Banana Fudge Bomb Pops {#SummerOfThePopsicle guest post @ girlichef}

This week I'm holding the (popsicle) stick over at my friend Heather's blog, girlichef.  I'm so glad Heather asked me to be a part of her Summer of the Popsicle event because I've been meaning to make these creamy dreamy Banana Fudge Bomb Pops for a super loooooong time!  These pops are a delicious reminder of my favorite childhood treat from the ice cream man.  They really hit the spot!

You can find the recipe for these yummy treats here at girlichef. 

 

If you are a fan of tasty frozen treats on a stick, Heather has them featured every Wednesday throughout the summer! You can link up your own ice pops, popsicles and paletas there too. (You can also find this fun event on Twitter at #SummerOfThePopsicle) 

  

Check it out! 

Farewell to Popsicle of the Week: A Trio of Tropical Popsicles

Betcha didn't know that I have a popsicle tree in my backyard!!

LOL! I've had a hard time with the natural light inside my house and taking pictures SO I decided to take it outside. It seems the best place to take pictures outside is right by my little palm tree on the back patio. I had to laugh when I made three popsicles and all three had the palm tree in the background. It's like a magical popsicle tree............ wouldn't that be fun?

I had a little time to myself the other day and remembered girlichef's Mango on a Stick. Even though it is in fact a mango on a stick, it rates as a sort of popsicle in my book. Girli says "A warm, ripe mango is skewered, peeled, sliced into petals, doused with the juice of a lime, then sprinkled with salt and chile piquín." Please visit her post HERE to read her seductive description of this glorious treat! It truly was one of the best treats I've had in some time. Outside on the back patio I was like a kid again, mango juice dripping down my arms, chili powder all over my face, it was the perfect way to enjoy some down time! Thanks Heather! (Note: Feel free to poke fun at my "so called petals". I can take it:) I never claimed to be much of an artist).

Taking a page from my friend Natashya at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, I wanted to make at least one popsicle with alcohol this summer so I tried my hand at mixing banana nectar and Bahamian vanilla rum (4ozs. nectar to 1 oz. rum). The addition of the rum helped the pops to stay on the softer side, which I really enjoyed. Plus, I really did taste the rum which was a nice grown up twist on a popsicle. I can't wait to experiment with different flavors and types of alcohol! Click HERE to check out Nastashya's Easy-Peasy Raspberry Ice Pops made with a handful of frozen raspberries and some raspberry liqueur.

The third pop is a really fun one from Erica's site, My Colombian Recipes. When Erica posted her Paletas de Coco con Bocadillo (Coconut and Guava Paste Popsicles) I knew I had to try them. Thanks to Velva at Tomatoes on the Vine, I had just enough guava paste left to make a batch of these delicious pops. Let me tell you, these are some decadent pops. How can you resist that wonderful combination of coconut milk, heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk? I was really excited to try these, not only because they have tasty little chunks of guava paste, but also because I had never made a pop with sweetened condensed milk before. The consistency of this pop was so creamy that it was almost like an ice cream pop. We loved eating them and biting into a chewy frozen chunk of the guava paste. They were a real treat! Please click HERE to see Erica's recipe.

For my last popsicle post I wanted to compile a list of favorites but as I was taking notes I realized that they all were favorites. We liked them all for different reasons. Popsicles are such a fun treat and the Popsicle of the Week feature has been one of the most fun projects I've taken on in awhile. All in all, I think I made about 15-16 popsicles and there are still lots of recipes that I'd like to try. There were some challenges along the way, mostly issues with unmolding pops from the Zoku or other various molds.

Although I won't be posting popsicles weekly, I will still be making them from time to time. In fact, I have a few in mind once fall begins!!

Popsicle of the Week: Katie Lee's Honey-Cherry Yogurt Popsicles

I've really been enjoying Katie Lee's newest book, The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions. Katie's book is organized by menus: Sunday Supper; Retro Cocktail Party; Spa Lunch; Garden Party; and Summer Barbecue to name just a few. These delicious Honey-Cherry Yogurt Popsicles came from the Summer Barbecue Chapter and are as simple as simple gets.


