Lemony Ice Cream Pie

My mom had pointed out this recipe when we were thumbing through a Southern Living cookbook looking for a chocolate cake recipe. It looked really good and seemed like a simple dessert to throw together. Since we were having family over for dinner on Sunday, I decided to give it a go.

First of all, I have to say I think this is the easiest dessert recipe I have ever made. You litterally mix a can of frozen lemonade (I used yellow lemonade) into a quart of softened vanilla ice cream, pour it over a graham cracker crust, and you are done. I was not quite sure the best way to mix the lemonade with the ice cream, so I tired using my blender. While it worked out fine, I think next time I will either use the whisk attachment on my stand mixer or use a hand blender. I think the ice cream was a little thick for the blender and I kept having to push it down with a spoon. Of course, I dropped the spoon into the blender while it was on, but luckily no damage was done!

I ended up serving the pie with fresh blueberries we had picked over the weekend and a blueberry sauce I threw together real quick. It was really delicious and very refreshing. This recipe is a definite repeat for the summer months. I also like the versatility of the recipe- you could serve on its own or pair it the blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.

I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as my family did!

Lemony Ice Cream Pie

Southern Living Annual Recipes 2006

1 Quart Vanilla Ice Cream

4 oz. Frozen Lemonade Concentrate

1 Graham Cracker Crust

Mix softened frozen lemonade concentrate into softened vanilla ice cream. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust. Freeze until firm.

A couple notes...

• I used 1 1/2 quarts vanilla ice cream and 6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate for a nine inch pie.


• While a blender can be used, it is probably easiest to mix using a stand mixer or hand blender.


• For the graham cracker crust, I used 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 6 T butter, and 1/2 cup sugar, and poured into a 9 inch springform pan. Press down on the crumbs to set.

Sour Cherry Pie with Pistachio Crumble

This week's recipe for Sweet Melissa Sundays was chosen by Michelle of Flourchild. I was really excited about this recipe because I absolutely love cherry pie. If I had to pick a favorite pie, I think cherry would be it. And its a perfect dessert for Memorial Day weekend.



We love to make pies in my family! There are always pies at the holidays- pumpkin and mincemeat at Thanksgiving and Christmas, lemon meringue and coconut cream at Easter, and cherry and blueberry pies for any patriotic holiday. And of course my husbands favorites, apple and banana cream, can go any time of the year.

I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to making the crust. My mom and I have used my grandmother's recipe for years with the same flaky result every time, so I chose to stick with my own recipe for the crust. It uses shortening instead of butter and my mom taught me to cut it in using two butter knives. It is a bit of a chore, but it works! I promised my mom I wouldn't divulge the recipe, but one of our secrets is to roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap so you do not have to worry about it sticking to the rolling pin or the counter. It also makes it really easy to transfer the dough into the pie plate.


The filling was simple enough. I added a little cinnamon and a dash of almond extract. Unfortunately, I have not been able to try the pie yet because I am bringing it to a party this evening. However, it smelled wonderful in the oven! I am anxious to try the crumb topping, and even though I think the pistachios will taste wonderful, I would like to try making the recipe with almonds or walnuts next time.

Thanks Michelle for picking this recipe. It seems like a great spin on a favorite classic. If you would like the recipe, you can find it on Michelle's site.