vanilla, 1 TBL lemon juice & zest. Bring water to high simmer; add pears & poach, covered, 10 minutes. (Can be prepared up to this point, covered & chilled overnight.) Add cornstarch to reserved raspberry juice; heat until slightly thickenened. Add berries: cool. Puree cottage cheese, reserved lemon juice & sugar until smooth & creamy. Matching halves, fill each pear half with 2 TBL cheese mixture; stand upright on plate & press halves together. Level bottom, if necessary by cutting off thin slice. Spoon 2 TBL rasberry sauce over each pear. Place mint leaf at each stem. May chill several hours.~~Sounds Delicious FRESH AUTUMN PEAR BREAD (1 loaf) 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg 1/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh ripe pears, skin left on Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9" loaf pan. In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream the butter & sugar together until light & fluffy. Add the eggs & vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda & nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing gently but thoroughly. Gently stir in the pears. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Bake 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.~~More than a Tea Party PEAR CRISP (serves 6) 6 ripe pears, peeled, cored & sliced 1 TBL lemon juice 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats 1/2 cup brown sugar Place pears in a greased 2 qt baking dish. Toss pears w/lemon juice, cinnamon & nutmeg. In a bowl, combine flour & butter until mixture resembles crumbs. Add oats & brown sugar. Stir well; sprinkle over pears. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 20-25 minutes or until browned & pears are tender. Serve w/ice cream or whipped cream.~~Food for Thought

I really like Alton Browns Serious Vanilla Ice cream. I've used Brown Sugar Rum Peach Jam in place of the preserves..No the ice cream doesn't taste like it has peach anything in it...it just gives it that je ne sais quoi... I've made this one in the KA bowl too Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream she also has a Pumpkin one I want to try. You could sub cream or half n half for the coconut milk. My kids don't really like ice creams with alot of cream..they prefer it's texture, mouth feel like store bought..They don't appreciate the mouth feel of frozen cream!!!!! I find it delish and appreciate it greatly!!! And because it's so rich, much less satisfies me.

Here is the recipe that I have many, many times. It's not overly sweet. CREAM CHEESE COOKIES Here's my long time favorite cut out cookie dough. If I remember correctly it was originally in a BH+G magazine in the late 70's. I usually double it in my KA mixer and usually make at least three bowls of the dough. I have a very large tree shape cookie cutter (about 9") and love to make and decorate special cookies for those that love cutouts. This dough is one that you can roll thick, if you like a softer cutout, yet still holds up. 1 1/2 C sugar 1 C unsalted butter 1 8oz pkg cream cheese 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp almond extract 3 1/2 C flour (I like unbleached) 1 tsp baking powder In a mixing bowl cream sugar, butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add egg and flavorings, beat smooth' Stir together the flour and baking powder, add to creamed mixture and mix thoroughly. FOR CUT-OUT COOKIES Chill dough. Roll out on surface dusted with a mixture of 1/2 powered sugar and 1/2 flour, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick depending on your preference. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet ( I line with parchment paper) and bake in a 375� oven 8-10 minutes. Watch for the edges to just barely begin to brown if you like a moist cookie. Cool and frost. COOKIE PRESS COOKIES Divide dough into portions and add desired colors. Force through cookie press onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in a 375� oven 8-10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack. Before baking brush with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with colored sprinkles if desired. Note...I have added about 4 oz of almond paste to the dough when making the cookie press cookies.....yum! FAVORITE ICING FOR CUTOUT COOKIES 2 c powered sugar, sifted 2 Tbsp softened butter 1/4 tsp vanilla 1/4 tsp almond extract 1 egg white 1/4 C milk or cream Combine egg white and milk, set aside. Beat together powered sugar, butter and flavorings. Add small amounts of the milk mixture until icing is spreading consistency. Tint with desired colors. Using the egg white will give you a nice finish on the icing, the butter will keep it soft on the inside. Nancy