Honey-Cherry Yogurt Popsicles
Adapted from Recipes for Everyday Occasions The Comfort Table
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: at least 4 hours to freeze
1 cup plain greek-style yogurt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted cherries (thawed, if frozen)

Mix the yogurt and honey until combined. Stir in the cherries. Divide among 6 ice-pop molds. Freeze at least 4 hours, until completely solid.


Notes/Results: I loved these popsicles, the kids did not. There is just something about chunks of fruit that seem to throw the kids off. Either way, I ate them all;-) I loved the use of cherries in this recipe but you could really use any kind of fruit.

WARNING: RANT IN PROGRESS!!

In other popsicle news: I divorced my Zoku Quick Pop Maker. The only time I plan on using it is for straight up fruit juice popsicles. I mentioned having problems with my Zoku a couple months ago and the folks at Zoku were kind enough to leave me a comment with some advice. At that time I was trying to use the Zoku for popsicles containing cream and half and half. The folks at Zoku informed me that the cream and half and half had too much fat content and would result in a "soft pull". "Soft pull" means that just the popsicle stick comes out leaving the popsicle in the mold. After quite a few failed attempts I was pretty frustrated. Then the folks at Zoku told me that I could use yogurt with good results. Well, I'm very sad (and quite angry to be honest) to tell you that you cannot use yogurt in the Zoku. I recently had another round of "soft pull" when using the "zoku recommended" yogurt while making this recipe for Honey-Cherry Yogurt Popsicles.

In case anyone from Zoku is reading, this little note is for you:

Greek yogurt ($2.99), Organic honey from Farmer's Market ($8), Bag of Organic Frozen Cherries ($4.49), time and frustration (priceless).

My note to all of you: Don't be seduced by the Zoku! Save yourself the $50 and just buy some old-fashioned molds like these (Kmart $2.99):

Sometimes it's just better to stick with the old-fashioned stuff that you know works!

This is my submission for the fabulous new event called Two For Tuesdays, co-hosted by my friend girlichef.

NOTE: My daughter is going back to school tomorrow. I can hardly believe that summer break is over with! I am going to close out the Popsicle of the Week feature next week with two yummy popsicle recipes!!

Popsicle of the Week: Southern Sweet Tea

One of my favorite summertime indulgences is drinking Sweet Tea. I love it! I like my sweet tea extra sweet with lots of ice so that it is super duper cold and refreshing. I also like to toss in some fruits for flavor, peaches and raspberries are always a favorite. While drinking a glass of ice cold sweet tea, I thought "Why not turn my favorite summertime drink into a popsicle"?

I have to admit, the idea did spring from reading one of my popsicle books where they poured sweet tea into popsicle molds, adding a peach slice and a sprig of mint. The pops looked very pretty with the mint leaf and slice of peach, but I wanted a pop that was smooth in consistency, without interference. I decided to add a can of peach nectar to my favorite sweet tea recipe.

Sweet Tea Pops with Peach Nectar
*Use any sweet tea recipe you like. This one is my favorite.
4 large, family-size tea bags (I use Luzianne, the best for ice teas)
16 cups water
1-1/2 cups sugar
*1 can peach nectar, more or less to taste
Fill a tea kettle or saucepan with enough water to completely cover the tea bags, about 2 cups. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Let the tea stand for 10 minutes. Put the sugar into a gallon pitcher and add 1 cup of cold water. Stir to mix slightly. Pour the hot tea into the sugar mixture and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the remaining 13 cups of cold water to fill the pitcher. Add in one can of peach nectar, more or less to taste.

Notes/Results: This was one of the easiest popsicles I've made so far. We already had the sweet tea in the fridge and I just poured it into the Zoku Quick Pop Maker. Sweet Tea Popsicles in seven minutes! One thing I do want to say is that you'll want your sweet tea to be pretty strong so that the flavor comes through when the pops freeze. The popsicles were really tasty and sweet, but I didn't notice very much peach flavor at all. I think next time I'll add in 1-1/2 cans of peach nectar so that the peach flavor comes through. Feel free to try it adding fruit to the molds or any other flavors that you like with your tea!

NOTE: Popsicle of the Week has been a fun feature I've shared since late April of this year. We have a couple of weeks before the kids go back to school and I hope to squeeze in 3 more weeks of popsicles before ending the Popsicle of the Week feature.

