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DealDash Ice Cream Social: Best Ice Cream Recipes & Ice Cream Makers

ice cream
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Ice cream is perfect for any day, be it a hot sunny summer day or a cold and rainy one, ice cream always hits the spot.

“Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.” 
― Don Kardong

There are oodles of ice cream choices in the supermarket, drug store and even gas stations, but nothing beats homemade, slow churned ice cream made right in the kitchen. The best thing about homemade ice cream is that you know what’s going in the ice cream and can savor your finished creation.
How to Make Homemade Ice Cream
1. First, You will need an ice cream maker. DealDash.com has TONS of auctions for ice cream makers, over 15 types – no joke!

ice cream 5Hamilton Beach Half Pint Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker in a variety of colors.

What’s so great about this little machine is that it’s perfect if you just want a bowl of ice cream or a serving for two. You can make it and serve it in the same bowl! No rock salt or special ice cream mixes needed. All you have to do is put the bowl in the freezer over night (or for like 8-10 hours) and make your ice cream the next day. Ice cream can be made in this little powerhouse in as little as 6-12 minutes! It’s cordless and runs on batteries (included). Buy it now price on DealDash is just $24.99 or you can bid and try to win for less! 
 

You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream. And that’s kind of the same thing.

ice cream makerNostalgia Electrics 4 Qt. Ice Cream Maker, Blue

Now we’re talking… 4 qts. vs. 1/2 a pint, I’d be in an frozen sweet treat heaven :-p.

This ice cream maker features an electric motor that does the churning for you. Just add the ingredients, press the rocket switch and enjoy! Buy it now price is $29, bid and maybe you will win it for less!

ice cream 2

KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker for Most KitchenAid Stand Mixers 

 Now this is a great idea if you already have a Kitchen-Aid Mixer. If not, you can also bid on one on DealDash  Buy it now price is $80 – the last one sold for just $1 (100 bids by all bidders!).  You’ll be able to make batches of frozen desserts up to 2 quarts.

ice cream 1 Nostalgia Electrics Mix `N Twist Ice Cream & Toppings Mixer
Move over ColdStone! With this soft serve ice cream mixer all you have to do is add ice cream and toppings and push a button and you will have a creamy, delicious soft serve concoction.
 
ice cream 7
 
Cuisinart Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker
What could be even better than ice cream? Creamy gelato! Make luscious ice cream and gelato with this commercial grade Cuisinart ice cream and gelato maker. The buy it now price is $299.99, but try to win it for less and start making fancy desserts! There are paddles included for both ice cream and gelato. You can also add in mix-ins from the see-through lid and there’s even a keep cool function to keep the gelato cool.

Ice cream is an excellent beginning to any apology.

 
ice cream 12  



Healthy Foods Yonanas Ice Cream Maker, Black/Silver
This one has to be the healthiest and easiest ice cream maker on the planet! It’s the YoNanas banana ice cream maker! I’ve made banana ice cream before with a masticating juicer, but this is made specifically for banana ice cream and let me tell you if you’re lactose intolerant, trying to lose weight and eat clean or just love frozen treats and bananas, this is the machine that you need to have! All you do is freeze bananas, maybe some strawberries, mangos, raspberries or any fruit that you love and put it in the top of the machine and plush the plunger attachment down– out comes creamy frozen goodness! What better way to get your servings of vegetables than this! The bananacream comes out like a soft serve ice cream. You could even go real crazy and add ingredients like chocolate, honey, cayenne pepper, nuts, caramel sauce or anything else that you love. Buy it now is $50.
2. Now that you know about a few, there really are over 15 different types of ice cream makers on DealDash, it’s time to learn how to make ice cream!
jenis ice cream
Each ice cream maker is more than likely to come with a recipe book, but here’s my all-time favorite homemade ice cream recipe direct from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream  – a chain of gourmet ice cream shops that started out in Ohio.
Jeni’s Ice Cream Base – Recipe Source: Saveur Magazine
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp. light corn syrup
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 3 tbsp. cream cheese, softene

INSTRUCTIONS
In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup milk and the cornstarch; set slurry aside. In a 4-qt. saucepan, whisk together remaining milk and the cream, sugar, syrup, and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 4 minutes; stir in slurry. Return to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Place cream cheese in a bowl and pour in 1/4 cup hot milk mixture; whisk until smooth. Then whisk in remaining milk mixture. Pour mixture into a plastic bag; seal, and submerge in a bowl of ice water until chilled. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker; process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to a storage container and freeze until set.
Mix-in topping combination ideas:

  • -Almond + Swiss Dark Chocolate Shavings
  • -Frozen raspberries and caramel sauce
  • -Mexican Chocolate & Cayenne Pepper Powder
  • -Chocolate covered cherries
  • -Walnuts and cherries
  • -Island Style Mango, Passionfruit, Raspberry
  • -Vanilla Bean
  • -Lavender Honey
  • -Blackberry
  • -Peach & Pecan Praline

The possibilities are truly endless!
Craving ice cream? Visit DealDash and score a great deal on an ice cream maker.
Do you have a favorite ice cream maker + recipe? Share it with us below!
 

