Key Lime Cheesecake Ice Cream

**UPDATE:  I always think ice cream is better after it has sat overnight or a day or so in the freezer.  And let me tell you...this ice cream is DELICIOUS.  You may note that I leave salt out of mine, that is just how I prefer it.  You can add a dash of salt if you so choose!**

I refuse to acknowledge that it is no longer summer. 

Don't get me wrong I love my underarmour and boots and such and I would adore my red leggings under jeans if I could figure out where I put them, but I am just not really in the mood for things like ice...snow...black ice...frigid temperatures...

And worst of all, getting out of the shower.  Admit it, it does not matter how high you crank that thermostat up, getting out of the shower just SUCKS in the winter.  Blah.  And shaving! I swear your legs know its winter and flip out.

Oh right.  Ice cream...

Ingredients:
-2 containers Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt in Key Lime
-1 packet of true lime
-Juice of 1 lime plus some zest
-1/3 c of heavy cream
-1/2 block reduced fat or fat free cream cheese, softened
-1 c almond milk (or whatever milk you have on hand)
-1/4 c sugar
-2 TB cheesecake pudding mix

I beat my cream cheese and yogurt together first using the kitchenaid, and then added all the remaining ingredients.  I really only zested half of the lime and probably did not even get that much out of it, so just zest until you are a happy camper.  You can adjust the zest or leave it out or add more sugar or toss in honey however you see fit to get the desired level of tartness.

You will want to follow your ice cream makers directions for chilling the mix and chilling the container and chilling chilling chilling everything else and making the ice cream.

I have a cute blue Nostalgia ice cream maker, and I love it.

This recipe only filled up the bottom fourth to third of my ice cream cannister, so if you have crazy ice cream lovers in the house you might want to double the recipe.

I am more of a two scoop every now and then type of gal, so this size of recipe lasts me a good long while.  I was considering making it into ice cream samiches with snickerdoodle cookies, but I have not gotten around to that point yet.

Mainly because all of a sudden I feel really sick.  My throat is sore, I sneezed, and I am exhausted. I keep leaning my head back on my chair and typing this blog without looking, which I am actually remarkably good at most times, so if you see any blatantly annoying errors, that will probably be the reason, teehee. You know that feeling you get when your arms are just too tired to even lift, they feel really heavy?? That is exactly how I feel.  I do NOT want to be sick with all sorts of assignments and midterms due this week... Again, this is why I refuse to admit summer is over.

I always get sick when the seasons change.  I don't know why but it pretty much is like clockwork.  And let's just face it, a college campus is a germ BREEDING ground.  That is my favorite part about not being in a dorm.  Dorms are where hygiene goes to die.  You just assume all other humans have as good of practices as you...yea, NO THEY DON'T.  And what is worse, I bought cookie mix from these super adorable girls trying to win fundraiser prizes.  You know what else is a breeding ground for germs? Kids.  I'm doomed...

I went to Meijer earlier to get cheese because I had a coupon, and then I forgot to even use the coupon.  Figures.  The cheese is chilling in my freezer....as I had already bought three other blocks the previous day.

I also bought this delicious goblin juice! It is cherry blossom flavored sparkling apple juice...which sounds really odd now that I think about it.

But it is YUMMY!

As a nod to the usual practices of Halloween of drinking and whatnot, I decided to pour me a glass "on the rocks" teehee. This is about as close to drinking as I come, and I am quite frankly ok with that.

However, if Diet Mountain Dew was alchohol, I would be perpetually buzzed.  Not that I have ever been buzzed and know what that feels like...but that is not the point.




I also bought a huge bag of ice.  Why, you ask? Well because I had a brain lapse and thought I would need a huge bag of ice instead of a normal bag of ice.  That should have been my first clue that I was getting sick: incoherent ice choices.  The guy at the gas station probably thought I was already drinking! No, but seriously, I am hauling this ginormous bag of ice in, essentially cursing myself up the way too warm elevator ride, and I toss the bag down on my kitchen floor.

I then proceed to scramble around, dive for some gallon size ziploc bags to get this stupid ice down into manageable sizes for my freezer, get the first bag full, zip it, toss it in the freezer...

And the whole thing spills on my floor because the seal busts.  And no, it wasn't ziploc brand.  Grr.  So I start bailing floor ice into the sink and refilling the bag and this time much more carefully place it in my freezer. To add insult to injury, that was when I started noticing I was feeling sick.  I was mopping away and ACHOOOOO- out of nowhere.  I froze there in my tracks (ice pun intended) and thought to myself, oh great, just what I need.  GERMS.

I did this for about 3 bags, and the rest is melting in my bathtub, freezing my poor yellow ducky traction stickies.  Don't laugh at me, that shower has tried to kill me on multiple occasions before I put those duckies down. 

I only needed 1 of the bags I filled for my ice cream anyway.  Sheesh.

On the bright side, my kitchen floor is really clean now.  I got out my swiffer and mopped up all the melty ice.  It is one of those floors that always looks dirty though, so it pretty much drives me bananas.

In other news, we are on a new grant trail.  It essentially feels like a waste of time because it is a world peace type grant and we are only focusing on a community level. However, it will be nice IF we find anything else to submit it for that we will already have it written.

IF.

Now go rebel against winter with some ice cream, island style.