Fun Popsicle & Picnic Recipes

Nothing beats a homemade popsicle or a picnic in the shade on a hot day. The following are some of my kid’s favourite beat the heat summer recipes.

Drip-less popsicles. Dissolve one 85g package of gelatin powder in one cup boiling water. Stir in one and a quarter cup juice. Pour into moulds and freeze.

Rocky Road treats. Make one package of chocolate pudding according to the directions. Add one half cup of miniature marshmallows and one half cup of chopped peanuts. Mix well. Pour into molds and freeze.

Homemade snow cones. Freeze lemonade, orange juice or fruit punch in ice cube trays. Once frozen put a handful into a blender for each snow cone. Keep blending until the mixture has reached a snowy consistency. (Note: Adding a little water turns your snow cone into a slushee.)

Cucumber baskets. Scrub cucumbers and cut off ends. Peel skin in a striped pattern. Cut into one and a half inch lengths. With a small spoon, hollow out the pieces almost to the bottom. Fill the centres with thick vegetable dip. For a decorative touch use chives or green onions for a handle. Cut up some carrot and celery sticks for dipping. Or, fill the centers with sandwich filling and eat as is.

Sandwich cones. For a fun twist on everyday sandwiches put your fillings inside an ice cream cone. Peanut butter and jelly, salmon, egg, tuna or chicken salad, all make great cone fillings.

Ham roll-ups. This great ham-and-cheese combo is a sure to be a hit with the kids. Simply spread cream cheese on slices of ham. Roll. Chill until cream cheese is firm, then slice. Serves four to six.

Jiggly, wiggly peaches. Make flavoured gelatin according to the directions on the box. Halve several ripe peaches and remove pits. Hollow out the halves slightly with a spoon. Pour approx. one tablespoon of warm gelatin into each half, chill until set, and cut into wedges. The remaining gelatin can be put into serving bowls.

Frozen fruit kabobs. Assorted fruit can make great frozen treats. Just about any kind of fruit goes. In our house we use pineapples, melon and peaches which have been cut into slices. We half our strawberries and alternatively thread our fruit on bamboo skewers (Popsicle sticks will also work). Sprinkle granulated sugar on your finished kabobs and freeze for about an hour.

Or you could simply wash, dry, and freeze berries, cherries, or seedless grapes in a sealed container and have them readily available for nibblers.

Frozen bananas on a stick. Start by peeling a banana and then cutting it in half. Insert Popsicle sticks into the cut ends. Dip the bananas into yogurt or melted chocolate and then roll in chopped nuts, crushed cereal, or coconut shavings. Place the bananas on a lined baking sheet. Freeze for about an hour.