Friday, September 30, 2011

Gooses...geeses


 

I want a goose to lay gold eggs for Easter. Okay, I could quote Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder, obvi) all day but it has nothing to do with this pop. I love the Green City farmer's market. Thankfully, I walk and can only carry a fixed amount home. Otherwise, I would most certainly go overboard.  I recently purchased a box of unhusked gooseberries. I had never seen them in their delicate little husks before. I was intrigued.

Gooseberries have a strange flavor, sort of a cross between a berry and a tomato. To make GOOSEBERRY POPS, I needed to add another strong flavor. I decided on lemon. I combined:


1 box gooseberries
3 oz Greek yogurt
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1 tbs raw honey

I love these pops! They're tart with an interesting and unique undertone. What should I grab this weekend at the farmer's market?


L'Shanah Tovah!


Happy New Year! I recently bought a mini two-pop Zoku to bring to Cape Cod. Unfortunately, we all remember the broken freezer incident. I decided to give it a home at my parents' house, should the *popping* mood strike me there.

I was home celebrating Rosh Hashanah on Wednesday evening and decided to make
APPLE AND HONEY pops! Apples and honey are traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah to ring in a sweet new year. I blended:

1 Granny Smith Apple
1 tbs lemon juice
2 oz goat yogurt (my mom's fav)
water for blending

They were quite good (although they could stand to be tarter). I hope everyone has a *pop*tastic new year!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Failure in the Freezer


It's only mid-September and pumpkin flavored pastries are already *popping* up everywhere. I was planning to make PUMPKIN POPS for Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't wait! And I'm glad I didn't. This recipe needs some serious tweaking. I combined:

1 can unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbs orange peel
1 tbs raw honey

The pops are decent. They're edible. But I'm disappointed. Next time I'll add yogurt for a creamier consistency. The clove flavor is quite strong and overpowers the pop and think I may eliminate cloves all together in the next batch. I'll try again and update ya'll on my pumpkin pop progress.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

popcessorizing

 
I love kitschy needlepoint. It's retro and whimsical... two of my favorite design descriptors. I have a phenomenal Jonathan Adler lemon pillow on my loveseat. I just stumbled upon this adorable Christen Maxwell Popsicle Mini Throw. Can't you picture it in a little girl's room? I'm pretty sure Miss Silbert would buy one for her own room.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Jam Pops?


I just picked up this delightful cookbook on One King's Lane. I will post on my jam making endeavors in a few weeks. Currently, only the labels have been completed (well...designed).

I've been paging through and I'm quite impressed with the flavor combinations. Many of them would make excellent pops. Orange kumqat with cardamon sounds especially delicious....

Monday, September 12, 2011

Presidential Pops


While on Martha's Vineyard a few weeks ago, Dr. Cornelius procured some of the most delicious pistachio ice cream. It was the perfect creamy to crunch ratio; perhaps the creameries had stepped up their game for the Obamas. Or for us. We're almost as important...

Anyway, Miss McNitt recently purchased some pistachios at Costco and I thought I'd give PISTACHIO POPS a whirl. I blended:

25 pistachios, shelled and minced
6 oz Greek yogurt
1 tbs raw honey






I couldn't find chopped pistachios, and they likely would not have been chopped as finely as desired. I used my mezzaluna. My culinarily inclined brother purchased it for me and I use it at least 4 times a week. It's great for herbs, nuts, veggies and especially onions. I usually cry on first slice but I can now chop half an onion without tearing up.

The pops turned out quite well. I think next time I'll up the pistachio content and add some minced nuts after I blend for textural variation.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Just Beet It


I'm admittedly one of those people who detested beets as a child. It wasn't even predominantly the taste but rather the aesthetics. Yes, beets are beautiful. But they color, LITERALLY, everything around them. They cause mushrooms to look especially diseased. Thankfully, I have gotten over my fear of beets. I was a little skeptical of making BEET POPS, but decided to forge ahead. Dr. Cornelius suggested a currant pairing, citing currants as an incredibly underused ingredient. I took his advice and concocted:

1 can of sliced beets
6 oz Greek yogurt
2 tbs black currant preserves
1 tbs raw honey

As you can see, the color is magnificent. They are pretty delicious, too. I thought they could stand for another flavor, perhaps bolder on the currant front. Dr. Cornelius disagreed.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Squash 'n Pop


What a beautiful, brisk autumnal day here in Chicago! That, coupled with the wild success of my fig pops (see below), inspired me to begin my series on Fall flavors.