Popsicle of the Week: Strawberries 'N' Cream Pie

I found this week's popsicle recipe from the latest issue of Rachel Ray's Everyday Magazine. As soon as I saw the words Strawberries 'n' Cream Pie Ice Pops, I knew I had to make them. I think I was seduced by the idea of a creamy strawberry popsicle loaded down with chunks of graham cracker crust. These were definitely one delicious summertime treat!

Strawberries 'n' Cream Pie Ice Pops
Adapted from Rachel Ray's Everday Magazine
Makes 8 to 10 popsicles, depending on your mold
Prep 15 minutes (plus freezing)
Cook 20 minutes

3 cups fresh strawberries (about 1 pound), chopped
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
One 6-ounce store-bought graham cracker crust, crumbled into coarse pieces (perhaps even a little less, depending on how much you like)

In a medium saucepan, bring the strawberries and sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Lower the heat and reduce until thick and jamlike, about 20 minutes.

Using a food processor, puree the berry mixture, then transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate until cold. Stir in the yogurt and lemon juice.

Fold the graham cracker crumbs into the yogurt mixture until half blended. Spoon the mixture into an 8- to 10-count 2.5 ounce ice pop mold and freeze for 30 minutes. Insert ice pop sticks and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours.

Notes/Results: I made some of these popsicles with the graham cracker crust and without. I loved them both ways! They really do taste like a strawberry and cream pie.

Hope you're having a great day!!

Popsicle of the Week: Sour Plum

Introducing my favorite popsicle yet: Sour Plum! Who knew? I'll be the first to say that I am not a self-confessed plum lover. I like them, but I don't love them. However, I do love anything sour and these popsicles fit the bill perfectly. I was lucky enough to find some little, underripe red plums at the Farmer's Market this past weekend. The little plums were just a tad bit bigger than a cherry, very cute.

I bought a container of the sour plums, just under 1-1/2 pounds for $6. These popsicles were going to be some of the more expensive ones, but I knew that I had to snatch up those plums. I knew that I wasn't likely to find them again. I'm so glad that I did as these are my favorite new popsicles. If you happen across some little baby plums, definitely gather them up and make these popsicles.

Sour Plum Popsicles
Adapted from Ice Pops by Shelly Kaldunski
Makes about 9 popsicles in the Zoku Quick Pop Maker
1-1/2 pounds underripe red plums (do not peel, skin is the tartest part)
1/3 cup superfine sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch of salt
Cut the plums in half and remove the pits. Place the plums in a blender or food processor. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Process until the mixture is completely smooth.

If using conventional molds, divide the mixture among the molds. Cover and freeze at least 4 hours. If using sticks, insert them into the molds when the pops are partially frozen, after about an hour, then continue to freeze until solid, at least 3 more hours.

If using an instant pop maker (such as the Zoku) follow manufacturer's instructions.

Notes/Results: Wow! These popsicles are sour, sour, sour...almost like those little sour candies that you buy in the store. They had a very soft almost creamy texture and I loved them. If you love sour things, this is the popsicle for you! I did alter the recipe from what was in my book. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of lemon juice but I found that it wasn't enough and ended up using 1/3 cup lemon juice, which suited my taste. The recipe also calls for you to add in 1/3 cup water and I left it out. I didn't want to water the popsicles down.


I am submitting this to Two for Tuesdays!

Also, one of my very favorite local joints, Wallace Station in Versailles, KY, will be featured on Diners, Drive-In's and Dives tonight at 10pmEST on Food Network. I featured a post on them which you can find HERE. It is a very charming place, with lots of character and terrific food featuring local ingredients. Can't wait to see it on TV tonight!!

Popsicle of the Week: Peach Melba

I thought by now we might be growing tired of popsicles, but it hasn't happened yet! This week I have one of my all-time favorite combinations: peaches and raspberries. I really LOVE when summer arrives and I can have a bowl of juicy sliced peaches sprinkled with ruby red raspberries. It's one of my favorite food combinations and just happens to be healthy, so it's all good! I figured I would try my hand at a peach popsicle with raspberries sprinkled in. With only 1/4 cup sugar in all nine popsicles, this is the healthiest popsicle yet.

