Tag Archives: popsicles

coffee liqueur, banana + coconut cream poptails in almond-dusted dark chocolate | #popsicleweek

It is so incredibly hot this week here in Denver. While it might not be the best week to photograph popsicles, it is definitely the right week to get down on some refreshing, innovative, exciting, frozen treats on sticks. That is just what is happening across the interwebs, thanks to ineffably creative Billy Green of Wit & Vinegar.

It’s officially #POPSICLEWEEK.

The last day of it, in fact. And I’m coming in hot with something insanely delicious. This is the fourth year of Billy’s roundup of frozen pops, and I couldn’t be more excited to share my favorite recipe-of-the-week, along with about 100 other bloggers. Here’s the entire list of popsicle participants. There are enough recipes to satisfy your summery cravings all season long.

And now for some rich, creamy, boozy {and vegan!} popsicles made with St. George Spirits’ NOLA Coffee Liqueur. They’re filled with blended bananas and full-fat coconut milk and drizzled with my favorite condiment-of-the-moment, dark chocolate magic shell. All of my favorite flavors, together in one frozen bite.

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blood orange + thyme popsicles with aperol + gin

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Aside from shoveling about a foot’s worth of snow this morning, today is getting better by the minute. Over the years living here in Denver, I’ve learned to doubt the weather forecasters’ calls. They’ll predict rainfall, and we’ll get nary a drop; they’ll suggest a blizzard, and we’ll wake up to an inch of slush. Today was shockingly different. I was amazed when I cracked the blinds and spotted a beautiful, glistening, snow-covered wonderland.

The crabapple trees are buckling under the weight of the heavy, spring snow, the wind is howling, and the precipitation shows no sign of slowing. I think the entire city of Denver took nature’s cue and basically shut down. Even the reservation count at the restaurant dropped from an already low count of 130 to just above 50 covers overnight. Thankfully, a call was made to close for the evening.

I don’t think I’ve yelled that loud or jumped that high in a long time. Even though Steve and I work alongside each other, we rarely get actual days off together. Now we have two, consecutive days off with no plans but to cozy up, cue up extended editions of The Hobbit, and maybe catch up on some computer-related work.

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strawberry + watermelon rosé popsicles | #popsicleweek

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Happy Popsicle Week!

There are only a couple more days of this official celebration of all-things-frozen-and-delicious, hosted by the creative and affable, Billy of Wit & Vinegar. This is year two of his popsicle round-up, featuring a lineup of insanely creative recipes from bloggers across the interwebs. This exhaustive list will keep you inspired and glued to your popsicle mold well into early fall.

I’ve been making some sort of fruity popsicle, since I was five. I owe any popsicle prowess to my mom. She kept it simple and would freeze our Juicy Juice in the most adorable, kid-sized Tupperware molds. I wish I still had them. I’ve since moved on to a little more “involved” popsicle, adding whole fruits, coconut milk, nuts, and even edible flowers to the mix. This summer, however, was the first time I thought of adding a little extra kick: rosé!

Around our house, with two sommeliers in the kitchen, these boozy popsicles are affectionately known as “somm pops.” I think we’d imbibed a tad too much wine one evening, when we came up with the title. We ended up sketching plans for a recipe book, featuring popsicles made with wine, perfectly paired with their other ingredients. The next morning, the whole idea sounded ridiculous, but I’m still rocking their new name!

Keep in mind that booze doesn’t freeze as solidly as water or juice does. In fact, these particular pops melt kind of quickly, if you’re standing in the hot, summer sun. I wouldn’t decrease the amount of rosé in the recipe, however. The whole point is to enjoy a delicious, frozen, sangria-like concoction on a stick. I kept mine chilling in an iced wine bucket, and they didn’t melt as fast. You’ll notice a darker color at the top of these popsicles. I added a little blackberry liqueur, just before I froze the pops. I will most likely omit this on my next recipe, since the liqueur melted almost instantly. It made for a beautiful color, though.

strawberry + watermelon rosé popsicles | somm pops

10 ounces dry rosé {I went with Lorenza rosé}
7 ounces watermelon juice
1 ounce blood orange liqueur {I used Solerno}
1 ounce agave nectar
1 ounce lime juice
6-7 sliced strawberries

Chill down your rosé, so you’ll have something to sip on, while you make your pops.
Juice your watermelon. I used my Hurom juicer, but you can also simply blend watermelon chucks and then pour the juice through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any particulates.
In a bowl, combine the rosé, the freshly juiced watermelon, orange liqueur, agave nectar, and lime juice. Whisk well to incorporate.
Place two or three sliced strawberries into each popsicle mold and pour the rosé mixture on top, leaving about 1/4″ space at the top, so the liquid has room to expand.
Add your popsicle sticks and freeze at least three hours or until solid.

