Nothing to me says summer like ice cream. Since I was a child, ice cream has always been my favorite  dessert.

One of my best summer memories is of my dad taking me out for ice cream to our local ice cream shop in New Jersey called Grunings. The best part was that I was allowed to order anything I wanted, and I always got the same thing… a banana split. My special banana split had vanilla ice cream with extra chocolate sauce and extra whipped cream. It was delicious.

I can still picture eating it out of one of those big glass banana boats. But what really makes the memory special is that it was time I got to spend with just my dad. I remember him being so tall and handsome. He had a mustache, wore tennis clothes, and drove a little Datsun 280z.  And I remember being so proud to be out with him.

I thought in honor of my dad and our trips to Grunings, I’d make frozen Nutella banana toppers.

These were simple to make. All ll I did was slice bananas and lay them on a sheet of wax paper covering a small cutting board. I heated the Nutella for 20 seconds in the microwave to melt it a little.

Then using a spoon (and my finger), I coated the tops and sides of the banana slices.

I froze them for about three hours and then used them to top my ice cream! They are delicious, just like my old banana splits, and the best part is they make me think of my dad.