I've been using the natural light in my kitchen window to shoot most of my pictures and we were having a rather dark and dreary day on the day I took the picture. The above picture definitely isn't the best, but the peach popsicles were the color of peanut butter. In fact, the final product reminded me of a peanut butter and jelly popsicle (hmmmm...can't decide if that is a good idea or bad idea, but it makes me think....) I used the peach popsicle recipe from Shelly Kaldunski's book, Ice Pops.
Fresh Peach Popsicles
Adapted from Ice Pops by Shelly Kaldunski
Makes 6-8 pops (I made nine pops in my Zoku)
3 ripe peaches, about 1 pound total weight, peeled if desired (I used 4 small peaches)
1/4 cup superfine sugar (I make my own superfine sugar by pulsing in the blender)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch of salt
Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits, then chop the flesh. Place in a blender or food processor. Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt and 1/4 cup water and process until the mixture is completely smooth.
If using conventional ice pop molds, divide the mixture among the molds. Cover and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. If using sticks, insert them into the molds when the pops are partially frozen, after about 1 hour, then continue to freeze until solid, at least 3 more hours.

Notes/Results: The peach popsicles were delicious all on their own, but I had an overabundance of fresh raspberries to use up, so I decided to sprinkle some fresh raspberries into the bottom of the molds and call them Peach Melba Popsicles. I really enjoyed the popsicles with the added raspberries, but the kids preferred them without (no surprise there). I really liked the peach popsicles and must admit that they are one of my favorites so far. With only 1/4 cup sugar, these are definitely one of the healthier pops. I will definitely be looking for more fresh, juicy, ripe peaches at the farmer's market. I definitely see myself making these again.

Popsicle of the Week: Orange Cream

This week I decided to try my hand at a smooth and creamy popsicle, Orange Cream. Freshly squeezed orange juice and half and half are blended with sugar, sour cream, and a touch of corn syrup to create a thick and creamy orange pop. I questioned whether or not the mixture was too thick for the Zoku Quick Pop Maker, but the book showed that they had in fact used the Zoku to make this pop. I decided to go for it.

I poured the orange cream mixture in the Zoku Quick Pop Maker.

Seven minutes later, I used the special tool given to remove the popsicles from the base. You can see how well that turned out in the picture below.

The tool pulls the popsicle stick out just fine, but the popsicle remains in the base. Not really the result I was looking for! This happened one other time when I made the Rhubarb popsicles, which were also thick and creamy.


I really like my Zoku Quick Pop Maker. It's great for making juice-based popsicles and it's a lot of fun to use. However, I'm starting to think that it isn't a great idea to pour thick and creamy mixtures into the Zoku (even if they do it in the cookbook).

My frustration with the Zoku Quick Pop Maker is this: You place it into the freezer and let it freeze overnight, or at least 24 hours. Twenty four hours later, you pour your mixture in and seven minutes later, if your popsicles release from the mold, you have a freshly made popsicle. Everything is right in the world. However, if the mixture doesn't release from the mold, it is rather frustrating. In the case with these orange cream pops, the mixture was very thick. When the pops didn't unmold, I didn't want to ruin the machine by scraping the popsicles out with a spoon....SO I was forced to leave the Zoku on the counter to THAW OUT. Not only did my popsicles stick in the machine, now I cannot use the Zoku for another couple days. The Zoku will need to thaw out so that the mixture can be poured out. Then the Zoku will need to come to room temperature before it can be washed. After it is washed, it will need to be completely dry before placing back into the freezer. It normally takes the better part of a day for the Zoku to thaw out, get washed, and dry completely. Kinda frustrating, right? Not to mention that you will have to wait another 24 hours for the Zoku to freeze up AND you still have a popsicle mixture sitting on the counter.

Somewhat defeated, I resorted to my good old-fashioned popsicle molds from Tupperware. They never let me down.

Notes/Results: The orange cream pops were okay, but not our favorite. I think the half and half somewhat masked the orange flavor. We ate them, but I don't think I would make them again.

