Summertime Recipe Corner: "Peach Paradise Ice Cream Pie"

On my recent visit home to Oklahoma, I made sure to venture over to the nearby town of Porter where their annual Porter Peach Festival in July was getting underway. There is an orchard there I especially love to visit and I cannot leave their store without partaking in another tradition: sampling their assortment of peach desserts. They had marvelous peach topping served on top of vanilla ice cream and wonderful peach cobbler. I had so much fun surprising family and friends I visited with sacks of Porter peaches!

This recipe is a peachy dessert treat without having to heat up your oven in this summer heat. My easy, no-bake peach ice cream pie also works great with regular versions of the ingredients listed, but using the light ingredients I list for my recipe will shave off extra calories, fat and sugar. Hope today will find you just "peachy"! 

"Southern Fried Bride's Peach Paradise Ice Cream Pie"

1 quart light vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, softened

1 cup sugar free or light frozen whipped topping, thawed 

1 large OR 2 medium peaches, chopped 

1 (8 oz.) ready-made reduced fat graham cracker pie crust

In large bowl, combine first three ingredients. Beat with mixer at medium speed until well blended. Spoon into pie crust. Cover pie and freeze at least 4 hours or until firm. When ready to serve, remove from freezer and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

A Favorite Summertime Cake

Here is a recipe for one of my favorite summertime cakes: lemon cake. It brought to mind a most wonderful memory of the many times when I would make this cake in my Oklahoma kitchen with Grandma Cleva by my side. 

 

"Southern Fried Bride's Lively Lemon Cake"

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 package (4-serving size) Jell-O lemon flavor instant pudding

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 large eggs

1/2 cup cooking oil

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13 x 9 baking pan with cooking spray. Place flour, sugar, dry pudding mix and baking powder into large bowl. Set aside. Place eggs, oil, extract and water in large mixing bowl. Blend with mixer on low speed for one minute. Add dry mixture in thirds until all of dry mixture has been added. Increase mixer to medium speed for two minutes. Pour batter into pan and place in oven. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and place on cooling rack. Frost cake, if desired, when it cools.

"Southern Fried Bride's Lively Lemon Frosting"

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

2 drops yellow food color

1 teaspoon lemon extract

2 tablespoons milk

Optional: 1/4 shredded coconut

1 dozen pecans, whole or chopped

With an electric mixer at low speed, mix powdered sugar and butter together. Once combined, add lemon extract and milk. If desired, add coconut. Increase speed of mixer to medium and beat for additional 3 to 4 minutes or until smooth and of spreading consistency. If frosting becomes too thick, thin frosting by adding an additional teaspoon of milk. Frost cooled cake and top, if desired, with pecans, if desired. Enjoy!