Strawberry Banana Pops

Long time no see friends!  Phew!  Been a long handful of months, and I am overjoyed to say I am back.  I think I took the time I needed.  I still feel sad, and have to have moments of complete breaking down, but, I think I am ready to get back to what I love most!  I have missed your comments here, our chats on social media and just knowing your prayers and thoughts were with me and my family, was heartwarming.

Let me tell you about my surroundings while I get my first blog in a couple of months up.  Some of you may or may not remember, I ALWAYS wear lipstick when I am writing a blog.  It empowers me.  There is pretty much nothing I can't do, with a good lippy on my face!  Listening to some old Lionel Ritchie. Stevie Wonder and Luther Vandross.  My tiny lady (dog) Sofia, is at my feet.  It is sunny and hot outside, but I have the blinds drawn and the light off where I work.  I like to edit photos in a dim room.  I find it relaxing and with my vision issues, it is easier on my eyes.  OH, don't forget my huge orange ball jar glass that is next to me with ice water.  If I randomly type lyrics to a song, I can't be held responsible.  I usually do ok, but it has been awhile!!

I had my 2.5 year old granddaughter over last night.  She stayed the night with Nonna and Pop Pop.  I am becoming increasingly mindful of what I feed them.  Never thought THAT would happen.......  But they are the single most important people alive in my world, and I will only try to do what is best for them and their health.  They are the most precious little gifts.  Anyway I wanted a popsicle recipe that was really wholesome and good.  Sure it has a little bit of sugar, but, they are going to love the heck out of these.  My husband did.  I foresee lots of different varieties in our near future but, I shopped produce that was on sale, and that I had on hand to use and we came up with these simple pops.  I also like the smaller size.  Each one holds approx 1/3 cup of mixture.  I needed some new popsicle molds, these were .99 at Walmart and ended up ringing up .52!  I will take them!  I sort of like that they are all one piece except the lids.

Am I rambling?  I thought so, this just feels so awesome, I want to stay with it as long as I can!  Lucky for me I tested (successfully) 2 other recipes today so I get to ramble two more times this week!

Here we go, easy recipe, a sweet, tiny bit tart reward comes after a few hours in the freezer!  I hope you enjoy!

You will need:
2 bananas
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 strawberries that you cut up small (set aside)
1 T. granulated sugar
1/3 cup water

Add all ingredients to your blender or food processor.  I used my blender.  It might take a second to get it going, but it will, and then blend until smooth.

Next, take your finely diced up strawberries that you set aside and put a few into each mold.  Just drop them in until you have used them all!

Now fill the molds up with the blended strawberries and bananas mixture.  These molds can be filled to the top but be careful that yours might need to stop just shy of the top!

Pop them into the freezer and let freeze at least 4 hours.  You might need to dip your mold into some warm water to loosen them, however, I didn't need to do that.  I think it sort of all depends on the molds you use.

Enjoy these sweet, fruity, frozen treats on a hot day!!

Glad to be back...........

Cherries In The Snow, Cherry Almond Popsicles

I love garage sales.  I love makeup.  I love things that bring back happy childhood memories.  Do any of these things relate to each other?  Relate to food?  Well let me explain how they do.

I was out at garage sales with my daughter in law the other day.  We did a few "drive-byes" and found one that looked promising.  I sent my daughter in law to scope it out as we had one screaming twin in tote.  She yelled back at me that there was a ton of Tupperware, like new.  Well, Tupperware is a complete blast from the past for me.  I mean haven't a lot of us moved on to Rubbermaid and Glad disposable storage bowls?  I had to go check it out.  As I was moving toward the boxes of Tupperware, I had eyeballed something that looked familiar right away.  I couldn't be sure if it was, in fact, what I thought it was.  As I got closer, my blood pressure rose, and I started to get the shivers, I had, at that moment, in fact, laid my eyes on none other than a  "vintage" Tupperware Popsicle Set!!  WHAT?  This was like my childhood  all wrapped in a Ziploc!  I was thrilled!  I snagged those babies up.  I wouldn't have cared if they were 20.00, I was going to leave with them in my hand! 

I got home, washed them up and sat contemplating what my first flavor would be.  I knew I had cherries to use up.  I didn't want to go with chocolate and cherries, it just seemed, not the right thing.  As I sat, I was thinking that I needed to do my makeup for an outing later and so I got to it.  When I put on my favorite red lipstick, it all came rushing to me.  YES!  Cherries and almond!  I would keep them looking white, with cherries in them and I would call them none other than, "Cherries In The Snow"! (Thanks Revlon!)  Many things I love rolled into one, Tupperware, garage sales, lipstick and food.  . 

My life is now complete.

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup cherries, pitted and chopped
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1/8 tsp. cherry extract

Combine all ingredients, pour mixture into popsicle molds and freeze until completely frozen overnight is best!!  While I am not exactly sure how many ounces each of these hold, this will make 6 popsicles using this set!  Very easy to double or triple! 

Enjoy these simple, but delicious summer treats!  But, be prepared because..... I'm in a popsicle state of mind!

Pineapple Cheesecake Popsicles!

Do you remember summers when you were kid?  Didn't it seem a lot longer, a lot hotter, and a lot more carefree?  I mean, obviously when you are a kid you don't have adult responsibilities but it seemed like even my parents life was more carefree in the summer. 

My typical summer as a kid, was getting up early, going to the "little" baseball field 2 blocks away and playing morning league baseball with every other kid in town.  I would go home, play, have lunch, usually a trip or two through the sprinkler, help my mom in the garden or with canning, have lunch and then off to the swimming pool.  We would swim from when the doors opened until they closed.  Sometimes, my dad would give us a quarter to walk during one of the "breaks"  to the Ord Drive In, to get an ice cream cone.  Barefoot and carefree, with my ice cream, and living in my swimsuit.  Now THAT was my idea of a great summer. 

