Ice lollies

[Chickpea]

In this hot weather what could be nicer than an ice lolly? But don't waste your money buying them - they're just sugar and water anyway. Make your own, then they're much nicer and can even be healthy.

I first started making ice lollies as a sneaky way to get some fruit and milk into the children, but now I like them just as much as the kids.

First of all, remember that anything you drink can be made into an ice lolly. Well, I guess a coffee ice lolly would probably be pretty disgusting. But fruit juices make lovely lollies and count as one portion of your 5-a-day. Fizzy drinks also make nice lollies. I like diet cloudy lemonade, or diet ginger beer. They're not exactly healthy but at least you're not adding unnecessary calories. Smoothies can also be made into ice lollies. Whizz up a fair trade banana, some strawberries and some yogurt in a blender then freeze. Or use whatever fruit you have available.

That brings us onto dairy ice lollies. Milk shakes can be frozen into a yummy lolly, just whisk up milk with pureed fair trade banana, or strawberry, or drinking chocolate powder then freeze it. Fruit yogurt can also be frozen and it makes a very tasty lolly.

Then you can get creative. Make stripey lollies by first filling your moulds one third full of strawberry yogurt, then when that is frozen add another third of orange juice, then when that is frozen top up with ribena and put in the sticks. Of course you can invent your own "stripes", but remember to pick contrasting colours. If you drizzle a lolly with double cream as soon as you take it out of the freezer, a layer of cream wil freeze into a solid coating on the lolly. But my favourite ice lolly is the banana split lolly. Cut a fair trade banana in half so you have two short fat halves (not two long skinny halves if you see what I mean). Stick a lolly stick up the cut end, and freeze. When it is frozen solid dip it in melted fair trade chocolate and then quickly roll it in chopped nuts. The banana freezes into something like the consistency of ice cream, it's not rock hard but it melts in your mouth.

[Shirley]

Mmmmmmmmmmm yum - I've frozen banana halves before and they are deliciousy but I reckon adding the choc and nuts would elevate it into something very special indeed.

[cir3ngirl]

My boys are sat now with home made water ices. They took some convincing that it would work. What do you use as moulds? I have some shop bought ones but not enough for all the kids in this weather. I have a chest freezer and have trouble standing then up as well.

Davina

[Chickpea]

You can use all kinds of things as moulds if you don't mind them not being conventionally lolly-shaped. Plastic cups and yogurt pots make great big lollies, and little fromage frais pots make dainty little lollies. Anything deep-ish like that will work. You just stick your lolly stick straight in - it kind of lays against the side so your finished lolly is a bit lopsided but it tastes just as good. Otherwise you can use shallow things like little tupperware containers and lay the lolly stick in sideways. Again it'll be a bit "wonky" but no less tasty for that. If you spend the next week or two looking at plastic containers you are about to throw in the bin and ask yourself "Could this be used as a lolly mould?" I bet you'll find some.

Remember you don't have to fill them all the way to the top, so you could use something mega-deep as a mould and just partially fill it to make a normal-sized lolly as long as you could get the frozen lolly out again - a quick run under a hot tap helps most things. That reminds me of the other golden rule about moulds - it has to be wider at the top than the bottom (or at least straight up and down) with no "undercuts" otherwise you'll never get your lolly out.

As for the chest freezer, yes they can be a pain. Mine has several baskets in it so I just empty out one basket and put my proto-lollies in there. Do you have a plastic basket or a plastic box or something you could use to put your lollies in and stop the other food falling on them whilst they're setting?

[shiney]

I should get cracking and make some. I bet you lot don't have the ice cream man arrive right outside your house everyday in the Summer do ya?!!!

My two will eat anything, including homemade icecream (got an icecream maker from freecycle last year) but sometimes we just have to get one from the van.

[cir3ngirl]

Yes we do have a van that stops outside the house but with minded children as well the cost is just to high. I choose to keep treats like that for our holidays.

We don't have many shop bought yoghuts but can ask my friends to keep theirs for me. They never know what I'll ask for next, but it keeps then on their toes.

Will do charity shops and look for tray to put in in basket of freezer.

Davina

[shiney]

I need to train my two up a bit more then!

They do know that ice creams and lollies can't be had all the time, but it's mighty difficult sometimes.

When we were kids, homemade lollies were all we had. Maybe I could do something with all those cherries I have on the tree still?

You've got me thinking now!

[cir3ngirl]

Me thinks chocolate fondue. There I go again am read Charlie and Choc Factory to boys at moment. Choc fondue always goes down well here any fruits and marshmallow, but only if we have all been good!

Davina

[Shirley]

My younger son eats ice lollies by the bucketful.... he doesn't care what they are.

I've got some lolly moulds that I bought from tchibo that are tart shaped... heart shaped really but my 3 year old calls them tarts.... and they work really rather well.. plastic of course... sadly.

I've got a few good recipes that I must try - I don't like shop bought ice creams and lollies.. they always taste artificial... apart from some of the really good organic ice creams.... but they cost an arm and a leg. I don't have an ice cream maker.... missed two on freecycle recently, but you don't really need one anyway.

Ice cream van... outside the door!!! Nah... can't even hear an ice cream van in the distance... life is good

[Shirley]

First of all, remember that anything you drink can be made into an ice lolly.

Cider............ wine............ beer.............. lol....

I used to like the cider ice lollies from the ice cream man as a child.... always felt really grown up because it was alcohol (probably not but hey...) - used to get one when we went to visit my grandparents (ice cream van used to call there and I remember the mad rush to get there before there was a huge queue)

So... can you really make alcoholic ice lollies (not for the kids obviously) or would the alcohol stop them from freezing enough. I know you can add alcohol to sorbet... mango and vodka YUM!!

[shiney]

We dont' have a choice of our ice cream man stopping right outside. I guess it's just part of life living in our street along with the bonfires!

Anyway you've all got me revved up and ready to go on making some lollies. See? I am converted!

The power of SSF.

[den_the_cat]

you cant freeze alcohol (at least not in a normal freezer - it freezes at something like -170F) but alcohol we drink isn't pure so the more its mixed with water or similar the more frozen you can get it.

You can freeze fruit which has been soaked in booze though, and obviously vodka should be kept in the freezer anyway :), and as well as sorbet you can add it to ice cream - baileys ice cream is very yummy with the added bonus its always soft scoop :D

I think I might go experiment with a Pimms sorbet this afternoon now you've started me thinking of it.... even if it ends up a slush puppy its got to be worth a try.....

[Shirley]

A Pimm's slush puppy WOW now that really does appeal.... time for some experiments methinks

[den_the_cat]

there's a recipe for everything online it seems;

PIMMS SORBET

600ml freshly squeezed orange juice;
200g golden caster sugar;
150ml Pimms;
mint sprigs, to garnish

Place the juice and sugar in a saucepan, bring to the boil and stir well until the sugar dissolves. Cool, then stir in the Pimms. Churn in an ice-cream machine or pour into a plastic container and freeze, covered, for five to six hours, removing and whisking every couple of hours. Serve in glasses with mint.


It seems a bit more complex than my plan of pouring half a jug of pimms into a freezer tray and stirring it occasionally while I drink the other half, but if anyone makes it 'properly' please let me know how it turns out

[Shirley]

got no oranges... but do have the pimms...

I wonder whether it would work with lemons - I think I'll give it a go