Recipes From Louise
By Louise McClain Special to The True Citizen

If you're looking for a cool ending to a summer meal, then these frozen desserts are cool enough to serve anytime. Make these desserts ahead and freeze, and then you can pull them out and serve as needed.

Chocolate Peanut Freeze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1 cup butter, divided
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 pkg. (14 oz.) cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
1½ cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

In a large saucepan, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk, ½ cup butter and chocolate chips. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 8 minutes or until slightly thickened. Refrigerate until cool. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, cover and process cookies until finely crushed. In a large bowl, melt remaining butter; stir in crushed cookies. Press into a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. dish. Refrigerate until firm. Spread ice cream over crust; freeze. Stir peanuts into chilled chocolate mixture. Spread over ice cream. Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 15-18 servings.

Mandarin Freeze
½ cup margarine or butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
½ cup coconut
Filling:
1½ pints (3 cups) orange sherbet, softened
1½ pints (3 cups) vanilla ice cream, softened
Mandarin orange segments

Melt margarine in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add flour, sugar and coconut to skillet; mix well. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture is golden brown and crumbly, stirring constantly. Reserve ¼ cup crumb mixture for topping. With back of spoon, press remaining mixture firmly in bottom of ungreased 9-inch square pan. Place in freezer for 5 minutes to cool. In large bowl, combine sherbet and ice cream, swirling to create a marbled look. Spread filling over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Cover; freeze 4 hours or until firm. To serve, place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to soften slightly. Garnish individual servings with orange segments. Makes 9 servings.

Strawberry Squares
1¼ cups crushed pretzels
¼ cup (½ stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup pureed strawberries
½ cup lime juice
1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed

Mix pretzel crumbs and butter in 13x9-inch pan; press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom of pan. Refrigerate until ready to fill. Mix sweetened condensed milk, strawberries and lime juice in large bowl until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Pour over crust. Freeze 6 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before cutting to serve. Garnish with sliced strawberries.

Frozen Chocolate Cream Pie
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
5 TBSP sugar, divided
1/3 cup stick margarine, melted
½ cup plus 4 tsp. semisweet chocolate chips, divided
5 TBSP milk, divided
1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3½ cups whipped, topping, divided

In a bowl, combine cracker crumbs and 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir in margarine. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine ½ cup chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons milk. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-2 minutes or until melted. Stir to blend; set aside. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining sugar. Stir in chocolate mixture and remaining milk; beat until smooth. Set aside ½ cup whipped topping. Fold remaining whipped topping into chocolate mixture. Spoon into crust. Freeze 4 hours or until firm. Garnish with the remaining whipped topping and chocolate chips. Yield: 8 servings.