Yesterday, while waiting for a table at Over Easy, I happened into Dolce Casa Cafe for some coffee. It's a charming little place featuring Metropolis Coffee (my fav local roast) and some very creative pastries, including several varieties of zucchini bread. YUM. I love zucchini bread. So I decided to make some ZUCCHINI POPS.


I sliced a small zucchini and microwaved it for 3 minutes, until soft. I blended it with:

6 ounces Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 lemon juiced and zested

I tasted the mixture but have yet to try a pop. It was good but overwhemingly citrusy. I think next time I'll keep the lemon juice but skip the zest. Perhaps I'll add some nutmeg, too.

my fig fiancée


Fig season has arrived. Okay, I know it technically started in June, but it peaks in late summer/early fall. I bought some last week and sliced them, brushed them with a little butter and agave and baked them with chopped pistachios. They were divine. There's something very decadent about the fig no matter how simple the preparation. I sent a picture of my fig creation to Dr. Cornelius. And I told him about my fig pops. And I apparently waxed on and on and on until...the confrontation. He snapped that I had become obsessed with figs. Figs were my new fiancée.

Let me explain. Have you seen the Seinfeld episode The Stranded? Jerry and Elaine are at a party and a highly annoying woman with pretentiously affected speech constantly refers to her fiancée? Well every so often, The Good Doctor deems something my new fiancée (read: STOP TALKING ABOUT IT).

So I stopped. To him, at least. But I could not deprive you, reader, of this delicious FIG POP recipe. I blended:

6 ripe figs
3 oz Greek yogurt
1 tsp raspberry agave syrup
water (for blending)

They are absolutely delicious. Decadent even. And thus begins my autumnal pop series. Check back for two more later this afternoon!




Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Tea-riffic Pops!


Sorry, again. I've been neglectful. I promise, I still love you. And making pops to share with you. But I have a REALLY good excuse. I was in Cape Cod for the week and our beautifully outfitted kitchen had two fancy freezer drawers. Unfortunately, neither of them was functional. Sadly, no pops. Dr. Cornelius and I were quite disappointed. But anyways, I am back and I have a few pops to catch y'all up on, enjoy!

Every summer Miss McNitt (and formerly Skipper Wurzburg) and I make vodka tea. I'm convinced Absolut's Wild Tea Vodka was ripped off our brilliant and delicious concoction. We take a pitcher of vodka and steep sixish fruit flavored tea bags in the sun for 48 hours. It is delicious. So delicious in fact, Miss McNitt often forgets its straight booze and consumes it by the glassful. I don't recommend it.

This March, my mother and I spent a delightfully relaxing week at  Mii Amo spa in Sedona, Arizona. There I enjoyed several daily glasses of Sedona Sun Iced Tea. It's a delicious herbal rooibos made with elderberries and black currants. I brought home a small sample and decided to *pop* some into some pops. I combined:

1 cup of tea (steeped overnight)
1/2 cup frozen raspberries

That's it! Very simple and very flavorful! Try it with YOUR favorite tea.


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Pops around the World


I love Vietnamese food. Goi cuon, pho, all of it. I love the herbs and flavors: spearmint, garlic, lime, cilantro, shallot, coconut and most of all, lemongrass. I began thinking of ways to incorporate lemongrass into a pop. I toyed with ideas involving vanilla, orange and mango and finally settled on pineapple. I wanted it to be tangy but also creamy and rich. I combined:

1 cup frozen pineapple
3 ounces greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
2 tablespoons lime juice

I didn't want another boring yellow pop so I admit, I added some yellow food coloring to half of the mixture to make stripes. I love these pops. Miss Silbert has deemed them her new favorite. They're the perfect amount of creaminess and manage to be both savory and sweet. This recipe will definitely be repeated. Send me YOUR favorite kind of food and I'll design a pop for YOU!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

I'm in love.