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Bid Wiser: Track Your Spending and DealDash.com Wins & Losses

dealdashdashwinsDo you find yourself losing more money than you are winning items? It’s time to get smart. Money smart. If you aren’t keeping track of your expenses it’s about time you start. A great app to manage your financial transactions and always know what is in your bank account is the Mint smartphone app from Mint.com for Windows 8, iPad, iPhone and Android devices.

Here are some great tips to help you keep track of your spending on DealDash.com and any other penny auction site.

 1. Set limits

 Don’t spend more money on bids than you can afford to lose, because if you don’t win the only way to not lose the money you spent on bids is to use buy it now on the item you lost. If you say you are only going to spend $50 to try and win that new dresser set or Nespresso espresso machine, stay true to your word. Maybe even put a post-it note on your computer screen, buy a bid pack with the determined amount of bids you can afford to lose if you lose and don’t buy more bids after that until you’ve either won or can feel ok about losing what you lost if you don’t win.

2. Set Up a Dedicated Bidding Account

You don’t have to set up an entirely new bank account for your bidding activities, but what you could do is get a pre-paid Visa credit card and fill it with the amount each month that you can use just for your penny auction bidding. Believe me, if you don’t do this and use your regular credit or debit card your spending could get out of control and you will be more shocked when you see your statements than you should be.

3. Track your wins 

There’s a new app, like Mint, but ctually keep track of your “worth” in goods such as cars or merchandise, this could be something to try to keep a database of everything you have won and what the items are worth. The app is called Trov (Trov.com) and it will let you store the things you own, get current market values of your things, organize them and when and if it comes time to sell them, Trov even has a sharing option.

. Or you could just view your won auctions from the DealDash user dashboard to see what all you have won and what you paid for each item.

5. Track time, and money. Compare wins with bid pack purchases

This is a great way to pinpoint and keep track of what you really paid for your won items. Set up a Quicken Spreadsheet with specific columns one for the item – one for the value, one for the amount of time you spent to win (or lose) remember time= money. Lastly, create a column for how much you spent in bids to equal how much money you really saved on each item.

6. Take a look at the data you collected.

Are you ahead or are you at a negative as far as saving money goes? If you’re the latter you may just want to take a step back, re-evaluate and take our simple tips to heart and start limiting and tracking your activity on DealDash.com

Be an informed penny auction bidder.

If you have any questions about DealDash, wondering what type of items they have be sure to check out our previous posts here filled with tips, strategies and item guides.

Do you have tips for mana ging and keeping track of your spending on DealDash.com? Let us know about it here!

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How to Win More on DealDash: Start Out Small Then Go For the Gold

