Lemonade Pie

2 graham cracker pie crusts

1 container of frozen lemonade concentrate (Pink lemonade is best if you can find it)

1 large container of frozen whipped topping

1 can condensed milk

Let the frozen concentrate and the whipped topping sit out at room temperature until the concentrate is thawed completely.

In a large bowl add the lemonade concentrate and the condensed milk. Stir together and then fold in the whipped topping.

Pour into your pie shells and refrigerate overnight, or put in the freezer for at least four hours. I like this dessert best when it’s served frozen - it will still be creamy, but it keeps it’s shape better after cutting if it’s frozen.

Enjoy!

Notes:

This is a delicious treat anytime, but it’s one of my go-to recipes in the heat of the summer. It’s very rich but tart and refreshing at the same time.

I prefer to use pink lemonade concentrate, but recently that’s been difficult to find. Lemonade concentrate makes a delicious pie, but the color is very bland so you might want to add a drop or two of food coloring to make it more appealing. (Add any color you want, or separate the mixture and make more than one color, then swirl it together in your pie crust to make it even more appealing.)

I’ve found that any frozen concentrate seems to work with this recipe (I have never personally tried orange juice, and I think it might be a little like a dreamsicle - however, the orange pulp bits might be a little off putting in a creamy pie). There are some Bacardi concentrated drink mixes that make a delicious pie too - Margarita, Mixed Berry, or even Mojito are all equally yummy.

If you’d like to make individual treats, you can put these into the mini graham cracker pie crusts, or even serve them in individual cups with some crushed graham crackers sprinkled on top.

Brown Butter S’mores Crispy Treats

(Soda: Time Served MC, Book 13)

2 sticks butter

9 or 10 Cups (about a box and a half) of Rice Krispies cereal

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

2 bags of marshmallows

2 sleeves of graham crackers, broken into bits (separate a handful of these and hold them back for decoration) OR 2 cups of Golden Grahams cereal.

2 cups of milk chocolate chips (+ a handful of these for decoration)

cookie sheet - sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment and then sprayed.

Crush two packages of graham crackers - you can do this by hand while they’re still in the package - you want decent bits, not quite bite sized, but not crushed completely.

Portion out the Rice Krispies and keep them nearby.

Melt two sticks of butter in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium/high heat. Keep the butter on the stove even after it’s melted, stirring constantly. You’ll notice that the butter starts to separate - it will be mostly clear liquid, with a darker liquid that settles down against the bottom of the pan. It will start to smell toasted, rather than like regular butter. (Butter is easy to burn and it happens quickly, that’s why it’s important to stay close to the stove and keep stirring so that it doesn’t burn on the bottom.)

When butter is clear and bubbly, except for the brown bits, add the salt and vanilla. Stir well and then remove from the heat. Stir the marshmallows into the hot butter until completely melted and incorporated together. You may need to turn the heat back on to get the marshmallows completely melted, or if you’d like you can leave some lumps so that there’s more gooey marshmallow bits in the mixture. It might not look like they’re mixing together, but keep stirring - it’s going to work. (You’ll see little brown flecks, but that’s okay - it’s just the browned butter and will make it taste delicious.)

Add Rice Krispies and gently fold in until well incorporated with the marshmallow mixture. If you want plain treats, add all 10 cups. If you want to go ahead with the S’mores version, just add 9 cups of the cereal.

You can stop here and have delicious treats - they’ll have a different element of flavor than the usual recipe and are perfectly delicious by themselves. However, you can add all sorts of things to your mixture at this point that elevate the look and taste of your treat. I love the S’mores version like I mentioned in Soda’s book, but I’ve also done other versions that were good too.

You can add in some Honey Nut Cheerios for a nutty flavor, some Chocolate Chex cereal for a little punch of chocolate, some Craisins for a different color and a little bite of tart fruit, or some M&M’s (The red and green package at Christmas makes a great holiday themed snack, or the Halloween version with the purple and green works great for Halloween treats!). If you want chocolate treats, just add the chocolate chips to the melted marshmallow mixture and let them melt before you stir in the cereal.

For a little different element of the S’mores version, you can substitute Golden Grahams cereal for the graham crackers.

For the S’mores version:

After you’ve mixed in the cereal, add the graham cracker pieces. Stir this together.

Add the chocolate chips and stir together.

Dump out onto your prepared pan and press until the mixture is evenly spread out to whatever thickness you desire. (You can do this with your spatula or spoon, but if you spray one hand with cooking spray and then press out the mixture it is much easier!)

Sprinkle the remaining graham crackers and the handful of chocolate chips over the top, then press them down just a bit to make sure they stick. Set mixture aside and let it cool before you cut it into squares.

(Take this time to use your spatula and sample all the good gooey bits left in your pan - after all, quality control is very important!)

Store in an airtight container and enjoy!