Yes, I'm in love. With Siggi's Icelandic style yogurt. But we'll get back to that. I wanted to make creamsicles. But not your traditional creamsicle... I always found those a bit heavy on the cream, light on the sicle. I picked out some orange/mango juice and was pondering what to use as filling. I finally decided on greek yogurt. But alas, there was no vanilla greek yogurt (of the fat free persuasion) at Whole Foods! Blast! I instead grabbed some vanilla Siggi's. Impressed with the ingredient list (all natural), I picked up some strawberry as well.

This yogurt is awesome. I don't know how else to describe it. Go out and buy some. NOW. But don't buy all the strawberry, I need more. Ok, back to the pops...

I filled the ZOKU with the orange/mango juice and let freeze for about 3 minutes. I then removed the center of the pop (with the fancy ZOKU baster-looking-tool) and filled it with vanilla yogurt blended with a little water and agave syrup.

They turned out quite well. Miss McNitt deemed them her new favorite. And I'm anxious to make more pops with fun fillings. Suggestions? Leave a comment!

Monday, August 8, 2011

Herb-berry


Why am I so delicious to mosquitoes? They absolutely adore me. And lately, they're everywhere. Luckily, the chivalrous Dr. Cornelius ventured out into my parents' mosquito infested garden and clipped a beautiful selection of herbs for me. So brave. And my very generous parents (once again) bought an insane amount of blueberries at the farmer's market and donated some to their grateful daughter.

What to do with all of this generosity? I decided to make BERRY ROSEMARY pops. I blended:

- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup silken tofu
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary

set half of mixture aside and add:

- 1 cup frozen raspberries

Alternate stripes of the two mixtures. Yields 6 Zoku pops. I ended up with some extra mixture and added: 

- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 2 shots Absolut Vodka

Pour into ice pop mold. Yields 5 pops.

I think they turned out beautifully! I've realized that heavy mixtures containing blended fruit (as opposed to juice or other liquid) yield strange, uneven stripes. The mixture doesn't spread fast enough across the mold to create straight stripes. Not ideal, but cute and homemade looking. Any other herby pop ideas? Leave your ideas in the comments section, or post on the mmmPOP! Facebook Page.


Purely Pineapple


I'm sorry I've been so distant. I really am. It's been a busy few weeks. But now the weekend is over, many many pops were consumed and many many sticks are now available for use. I PROMISE posting will resume as normal this week.

Last week, feeling beaten down by my day with the little ones, I came home in need of refreshment. That refreshment often comes in the form of red wine but I'm trying to cut back on week days. Trying. Remembering the Whole Foods 365 Pineapple Pops of blessed memory, I decided to resurrect them. Easy enough. I blended pineapple and.....pineapple.

They're pretty awesome. In retrospect, I should've left some pineapple chunks in to add a little complexity to the texture. Next time.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Cold Busting Pops


I had a fantastic weekend in LA. I got to attend an amazingly beautiful wedding of a blissfully happy (and strangely calm) couple surrounded by friends and gorgeous scenery. And then I woke up Sunday, with a cold. And then I had to fly home Monday, my poor little ears.

So I arrived home and spent much of Tuesday sleeping. I finally arose in the late afternoon, took another dose of Dayquil (bless you, Quils, both Day and Night). I started to feel better. Well, a little better. Better enough to whip up some Vitamin C rich pops to soothe my throat and boost my immunity.

Dr. Cornelius and I were at Whole Foods last week. The AC at his office was broken, it was 96 degrees and the man needed some relief. He bought some Whole Foods 365 Tropical Blend Fruit Bars. He loved them. Almost to the point where I was a little jealous of Whole Foods. Just a lil.

Inspired by jealousy and illness, I made my own TROPICAL BLEND fruit bars. I combined:

1/2 cup peaches
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 cup mango
1 orange, peeled

I set half the mixture aside and blended the remaining with 1/2 cup raspberries (I would have preferred strawberries for this blend but unfortunately I was out). I then alternated stripes of the two mixtures for visual effect.

The result? A delicious, all-fruit, cold-busting pop. A cure that leaves an excellent taste in my mouth.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

An apple a day...


Inspired by the incredible success of my other cake mix pops (Key Lime and Cake Batter), I decided to try APPLE CINNAMON pops. I combined:

4 tablespoons of Fiber One Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix
1 Granny Smith Apple
6 ounces Fage Greek Yogurt
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon

I have to say, these pops were a big disappointment. They look pretty unappetizing. They taste fair. They're not completely unpalatable, but there's some weird after-taste action. Dr. Cornelius really enjoyed his. But then again, the man never met a popsicle he didn't like...wokka wokka.

