Frozen

"We had a drink in each cafe... you talked of politics, philosophy and I smiled like Mona Lisa. We had our chance. It was a fine and true romance. I can still recall our last summer. I still see it all." -- ABBA

When the weather is disgustingly warm (like it's been for the last few days), I get frozen yogurt cravings. Often. And since Pinkberry, Berrywild, Yolato, Red Mango and their ilk aren't located anywhere near me (and aren't exactly inexpensive, either), I sought an alternative today. I researched frozen yogurt recipes, I studied ice-cream making techniques, I brushed up on basic chemistry, and, miraculously, I created an absurdly easy fifteen-minute recipe that turned out one delicious serving of fat-free tart frozen yogurt.

Here it is, and you don't even need an ice cream maker for it. (You can still make it with an ice cream maker, of course -- simply mix all the ingredients in the bowl of the ice cream maker then process according to the manufacturer's instructions.)

Frozen Yogurt

1 level tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon water

3 heaping tablespoons Fage 0% strained Greek yogurt

Two drops vanilla extract

Two sandwich-sized zippered freezer baggies

One gallon-sized zippered freezer baggie or one round coffee can with a lid

Two trays of ice cubes (or enough to half-fill the gallon Ziploc bag or completely fill the coffee can)

1/4 cup coarse salt

Add sugar, water, and vanilla to one of the small baggies, seal, and shake around until the sugar dissolves. Add yogurt to baggie, seal, double-bag with the second small baggie (removing as much air as possible) and squish with your fingers until thoroughly mixed.

Fill the large baggie or coffee can with half the ice and all the salt, place the baggie of yogurt atop the ice, then cover it with the rest of the ice. Seal the large baggie or can, removing as much air as possible, and roll it around for fifteen minutes.

Once the yogurt firms up, remove it from the ice and scoop or pipe it into a bowl. Top with whatever you want -- I used strawberries and honey on mine today -- and serve.

Incidentally, this was my first experiment using baggies, salt, and ice to make ice cream since fourth grade science class. Now that I know it works so well, expect lots more frozen dessert creations from me this summer!