Sunday, May 2, 2010

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!

38 comments:

  1. That popsicle maker is the coolest thing ever! The pineapple pops sound delicious too. Happy Bday to your daughter! ;)

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  2. I want one! The Popsicle maker is way cool. I love the layered Popsicle!

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  3. Me too, now I'll have to stop into Bed, Bath and Beyond to see if they have it yet. Love the layered idea and the pineapple popsicle would be perfect today when the temps here are going up past 80.

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  4. I am loving this post - I particularly love your son drinking the juice! What fun you will have!

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  5. Wow, this IS a totally cool gadget! Sure beats the old wooden popsicle stick deal!

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  6. That is one cool kitchen appliance...pun intended : )Love these popsicles! Happy birthday to your daughter!

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  7. Happy birthday to your daughter! And your husband is too cute...this was so sweet of him.

    I would die to try those pineapple pops...or the smoothie. What a great idea!

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  8. What a great gadget. I love the color in your photos today. The popsicles look a bit like iced balloons. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  9. I love ice cream, but its a lot of calories, eating fruit pops is such a good idea.
    *kisses* HH

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  10. Seven minutes til popscicles? Awesome! I bet you'll use the heck out of that thing.

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  11. Ice cold fruit on a stick, yummy!
    Mimi

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  12. Great pictures! The popsicle maker looks like it is a lot of fun. I always make too much smoothie and I love freezing them for pops. Loving the pineapple one. Wonder if I could use honey to sweeten it instead?

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  13. My kids would LOVE this. We go through so many popsicles in the summer and being able to make them with fresh, healthier ingredients sounds like a great thing!

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  14. Love all the cute Pops here but the Kiwi is my fav:-)))

    Am also here to tell u something interesting!!!
    SUper giveaway at this link...psst psst, am sure u love LE CRUESET ,dont ya?
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  15. Happy Birthday to your daughter! That has to be one of the neatest machines I've ever seen to make popsicles in a mere 7 minutes. I remember as a kid waiting for the pops to set - it seemed like forever! I bet the pineapple pops are refreshing and yummy!

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  16. I am envious of your popsicle maker! Perfect for summer. Happiest Birthday to your daughter.

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  17. Those sound so delicious! I can't wait for it to warm up here, although it never really has to be warm for an ice pop!

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  18. My kids loved them .. but I have not made in a long long time ... they're grown ups now ..

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  19. I love the looks of that Pineapple Popsicle!! And how cute those straws look for the stick!

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  20. I used to love making these as a kid! I need to buy the contraption again!

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  21. I love making popsicles for my boy!This sound delicious.

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  22. I never heard of the Zoku quick pop maker. Wow, there is a kitchen gadget for everything! The smoothie pops sounds wonderfully healthy and I can see why you don’t mind giving those to your children. Yummy – I’d love one! That is a great idea about saving leftover smoothies. Hope your daughter’s birthday is a hit with her pineapple pops.

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