From the Foodie in Me: Popsicles and Paletas

I grew up in Dallas, Texas. I lived in a predominately Hispanic (Mexican-American) neighborhood. One of the best things about my neighborhood were the Paleta Men. A paleta is a Popsicle made of fruit. They are so awesomely Delicious and refreshing on a hot summer's day. Paleta Men push carts around the neighborhood selling paletas. When I was about 12 they switched from carts to bicycles with carts.

This is a typical Paleta cart.

This is what a coconut paleta looks like.

My favorite flavor is cantaloupe, followed by watermelon.

A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to my my own paletas. It's basically like making lemonade, but you can use all different kinds of fruit instead of just lemons. I used lemons for this recipe, because it's the only thing I had on hand.

The first thing I did was microwave my lemons for 30 seconds. I know it sounds weird but if you microwave any citrus fruit before you juice it you will get more juice out of it. Try it, I promise it works.

My microwaved lemon cut in half.

Next I fork my lemons.

This is another way to get as much juice from them as possible.

Now in a saucepan, over medium heat I combine my lemon juice, 1 cup of water, and 1/8 cup of sugar. I heat it all up until the sugar is dissolved.

Next I pour the mixture into my molds. I used 2 popsicle molds, but I also made some ice cube molds from the mixture. I can used these flavored ice cubes to jazz up my iced tea later on.

Frozen lemonade popsicle to enjoy!

Love, Tina Marie