We have finally hopped on the bandwagon with homemade Popsicles. We pass on the cupcake trend since my kids decided they hated cupcakes, huh??? Cake pops although extremely cute and clever looked just too time consuming. I did enjoy following bakerella’s blog during the development and thought where did she find the time. But, what a huge payoff! Also out in my desert wasteland, we lack specialty stores. Internet is always an option but I love to shop and touch, feel, smell, debate and so on.
We stumbled upon some pop molds. In addition, fresh fruit from our garden and the grocery store is always plentiful. And man it is always hot here. Yesterday my minivan registered 119, but it is dry heat, thank goodness…finally! A perfect endeavor for us and a healthy snack too.
This mango strawberry pop was our first go at it and yum. Last week I tried to sneak some protein powder into a nectarine pops and those little buggers gave me a scrunched up face and yuck, darn, darn, darn.
We plan to continue our pop experiments on our own and with the help of FineCooking create your own feature, so much fun! It is like a video game. Choice your ingredients and wa-la your complete recipe created for you by you.
Next week we go exotic after we visit Cardenas Market. A great grocery store loaded with Mexican specialties.
Mango Strawberry POP
From Fine Cooking
1/2 cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
pinch kosher salt
3 medium mangos, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
½ cup sliced strawberries
~ combine the sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat
~ bring to a boil and make sure the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let the syrup cool completely
~ transfer the syrup to a 1-quart liquid measuring cup
~ puree the mango chunks in batches in a blender
~ measure out 2 cups of puree (save any extra for another use) and combine it with the syrup
~ distribute the sliced strawberries among ten 1/3-cup pop molds
~ add the fruit mixture to each mold
~ stir gently with a Popsicle stick to distribute the quartered strawberries
~ freeze until partially frozen, about 1 hour. Insert sticks and freeze again until the pops are fully set, 4 to 6 hours more or like me just stick the sticks or holders when you put them in the freezer
~ to unmold, dip the mold in a deep pan of hot water until the pops pull out easily, 30 to 40 seconds, or let sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes
~ unmold and store the pops in individual resealable plastic bags; they are best eaten within 3 weeks
