Things to Make - Roasted Peaches and Cream Popsicles

I'm still on my popsicle making kick, they're just so easy and so good. I wanted to hide these from the children, so I could eat them all myself. But luckily I'm nicer than that (well, sometimes).

ROASTED PEACHES & CREAM POPSICLES (slightly based off of a recipe in People's Pops: 55 Recipes for Ice Pops, Shave Ice, and Boozy Pops from Brooklyn's Coolest Pop Shop, love this cookbook).

Ingredients:
* 4-5 tennis-ball sized peaches, halved
* 2/3 cup cane sugar
* 2/3 cup water
* 1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the peaches cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake about 20 minutes (until the skins and flesh have softened)
2. Discard the peach pits and blend the peaches.
3. Make simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then let cool. Add 1 cup of the cooled syrup to the peach puree.
4. Pour the puree into popsicle molds until they're about 2/3 full.
5. Pour the cream on top of the puree. Don't worry if you don't use it all.
6. Use the popsicle stick to stir the cream into the popsicles.
7. Freeze.

(Makes approximately 10 popsicles)

Still hungry? Click here and scroll down for more popsicle recipes.

Things to Make - Strawberry & Balsamic Vinegar Popsicles

(As the above picture testifies, I have absolutely NO IDEA how to "style" a popsicle post. You can't exactly leave them on the table or on a plate. T thought Ninja Turtles would help, but I'm not exactly buying into his vision.)

I've wanted to make these popsicles since the beginning of strawberry season, but I worried that the balsamic vinegar would prove too sophisticated for the younger members of our family. I also worried that I would, in turn, eat 9 popsicles myself. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

My worries were, apparently, silly because the kids LOVED these. F kept saying, "they taste better than ever, but I can't tell why." When I explained that vinegar was my secret ingredient she said, "what's vinegar? can we have it more often?" So goes popsicle success, I love almost-summer.

STRAWBERRY & BALSAMIC VINEGAR POPSICLES (from my absolute favorite popsicle book - People's Pops: 55 Recipes for Ice Pops, Shave Ice, and Boozy Pops from Brooklyn's Coolest Pop Shop)

INGREDIENTS:
* 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled.
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (no need to get fancy, cheap balsamic works fine)

1. Make simple syrup by combining the sugar with 2/3 cup water in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
2. Puree the strawberries in a blender.
3. Mix the strawberry puree with the lemon juice and 3/4 cup of simple syrup.
4. Add the balsamic vinegar to taste.
5. Freeze in an ice pop mold.
6. EAT!!

(this recipe makes about 9-10 pops)

(And don't forget to check out our other favorite popsicle recipe - Salted Apple Caramel Popsicles).

Things to Make - Salted Apple Caramel Popsicles

I know it seems a little late in the year for a popsicle post, but I just checked out People's Pops: 55 Recipes for Ice Pops, Shave Ice, and Boozy Pops from Brooklyn's Coolest Pop Shop from the library and since it includes an autumn chapter, I figured I had to try some out. (By the way, I can't say enough wonderful things about this book, I want to try them all).

If you thought that popsicles were pretty much for children (which, I'll admit, I thought), then this recipe will blow your mind. Better the a caramel apple. Better than caramel candy (even the gourmet kind). Just perfect. Especially as the leaves fall around you. But be prepared, these are ADDICTIVE.

SALTED APPLE CARAMEL POPSICLES (from People's Pops: 55 Recipes for Ice Pops, Shave Ice, and Boozy Pops from Brooklyn's Coolest Pop Shop)

INGREDIENTS:
* 4 apples (cored)
* organic cane sugar (2/3 cup & 1/2 cup)
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 1/4 teaspoon of salt

1. First make Simple Syrup - Combine 2/3 cup cane sugar with 2/3 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat and let cool.

2. Next make the Salted Caramel - Place 1/2 cup of sugar in a heavy saucepan and melt until it darkens to amber (if the caramel becomes mahogany, the taste turns bitter). Add the butter and stir. Immediately after the butter melts, remove from the stove and gradually add the cream (VERY SLOWLY). Add salt. If the mixture cools into a solid, then microwave it to soften.

3. Next prepare the apples - Cut the apples into a large dice and place them in a nonreactive saucepan (with skins still on). Add about 1/4 cup of water to the bottom (so the apples don't burn). Cook over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes (until the apples soften). Then puree them in a food processor. Strain to remove the peels.

4. Transfer the apples to a bowl and stir in the simple syrup and caramel.

5. Pour into ice pop molds.

6. Freeze.

* Makes 6-8 popsicles.

Things to Make - Popsicles

The girls have been really interesting in cooking lately. Unfortunately, when kids talk about cooking, they usually mean baking (cookies, brownies, cupcakes, etc.) and, though I'm an okay cook, I'm not a very good baker (precise measurements seem to elude me, hence my failure as a scientist). Yet I don't want to discourage my kids from learning how to use a kitchen. The solution? Popsicles. The perfect summer treat. Plus, making our own popsicles helped us use up some of the excess peaches from our CSA. Further, since fruit and yogurt are the only ingredients (and a little sugar), I let the kids eat the popsicles for breakfast. They feel super cool and I feel like they're eating something mainly healthy. It's a win win.

We started by using this recipe, then deviated by trying different kinds of fruit.