Even though the weather has been on the colder side these last couple of weeks, I’ve been making popsicles. This weather calls for a thick and hearty stew but I could not let myself welcome the month of June with anything other than homemade ice cream. These popsicles are extremely fruity and make for a satisfying dessert. They are reminiscent of past summers, full of sunshine and refreshing flavor. So what happened this year, June? At this time of the year I shouldn’t be questioning whether to make ice cream or not. I should be stuffing myself with every combination of ice cream I can think of. But since we still have many days left in June, I hope days to come will make up for the gloomy beginning. Lately I’ve been getting friendly with the popsicle recipes. Sadly, my ice cream maker is no longer reliable. But who knew popsicle recipes were this fun to play around with. First of all, they are a thousand times better than the store-bough kind. Secondly, being handed a cool popsicle brings me back to my childhood. These are great reason to keep experimenting.

Strawberry-Mint Popsicles

Using a blender or a food processor puree enough strawberries to make 2 cups of puree. Add 1 1/2 cups orange juice (without the pulp), 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tsp. lemon juice, large handful of mint leaves, and 1 cup water. Puree until smooth. Taste and add sugar depending on the sweetness of the strawberries. Pour the mixture into Popsicle molds and freeze until completely frozen (3-4 hours). You may need to run hot water over the molds to release the popsicles. Makes 10 popsicles (depending on the size of your molds).