If I could pinpoint three things that the summers of my youth were made of, they’d be family picnics at Newton Hills, lazy afternoons spent reading medieval dragon lore, and Summer Slush.

My mom made slush by the gallon, and I can still see the re-purposed ice cream pail full of golden goodness sitting at the front of the freezer (mainly because it never had a chance to get pushed too far back.)

She’d stand at the counter, scraping with gusto because no one ever wanted to wait twenty minutes for it to soften enough to scoop easily. Then she’d fill the pastel-tinted Tupperware tumbler glasses three-quarters full, and top them off with sprite or ginger ale. On our lucky days, she’d also add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. That turned the whole works into something like a citrus flavored root beer float.

Fast forward to today: my kids started begging for popsicles in April this year. The allure of frozen treats is never too far from their memory. And during our trip to the family farm to visit Grandma and Grandpa last week, my mom pulled out the old Tupperware tumblers for a picnic and all my brain could think of was SLUSH.

So yesterday I took a quick peek at my cookbook, and grabbed the requisite ingredients from the grocery store. The result is now a much coveted plastic container in my own freezer that everyone is angling for after lunch.

I’m not about to say no, and I’m guessing you won’t either after you take your first bite.

Summer Slush

1 12 oz. can frozen orange juice

1 12 oz. can frozen lemonade (pink or yellow both work)

1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks

3 bananas

3 cups water

-Blend till smooth, pour into a large plastic container, and freeze. To make it easier to scoop, pull out after 6-12 hours and start scraping, breaking up the soft-freeze into granita-like chunks.

-Scrape a cup-sized portion into a glass, top with ginger ale, Sprite, La Croix, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Top with vanilla ice cream if you’re feeling particularly generous.