Crazy about Cranberries


I bought a bag of unsweetened frozen cranberries at Whole Foods last week. I first thought about making cosmopolitan pops, but I still have many mimosa and watermelon mojito pops hanging out in my freezer. They can't all be cocktail pops... can they?

I still had an orange leftover from the batch of mimosa pops. I decided to make CRANBERRY ORANGE pops. A delicious combo usually reserved for desserts and sauces, I thought it would translate well into pops.

1 orange, zested and peeled
1 tablespoon of Sicilian Orange Fruit Spread
1 1/2 cups of unsweetened frozen cranberries
1 tablespoon of agave syrup

Blend ingredients and pour into Zoku molds. 

I like the end result. They're quite tart. Clearly not a pop for everyone. I'm pretty sure Miss McNitt will hate them. Oh well, more for me!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Beat the Heat


Yes, talking about the weather is trite. Blah blah blah. I don't care. It is HOT out. A dense, stifling heat has engulfed Chicago. I must admit that I stayed out quite late and had more than a few cocktails last night. It's not my fault...I had to entertain my fans at karaoke with an amazingly Joplinesque rendition of Mercedes Benz. Stepping outside this morning (ok, it was about 2:00pm) was torturous.

So I devised a plan: concoct a supremely refreshing pop recipe to ease the pain of lethargic, schvitzy friends in need of a cool, quenching treat. I decided on WATERMELON CUCUMBER with hints of lime and mint.

1/8 watermelon, cubed
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 small cucumber, peeled
2 tablespoons light agave syrup

Combine in blender and pour into molds. I added rum to the leftover mixture (after making 3 Zoku pops) and poured into regular ice pop molds.

I sampled one of the (virgin) pops and it was just as I hoped...cool, refreshing and flavorful.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Batter Up!


CAKE BATTER POPS. Need I say more? Remember the forbidden, sticky deliciousness of running your finger around the rim of a batter bowl when mom was baking (or you were baking, if you were a nerdy, domestic child like yours truly)? These pops legitimize those memorable, finger-licking moments in beautiful, solid (not so sticky) grown-up pop. 

I'm trying to keep up with detailed recipes, so here goes....

6 ounces 0% Greek yogurt
1/3 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine ingredients in blender. Once mixed, pour in 1.5 tablespoons of chocolate syrup and swirl. Pour into molds. Pour sprinkles onto the bottom of the pop and press gently.

The chocolate syrup does not freeze thoroughly so the inside of the pop stays amazingly gooey. These pops are getting great reviews, try them yourself or come on over for a sample!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Pops of Poetry



I don't often buy blackberries. Out of season they're fair at best. But I do love blackberries. I generally pair them with another berry: blue, rasp or straw. I bought a box last week. They're in season and they smelled divine. I keep opening the refrigerator, seeing the glossy dark berries, loitering and closing the refrigerator, uninspired. How can I be so ambivalent about the berry that's inspired great poets like Sylvia Plath; Blackberrying, Galway Kinnell; Blackberry Eating and Seamus Heaney; Blackberry Picking?

Well this evening I decided to finally forge forth into the world of blackberry. After all, they'll go bad in a few days. I considered a blackberry prosecco pop. But then I considered my freezer full of bellini pops. I decided to keep it simple:

1 box of Blackberries
4 oz Greek Yogurt
1 Tbls Raspberry Agave syrup

I just blended and poured! I'm trying to fulfill Miss Shaw and Miss North's request for more specific recipes. You're welcome, ladies. I love the seedy, berry texture of these pops. And look at the beautiful color!

Leftover Pops


These amazingly savory and sweet pops were made with my dinner leftovers. Yes, you heard me right. My (forever) NBF Miss Kovacs and I made wasabi tuna burgers and sweet potatoes. No, I did not make wasabi tuna pops, phew! But I did make SWEET POTATO POPS! 

We had several slices of sweet potato that did not fit on the cookie sheet, so I brought home the raw slices. I microwaved them for 3 minutes before blending them with a teaspoon of vanilla extract, cinnamon, Greek yogurt and about a tablespoon of agave. I put in about twice as much cinnamon as I instinctively deemed necessary. I thought they needed a flavor that would stand out and break free of the cold-dampening effect. I was right.

These are my new favorite pops. Sorry, Deacon Knorr. I adored our Lemon Poppy Seed pops, but these have trumped them. I can't wait to discover my next favorite.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Chitty Chitty Chocolate Cherry


I purchased a bottle of chocolate syrup for the purposes of *pop* several weeks ago. So far, I've been making pretty healthy pops so I was reluctant to start poppin' in chocolate. At least it's organic....that made me feel ever so slightly better. No pesticides in my syrup! Anyway...I decided to finally break it out. CHOCOLATE CHERRY seemed to be a natural pairing.

I had some leftover tart cherry juice from the very successful Cherry Coke pops. I combined it with blended cherries (and a bit of water). The next stripe was purely chocolate syrup and the bottom was the cherry concoction again. You'll notice the outer stripes are slightly different in color. I strained the mixture before re-pouring, as some congealed cherry foam had formed at the top.  

When I told Miss McNitt of these pops, she began singing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for purposes of alliteration and the added bonus of greatly annoying me, as it took a full day to get the song out of my head (my apologies if I just inflicted the same pain upon you, reader). 

Gingerly Poppin'


Last week, when shopping with Deacon Knorr, I insisted that I could easily get in and out of Big Apple in under 6 minutes. I was wrong. I think it ended up being 8ish. Anyway, I was running around the store, grabbing interesting ingredients in a frenzy. One such ingredient is crystalized ginger.

What to do with crystalized ginger? I began thinking of trendy, fruity cocktails for inspiration. I immediately paired mango and ginger. These MANGO GINGER pops combine lime juice, mango and crystalized ginger. The bottom is a stripe of pure lime juice.

This weekend, after a medium sized walk in the dense Chicago humidity (although if you ask Dr. Cornelius, I made him walk 11 miles through the jungle), I was in desperate need of refreshment. These zesty, fruity, flavorful pops were just the trick.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Apripops


I bought some vanilla beans at the store the other day. I always find it rather curious that vanilla beans don't look like beans at all, but rather like stalks. For something so tasty, they're quite ugly. Anyway, what to do with vanilla beans? Chocolate and vanilla seemed like a cheap cop out (although Miss McNitt just requested a batch of those and her wish is my command).

I decided on apricot. APRICOT & VANILLA BEAN. It sounds like the perfect summer dessert! I blended greek yogurt with half a vanilla bean and about a tablespoon of agave nectar and set some aside. Then I added an apricot to the remaining mixture and blended. I alternated stripes of the two mixtures.

They're pretty adorable, I must say. Sweet but not too sweet. And quite refreshing.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Genteel Pops


For some reason, whenever my father says Key Lime Pie, he feels the need to do so in a strange, genteel Savannah-esque accent. Every time. So of course that is what runs through my head when I see a box of Krusteaz Key Lime Bar Mix in the baking aisle. That and...what an awesome idea for a pop!

After the incredible success of yesterday's Lemon Poppy Seed pops (see below) I was inspired to create more citrus baked goods...in pop form of course! Mr. Leavitt expertly zested and juiced a lime, to which I added a few tablespoons of the mix and some Greek yogurt.

They look and smell zesty and delicious. I have yet to try one. Come on over this weekend for a sample!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Poppy Pop


Feeling guilty over my recent indiscretion, I decided to spend some quality time with my Zoku. I had to think of a phenomenal pop. Nothing quick and dirty, something substantive and inventive to prove my (re)commitment.

I'm not sure how the thought initially occurred to me, but I decided on LEMON POPPY SEED. After gorging ourselves on sushi at Ponzu,  Deacon Knorr and I picked up some of the necessary ingredients. We decided on lemon greek yogurt with freshly squeezed lemon juice, freshy grated lemon zest and poppy seeds. We blended the concoction and poured it into the molds. There was some discussion of a mutual fear of over-citrusization. However, after sampling our pops, the Deacon and I were quite pleased! A triumphant return to the Zoku!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Infidelity in the Freezer

i


I cheated on my Zoku. I'm sorry, but it's true. I needed a regular mold for several reasons. Most importantly, making boozy pops. I perused the many choices on Amazon and settled on the Norpro. It's simple, makes attractive pops and has disposable sticks. I am a bit overprotective of my Zoku sticks and I think my friends will appreciate the nag-free portability.

My first boozy batch is PEACH/RASPBERRY BELLINI. I went for the classic bellini (champagne and peach) and added a layer of puréed raspberry at the bottom for a tart (and pretty) punch. The mold made 10 perfect pops in just a few hours. You'll notice my rookie mistake in the photo. I pushed the sticks too far into the pop, making the pop stout and difficult to grasp. Oh well, now I know.

What should my next boozy batch be?

Perfect Pearing


Feeling uninspired, I scanned my countertop for inspiration. Onion? Gross. Kiwi? Done it. Tomatoes? Slightly unappetizing (but stay tuned for a savory pop involving tomatoes planned for August). Pears? PEARS!

What to pair with a pear? I felt like stepping out of the *mold*. What's an unexpected pairing for a pear pop yet a classic flavor combination? Balsamic of course! PEAR BALSAMIC pops. I blended a fresh pear with a touch of agave nectar. I added thin (but in retrospect, not thin enough) stripes of balsamic. I adore these pops. The other two tasters had mixed reviews (one loved, one "meh"ed). Try them and judge for yourself!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Patriotic Pops!

By now I'm sure you can all tell that I adore alliteration (see what I did there?) These pops were no easy feat. The above pictured pop is sadly my best (visual) specimen. They are STRAWBERRY BLUEBERRY RHUBARB YOGURT. Whew, that's a mouthful!

The blended blueberry/rhubard, yogurt and strawberry/rhubarb mixtures were all quite thick, making for tricky, splashy pouring. The stars are pear, my best available white fruit. I initially tried using the rhubarb but it is too stringy for my puncturing needs. Unfortunately, the pear is rather porous and took on the color from the blueberry. Drat. I'll need to find a pear replacement. Perhaps the Asian Pear is firmer? Stay tuned for more holiday pops throughout the long weekend!

Monday, June 27, 2011

PRIDE Pops!

In honor of this weekend's (historic) Pride Festival, I had to make some rainbow pops! I was pressed for time, it was quite the jam packed weekend. And while it was perfect pop consumption weather, it was not pop making weather. The sunshine was not conducive to staying inside blending, pureeing, measuing and the like! So I went for simple.

A RAINBOW LEMONADE pop. Easy, festive and fun. I hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm currently brainstorming some yummy red white and blue pops for next weekend, feel free to weigh in.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Art Inspired Pops


After taking in the beauty of Caitlin McGauley's *pop* art (below), I deemed her pops good enough to eat.  I decided to use her painting as aesthetic inspiration for some new pops. I started with the top left and decided to make KIWI LIMEADE. I used a combination of fresh squeezed lime (my citrus squeezer is by far my favorite kitchen gadget) and bottled lime juice. I thinly sliced the kiwis and affixed them to the sides of the Zoku mold (both front and back). Voila! Tangy, art-inspired pops.


Next I chose the black white and pink pop (second from the right, bottom row). I decided to make CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT RASPBERRY pops. The chocolate is pudding (reduced sugar) blended with a little water (so its pourable). I made the white from greek yogurt and hazelnut extract (the pop on the left has a chopped hazelnut layer). The raspberry layer is simply pureed raspberries (with a little water for blending). I am very pleased with my first attempt at a rich dessert pop. It's both healthy(ish) and beautiful! Which pop should I replicate next? 

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Watercolor Pops!

I ADORE this watercolor print by Caitlin McGauley featured today on the Lonny blog! I love Caitlin's fresh, bright illustrations and instantly recognized her work from Kate Spade.  Please leave links to any other *pop* art in the comments section.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Frozen Florals




To be honest, edible flowers aren't terribly delectable, perhaps piquant at best (I apologize to my mother who detests the phrase "to be honest.") In fact, in perparing these pops I discovered that certain varietals smell of unnamed illicit substances. Clearly this batch of pops had purely aesthetic inspiration. But c'mon, they're adorable. These ORANGE AND BLUEBERRY YOGURT pops, despite their vain inspiration, are quite delicious! They're sweet and creamy and taste (almost) as good as they look.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Lazy Pops

I adore frozen grapes. They're the perfect texture and the perfect amount of cold, refreshing sweetness. I remember washing and carefully removing all trace of vine before freezing them by the cupful. Unfortunately I also remember great animosity when my sister regularly stole the *fruits* of my labor. 

