Duggars' Snow Ice Cream Recipe

As requested, here is the Duggars' recipe for Snow Ice Cream, as seen on Tuesday's episode of "19 Kids and Counting," Duggars Snowed In. Enjoy!

For more delicious Duggar recipes, click here!

Snow Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 to 2 cups sugar, to taste
• 1 teaspoon imitation vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla 
• 1 quart heavy whipping cream or half-and-half
• 6 quarts clean, fresh snow (fluffy, not packed)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and whipping cream. 
2. Add snow, 2 cups at a time.
3. Stir until mixture is ice cream consistency.

*This recipe is found on page 160 of the Duggars' first book, "20 and Counting."

Have you tried snow ice cream?

"Duggars Snowed In" Recap

On tonight's episode of "19 Kids and Counting," Duggars Snowed In...

• Jim Bob and the boys prepared for a blizzard by hauling plenty of extra firewood for their wood burning stove, which keeps the family's tile floors nice and toasty in winter. 
• Much to the excitement of the kids, the weatherman's predictions were a little off, and instead of just six-inches of snow, the Duggars woke up to two feet of fresh powder--a new record for northwest Arkansas.
• To lessen the boatload of work left up to the town's single snowplow, Jim Bob used his backhoe to clear the road in front of the family's house. "The backhoe's kind of like a big boy's toy," the father of nineteen explained to younger son Justin. 
• Meanwhile, Grandma and the kids whipped up a Duggar family favorite--snow ice cream! You can make this frozen treat at home--the next time it snows, that is. Click here for the recipe. The kids were quick to remind viewers to use only white snow.
• John-David's towing business sure came in handy during the blizzard! He and Jim Bob spent hours pulling cars (and even semis) out of the ditch.
• Dad and the little kids bundled up and ventured out to play in the winter-wonderland, but it was pretty cold! When the sun came out a few days later, Amy and friend Caleb came over, and the entire family (even Michelle!) had a blast sledding down the Duggars' hill on campaign signs leftover from John-David's run for alderman.

What is your favorite winter activity? Do you enjoy sledding?

"Duggars get Dirty" Recap

Our power is back, so we were finally able to watch Tuesday's episode of "19 Kids and Counting," Duggars get Dirty. Here's the recap:

• Jim Bob took the oldest kids, as well as Jennifer Hartono--a family-friend from Indonesia--over to one of his residential rental properties to do some cleaning. (Click here to learn more about the Duggars' many real estate ventures.) They spent five hours going through junk, pulling up carpet, and hauling three dozen bags of trash out of the house. "This may be one of y'all's houses one of these days," Jim Bob announced to the children as they worked. Joy's eyes grew wide as she quietly shook her head.
• Back home, Jill guided the four youngest in some cleaning of their own. "It takes an army to keep everything going around our house," said Jim Bob. "We know that we're all contributing to our family's finances." 
• The following day, the crew headed over to another rental property to do some painting and tiling. Believe it or not, most of the Duggars, especially the girls, enjoy tiling and are pretty darn good at it. "Those Duggar girls can do anything in a skirt!" said Jim Bob. 
• What do Jim Bob and Michelle hope their kids will learn from these work projects? "A lot of elbow grease will go a long way" (Michelle) and "It's amazing what we can all do when we work together" (Jim Bob).
• After spending two days hard at work, the kids were rewarded with a fun-filled day of sledding and celebrating Joseph's sweet 16. Michelle describes her third oldest son as a "man of few words but a hard worker."

No Power--Still Posting Duggar Updates

So close! Our power went out just as last night's episode of "19 Kids and Counting" was coming on. When our electricity is restored (hoping that will be sometime soon.) we will immediately watch the show and post a recap. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Can you imagine a power outage in a family the size of the Duggars? Jim Bob and Michelle have been there! In January 2009, they made it through a massive ice storm and nine-day power outage. (Sure hope we don't have to wait that long.) With all the damage that their area suffered, Jim Bob decided to invite Gil and Kelly Bates, owners of a tree-trimming service, and their then seventeen children to camp-out at the Duggar home. You can imagine how hectic things were with over forty people crammed into one house, but the Bates' tree-trimming skills were a blessing to Jim Bob and Michelle, as well as to many others in their area.

Did any of you have bad storms yesterday? What's the longest you have been without power?

Duggars Get Dirty

When the Duggars combine their muscle power, there's no telling what they can accomplish! Tonight on "19 Kids and Counting" Duggars Get Dirty, Jim Bob has purchased a few properties that need some work, and his kids are more than happy to help. And after they get cleaned up, it's time to celebrate Joseph's Sweet 16! Tune in to TLC at 9PM EST/8PM CST.

Missed Sunday's hour-long episode? Watch reruns of "19 Kids and Counting" First Grandson tonight at 8PM EST/7PM CST and 11PM EST/10PM CST.

"First Grandson" Recap

On tonight's episode of "19 Kids and Counting," First Grandson...