When I think of summer food, I think about burgers, sliced tomatoes, hot dogs, bologna sandwiches which thanks to a childhood full of bologna, I can no longer tolerate the sight or smell of!  Mostly I remember my mom making popsicles.  She had these Tupperware popsicle molds.  Do you remember those?  Sometimes we would use a plain ice cube tray and stick the "washed" popsicle sticks in.  Yes, we did that, we would eat a store bought popsicle, which we didn't get very often actually and SAVE the sticks, they would get washed and had a place in the silverware drawer for making our own!!  ACK!  Sometimes we got those long frozen ones in the plastic.  You know the ones, the ones that you eat and then with great determination try to suck the juice left at the bottom out of?!  I loved green.  I loved red too. 

Well, since summer is so near, and since I have my fill of frozen kool aid popsicles, I wanted to make something fancier.  Who can have to many popsicle variations?  They are like cupcakes that way....NOT possible.  You see variations of this recipe everywhere I am sure.  But I want to share with you that BEST version, well, in my opinion anyway!  You could trade this fruit choice out for anything but let me assure you, the combination of pineapple and cheesecake is one, you should NOT tamper with willingly.  Ok let me reiterate, when I tell you these are AMAZING, I mean, like......the day they invented electricity, kind of amazing.  Got it?

I bought these molds at Family Dollar.  You can buy them nearly anywhere.  Mine were 1.50 for the 4 popsicle molds.  I bought 3.  This recipe will make anywhere from 9-12 depending on the size of your molds and how full you fill them.  Ready?

1 8oz. pkg Philadelphia cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk  (NOT evaporated)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple WITH juice.  (don't drain!)
1/2 cup milk

Combine cream cheese and condensed milk until creamy.  Add in milk and blend with your hand mixer until combined.  Add in pineapple last so that you keep a few of the chunkier pieces. 
Fill your popsicle molds not quite to the top.  Put the tops on.  If you are using wooden sticks, place foil over the molds and poke the sticks through the middle of each popsicle so that foil will hold them upright.

Freeze at LEAST 8 hours.  Because these have cream cheese in them they won't freeze rock hard like a regular all liquid popsicle.  They will be the consistency of say, a, pudding pop.  Run the mold under warm water until it will lift out easily.  This make take a few seconds, be patient!  My husband kept pulling the sticks out when he would remove one, I never had the problem at all.  Likely because I have patience.  (just a guess). 

These are creamy, rich, and refreshing all at the same time.   Don't worry, I have more summer treats coming your way!  ENJOY!!

Your "lick fast" chefwannabe

Niece Invasion of the Extreme Sundae Pie- Take 1! By: Jamie and Katie

 For a long time now we have been trying to plan to come and make some yummy dishes with our Aunt Chris!  My summer has been busy doing softball, babysitting, and hanging out at my grandmas lake, and Jamie's summer has been busy at volleyball camps, and preparing for 8th grade. We finally made some dates and came down to cook!  The first thing we had to do was go to the grocery store and obviously buy the ingredients. Then, we finally got to the house and prepared what we needed to make!  We made a dessert what we call "The Extreme Sundae Pie." We wanted to make an ice-cream dessert to cool down these 110 degree days!

 

If you want to cool down these extremly hot summer days too, please keep reading and follow these directions!

You will need...                 
9 in. springform pan                  
1 -1.5 qts. of Cookies and Cream ice-cream
3 pkgs. of fun size Kit Kats
2 tsp. vanilla
2 -12.8 hot fudge jars (melted a little bit just enough to spread)               
2 cups graham crackers
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 pkg chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreo)
              
***remember to let the ice-cream soften slightly before you begin to assemble this dessert***

We put 2 cups of graham crackers into the food processor and zapped it.  Add in melted butter and zap some more.  Press it into the bottom of the spring form pan. 
Put the cookies and cream ice cream in a mixer or use a bowl and spoon. 

Add 1 tsp vanilla and mix completely.  Unwrap all of the kit kat bars and leave them connected. 

Line the spring form pan after you have pressed in the crust .  You might have to hold them up with an extra set of hands until you get the ice cream layer poured in.  Pour the ice cream in the pan on top of the graham cracker crust and smooth it out. 

Put it in the freezer and let it set up for about 30 minutes.  Jamie can't really remember so just keep checking it.  It doesn't need to be solid, it just needs to be set a bit. 

Now, melt the  hot fudge just until it is soft enough to spread.  Spread on both jars and put back in the freezer for another 30 minutes.  Wait, Jamie can't remember again, so just until it is set. 

Now mix together your softened vanilla ice cream and 1 tsp vanilla.  Stir until combined.  Pour into pan OVER the hot fudge.  BE CAREFUL.  It will be a wee bit to much.  So, get yourself a little bowl and pour the excess into it.  Now let it sit in the freezer again. 

While it is in the freezer, crush 1/2 of a package of Oreos in a ziploc bag.  Now using any bashing instrument of your choice, beat those babies until they are Oreo DUST!  Next, sprinkle the crumbs on to the top of the pie.  Let it sit until ready to serve.  (probably at least 3 hours)

We hope you love our Extreme Sundae Pie.  It is fun to make and we had fun driving Aunt Chris insane.  We didn't even have to clean up cause our Aunt Chrissy did it all for us. 

Your "cra-cra nieces of chefwannabe"

Jamie and Katie
 

PS.  Thanks Jatie and Kamie (hehe), I had so much fun with you!  Food, makeup, writing, and laughing our buns off!  Hope you make this at home so you can actually EAT SOME! Sorry!  Love you guys!xoxo