Here, I have SKEWERED RED AND GREEN GRAPES (in varied color patterns) for a virtually prep-free pop.

Savor the...savory.


I figured out what is missing in my repertoire of previous pops. They are sweet. Deliciously sweet, yes. But where is the diversity, where are the savory pops? 

I was a little nervous about my foray into the world of savory. I decided to start small. MANGO CHILI LIME came to mind. Still sweet and fruity but tempered with sour and spicy notes. My initial taste-test (pre-freeze) was unsatisfactory, way too heavy on the chili. But cold dampens flavor, right? So I went ahead and froze them anyway. Dr. Cornelius gave his tasting a rave review. We do have nearly identical palettes (except his inexplicable love of the banana bully and hatred of baby corn). So, I am reluctantly looking forward to tasting my own spicy, sweet sample.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Crawl Continues


After indulging in a delectable late lunch at Snack Taverna, I was rather full. But I put on a brave face, pushed through my satiety and made room for a popsicle. After all, I have a duty to inform my public. Or something. And I was eager to continue my NYC popsicle crawl following yesterday's über successful tasting at People's Pop.

My mother and I meandered our way through a few charming West Village side streets and arrived at our destination, popbar.

The popbar storefront, on the bustling corner of Carmine and 6th, is modern and sparse. There is little room to loiter and lick, as it were, much less stand in line. The storefront lacked the homey charm of People's Pop. Conversely, it felt corporate and impersonal.


I did enjoy the large selection of pops colorfully inhabiting the vast display case.  The pops fall into three categories: yogurt, sorbetto and gelato. There are also several add-ons called  "poppings". As someone who revels in her sprinkles (rainbow of course) more than the fro-yo they colorfully adorn, I understood the appeal.

I chose MANDARIN on the recommendation of the young woman at the register (I was having great difficulty deciding among grapefruit, mandarin and pineapple, all "sorbetto"). No poppings. In addition to being full, I was more interested in the essence of the pop, not the accoutrements.

The pop was good. Just good. I enjoyed the zesty mandarin flavor. The pop wasn't particularly firm, making it easier to bite into, a quality some might enjoy. I do not. Because then... it was gone, just like that. And I have to say, unlike yesterday's delightful, long-lasting strawberry rhubarb specimen, I didn't really miss it.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The People have Spoken


Since I am spending the week galavanting around NYC, what seems to be a popsicle mecca as of late, I decided to sample some wares. After strolling around the Union Square Farmer's Market (love!) I decided to head over to the Chelsea Market outpost of People's Pops. Since it was a warm, sunny afternoon, I began to pick up the pace, the thought of an icy cold popsicle sounding increasingly desirable. I walked with such a determined stride that I had to *pop* into Old Navy for a pair of flip flops, lest I develop a blister.


My eager, overheated palette and I finally arrived. I plopped down on a bar stool and chatted up my pop server (popista?), a lovely fellow MSW who espoused on her theory relating the hipster phenomenon to Erikson's stage of Intimacy vs: Isolation. Very entertaining.


I asked for her expert flavor recommendation. She was partial to coffee. Tempting, as coffee has long been my favorite ice cream and gelato flavor. However, having recently given up caffeine, I opted for the "public's" favorite: STRAWBERRY RHUBARB. It was refreshing and flavorful, well worth the hot stroll over. Though I have no other pop(sicle) shops with which to compare (yet) I am confident in my glowing review of People's Pop.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Mmmargarita


What screams summer louder than WATERMELON MARGARITA pops? I made roughly a dozen batches of these pops last summer. We enjoyed them at BBQs, hanging on the roof, at the pool...nary a situation was unimpoved by these delicious pops.  Needless to say, they were a huge hit! I also tried some peach and strawberry variations.

I found the recipe while reading Martha Stewart Living (pictured right) on an otherwise heinously boring plane ride. It was because of the incredible success of these pops than I was inspired to peruse Martha Stewart for further inspiration (see Boodelberries and POPs with a BANG). Try them and vary the recipe with various fruits (and even make a virgin batch for kiddos). Enjoy!