Strawberry Vanilla Limeade Popsicles

Hi, all.  Sorry for not being around here lately.  Truth is, it’s been a pretty long, sad, all-around-rough couple of weeks for my family and I, and I just haven’t had the heart to make much in the way of dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast.

But lucky for you, my mother has always taught me that they best way to cure any sorrow, any hurt, any sadness… is a popsicle.  Whenever when I would run inside after a minor bicycle injury, or come home from school with a bad grade, or called crying about a boy,  her timeless wisdom is always the same, “Oh, baby… do you need a popsicle?”

And yes, yes, I did.  Don’t get me wrong, we are big on comfort food in my family, and I know that this is different somehow than what you would normally classify as a comfort food.  But sometimes a popsicle is the only thing I can stomach- something cool and sweet and fresh to soothe a hurting heart (or knee…or ego).

So, that is why, after a series of seemingly impossibly long days, my husband found me in the kitchen, weeping and making popsicles.  I just needed a popsicle.  And you know what? They still make me feel a little bit better.  These were delicious, too.  I hope that next time I make them, it will be for no reason at all, just because they are delicious. 

And I hope that you can make these with a big smile on your face, for someone you love, on a happy occasion.  But if, by chance, you’re having a bit of a rough time and need some comfort, then these would be perfect for that, too.  Give it a try… it can’t hurt.

Strawberry Vanilla Limeade Popsicles

A note on this recipe: This makes enough for 10 medium-sized popsicles, plus some leftover for making strawberry limeade.  You already are making everything necessary for limeade, and having a cool drink will help you hold your horses while you wait for the popsicles to freeze.

1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup sugar

5 cups water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Warm over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.  Add vanilla and the rest of the water and stir to combine.  In a pitcher, combine the syrup and the lime juice.

Fill popsicle molds with sliced strawberries, filling them to the top.  Pour limeade into the popsicle molds, over the strawberries. {At this point, throw the leftover strawberries into the pitcher of leftover limeade and put it in the fridge.  Voila- Strawberry Limeade!} Place popsicle sticks into the molds, then place the whole thing in the freezer.  How long they’ll take to freeze depends on your freezer, but it’ll probably be around 3 hours.

When the popsicles are completely frozen, you can remove them by running the plastic part of the mold under barely warm water for a few seconds at a time, until they slide out.  You can leave them in the mold and remove them as you eat them, or take them all out at once and wrap each one individually with plastic wrap. The choice is yours.