I remember those special occasions from childhood when we made homemade
ice cream
Is your mouth watering for some tasty cold treats this summer? It is always fun to have something to pull out of the freezer for the kids (or adults) when they are just "so hot."
One of the easiest treats to make are freezer pops. From fruit drinks to juices, freezer pops can be made with almost any food that can be frozen. It's nice to have your own
freezer pop maker, but small paper cups and wooden sticks will work also. Here are some suggestions for your freezer pops. If you want to make them wild and crazy throw in a few sprinkles, nuts, marshmallows or chocolate chips.
- Fruit juices like apple, orange, cran-raspberry, etc.
- Uncarbonated fruit drinks with a blend of pineapple juice or orange juice.
- Leftover sodas or pop
- Puddings or yogurt or gelatin
- Fruit that has been pureed or applesauce
- Chocolate milk or shakes
It's always fun to make layered freezer pops. It is a longer freezing process, but for special occasions, the kids will have fun. For July
4th why not try rocket pops?
1. Start with some red flavored juice or fruit drink such as strawberry pop or cran-raspberry
juice. Add red food coloring until you achieve the desired effect. Our
shooting star
pop mold or
rocket mold have the perfect shape. Pour into freezer pop mold. When they start to freeze, put in the wooden sticks. Freeze completely.
2. Blend together equal parts of vanilla yogurt and frozen whipped topping. Place a layer on top of the first layer. Freeze.
3. Use diluted grape juice or a blue colored fruit drink with additional blue food coloring for the final layer. After molds are completely frozen, run under cold water to release.
Another fun treat for kids are ice cream sandwiches. You can have them available in the freezer also. With a
deluxe ice cream sandwich maker, you can choose your favorite cookies and ice cream to make any combo of your choice. Make up your favorite batch of rolled cookie dough and cut out - cutter comes with the sandwich maker. Bake the cookies and cool. Place one cookie on cutter form; layer your favorite ice cream and place second cookie on top. Eat right away or place in freezer bags and keep in the freezer. The ice cream sandwich maker can work with cookies purchased at stores and bakeries also.
Some suggested combos:
- Chocolate cookies with chocolate chip ice cream
- Sugar cookies with strawberry ice cream
- Oatmeal cookies with maple nut or cinnamon ice cream
- Chocolate chip cookies with rocky road ice cream
If freezer pops or ice cream sandwiches are not your favorite summer treat, try
a Jell-O shake. Mix 4 cups of milk, 1 small pkg. of your favorite flavored
gelatin, and 1/2 cup softened ice cream in a blender. Mix well. Pour into 4
glasses and serve immediately.
Fruit smoothies also go down well during hot summer days. Liven up your lunch or
provide a cooling treat for the kids with these fun recipes.
Cookies and Cream Smoothie
Combine in a blender: 1 cup milk and 1 cup fat free or low fat chocolate
frozen yogurt
Blend until smooth. Crumble in 2 reduced fat or regular sandwich cookies (like
Oreos) and blend. Serve and enjoy.
Purple Cow
Combine in a blender: 1-1/2 cups milk; 3 tablespoons frozen grape juice
concentrate (not diluted); and 5 ice cubes. For extra creaminess add 1/2 cup fat
free or low fat vanilla forzen yogurt instead of the ice cubes. Blend until
smooth. Serve and enjoy.
Summer is the time for those extra indulgences and family get-togethers. So cool down with cool treats, made just the way you like them!
