When I was in junior high, I had to take Home Economics class.  It was fun to learn to sew and cook with all my friends.  One thing I made in that class has stuck with me all these years and luckily, I have a mom who keeps everything.  So when I asked my mom if she remembered the pumpkin pie ice cream cake I made in junior high Home Ec class, of course she had the recipe!!!  I made it this week and prayed that my adolescent taste buds wouldn’t fail me.  They didn’t.  It’s amazing!  So try it this Thanksgiving as an alternative to the regular old pumpkin pie!

Make the crust first.  Trust me.  I didn’t do that, and my ice cream got way too melty.  So make the crust first and have it all ready before you start the next steps.

Mix 1/4c. melted butter, 1/4c. sugar and 2-3c. graham cracker crumbs.  I used two of the three packages of graham crackers that come in box.  I popped them in the Vitamix one package at a time to get them ground up.  Pat this mixture into a 9 x 13 or 8 1/2 x 11 pan.  Make a nice, even crust.

Now start the ice cream portion!  Soften 2qt of vanilla ice cream.  Sadly, since the late 80’s, they have changed the size of ice cream packages.  Now they are 1.5qt. instead of 2qt!  But I had no intention of buying 2 packages for this dessert!  So I just used one and it was great.  Soften it just enough to be able to mix the other ingredients.

To the ice cream add:

1c. pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix.  Just the pure pumpkin)

1/2c. brown sugar

1 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t. salt

Spread it on top of the graham cracker crust and freeze overnight.  Easy as pie!  When you’re ready to serve it, pull it out of the freezer and let it sit for about 5 minutes.  That allows you to cut it much easier.  Top with a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy!

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