Easy Peasy Popsicles

It seems to be heating up everywhere around the country right now, so I thought we could all use some easy - and relatively healthy - cooling off.  Basically, all you need to make popsicles at home is fruit, a blender, and a popsicle mold.  The directions are nearly always:  Blend, Pour, Freeze.  And the recipes can be modified and changed up a thousand different ways.

I opted to make a creamy coconutty popsicle because it sounded just so yum.  The Limber de Coco recipe ended up tasting like frozen rice pudding - Yum!  Because I limit my dairy, I may try making them next time with all coconut milk, or just substituting almond milk for the evaporated milk.  I gave this one a 4 Spoons.

The Berry popsicles are yummy and definitely an easy way to get in a ton of fruit.  They aren't as sweet as a grocery-store popsicle, so you can add more honey if you like.  I rated these a 4 Spoons.  I might try making them with strawberries next.

The Prosecco popsicles were a great idea in theory.  I think my mistake was in using a Prosecco that I don't absolutely love.  I'm pretty sure that if I made them with my favorite Moscato, they'd be to-die-for.  Yes, you can still taste the champagne flavor when you pull them out of the freezer.  So, if you love champagne, these could be fun.  I rated these a 3.5 Spoons (probably a 4 Spoons with my Moscato).

My popsicle mold is a cheapy from Ikea.  But I've seen them at craft stores, too.  Here's a link for snazzy ones onlines.  I'm seriously tempted to order them.  I'd be the coolest non-mom on the block, right? :)   Popsicle Molds on Amazon

Enjoy!

My favorites: Berry and Coconut Cream

Berry Popsicles

adapted from this lady

1 pint blueberries

3 Tbsp. agave or honey

1/2 100% fruit juice

squeeze of lemon juice

pinch salt

Dump all ingredients into your blender or food processor and blend to make a slurry.  Pour into your popsicle mold and freeze 5 hours or until solid.

Limber de Coco (Coconut Cream Popsicles)

courtesy of Tasty Kitchen

7 oz coconut milk (1/2 the can)

6 oz evaporated milk (1/2 the can)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. shredded coconut, optional
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg yolk

Whisk all ingredients and pour into your popsicle mold.  Freeze 5 hours or until solid.  (Yes, there's an egg in here.  Crazy!  The original recipe says you don't have to use it, but I figured, why not.  I love raw cookie dough and egg nog; what's not to lose.)




Prosecco Popsicles
adapted from this lady
2 peaches, sliced
1 c. strawberries (I used frozen, whole strawberries)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 bottle Prosecco (next time, I'll use Moscato)

Dump fruit, sugar, and a splash of Prosecco into your blender or food processor.  Blend until you have a slurry.  Stir in remaining Prosecco.  Pour into your popsicle mold and freeze 5 hours, or until solid.




The Prosecco popsicles expanded the most.  Note to self: When making popsicles with fizzy alcohol, don't fill the mold as high as usual.

Voila!

Gusteu's Ratatouille

I'm sure many of you have seen the Disney-Pixar movie Ratatouille. Well, my children have always wondered what exactly ratatouille is. When we purchased our DVD of the film, it came with a children's cookbook called What's Cooking? So I pulled it out. Remember in the film when Remy discovered Gusteu's recipe for ratatouille and nobody thought he should make it? However, he did and the food critic LOVED it. Goes to show that sometimes simple, old fashioned food is just what the cook ordered.

When I decided to make this I knew two things. The first, it was going to be a huge hit with my husband. The second, even though my kids wanted to know what it was a I was sure they'd wrinkle up their noses at a vegetable stew on their plate in front of them. So I must admit that when I was purchasing the veggies to make this I picked chicken for the kids at the same time. Normally I wouldn't admit that!

My husband rated it a 5. He actually said the words "This is the best meal of my life." I wasn't sure if he truely meant it or if he was just grateful that I cooked! Ha! Then while I was doing the dishes I heard him tell my oldest son that "it was better than grandma's". Hmmm, I'll take that!

