Happy Friday everyone! Man, these 5-day weeks are BRUTAL!
To say that the weather around here has been crazy lately would be a complete understatement. Within about a week and a half, we had a Hurrricane AND a Nor’ Easter that brought the first snow of the season to Boston – and now it’s all melted and it’s supposed to be 70 degrees on Monday. Wuddup mother nature? I only have so much room in my closet to be prepared for all these weather scenarios!
Snow on my cabbage?
Anyway, Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching in just two weeks! And this recipe for Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie is a special one as it’s a Schoon Family ‘Dessert Heirloom’ of sorts. Dave’s Mom and Grandmother make it every Thanksgiving and it’s really a nice change to your run-of-the-mill Apple and Pecan pie. After hours of grazing and face stuffing on Thanksgiving Day, when you think you can’t fit another morsel of food in your already overstretched stomach, out comes the Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie. And suddenly, ah ha! Whaddaya know, I found room for a sliver!
Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie
*A Schoon Family Specialty
INGREDIENTS
*Yields 1 – 9″ pie – however, there is probably enough ice cream to make 2 pies, so if you double the graham cracker crust, butter and sugar measurements, you’d have enough crust for 2 pies.
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1.5 – teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon orange juice
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) To prepare crust, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a mixing bowl. Coat 9″ pie plate with non-stick cooking spray and then press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the the plate.
2) Bake crust in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. You’ll notice that the crust will puff up a little bit while baking – simply take your hands or a rubber spatula to push it back down into the pie plate. Cool on rack before filling.
3) To prepare the pumpkin filling, combine ice cream, pumpkin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and orange juice.
4) After the crust has cooled, pour the pumpkin ice cream filling into the pie plate. As mentioned above, there will be quite a bit of ice-cream filling left over, so feel free to save it or prepare another pie with it.
5) Freeze until ready to serve. Feel free to top with cool whip, or as you can see, I ‘bedazzled’ mine with some fun harvest colored sugar crystals for some texture.
Be sure to spray your pie plate – I actually did NOT do this, and the crust was kind of sticking to the plate, so I think the cooking spray would help that (or you could totally cheat and buy one of those pre-made Graham Cracker crusts! But the homemade one just tastes that much better :))
I would also recommend letting your pie sit for 5 minutes or so before trying to cut a slice – it just makes it a little easier to take it out of the plate.
Happy Friday everyone – happy weekend to all!
“Whennnn you wish aponn a staaaaaaaaaar – makes no difference who you aaaaare – anyyything your heart desiiires will commme toooo youuu!” – a simple line from a simple song that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside because it brings me back to all of the memories I have of one of the most magical places on earth – Disneyworld.
‘Princesses’ for the weekend!
I’m starting to forget things lately – “Did I already wear this shirt to work this week?” “Did I already say that or was I just thinking it” “Did I put underwear on today?” – Ok – the last one is a stretch (hopefully the days of forgetting to put underwear on won’t be for a lonnnng time). But, I remember my first trip to Disneyworld like it was yesterday. Tricia, my best friend from home, and her parents lived 10 houses from my mom and I and when I was in 6th grade, they invited us to come and spend February Vacation with them in Disneyworld. I remember the plane ride, the bus ride to the Vacation Club, what we ate, our first rides – I even remember outfits that I wore. I fell in love the minute we landed. It was a trip that became a tradition – year after year, the Garrity’s would invite me to come along with them, and I couldn’t pack my bags fast enough. And then last winter, myself and 5 of my bestest friends from home headed to the most magical place on earth for the Princess 1/2 marathon, another Disney experience that I will never in my life forget. Probably the most fun and unique race I’ll ever take part in and one of the most amazing weekends spent with friends. I’m sure there’s quite the range of opinions about Disneyworld and all it has to offer, but for me, it’s a place that no matter how old I get, I get that same feeling I did when I was 12.
Indulging in Dole Whip (except Casey – she’s not a fan – we took her temperature, don’t worry)
Besides Mickey and Minnie, the Spectro Magic parade, splash mountain, the monorail, and those giant turkey legs that everyone walks around with, there IS one thing in Disneyworld that is truly magical – and that ladies and gentlemen is Dole Whip. Disney is one of the only places in the world that has it, which is why whenever I go, I make it a point to indulge. It’s a combination of two of my most favorite things on earth – ice cream and pineapple. It couldn’t be more refreshing on a hot day (or a cold one). It’s light and creamy. It’s just awesome.
I found a recipe online from Prudence Pennywise for Dole Whip, and while I was skeptical that this frozen heaven could be recreated, I figured I’d give it a shot. And coincidentally, Dave and I are headed West for a few days, where we’ll be making a pit stop in Sacramento to see Tricia, her husband John, and the newest member of the family, Little Joey! He has no idea how many Disney adventures and Dole Whips he’s got in store!
DOLE Whip
*Taken from Prudence Pennywise
INGREDIENTS
2 – 20 oz cans Dole crushed pineapple with juice
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
1) Drain pineapple; reserve 2 tablespoons juice. Set aside.
2) Place pineapple, lemon juice, lime juice, sugar and reserved pineapple juice in blender or food processor container; cover and blend until smooth.
3) Pour into two 1-quart freezer zipped bags and store bags flat in freezer.
4) Freeze 1-1/2 hours or until slushy. Stir pineapple slush gently into whipped cream until slightly blended, in large bowl.
5) Return to freezer until completely frozen, about 1 hour and serve.
So the verdict? Definitely reminiscent of one of Disney’s best hidden gems, however, I think unless you’re eating it sitting outside of the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House while watching Tigger and Winnie the Pooh sign autographs, it’s not quite the same. Definitely delicious though! I actually froze it overnight, and it gave the Dole Whip somewhat of an ‘icy’ texture vs. ‘creamy’, so I would definitely recommend only letting it freeze an hour or so and serving it then vs. letting it sit in the freezer.
So until we return from the West Coast…..
“Now it’s time to say goodbye – to allll our company – M-I-C (see ya real soon!) K-E-Y (why? because we like you! M-O-U-S-E!”
And They Cooked Happily Ever After 