It is hot. Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot.
Heat warnings in Newfoundland and Labrador!
Say what now?
You will be thankful for this delicious and refreshing recipe for homemade Popsicles, after the hot temperatures and humidity we experienced this week.
“Because a little bit of summer is what the whole year is about.” – John Mayer
The great thing about homemade Popsicles is that you have endless options.
You can choose to recreate store-bought favourites like Fudgsicles, iced coffee Popsicles, orange Creamsicles, strawberry cheesecake Popsicles, root beer float Popsicles.
Perhaps, you’ll decide to incorporate some of your favourite dessert flavours like coconut lime Popsicles, coconut pineapple Popsicles, mint chocolate Greek yogurt Popsicles or pina colada Popsicles.
There are the standard tropical flavours that never get old, like strawberry, orange, cherry, grape, watermelon, mango, or combinations and so on.
The reason the homemade Popsicles recipe popped into my head this week, aside from wanting something to quench my thirst in this amazingly hot weather, was because I had a basket of peaches that were going bad.
I hate throwing food away.
Knowing I would not be able to eat them all before they turned or got moldy, I decided to do the good ol’ Google search for, “what can you make with fresh peaches?”
I probably would have made a peach tart or peach cobbler, but the last thing I wanted to do was turn on the oven.
Holy moly, that would have put me over the edge entirely.
The recipe for fresh homemade peach Popsicles easily won me over.
“Life is as peachy as I make it to be.” - Unknown
Homemade peach Popsicles are the perfect recipe to deliver a cool, fresh burst of flavour on a hot, muggy day.
The recipe is simple — so are the ingredients.
The only thing you may have to source out, if you do not have it already, is a Popsicle mold.
I have a small one I bought for about five dollars at Canadian Tire.
I am pretty sure you can get them at other box stores or the dollar store.
This recipe is going to take you 10 minutes to make.
You will need four large ripe peaches, juice of half a lemon and two tablespoons of sugar.
First things first, wash your peaches.
The next step is to cut them up into small chunks, leave the peel on.
Once that is complete, place them in a food processor (you can also use a blender or Magic Bullet), add your lemon juice and sugar.
How long you blend is a personal preference.
I chose to do it until it formed a liquid. However, you may like it with small chunks of peaches.
Either way, once blended, pour it into your popsicle molds and place in the freezer for about six hours.
“I don’t drink anymore. … I freeze it and eat it like a popsicle.” – Dean Martin
For adults only, more specifically, those over 19 years of age, you can make homemade wine-sicles or alcoholic ice pops.
As an example, you can make rosé-sicles.
The full recipe consists of one bottle of bubbly, two cups of lemonade and a half cup of gin.
That will yield about 13 Popsicles.
If that is too much, you can easily half the recipe.
Feel free to add chopped fruit like pineapple, mango, blackberries or raspberries for a hint of colour.
Better yet, you can pour a glass of white wine and place your homemade peach Popsicle inside.
Not only is this delicious but it will keep your wine cool.
Added bonus, it looks interesting when serving it during a small outdoor gathering.
It’s the, “What in the world?” moment that makes me giggle.
“I like freedom. I wake up in the morning and say, ‘I don’t know, should I have a popsicle or a donut?’ You know, who knows?” – Oscar Nunez
Enjoy the rest of what summer has to offer, which should include great food. Hopefully, I haven’t jinxed our beautiful Newfoundland and Labrador weather with this recipe because I really want you to try it.
Homemade Popsicles are definitely fit to eat.
Erin Sulley is a self-confessed foodie who lives in Mount Pearl. Email [email protected] Twitter: @ErinSulley Instagram: @erinsulley