My oldest son did try it and said it was okay. Let's face it, a plate full of veggies vs. a 9 year old isn't going to rate high. My other 2 wouldn't even try it!

I thought it was very tasty and rate it a 4.5.

vist me at Life in the BAT Cave

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, cubed
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil (I used 1/4 cup)
1 red or green pepper, chopped (I used red just because I like them better)
2 to 4 crushed garlic cloves (I used 3)
4 small zucchini, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Salt the eggplant, drain in a colander for 1 hour and pat dry. (I ended up only letting it drain for approx. 25 min. and it was fine). Heat half of the oil in a large saucepan and briefly saute the eggplant until brown, then add the onion and pepper. Next, add the garlic, zucchini, and tomatoes. Cook until a soft stew has formed, about 15-30 minutes (I let it cook about 35 min.)

Add the salt, pepper, and basil. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve over rice.

Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries

Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008

Show: Good EatsEpisode: A Cabbage Sprouts in Brussels

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, rinsed and trimmed
• 3 ounces coarsely chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces coarsely chopped dried cranberries

Directions

Slice the Brussels sprouts using the thinnest slicing disk of a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, you may slice thinly with a knife or a mandoline.

Set a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat and add the pecans. Cook, stirring continually, until the pecans darken in color and begin to give off a toasted aroma, approximately 2 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and stir to combine. Once the butter has melted, add the Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and cook, stirring continually, until the color brightens and the sprouts are just tender, approximately 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cranberries, toss and serve.

I rated this a 4 spoon! Hubs rated it a 0, but he doesn't like brussel sprouts. Also I used almonds not pecans cause well I didn't have pecans... BUT I bet it would be EVEN better with pecans. LOL

When we got Brussel Sprouts in our Boutiful Basket, I wanted to do something different than just boil them, so I found this yummy recipe from Alton Brown (whom I love!) and it was a hit!

Garlic Lime Shrimp with Black Bean and Corn Salad

I found this recipe in kiwi magazine - it was a feature called Cooking with Kids - and while I had plans to make this with my oldest Jakob on the day that we were to do it - he also wanted to go to the park, splash pad and to have an ice cream.

So I did it myself really quickly.

The kids really loved the shrimp - there was not a single one left - Hubby and I thought that they were a little bland. So next time we are going to make a few changes...

Adding hot pepper sauce to the marinade and making sure to let the marinade set for hour.

Since I was in such a hurry - I didn't make sure to.

Garlic Lime Shrimp with Black Bean and Corn Salad
kiwi magazine June/July 2010
Aviva Goldfarb

Shrimp Marinade Ingredients:
1 lb large shrimp peeled and de-veined (thawed if frozen)
4-6 cloves of garlic (1 Tbsp minced)
1 - 1 1/2 limes
1/4 tsp salt


In a large bowl combine shrimp (I used teeny tiny little ones since my kids love them) with garlic, lime zest, 2 Tbsp lime juice and salt.

Refrigerate until ready to cook.





Ingredients for Black Bean and Corn Salad:

1 15oz can of black beans
1 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (or us the kernels off of 2-3 ears of corn)
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

Drain and rinse the beans in a strainer. In a medium bowl combine everything.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.



With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp from the marinade to the skittle, spreading them evenly and reserving the marinade. Saute shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes per side, depending on the size of the shrimp, until it turns pink. After shrimp had cooked about halfway through on the second side, add the reserved marinade and continue cooking for about two more minutes until all the shrimp is cooked through.

Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and gently toss with 1/4 cup cilantro.

Serve the shrimp and salad with sour cream and hot pepper sauce if desired.

We ate every single bit of salad (Which my kids were really confused about. What? There's no lettuce in this?) and shrimp - the sour cream and hot sauce was a really good addition and even the kids loved it.

This is going into my dinner rotation - with the changes mentioned above.

We rate it a 4 spoons.

P.S. We did have a ton of summer fun: