Ice Cream on the pie or IN the pie?

Growing up, fresh-baked cherry pie with a scoop of ice cream hit the spot! Even on a hot summer day, the treat was welcomed. For my birthday, my babysitter's sister would bake a lattice-crust cherry pie. Add that to the German chocolate cake my grandma brought, and oh, the day was a dessert lover's delight!

Now, thanks to ice cream superstores like Coldstone Creamery and DQ, ice cream pies are popular. Delicious ice cream mixed with add-ins chilled inside some kind of crust. I'm not sure if this is how the ice cream pie gained its popularity, or if some crafty chef realized ice cream inside the pie shell equaled a delicious treat!

In honor of National Ice Cream Pie Day, why not combine a fancy ice cream treat - the banana split - with a pie shell. You'll love the results! I prefer to make a graham cracker crust, but if convenience is necessary, a prepared graham cracker crust will suffice.

Banana Split Pie

• 4 Tbsp. chocolate hard-shell ice cream topping
• 1 9-inch graham cracker crust (chocolate crusts work, too)
• 2 bananas, sliced
• 1/2 t. lemon juice
• 1/2 cup pineapple ice cream topping
• 1 quart strawberry ice cream, softened
• 2 cups whipped topping
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 8 maraschino cherries
• chocolate syrup

Pour chocolate topping into crust. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Place sliced bananas in small bowl. Mix with lemon juice. Arrange bananas over chocolate topping. Layer with pineapple topping, ice cream, whipped cream, and nuts.

Cover and freeze until firm (a couple hours). Remove from freezer approximately 15 minutes prior to serving.

Garnish with chocolate syrup and maraschino cherries.

Serves: 8.