Posts Tagged popsicle

Strawberry Lemon Ginger Ale Pops: Recipe Swap

When life hands you lemons – or a vintage recipe for Lemon Sponge Pie – make popsicles. (That’s what I always say, anyway…)

For this installment of the Recipe Swap, Christianna from Burwell General Store selected a recipe for Lemon Sponge Pie. The recipe actually looks pretty great (unlike the infamous “Ham Snails“), but I just couldn’t bring myself to bake a pie.

It doesn’t get hot in Portland very often, but when it does the whole city shuts down. We all turn into whiny, melty puddles. It’s a bit pathetic, really.

That being said, I am guilty of being a whiny, melty puddle this week. It was 102 degrees! There was zero chance I was going to turn on my oven. So, I turned Lemon Sponge Pie into Strawberry Lemon Gingerale Pops. I was really pleased with the results.

They were frosty, tangy, refreshing, and delicious – the perfect cure to my summertime woes.

STRAWBERRY LEMON GINGER ALE POPS
(Inspired by this recipe from What I Do)
Makes 4 popsicles

Ingredients:
1 bottle good quality ginger ale or ginger beer
1 pint of lemon sorbet, softened (Note: you will have sorbet leftover!)
6-8 strawberries, stems removed and diced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Method:
In a small bowl, mix together the diced strawberries, lemon zest, and grated ginger.

Place a spoonful of the strawberry mixture in each popsicle mold. Pour a bit of ginger ale (slowly, as it will fizz!) over the mixture, and top with a dollop of lemon sorbet. Repeat with each mold – strawberries, ginger beer, sorbet – until each is nearly full. Leave a very small amount of headspace at the top. Place lids/sticks the in the molds and freeze overnight.

And, please see below for the other creative contributions to this month’s recipe swap!



Happy Thursday: Grapesicles!

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This past weekend I had the pleasure of hosting a birthday party for my favorite little two year old, Lillian. Not having kids myself, I wasn’t sure what to snacks make for a child’s birthday party… but then I saw these gems on Pinterest. Grapesicles! So pretty and so clever.

To make these darling grapesicles, I simply skewered red and green grapes and froze them. They take an hour or two to freeze completely, but that’s really all the time they require. Easy as pie. I did make sure to cut the sharp ends off the skewers. I didn’t want to be “that girl” – you know, the one girl who doesn’t have children who then gives all the kids sharp skewers so they can poke their eyes out? No thank you.

And let me just say…the grapesicles were a hit. The kids quickly figured out that the grapesicles were tasty and they could also double as swords. It was a win-win situation for all. I refrained from using my grapesicle as a sword, but I did eat one or two (or three or four) and enjoyed every delicious icy bite. Move over, popsicles. Frozen grapes are my new best friend.

Recipe Swap: Boozy Beet & Apple Popsicles

I’m a little late to the Recipe Swap party this month (due to my Foodbuzz 24×24 post that went up on Sunday).

But, better late than never, right?

These last few weeks have gone by in a blur. First off, I was sick for a week and a half and it was rotten. Second, I hosted a giant dinner party that required only a few hours of preparation (and by a few, I mean many, many hours). Not that I’m complaining. Trust me, it was all worth it! But, as you can tell, I’ve had a lot going on.

However, in midst of all of this I found the time to whip up a little something for this month’s Recipe Swap. I’ve been at this for awhile now, so I won’t explain the whole thing, but if you’d like a history of the swap, head over to Burwell General Store for more info and descriptions of all the lovely bloggers involved.

This month, CM from Burwell General Store choose a doozy of a recipe for us to re-interpret: Ozarkian Taffy Apples. I’m not a huge sweets fan, so it took me awhile to get excited about the recipe. My initial thought was to transform it into a savory recipe…something along the lines of a pork skewer with an apple glaze. But, after my Cheese, Wine, and Swine dinner party, I was just a little bit porked out. I was in the mood for something light and refreshing. So, I turned to the sun for inspiration.

Why? Because the sun is finally shining in Portland. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Portland is magical, magical place when the sun shines. I promise, it is like no other place on earth. Sadly, the sun doesn’t show her face much from November to March. But, all of the sudden is back, giving us glimpses of her radiant face and promising all the beauty that summer brings. I’ve allowed myself to begin dreaming of ice cream, backyard BBQs, heirloom tomatoes, and all that the summer has to offer. I can’t wait!

It is precisely this type of summery daydreaming that led me to my great recipe swap idea: apple popsicles! Refreshing, delicious, and vaguely reminiscent of the original candy-apple-on-a-stick recipe. Since I couldn’t be content to make a regular old apple popsicle, I decided to take them up a notch and attempt a boozy apple popsicle.

The internet let me know that boozy popsicles were within the realm of possibility (as I was dubious about alcohol and freezing), and so the matter was settled. I would use apple juice as the base for the popsicle along with beet vodka (which was leftover from the 24×24 party). I also threw in a little ginger simple syrup for kicks. This whole thing was one big experiment, and I’m pleased to report that it all worked out marvelously. The trick to boozy popsicles is simple: you just can’t use much alcohol. The ratio should be roughly 3 parts juice to 1 part alcohol.

For those who are wary of alcohol in their popsicles, I will mention that the alcohol taste is hardly noticeable (which makes sense as there isn’t a lot of alcohol in the recipe). And, of course, it would be very easy to substitute beet juice for the beet vodka in order to make non-alcoholic popsicles.

I am including beet apple popsicle recipe, as well as instructions for making beet infused vodka and ginger simple syrup. I do hope you enjoy (and that summery days are in store for us soon)!

Beet, Ginger & Apple (Boozy) Popsicles:
(Note: I didn’t have much freezer space so I didn’t make very many popsicles! This recipe could easily be doubled, tripled, etc, to make more!)

1.5 cups organic unsweetened apple juice
1.5 Tablespoons ginger simple syrup (recipe below)
3 Tablespoons beet (or other) vodka
Dixie cups (I used teeny tiny little 3 oz cups) or popsicle molds

Combine all 3 ingredients together in a small pitcher (or something you can easily pour from). Pour into popsicle molds or small dixie cups. Using cardboard or tape, affix a popsicle stick to hang in the center of the cup, so that it is partially submerged in the liquid and not touching the bottom of the cup. I found that cardboard works best (but tape will work just fine.)

Note: Please feel free to adjust this recipe to your liking! Next time, I think I might grate a little fresh ginger or orange peel into the mix. I started simple as I wanted to see how well they turned out. I was very pleased and I will be making many more popsicles in the near future. :)

Beet Infused Vodka:
1 bottle mid-quality vodka (nothing too nice): Monopolowa, Stoli, Svedka, etc.
3-4 raw beets, peeled & cubed.

In a large jar, combine beet cubes & vodka. Allow to soak for 3-4 days in a cool room, away from sunlight. When ready, strain out the beets and discard (unless you have an idea as to how to use vodka soaked beets. I couldn’t think of anything to do with them!). Store away from sunlight. Vodka will be ready to use and will keep for months. (I store mine in the freezer to keep cold).
Note: I’ll post the recipe for The Babuska cocktail later this week, so you have another way to use your beet vodka!

Ginger simple syrup:
1 small knob of ginger, peeled & cut into small cubes
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup water

Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over med-low heat and bring to a gentle boil (or until sugar dissolves). Add in cubed ginger and stir to combine. Allow mixture to simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, until the syrup has a fragrant ginger smell/taste. Strain out ginger bits and allow syrup to cool. Store in a sealed container. Will keep for up to a week.