In the meantime, the Zoku is back in the freezer. I talked to the girls over at Williams-Sonoma this weekend. They are constantly having demos using the Zoku and I wanted to ask them if they ever ran into trouble with it. All of the girls praised the machine and said that none of their popsicles ever stuck to the base. Hmmmm.....could it be user error on my part? I don't really know, but I am thinking about calling the manufacturer. Would do you guys think? Should I give them a call? Maybe they can give me tips?

Popsicles of the Week: Mango-Ginger, Grape, and Pink Lemonade

We went wild last week making popsicles, choosing three popsicle recipes and loving each and every one of them! The Zoku Quick Pop Maker is one of our favorite new kitchen gadgets and we've been having lots of fun breaking it in.

I was really excited to find mangoes on sale in my market for 50 cents a piece, so I chose these Mango-Ginger Popsicles.

Mango-Ginger
Adapted from Ice Pops by Shelly Kaldunski
Makes 8-10 Ice Pops
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 ripe mangoes, about 1-3/4 pound (875g) total weight
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
pinch of salt
1/2 cup water
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, ginger, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved and syrup has formed. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Peel each mango and cut the flesh from the pits, discarding the pits. Chop the flesh and place in a blender or food processor. Add the lime juice, salt, and the cooled ginger syrup and process until very smooth.
If using conventional ice pop molds, divide the mixture among the molds. Cover and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

Notes/Results: I knew that I was going to love these popsicles, but I wasn't sure about my husband and the kids. My husband and daughter don't like mangoes and wouldn't try them, but my son and I both loved them. The taste of the ginger was subtle and provided an extra dimension of flavor. The popsicles were more of a creamy consistency, which made them extra yummy. If I can find more mangoes, I will definitely make more of these.

Our second choice, or kids choice, were these Grape Pops. These grape pops are so easy; you really don't need a recipe. The basic idea is to get a handful of purple grapes and slice them in half. Drop a couple grape halves down into the bottom of the popsicles molds and top off with white grape juice.

Notes/Results: As suspected, the kids loved the grape juice popsicles plain, without the frozen grape halves. We were all very pleasantly surprised by how sweet and tasty these grape pops actually were. My husband and I liked the pop of the frozen grape halves and enjoyed their sweetness. However, I did have trouble unmolding the pops with the frozen grapes. The popsicles kept breaking where the grape halves were attached. It happened over and over. I'd like to try it again, adding a tablespoon or so of grape juice first, then grape halves, followed by more juice. I'm hoping that this modification will work, because we really did love these popsicles. These grape pops couldn't be simpler, so we made them twice this week.

Last but not least, are these pretty Pink Lemonade Popsicles. They were really tasty and a huge hit at my daughter's birthday party this weekend. The kids loved them and I was happy to see that some kids chose the pink lemonade popsicles over birthday cake! The pink lemonade popsicles get their pretty pink hue from the addition of strawberries. With fresh strawberries in season, this is a great popsicle to make right now. In fact, you may even have all the ingredients on hand.

Pink Lemonade Pops
Adapted from Shelly Kaldunski
Makes 9-11 Ice Pops
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
2 fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled (I used one super duper large strawberry)
pinch of salt
1-3/4 cups water
In a blender or food processor, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, and the sugar. Pour in 1-3/4 cup water. Add the strawberries and salt and blend until the mixture is smooth and pink.
If using conventional ice pop molds, divide the mixture among the molds. Cover and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
Notes/Results: Everyone loved these popsicles! They were super easy and quick, no simple syrup necessary. What I liked about these popsicles was that they were made with ingredients that I almost always have on hand, especially this time of year. These pops will be repeated over and over again as they seemed to be a huge hit with the kids.

THE WINNER OF SHELLY KALDUNSKI'S ICE POPS BOOK IS DEB @ KAHAKAI KITCHEN!! Yay Deb!! I will be emailing you so that I can send the book out to you!

Popsicle of the Week: Rhubarb ......and a fun giveaway!!

I hope you all had a fantastic Mother's Day weekend! We spent the day relaxing and enjoyed a very tasty steak dinner, which we followed up with these tasty Rhubarb popsicles! Let me just go ahead and say that these rhubarb popsicles have been my favorite, so far. They were tart, sweet, and SO CREAMY! In fact, the consistency of the Rhubarb popsicle was like ice cream.