Dealdash Winning Tips
Olympic gold medalists don’t just wake up one day and become perfect gymnists, tennis players, competitive swimmers, speed skiiers or figure skaters.
Sucessful gold medalists start out by focusing on winning the bronze, then the silver medal, then finally go for the gold.
The most successful people first decided on a goal and made that goal an obtainable reality, day by day, by day, by taking the steps they had to take to practice on honing their skills. Little by little they learned more, went further, pushed harder by competing with themselves and all of their hard work paid off. They didn’t start big. By realizing the steps that famous Olympic  gold medalists took in order to go for the gold, you too can win more penny auctions on DealDash.
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”
–USA track and field gold medalist, Jesse Owens
“We have a heard of gold, and that’s what this medal is right here.
It’s a team that will never give up.”
–Joey Hagerty, USA medalist in gymnastics, Joey Hagerty
“You’ve got to look for tough competition. You’ve got to want to beat the best.”
–Grete Waitz, Norwegian marathon runner
“Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals.
These are all lessons in life.”
–Kristi Yamaguchi, gold medalist in figure skating
You can apply the wisdom imparted to us by the brightest and best Olympic gold medalists and use them to win more items and score great deals on DealDash.
Tip #1: You MUST start small by bidding on smaller items.
Go for the smallest, least expensive auctions first. By bidding on smaller items like $10 gift cards of items valued at $25 or less, or bidding on newbie auctions there will be less competition and you will be able to gain valuable experience by practicing on bidding.
Tip #2: Become dedicated.
Now that you know how to bid since you’ve now tried bidding on smaller items, and hopefully won a few, too. It’s time to really get serious and become dedicated to bidding. This means when you bid you must keep your eye on the prize and know your limits, then push them. When you decide to bid on an item make sure you are able to dedicate your time and concentraton on the ending auction. Minimize distractions and make sure you are fully stocked with bids so that you don’t run out mid-auction.
Tip #3: Never Give Up. 
Develop a persistent, I’m not giving up, I’m not quitting ’til I win attitude. By not giving up easy and bidding through until you win other bidders see that you are a bidding force not to be reckoned with and after consistently bidding you will transform from your bidding cocoon to a successful butterfly. Everyone else will want to either be like you, try to beat you, or back off. Persistence is key to winning more auctions.
Tip #4: Set Goals: Working your way to the top.
Now that you have won the smaller items, it’s time to go for the GOLD. The big buck items. The shiny new HDTVs, ATVs, laptops, Apple products, $250 vs $25 gift cards and more. After you know how to bid and have won a few items and other bidders have seen your name winning a few you will have proved yourself to be a persistent bidder with a never give up attitude. This will allow you will begin to establish yourself as a powerful bidder: a powerbidder. Set goals for how long and how many bids you want to spend on each item and stick to those goals!
 Read The Powerbidder’s Strategy to Winning DealDash Auctions Series   here on DealDash Tips for more valuable bidding tips.
Don’t worry, just bid and win!
Remember, if you end up not winning you can easily use buy it now and get all of the bids you placed back.
Good luck and happy bidding from DealDashTips.com.
 

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Save Bids And Avoid Becoming A Buttinski Bidder On DealDash

Perhaps you’ve witnessed what I call the “Buttinski Bidder” on DealDash.com. I’ll explain what this is. 

There will be two or three bidders in an auction bidding hundreds of dollars’ worth of bids with the goal of winning the big prize.
Bidder Q will start stomping on the other bidder to run down Bidder R’s bids on bid buddy. This is perfectly legit and part of the auction process. Then, out of nowhere enters Bidder “X”, who is offended and angered by bidder Q’s attempt to win by stomping Bidder R. Bidder X will then start to bid on purpose with the specific goal of playing spoiler— stopping bidder Q from stomping on Bidder R. Thus Bidder X is the Buttinski Bidder.
Bidder X will not win the auction but will only waste fifty to one hundred of his or her own bids to make the point: “Don’t stomp.” Simply defined, Bidder X is minding someone else’s business while losing his or her own bids/money at the same time. Bidder X is your nosey neighbor, or nosey colleague at the office and is also your town gossip too. Bidder X is trouble, one you will want to avoid at all costs. The purpose of this blog is to educate you and to help you avoid becoming (Bidder X) the “Buttinski Bidder” of your next auction.
Make no mistake: People sign up, purchase bids and participate in auctions to win, period. Those who think otherwise are living in a fantasy world. It is comical for me when I see various bidders’ profiles with comments about stomping: “Don’t stomp I will stomp you back, etc.” Stomping is a strategy used by many bidders who have the goal of winning the auction, period. Get over it, this is a business where people want to win and will not play fair all the time. Bidders are in it to win it. That’s the way it is, REALITY. Just last week I participated in an auction for a 1,000 dollar Amazon.com gift card. After bidding a few bids hoping to be that lucky winner I withdrew from this contest to observe the auction’s conclusion. There were a total of three bidders. One female bidder was stomping on her competition for many hours. The cost of the item had risen into the two hundreds. All of a sudden out of nowhere entered the Buttinski Bidder of this auction who purposely started stomping this female bidder. Watching this amazing contest I counted over 120 Buttinski bids. This Buttinski was angry and trying to make a point. The Buttinski’s anger cost the Buttinski bidder over 17.00 dollars. Seriously is spending 17.00 of your hard, earned blood, sweat and tears to make a point, really worth it? It turns out this Amazon.com gift card sold in the four hundreds to a male bidder, a guy who entered to win without being a Buttinski Bidder. It is not easy to win an auction. Waiting it out can be frustrating at times. Invest your own time wisely and use your bids to win. Here’s to NOT becoming the next Buttinski Bidder!
By Josephine Deal Dasher
butt·in·sky or butt·in·ski  (bŭt-ĭn′skē)

n. pl. butt·in·skies also butt·in·skys or butt·in·skis Slang

One who is prone to butting in; a meddler.

 

ALSO SEE: How to Get Free Bids on DealDash: Post to Facebook