When I was little, I used to want to make homemade ice cream, but I never knew the science of it. So I would mix my ingredients, throw everything in a bowl, and place it in the freezer for hours, only to end up with a rock-solid frozen concoction that nobody wanted to eat.

Cut to me decades later, and I’m older, wiser, and now I know how to make soft, fluffy ice cream that’s creamy and delicious! The best part? There’s no need to purchase an ice cream maker, and the kids will enjoy making this – from start to finish – in 13 minutes flat.

You’re going to flip when you see the ingredients list. It’s super simple, but trust me, the ice cream tastes SO good. The only item that you’ll need that you might not already have at home is rock salt. You can buy it from Walmart or pretty much any basic needs / grocery store. Some stores sell it near the ice cream makers; other stores sell it near the regular table salt.

So here you go. Are you ready? It’s probably the simplest recipe you ever made!

You’ll need:

• One cup of whipping cream
• 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons of Sugar
• A pinch of salt

Here’s what to do:

1. In a small resealable plastic bag, combine whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla. Push out excess air and seal.
2. Into a large resealable plastic bag, combine about 5 cups of ice and salt. Place small bag inside the bigger bag and shake vigorously, 7 to 10 minutes, until ice cream has hardened. WARNING: You'll need oven mitts or gloves to keep this up for 10 minutes! The bag gets extremely cold! 
3. Remove from bag and enjoy with your favorite ice cream toppings.

The science behind making ice cream in a bag is that when salt is added to ice, it lowers the melting point of ice to below freezing. This allows you to shake the bag long enough (before the ice in the larger bag completely melts) to get the ice cream in the smaller bag to solidify. So your concoction gets really cold really quickly (mere minutes), much colder than what it would be if you were just using ice without the salt. And because you’re shaking your bag continuously, the mixture is creamy and the perfect consistency of ice cream!

Feel free to experiment with different topics and different base ingredients. (Some recipes use half & half instead of whipping cream.)

Has your family taken time to find the art benches in The Woodlands?

There are 24 unique public art benches located along The Woodlands Waterway and on the shores of Lake Woodlands in Hughes Landing, and they're all beautiful and fun to take photos with! 

Pictured above is the "Family Tree Bench" sculpted by Don Lawler. This bench is located on the Waterway behind The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel. 
Pictured below is "Bean" by Valerie Theberge. This bench is located at Town Green Park. near the children's literary maze.

For a bit of daytime fun, take your family and friends on an Art Bench Hunt to find 11 of the 24 total art benches! CLICK HERE to visit The Woodlands Art Council website to access a fun Art Bench Scavenger Hunt just for this purpose! The route includes riding The Woodlands Trolley for free. Enjoy!

Enjoy our first installment of Stories in the Woods as local mom, Emily Fulleylove, presents "Jungle Jamboree" by Jo Empson. We're so grateful to Emily for reading this delightful story to our readers and their families! To find Emily online, visit her on Facebook & Instagram at @fullybe. Emily also offers classes at Breathe Pilates Studio in The Woodlands! For this story, she's joining us from Pondera Park located at 9090 Creekside Forest Dr., 77375. 

Summer break is here! And if you're not careful, you'll rip and run and do ALL the things for the kids, while at the same time neglecting your own self care. This list is just for YOU, to give you some ideas for resting, relaxing, and feeding your soul this season:

1. Get a mani/pedi at the local spa. 

2. Enjoy early morning coffee or tea on the porch.

3. Try a new restaurant.

4. Go dancing.

5. Take a nap on the sofa.

6. Start journaling. 

7. Color in an adult coloring book. 

8. Make homemade bread.

9. Treat yourself to your favorite cocktail / mocktail.

10. Go on a bike ride.

11. Pick up fresh flowers for your nightstand.

12. Enjoy a day at the spa - massage, facial, steamroom... the works!

13. Take a hike.

14. Watch a grown-up movie or binge watch your favorite Netflix show.

15. Sleep in.

16. Purchase a new sundress.

17. Get your hair colored / cut / profesionally styled at a salon.

18. Read a novel or self-help book.

19. Indulge in a new hobby.

20. Take a day trip with friends.

If you have a baby who is born too early or has serious health problems, he or she may be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), a hospital unit that provides around-the-clock specialized care to newborns.

If you or someone close to you is pregnant, understanding what to expect if a NICU stay is required can help you focus on taking care of the new baby and yourself. 

Learn the ins and outs of the NICU with information from March of Dimes, the nation’s leading nonprofit that advocates for the health of all moms and babies, which partners with hospitals across the country through its NICU Family Support^® program to provide in-person and online support for families with babies in the NICU. 

It’s time to add something new to your table! With a range of ingredients from broccoli to bacon, this easy quiche that features bacon (YES!), broccoli, and mushrooms is a brunch hero. While baking, the cheese gets all melty, and with every bite, the mushrooms add texture and earthy flavor. The ingredients combine together to make something warm, hearty and delicious.



Quiche recipes and generally simple and fun to make, and we love how quickly this one comes together. The frozen broccoli & cheese shortcut is genius!

