I took two great Southern classics, Frozen Strawberry Dessert and Strawberry Pretzel Salad, and combined elements of both to make this Frozen Strawberry Pretzel Salad, made with cream cheese, frozen strawberries, banana, pineapple and whipped topping on a salty, pretzel crust.

Frozen Strawberry Pretzel Salad

I know its officially fall on the calendar finally, and some of y'all in those areas of The South farther north from here are seeing cooler temperatures and thinking about soups and stews and pumpkin and apple and oatmeal recipes. Down in The Deep South, and most especially the coastal Deep South, summer is still roaring along. I'll sure be glad when I can give my A/C a little break, but for now it's blasting away, trying to keep things cool around here.

Drip-less homemade popsicles, made using flavored Jello gelatin, unsweetened Kool-Aid and sugar.

Homemade Popsicles

I have a confession. With this hot summer we've had this year, I have had way more of these homemade popsicles than any adult woman of a certain age should ever lay claim to. We've had a little bit of a respite from the heat for these past couple of days thanks to plenty of rain, but, hey... since kids love them too, if you want an excuse to have one (or six) to help keep you cool, make some for your kids or grandkids.

A quick and easy ice cream using chocolate milk, or Yoo-hoo chocolate drink, with sweetened condensed milk, chocolate syrup, and a small tub of Cool Whip. It tastes remarkably similar to those Wendy's Frosty milk shakes we all love.

Chocolate "Frosty" Ice Cream

I'm gonna tell you a secret.

Like with iced tea, we Deep South Southerners never really stop eating ice cream.

Even north Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama get a little bit of a winter most years, but except for a very few, and very temporary, winter cold flashes - that frankly exit just about as quickly as they showed up - the climate down here along the Gulf Coast is such that all of those frosty treats are pretty much a year-round thing.

 

   Homemade snowball syrup is as easy as a simple syrup made from boiled sugar and water and a package of your favorite flavor of unsweetened, powdered Kool-Aid mix.

Homemade Sno-Cone Syrup

It's April as I'm writing this so yes, I know it's not exactly summer quite yet, but we're kinda stuck with that in-between wacky weather season right now. For instance, yesterday it was so hot and humid here it might as well have been mid-summer. At the same time, I heard the weatherman say nighttime temperatures are forecast to drop into the mid-40s later this week, somewhere around here in South Mississippi.

So, I'm vacillating between wanting beans and soup and comfort food casseroles and, well... things like summer drinks and ice cream. You might already know about this easy "recipe," or maybe you don't, but I'm actually posting it today because I needed to make up a syrup for another recipe that's coming soon, so sno-cones are on the menu today!

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A granita made from juiced watermelon and strawberries and frozen and scraped, for a tender, icy and cold treat perfect for summer.

Watermelon Strawberry Ice Granita

I tell you what, the good Lord sure knew exactly what he was doing when he planned for ripe and juicy tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelons right in the midst of The Dog Days of Summer Down South.

They are, every one, cooling foods, loaded with water and we've sure been eating our share of them here lately, no doubt. If you're heated up, I promise you that a big ole slice of ice-cold watermelon will cool you down right quick and well, I thought, why not take some and turn it into a granita?

Y'all, it's like instant air conditioning.