This recipe makes ten popsicles. I used the Prepworks mold, sold on Amazon.
Remember, these are boooooozy pops, so they will melt faster. That’s not exactly a bad thing, when you want a light, summery buzz. You just have to enjoy them quicker.
Substitute any other berries you have on hand. Raspberries would be divine here.

So, I can’t leave out a tasting note on the Lorenza rosé. It has been one of my favorite pink wines this summer. In fact, I picked up an entire case, and I’m up for another one soon. Lorenza is crafted by a lovely mother and daughter duo, Melinda Kearney and Michèle Lorenza Ouellet. Their wine is crisp, dry, delicate, and delicious. The aromas and flavors in this rosé were a perfect match for the strawberries and watermelon in the popsicles.

lorenza rosé, california, 2014

On the eyes – It’s a brilliant, pale peach.
On the nose – Slightly under-ripened strawberry, quince, and pear, with light, floral aromas.
In the blend – 44% Grenache, 33% Carignan, 15% Mourvèdre, 8% Cinsault.
On the palate – This rosé is dry and crisp with a racy, mouthwatering acidity. Lean and light in body, Lorenza still has an almost satin-like mouth-feel, supplied by the rich fruit on the palate. Lots of strawberries with a clean, mineral-driven, balanced finish. More, please.
On the table – I loved pairing this rosé with a watermelon caprese salad. The acidity in the wine was a perfect complement to the fresh mozzarella. Rosé isn’t only for delicate food presentations, either. Enjoy this wine with briny oysters, any summer salads, or, one of my favorites, a veggie burger with ample amounts of avocado.
On the shelf – Find it for around $19.

What kind of popsicles are you making this summer? If you haven’t made any yet, here are a few other boozy pops I’m definitely going to try over the next few weeks. Whether you call them “poptails,” “cocktail pops,” or “somm pops,” get out and make yourself some!

I’ll add a little catch-up on the happenings from the garden this past week. It has been super hot and toasty with little rain, so I have had to water a little more frequently. No watering was necessary in June, but it is definitely the stereotypical summer now. Full-on heat and sunshine. And the new “secret garden” that we build along the side of our detached garage is seriously taking off. I’m so glad we turned a formerly fenced-in waste of space into an eye-catching and engaging edible growing area.

Happiest of weekends to you!

Jayme

Cheers!!

cherry + vanilla + coconut milk ice pops {vegan}

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I made these cherry + vanilla + coconut milk ice pops a couple of weeks ago. They disappeared all-too-quickly – within, like, two days! Or so I thought. I was cleaning out my freezer yesterday and, to my delight, found that one had slipped under some frozen blueberries. It was waiting so patiently for me to find it! Needless to say, I went out to the garden, sat down, and tried to savor it slowly. These are some my favorite ice pops to date.

It was almost like I was immediately rewarded for taking the time to clean out my frozen storage department. I have been following along with the Kitchn’s twice-a-year “Kitchen Cure”, a step-by-step revamp of your kitchen over the course of a few weeks. I am not quite up to date with the assignments, but I have the best of intentions to get my kitchen into shape, since our recent remodel. An upcoming {and long-awaited} blog post on the process and the details will definitely happen in the near future. We are awaiting the delivery of our range hood, and then we can complete the final tiling!

Until then, let’s enjoy some cherries!

cherry + coconut milk ice pops {vegan}

9 ounces full-fat coconut milk
12 ounces ripe cherries, pitted and fully blended
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine the coconut milk with 1/8 cup of the agave nectar and the vanilla. Stir to incorporate.
Evenly divide the mixture into six ice pop molds and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, purée the pitted cherries and add the remaining 1/8 cup agave nectar and the lemon juice, mixing together thoroughly. Set aside.
Once the 10 minutes have passed, slowly pour and evenly distribute the cherry mixture over the coconut mixture. Freeze for 30 more minutes.
Now you can add the stick and continue freezing for another 3-4 hours.
Wait patiently, and then eat them UP!

We grabbed some cherries from the Pearl Street Farmers’ Market here in Denver and also hand-picked our own sour cherries at Berry Patch Farms in Brighton. Aside from eating them right out of the box and making a couple of batches of ice pops, we have made a summer fruit bake, baked a cherry pie, fixed some brandied cocktail cherries, and mixed up some amazing cherry bourbon smashes.

I’ll close with some shots from a recent trip to Berry Patch Farms. This organic, family-run farm is about 30 minutes north of our house, but the trip is always worth it. We brought home some free-range, fresh eggs, colorful flowers, herbs, and vegetables. This past trip, we picked cherries {first time ever!}, and it was so much fun. We arrived about an hour before they closed, so we hustled and managed to quickly pick about eight pints. It helps to have a 6’4” boyfriend to score the cherries at the top, that no one else had gotten that day!

XO,

Jayme