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June is Dairy Month, as all of the farmers' know. Here's the scoop. If you want a dessert that is simple to serve, and delicious, ice cream is the answer. You can top ice cream, ice milk, or sherbet (that's sherbet, not sher-bert) with almost any kind of fruit, nuts, chocolate sauce or any kind of topping you prefer, especially strawberries at this time of the year. Serving ice cream as a dessert or a snack in any shape and form is a snap. Take it out of your freezer and you're good to go, unless you want to get fancy. Bud and I were at a graduation party recently and yes, ice cream was served...in a cone. It was a great treat and easy to serve and plus, it never goes out of style. We enjoyed a make-it-yourself stuffed baked potato with all sorts of toppings along with salads and a cone to top it off. We thought the whole meal was a great idea. When I was a youngster, we only had an ice-box, as opposed to a freeze, and ice cream was a real treat as it wouldn't stay frozen in the ice-box so we had to eat all of it before it melted or we would have ready-made malts. With eight of us at the table it never lasted long enough to become a malt.

So, it's about getting a little fancy with ice cream today,

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CHOCOLATE PECAN CONES

1/2 c. milk chocolate chips

6 sugar cones

1 pt. vanilla ice cream

1 pt. chocolate ice cream (strawberry works too)

1 c. chopped pecans (can use chopped walnuts or peanuts)

Melt chocolate chips in a glass container in the microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until chocolate is almost melted. Remove from micro and stir until smooth. If all the chips aren't melted, put it back in the micro and heat for just a few seconds more. With the back of a small spoon, spread chocolate on inside of cones. Chill until chocolate is hardened. Press 1 c. of vanilla ice cream into the bottom of the cone. Scoop the chocolate ice cream onto top of each one. Carefully dip the top of each cone into the chopped nuts. (put the nuts in a sauce dish rather than a flat dish...easier to dip into). Serve immediately or freeze up to 6 hours.

Makes 6 cones.

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EASY "GRASSHOPPER" ICE CREAM PIE

4 c. mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened

1 - eight inch prepared chocolate crumb crust

5 cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreo's), chopped coarsely

1/3 c. chocolate-covered peppermint candies (Junior Mints)

Chocolate hard-shell ice cream topping (available where all the ice cream toppings are in the grocery store)

Spread ice cream into crust. Sprinkle with cookies and candies; drizzle with topping. Freeze until firm. Remove from freezer and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.

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BANANA SUNDAE DESSERT

1-12 oz. pkg. vanilla wafers, crushed

1/2 c. melted butter

2 T. sugar

6 c. chocolate chip ice cream, softened

4 large firm bananas, sliced about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick

2 jars (11-3/4 oz. each hot fudge ice cream topping, divided

6 c. cherry or strawberry ice cream, softened

MARASCHINO CHERRIES

In a bowl, combine crushed wafers and butter and sugar; press into the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan. Freeze for 15 minutes. Spread chocolate chip ice cream over crust. Layer with bananas and 1-1/2 c. fudge topping. Cover and freeze about an hour. Spread cherry ice cream evenly over topping. Cover and freeze for 6 hours or overnight. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before cutting.

Warm (not too hot) remaining fudge topping and drizzle over each servings; top with a cherry.

Makes 16 servings.

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I had friends drop in for coffee a couple days ago and I had the wonderful Swedish donuts to serve. But I "dressed them up" with this combination.

AFTERNOON HOLE IN ONE

1 large plain donut (as many donuts as needed)

1 scoop ice cream, your choice, for each donut

Fruit topping (sliced strawberries, chopped fresh peaches, or any flavor fruit jam)

Put a donut on each serving plate. Top each donut with a scoop of your choice of ice cream. Pour sauce over. Note: If you have various toppings on hand, serve them in sauce dishes and let your guests top their own.

Makes as many as you have donuts!

Note: If a recipe calls for softened ice cream, transfer ice cream from the freezer to the fridge about 20-30 minutes before using. Or let it stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Very hard ice cream can be softened in the micro at 30 percent power for about 30 seconds.

TFD: Ice Cream doesn't put on weight right away. It takes a month of sundaes!

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