Find more brunch recipes and cooking ideas at Culinary.net.
 

Easy Brunch Quiche

Serves: 12

1          package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli with cheese

12        slices bacon, chopped

1/2       cup green onions, sliced

1          cup mushrooms, sliced

4          eggs

1          cup milk

1 1/2    cups shredded cheese, divided

2          frozen deep dish pie shells (9 inches each)

• Heat oven to 350 F.
• In medium bowl, add broccoli and cheese contents from package. Microwave 5 minutes, or until cheese is saucy. Set aside.
• In skillet, cook chopped bacon 4 minutes. Add green onions; cook 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook 4 minutes, or until bacon is completely cooked and mushrooms are tender. Drain onto paper towel over plate. Set aside.
• In medium bowl, whisk eggs and milk until combined. Add broccoli and cheese mixture. Add 1 cup cheese. Stir to combine. Set aside.
• In pie shells, divide drained bacon mixture evenly. Divide broccoli mixture evenly and pour over bacon mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese over both pies.
• Bake 40 minutes.
• Allow to cool at least 12 minutes before serving.

Note: To keep edges of crust from burning, place aluminum foil over pies for first 20 minutes of cook time. Remove after 20 minutes and allow to cook uncovered until completed.

Some women are natural conversation starters, and some of us need more help. If you want to know how to make small talk with strangers,  WoodlandsMommy.com has some tips for you! Here are 5 mommy-friendly ways to strike up a great conversation with just about anybody, whether you're super shy or bursting with confidence.

Conversation Tip # 1: Introduce Yourself.
This is one of the simplest ways to strike up a conversation. Be straightforward yet friendly. Walk up to the person with a smile and introduce yourself. Relax and let everything else follow. This strategy works even for those who are not as confident as others. Just make sure you know what to say next before making your move. For example, once the person introduces himself or herself back, you can ask them a question like "So how do you know the birthday boy?" or “How long has your daughter been dancing here?”

Ahhh, you've made it through another week! Here are some super easy meals to please your family when you're too tired (or too broke) to go out to eat but you don't feel like cooking. You don't eat these items everyday, so they will be treats for your family. Enjoy!

I expected to be on a month's-long journey of trial and error to find an amazing recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls. Would you believe the first recipe I found was the one that  knocked my socks off?

Man, these are so doggone good! They're also simple to make and don't require many ingredients. In fact, the only ingredient I didn't already have at home was the bread flour. 

AmbitiousKitchen.com calls these "The Best Cinnamon Rolls You'll Ever Eat". So how could I NOT start here? So glad I did! The rolls turned out sweet, moist, and delicious!

Visit the website for the recipe and the author's expert tips, but first, here are my own tips:

1. Don't be discouraged if you don't have a stand mixer. I have only a handheld mixer, but I didn't even use that. My 7-year-old and I used our bare hands to thoroughly knead the dough, and I can't imagine that it could have turned out any better.

2. The recipe for the icing calls for unsalted butter. Next time I make these,  I'll use half unsalted and half salted butter. The icing was delicious, but the flavor should be brought out just a tad more. This simple change will do the trick!

3. Start early. I like popping pre-made cinnamon rolls and cookie dough in the oven on a whim. Homemade is a whole new ballgame. It'll take you several hours start to finish to make these rolls, especially if you'll have a young child helping like I did. Plan ahead, and give the dough time to fully rise both times.

These mouthwatering, fluffy rolls are totally worth it!

Here are mine, ready for the oven:

“Let’s make paper flower bouquets!” I said to my kiddos as I walked through the house shutting off electronic devices. Nobody was in the mood to do crafts, but I threw us all into it, and it worked!

A handful of art supplies is sometimes all that’s needed to bring the family together. I had already pulled out the construction paper, card stock, scissors, glue, and this heart-shaped hole punch I found on Amazon [ad]. In the end, the whole family (including Dad) enjoyed a creative art session that lasted several hours in the kitchen. Hours after most of us were finished, my teen and pre-teen continued to work, determined to bring their visions to life.

Here’s how you can organize a paper flower creating session for you crew:

1 - Pull out the art supplies you already have on hand - colorful paper, crayons / markers, glue or tape, etc. If you want strong, sturdy flowers, consider buying card stock. We also found it useful to emply a hot glue gun from time to time.

2 - Find a backdrop for your artwork. You can use the side of an old corrugated box or even a cereal box. I happened to have some of these black chipboard sheets I found on Amazon [ad] leftover from a previous project. They’re rigid and sturdy, and the black color allows the colors of the flowers to pop.

3. Find inspiration online. I googled “paper flower bouquets” and found all sorts of images. You may be able to find a template, but I showed my girls some photo examples and we used our creative license to figure it out ourselves. We cut out and folded trapezoidal shapes to serve as vases.

4. Make easels so your creations can stand up. There are tried-and-true methods for easel-making, but I used a single sheet of card stock folded in thirds, taped, then hot glued to the back of each art piece. It doesn’t look good, but it works, and nobody will see the easels anyway.

5. Display for all to enjoy!