CHERRY LEMONADE PIE

CHERRY LEMONADE PIE

Summertime.  That amazing part of anyone in the Midwest's life that brings back hordes of memories of warm, still afternoons - the sounds of the neighborhood kids, released from classroom studies, laughing and playing in the yards up and down the street.  The tick-tick-tick of a sprinkler.  A busy lawn mower somewhere down the block.  And the unexpected surprise of the ice cream truck's music as it gets closer.

I could go on like some Thornton Wilder monologue for about another hour and a half.  Those are the summer sounds and memories that I remember.  We all have our own associations with summer vacations, family trips, running wild in the neighborhood, sprinklers, swimming pools, the list is endless.  ONE of the fantastic memories I remember is this pie recipe that my mother used to make for Lemonade Pie.  Which, was slightly altered courtesy of a SECOND receipe for the drink version, which was another memory from my teens that a favorite friend used to make that was a sure sign that Summer was finally here.

CHERRY LEMONADE PIE:

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 7 tablespoons butter, melted

Lemonade Filling:

• One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
• One 12-ounce container whipped topping, thawed
• One 6-fluid-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate, unthawed
• One Package of Kool-Aid or Wylers Cherry Flavored Mix
• 1/2 Cup Sugar

Directions:

Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl, stir together the cracker crumbs, sugar and the melted butter until combined and resembles a wet sand mixture. Pour into a pie plate and press the mixture firmly along the bottom and sides. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.


Filling:
In a large bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk and whipped topping. Fold the two together gently until combined, being careful to keep the mixture light and fluffy. Add the lemonade concentrate and continue to gently fold. Be sure to avoid letting the mixture get too liquid-y. Add hald the package of Kool-Aid/Wylers and 1/2 cup sugar.  Pour the filling into the pie crust. Place in the freezer to chill overnight.