A Frozen Dessert Celebrating Marshmallows and Fireflies

From the Kitchen of... Gerry

This post is part of the From the Kitchen of… series. A series that showcases recipes carefully curated by original proprietors of recipe boxes which haven since fallen into my care through legacy or discovery.

The Marshmallow Period

As I was going through my grandma’s recipe box, the number of recipes that had marshmallows as an ingredient made me smile.

I grew up in a time that could have been deemed the marshmallow period.

I don’t remember a time when there wasn’t a bag of mini marshmallows in the cupboard. Everything from salads to desserts contained those fluffy, sweet little pillows of sugar.

Ambrosia Salad, sweet potato casserole, cabbage lime JELL-O salad – yep it’s a thing – Rice Krispies Treats, Watergate Salad and the list goes on. These were salads and desserts that often found their way to picnics, potlucks and church socials.

The frozen dessert recipe card caught my eye for three reasons. The first was, of course, the marshmallows, the second was the misspelling of dessert (the Olson clan are notorious misspellers), and the third was the attribution in the upper corner – Gerry.

Gerry is my grandma’s nephew’s wife. A midwest girl through and through. She grew up on her family’s farm in Northern Minnesota. She married a local boy, raised her girls, and now spoils her grandchildren in that same small town.

The attribution to Gerry made so much sense to me. I remember her as a very gracious hostess ensuring people’s comfort, a plate full of good food, and conversations that effortlessly meandered into the evening.

Lawn Chairs and Fireflies

We spent most of the time outside of the house whenever we visited Buster and Gerry’s. They were comfortable visits. No pretenses. The adults sitting on those woven lawn chairs - you know the ones that left their indelible pattern across the backs of your legs - talking about family and life. The kids running around in the cool, tall grass, climbing trees, occasionally swatting at the biggest mosquitos the world has ever seen, and praying for dusk to descend so that the firefly catching could commence.

This frozen dessert recipe encapsulates the ease, simplicity, and sweetness of those family visits to Northern Minnesota.

Raspberry Banana Frozen Dessert

Servings: 10 slices • Prep Time 15 minutes • Freezing Time: 8 hours

This Raspberry Banana Frozen Dessert is a recipe my grandma got from the wife of one of her nephews. It's a perfect dessert to serve on a hot summer day while watching the kids catch fireflies.

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 cup sliced bananas

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries, partially thawed

• 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

• 2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend cream cheese and honey until smooth.

2. Stir in raspberries and bananas.

3. Fold whipped cream and marshmallows into cream cheese mixture.

4. Pour into a loaf pan and freeze for 8 hours or until firm.

   

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