Happy Strawberry Ice Cream Day

Today is that day that the celebrates the taste of Strawberry ice cream. The thought of those red, ripe, juicy strawberries are churned and frozen in with some fresh cream and a bit of sugar to make that delicious perfect dish of strawberry ice cream.  Everyone can enjoy and celebrate this day For over a thousand years the mixture of frozen ice and fruit and ice cream and fruit have been around. It is reported that as long ago as 3000 BC people in China served their guest sweetened juices mixed with snow or ice shavings. Strawberry ice cream ranks third in popularity of ice cream flavors with the first two being chocolate and vanilla. Celebrate the special holiday with this recipe that would be perfect to serve guest on valentines day as well


Virgin Strawberry Margarita Ice Cream Cake-9 large portions

Crust

• 1 1/4 cups pretzel crumbs
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar

Filling

• 1 1/2 cups strawberries,pureed or mashed well
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed (I only had 1 lime on hand and used lemon juice as well)
• 3 large scoops of vanilla ice cream-softened

Directions:

• Combine pretzel crumbs, butter, and sugar and mix well.
• Press crust mixture firmly into the bottom of an 8×8 pan.  I placed a sheet of saran wrap on top before pressing my hands into the crumb mixture, it’s a lot cleaner and the crust ends up nicer.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, strawberries, and soft ice cream and blend well.
• Pour the mixture right on top of the crust, then freeze for at least 6 hours.
• To serve: take the pan out of the freezer and allow it to sit for a few minutes before cutting into it.  I find that using a flat-edges spatula works best.