• Josh and Anna prepared for the arrival of their little one by picking out a crib at Once Upon a Child, cleaning out their second bedroom, and using dolls to teach Mackynzie how to treat a baby. At the ultrasounds, Mackynzie showed her excitement at being a big sister by pointing at all the screen shots and crying, "Baby! Baby! Baby!" 
• For a refresher course on natural childbirth, Josh and Anna attended Bradley classes with their favorite teacher, Ms. Teresa. Josh loves spending the time with his wife but admits that "some of the exercises they do at the birth classes are weird. And no only are they weird, but they have weird names." His advice to first-time parents? "If it looks weird, then you're probably doing it right!" But as odd as the positions look, both Josh and Anna know the benefits. The exercises not only strengthen the mother's muscles, but also help keep the baby in the ideal position for labor and delivery.
• With the due date drawing near, Michelle treated Anna, as well as her own older daughters, to pedicures. The girls loved being pampered at the nail salon, and everyone, even Johannah, came out feeling beautiful.
• Josh and Anna decided to go on the book tour with the rest of the family in early June. Armed with a suitcase of supplies, just in case the baby came on the road, they paid a visit to Anna's family, got soaked at Niagara Falls, and met fans from across the country. 
• Three days after arriving home from the book tour, Anna began having contractions, and she and Josh prepared for a home birth. Fourteen hours into labor, Anna felt the need to push and ended up delivering little Michael James Duggar in the bathroom! He was born at 5:55PM on June 15th, weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces and measuring 21 inches long. What's the significance of the name Michael James? Anna's father is Michael, and Jim Bob's given name is James.
• Anna shared her heart: "There's nothing I would rather do than spend time with my little ones and...get the house ready for Josh when he gets home....Mackynzie loves little Michael...it's so fun watching them bond and love and enjoy each other...There's nothing more fun than being a mom."

What did you think of the episode? Are you familiar with the Bradley Method for natural childbirth?

*This episode is now for sale on Amazon for $1.99. This link will take you right to it.

Recap: "Kids to the Rescue" and "Duggars Focus on the Family"

Tonight on "19 Kids and Counting" Kids to the Rescue...

• Jim Bob and Michelle, along with Gil and Kelly Bates, headed off to El Salvador. During their trip, the couples met with government officials to advocate for a quicker adoption process for Americans trying to adopt Salvadoran children. 
• To prevent chaos from taking over while Mom and Dad were gone, the older Duggar girls and Anna planned plenty of fun activities for the kids, including go-cart races and homemade ice cream. The latter didn't go so well, but Anna pulled out some store-bought ice cream just before things got ugly.
• While Jim Bob and Michelle were gone, Josie developed a mild fever. One night, the girls woke up to discover that her fever had skyrocketed, causing the preemie to experience seizures. Jill called 911.
• "I was in bed sleeping," explained John-David, a member of the volunteer fire department. "I heard my pager go off, and I thought, 'man, that address sounds so familiar,' and then I remembered, 'oh, that's our address."'
• Paramedics arrived, and John-David and the girls rode with Josie to the hospital. When the preemie was stabilized, Jill called her parents in El Salvador, and Jim Bob and Michelle immediately flew home. When they arrived in Arkansas, Josie was doing very well, and the two were impressed by their kids' maturity in dealing with the situation. 
• Missed the episode? Click here to see a short video of Michelle giving Jim Bob a new do just before departing for El Salvador. "He's my most talkative client...The rest of them just sit there and I do it, but Dad, he likes to give me some instructions," says the mom of 19. Jim Bob was a little shocked at how much Michelle cut off, but when he realized he looked 20 years younger, he was content!

Tonight on "19 Kids and Counting" Duggars Focus on Family...   

• Michelle flew out to meet the rest of the family in Colorado Springs, leaving Josie in the hands of a trusted friend. The kids enjoyed Whit's End, an indoor play area modeled after Focus on the Family's Adventures in Odyssey radio show. The best part was the three-story slide!
• The following day, the Duggars encouraged a crowd of 1,800 with Jim Bob and Michelle's testimonies and music from the kids. 
• After the speaking engagement with Focus on the Family, Michelle flew home to Josie, and Jim Bob and the kids, as well as Josh and Anna, headed off to the Royal Gorge canyon. Highlights of their visit included crossing the suspension bridge 956 feet above the Arkansas River, riding the gondola, and braving the Skycoaster.

What did you think of these episodes?

"Duggars Hit the Slopes" Recap

On tonight's episode of "19 Kids and Counting" Duggars Hit the Slopes...

• Jim Bob and the kids, along with Grandma Duggar, Josh, Anna, and Mackynzie, headed off to Colorado for a nine-day trip. They packed a whopping 200 shirts, 100 pairs of pants, 300 socks, and 56 pairs of shoes.
• Once in the mountains, the gang made a quick stop at a local thrift store, where they saved over $4,000 on ski clothes for the entire family.
• For three days, Jim Bob and the kids, none of whom had ever tried on a pair of skis, took lessons at Granby Ranch's SolVista Basin. "Other than seeing people ski on movies, we know nothing about skiing," Jill explained, just before they headed out for their first day on the slopes. 
• Coming from a family of avid skiers, we were surprised at how quickly the Duggars picked up the sport. Skiing isn't easy, but they all did phenomenally well.
• While the rest of the family skied, Anna, who is pregnant with her second child, and Grandma Duggar, who tried skiing but was injured during the first day, entertained Jennifer, Mackynzie, and Jordyn. 
• Michelle stayed home with Josie to protect the preemie from large crowds and high altitudes. Although the mother of nineteen is athletic and enjoys a challenge, she was quite happy to sit this activity out. "If I had gone skiing, I would probably be hurting and paying for it afterward," said Michelle. "The older we are, the harder it is to learn new things." 
• During their trip, the family received a cooking lesson from a native Swiss chef. The menu? Authentic Italian pizza. Mamma Mia!
• For the grand finale of their incredible ski adventure, the Duggars spent two hours zipping down the tubing hills, some reaching speeds of 20 mph!

What did you think of the episode? If you have never skied, did watching the Duggars make you want to learn?