CocoCherri & RazzleMelon Pops

Last week's HEAT was unbearable . I couldn't do anything in my kitchen that involved a heat source. We did a bunch of grilling instead. The only things I managed to make in the kitchen was POPS. Heaven forbid we run out of yummy cool treats during this heat! I made a few kinds. I am including them in this same post since the instructions are the same. I had a bunch of cherries that needed attention among a few other things in my fridge. The first pops are CocoCherri- since my cherries were so ripe and sweet I didn't need to add any sugar. Second I had a watermelon and some raspberries I thought they sounded perfect together. My raspberries were a little tart so sugar was added. Hopefully we have some more warm days that you can enjoy some frozen treats. I personaly love pops in the winter I just enjoy them in front of the fire and dream of summer.

CocoCherri  (Cherry & Coconut Pops)

1 liter of cherry juice/ compote from fresh cherries

CocoCherri

1 can of Coconut Milk

*Note I pitted my cherries and mashed them up, but bottled juice can be used. For the coconut milk- make sure it's pure Cocnut Milk- NOT coconut water or that creame de coconut (it's way too sugary). Always taste the mixture before freezing, if it's too tart just add a few tablespoons of sugar at a time till it's at your desired sweetness. - See freezing instuctions after the  RazzleMelon Pops

RazzleMelon (Raspberry & Watermelon Pops)
1 Small seedless Watermelon- rind removed, cut in chunks
2 cups fresh/frozen Raspberries- washed
1 Lime zested and juiced
1/2 cup sugar
Blend everything together. Run through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds.  Taste before freezing adjust flavor to desired sweetness.

RazzleMelon 

Molding and Freezing Instructions:
Now divide into Popsicle molds, freeze for about and hour and add the sticks. Don't add the sticks right away because they will sink to the bottom. I always freeze my pops overnight before removing from the molds. To release from molds, just dip in warm water and pull out. Wrap the pops in wax paper or plastic wrap,then stack in a freezer bag. It's so much better then store bought pops!

Papaya Pops

After making my Papaya Face Mask I had a good amount of papaya left over. Since papaya is yummy  frozen I decided on POPSICLES!!
I am obsessed with Popsicles!! I have collected quite a few molds from goodwill shopping. So this is my kick off to a Summer of Popsicles. I will have many more flavors, as the summer goes on!

Since I didn't know squat about papaya until I bought one, here is a great website that explains How to pick out a papaya.  

I like to make lots of different kinds of pops, so to keep them straight I label the end of each stick, that way I can store multiple kinds in the same bag.

 Papaya Pops!

3 1/2 cups  papaya cut up in 1 inch chunks

3/4 cup sugar

 1/4 cup lime juice

zest of 1 lime

Add everything into a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. See that was easy!

Now divide into Popsicle molds, freeze for about and hour and add the sticks. Don't add the sticks right away because they will sink to the bottom. I always freeze my pops overnight before removing from the molds. To release from molds, just dip in warm water and pull out. Wrap the pops in wax paper or plastic wrap,then stack in a freezer bag. It's so much better then store bought pops!

Energy Bars

I came across this recipe when flipping through cookbooks at the library. Wow so great! This energy bar is full of protein and nutrients. The best part is you can add any kind of nuts and dried fruit. I kept it pretty traditional with raisins and almonds this time. Next time I plan to use figs and pecans.

Raisins, Oat, Almonds, Honey, Butter

Energy Bars:
Adapted from Green Market Baking Book
1/4 cup Salted Butter
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup Milk
1 TBS vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups oat flakes
1 cup chopped almonds
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 350*

Toasted Oats and Almonds

Spray the sides and bottom of a square baking dish.  Rehydrate the raisins in the milk and vanilla let sit till plump about 15 min.  Melt the butter in a large pan on medium heat, add the oats and almonds toss to toast for about 5 min-  make sure to keep stirring. Add the cinnamon and cook for 1 min longer. Pull off the heat.  Add the eggs and honey to raisin mixture, mix well, then add to the oat raisin mixture. Stir till evenly combined. Spread the mixture into the baking dish, and bake till golden brown and pulling away from the sides about 20 - 30 minutes. Cool before cutting. They will keep for 1 week. I know they won't last that long here!