As soon as I saw the recipe for Rhubarb popsicles I was hooked. It was one of those recipes that stand out and stick with you until you get around to making it. When I spotted the first of the rhubarb at the market, you can bet I snagged it. I was on a popsicle mission.

Rhubarb Popsicles
Adapted from Ice Pops by Shelly Kaldunski
*Makes 10-12 ice pops
1-1/2 pounds rhubarb
2-1/4 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups water
pinch of salt

Trim the rhubarb stalks and then cut into 1/2-inch pieces. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and 1-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the rhubarb and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb has softened, about 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Pour the rhubarb mixture into a blender or food processor and process until very smooth. If using conventional ice pop molds, divide the mixture among the molds. Cover and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. If using sticks, insert them into the molds when the pops are partially frozen, after about 1 hour, then continue to freeze until solid, at least 3 more hours.

Notes/Results: If you like rhubarb, then you will love this creamy popsicle. I do want to mention that this popsicle is very thick and therefore pretty darn hard to remove from the popsicle mold. I knew it was probably a little too thick to pour into the Zoku Quick Pop Maker, so I used my old-fashioned popsicle molds. I had to carefully remove them from the mold with a butter knife. They were well worth the extra step, but next time I will use the paper dixie cups as molds so that I can simply tear the paper cup away. Even though they were a little tricky to remove from the mold, there will definitely be a next time! I really liked this popsicle and found it unique and fun!

And now for the giveaway......................................................
One lucky reader is going to receive a copy of Shelly Kaldunski's new book Ice Pops! All you need to do is leave a comment on this post, letting me know your favorite popsicle flavor! If you are a new reader, be sure to leave an email or way for me to contact you.


Sorry, the giveaway is only open to U.S. Residents.

Giveaway will run until next Sunday, May 16th at midnight EST. Winner will be selected by the random number generator and announced on Monday, May 17th. Good luck everyone! This is a really fun book.

Popsicle of the Week: Pineapple

My husband surprised us today with the Zoku Quick Pop Maker!! I thought I was going to have to wait another week or two to get the pop maker, but my husband took notice of how much the kids love the popsicles and bought it on his own. My three year old son, The Popsicle King, didn't understand that he needed to wait 4 hours for the popsicles to freeze in our molds. We found him in the freezer several times drinking the popsicles before they had a chance to freeze over. I think my son's impatience was part of the reason my husband went out and bought the Zoku. Either way, I am more than thrilled to have such a fun new kitchen gadget!

We quickly put the Zoku into the freezer so that we could make popsicles with it as soon as possible. The Zoku needs 24 hours to freeze through and then it will make up to 9 popsicles before needing to be placed in the freezer again. It makes 3 popsicles per batch, each batch taking only 7 minutes! The Zoku also makes it easier to make layered or filled popsicles because of it's quick freeze ability. I can't wait to get started and have fun with it.

This week I have two popsicles to share with you, both made the old-fashioned way. The first popsicle is a Cherry-Vanilla Smoothie Pop made with some leftover Cherry-Vanilla Smoothie from Ellie Krieger's book So Easy. I wasn't sure how the smoothie would be as a popsicle, but it was delicious and creamy. We just poured the leftover smoothie into molds and let it set up in the freezer for about 4 hours. I really felt good about my son eating these because they were a mix of yogurt, milk, cherries, vanilla and a little bit of honey. I will definitely be freezing any leftover smoothies in popsicle molds from now on.

Since it is my daughter's birthday tomorrow, I let her pick out this week's popsicle. She chose the Pineapple Pop from the Fruity Ice Pops Chapter in Shelly Kaldunski's new book, Ice Pops.

Pineapple Pops
adapted from Ice Pops by Shelly Kaldunski
Makes 10-12 pops, depending on molds, sizes, etc.
*We filled 12 (2.5oz) molds and two shot glasses
1 pineapple, peeled and cored
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt
Cut the pineapple into quarters and remove the core. Chop the flesh. You should have about 4 cups.
In a saucepan, combine the pineapple, sugar, and salt. Pour in 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the pineapple has absorbed some of the syrup, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Pour the pineapple mixture into a blender or food processor. Process until very smooth.
If using conventional ice pop molds, divide the mixture among the molds. Cover and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. If using sticks, insert them into the molds when the pops are partially frozen, after about 1 hours, then continue to freeze until solid, at least 3 more hours.
If using an instant pop maker, follow the manufacturer's instructions to fill the molds and freeze the pops.

Notes/Results: The pineapple pops were amazing! Refreshing and sweet, they were the perfect dessert! We all enjoyed them! This is a convenient recipe because it calls for so few ingredients and is really simple to put together. The recipe makes 10-12 pops, depending on your molds. We made 12 (2.5 oz.) popsicles and had enough left to fill two shot glasses. I cut some sturdy straws in half and used them for sticks, which worked out great.

Next week I'll be announcing the giveaway for Shelly Kaldunski's Ice Pops book!

Happy Monday!

Popsicle of the Week: Choco-Coco Pops

Popsicle of the Week is going to be a new feature here at Stirring the Pot. As a family, we LOVE popsicles. We eat them all year round, but can really go through them in the summertime. Awhile back I bought two cookbooks dedicated entirely to popsicles and bookmarked almost every recipe in each book. In an effort to cook my way through these two books, I will be featuring a new popsicle recipe each week! I'm hoping we will find some new family favorites!

There are many popsicle molds for sale and there is even a new kitchen appliance for sale called the Zoku Quick Pop Maker ($49.95 @ Williams Sonoma). The Zoku is a fun product that is getting rave reviews for making popsicles in a mere 7 minutes. I'm really looking forward to getting one of these in the next few weeks, but for now I have a few different popsicle molds that I can use.

For these Choco-Coco Pops, I used these Mickey Mouse Popsicle Molds by Tupperware. There are six plastic molds and each mold holds around 2.5 - 3 ounces of liquid. This is a perfect size for children, but a bigger mold would be nicer for adults. Sometimes it can be difficult to get the popsicle to release from it's mold, but these Tupperware molds released very easily.

I've collected popsicle molds over the years, but you really don't need any special equipment. You can make popsicles from everyday household items such as muffin tins, cupcake liners, paper cups, shot glasses, and juice glasses. Paper cups are especially nice because there is no fooling around with a mold, trying to get the popsicle to release itself. If using paper, you can simply tear the paper away and have at it. Wooden popsicle sticks are widely available everywhere, namely at places like Hobby Lobby and/or Michael's. I have even seen people use straws, cocktail stirrers, cocktail picks, bamboo skewers, lollypop sticks, chopsticks, plastic spoons, plastic toys, pretzel rods, chocolate rolled wafer cookies, biscotti, and cinnamon sticks as popsicle holders.

Today I made Ellie Krieger's Choco-Coco Pops from her new book, So Easy. The recipe is a mixture of one can lite coconut milk, 3 ounces dark chocolate, sugar, and vanilla. The mixture is cooked on the stovetop until the chocolate melts and the mixture is thickened. Once it has cooled, it is poured into popsicle molds and chilled for four hours. They were extremely tasty and are going fast, even on a cold and gloomy day like today!

*The reigning "Popsicle King"- Jackson

I have two cookbooks that I will be using for Popsicle of the Week. The first is called Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone by Krystina Castella ($11.48 Barnes and Noble). This book has chapters on Healthy Energy Pops, Fruit Juice Pops, Soda Fountain Pops, Cream and Pudding Pops, Coffee and Tea Pops, and Cocktail Pops. I think that this book is more for the adults and has some really nice, unique, and creative recipes.


The second cookbook, my favorite of the two, and the most family-friendly, is called Ice Pops "Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Frozen Treats" by Shelly Kaldunski. I found my copy at Williams-Sonoma, but so far it is not available online at Williams-Sonoma, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble. I think it was just released and should become available shortly. This book is basic, easy, and has fantastic recipes for both children and adults. There are chapters for Fruity Ice Pops, Chocolate Ice Pops, Creamy Ice Pops, New Flavors for Ice Pops, and another chapter on Creative Shapes for Ice Pops.


Stay tuned.....there is going to be a fantastic giveaway for Shelly Kaldunski's Ice Pops Cookbook!

Popsicle of the Week will be featured each Monday for the next 12 weeks at least......... possibly longer!