Carrot Cake Ice Pops, My Way

I received a cookbook for review a few weeks ago for boozy cocktails in Popsicle form, called Poptails by Erin Nichols. It's a super cute book with a variety of unique popsicles. There were several that jumped out at me, but ultimately I went for Carrot Cake Pops made with dark rum. I was super excited to try them, but they were so potent that they were hardly edible. I really wanted to like them, but with every bite, it was like I was sticking my nose into the bottle of Bacardi and inhaling. Sadly, they all wound up in a slurry down the drain. Not to say that this book wasn't a winner, this just wasn't the recipe for me. I plan on trying out the Coquito (coconut) pops really soon. If cocktails are your thing, check out this book!

Hayden's new trick!

The problem with this (besides wasting an entire cup of dark rum!) was that I still wanted the flavors of spicy carrot cake but in popsicle form. And there needed to be cream cheese, so I came up with my own recipe and it was a success! I started out by whipping up some cream cheese, sweetening it with brown sugar and vanilla and thinned it out slightly with a little half n half. You could also use a little heavy cream and milk if you'd like. I wanted it tangy without being too sweet like frosting. Then came the carrot layer. It had just the right amount of sweetness and was spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. And it tasted like fresh carrots- that Bolthouse Farms juice is delicious stuff!

Into the freezer my concoction went and a few hours later emerged frozen popsicles. Not only were they a gorgeous and vibrant ORANGE, but they were gewd! The cream cheese layer is barely sweet and tangy, and smooth, while the juice layer is spicy and icy. I liked to eat them from the side, taking just a bit of the cream cheese with every juicy bite or the carrot layer. I intended to add a few toasted and chopped pecans to some of them, but I got so excited I just plain forgot. Adding some crushed pineapple or coconut wouldn't be a bad idea either. And while it's no longer Summer, eating carrot cake- in any form- is always in season. 

Carrot Cake Popsicles from Monica h

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For the cream cheese layer: 

• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp half n half
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the carrot layer: 

• 1 1/2 cups carrot juice
• 1/3 cup half n half
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, brown sugar, half n half and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, beat until creamy and all ingredients are well incorporated. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a piping bag or a Ziploc bag. Snip off the corner and pipe the cream cheese mixture into the bottom of your popsicle molds, dividing the mixture evenly. Gently tap the molds onto the counter to remove any air bubbles and to help spread the mixture into the corners. Freeze for 30 minutes or until mixture has firmed up.

Meanwhile, make the carrot juice layer. In a sauce pot, combine the carrot juice, half n half, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat, add the vanilla and stir. Transfer the mixture to a 2 cup measuring cup and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Place in refrigerator til well chilled. 

Once the cream cheese mixture has firmed up in the pop molds, carefully pour the chilled carrot mixture over the cream cheese layer, dividing the mixture evenly. Insert sticks or handles for your pops and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours. 

Makes 8-10 popsicles 

Lemons, Limes and Oranges. Oh My!

I made these a few weeks ago and I forgot to share them. Forgive me. I got wrapped up in Hayden's birthday extravaganza that they got lost in the shuffle. I realize Fall is officially upon us but when you have a dessert with this much citrus zest, you just have to share them. Am I right? Besides you have all season long to bake with apples, pumpkins and comforting spices, so today it's all about lemons, limes and oranges. Hooray!

I got this recipe from my friend Memoria of Mangio da Sola. She made these over two years ago and they've been in the back of my mind ever since (Hi Memoria! We miss you!). I love key lime pie and could eat a whole pie by myself, as embarrassing as that is to admit. While I was pregnant with Hayden, I craved it all the time so I was pleased to discover that these bars were very similar. But these are a little different because they have a touch of cream cheese in them that makes these a bit more like cheesecake. 

Busted! Someone discovered toilet paper roll!

Part key lime pie, part cheesecake bar, all goodness. They were creamy, tart, tangy and loaded with flavorful citrus zest atop a buttery golden crust. I misread the directions and baked them in a 9x13-inch pan instead of a square dish so mine were thinner than expected but still great. If you want a thicker, taller bar to sink your teeth into just use a smaller pan. Either way, they're sure to satisfy. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us Memoria. I hope you're enjoying Italy! 

Triple Citrus Bars adapted from Mangio da Sola via Cook's Illustrated

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Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp packed brown sugar 

5 Tbsp. butter, melted

pinch of salt

Filling:

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp grated lime zest 

1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest

1 14-oz can of condensed milk

1 egg yolk, room temperature

6 Tbsp lime juice 

2 Tbsp lemon juice 

2 Tbsp orange juice 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8x8-inch pan (for thicker bars) or a 9x13-inch pan (for thinner bars) and set aside. 

To make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt. Drizzle butter over crumbs and stir until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter. Press crumbs evenly and firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.

To make the filling: While the crust cools, in medium bowl, stir cream cheese with the lemon, orange and limes zests with a rubber spatula until softened, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated and no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add juices and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will thicken slightly).

To assemble and bake: Pour filling into crust; spread to corners and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Cover with foil and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.

Cut into squares and serve chilled. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

POM Review

I had a busy weekend and was just now able to get caught up on all your blogs. I will post another recipe on Wednesday but I wanted to post a review of POM juice that was sent to me a few months ago. I'm sorry POM Wonderful for taking so long!

The gracious people at POM Wonderful sent me two large bottles of Pomegranate Nectarine and Pomegranate Kiwi 100% Juice. I was really pleased with its flavor and enjoyed it much more than the 100% POM juice. The addition of the kiwi and nectarine flavors made it somewhat tropical tasting. I tend to find the regular POM juice a tad tart and somewhat bitter but I didn't feel that way about these juices.

I also really enjoy Martinelli's apple juice but I find it too sweet so I mixed the two for a nice beverage cocktail over ice and drank it with breakfast. It's also really good with orange juice but the color isn't so attractive :-) It was really refreshing and I suggest if you can find it in your grocery store to give it a try.

Thanks POM Wonderful!

Keeping Cool

Here are a couple more pictures of our trip to Fredericksburg. This is the cute little cottage we rented during our stay. It was very charming and cozy, with lots of things to discover. I just love old houses and their creaky floors, don't you? My husband does not, but I couldn't get enough!

The gazebo covered hot tub that we got steamy in. I'll leave it at that. It really was too warm outside to be comfortable in, but it was nice and relaxing.

And LOOK! I even had time to whip up this fabulous cake! Kidding, it's made of styrofoam and fake icing :-) It's was a prop, which I think it beyond weird. Know what's even more weird? There were two of them, decorated with different color flowers. It was on display on the cupboard next to a cookbook. ha!

There was an attic in the house but the door was locked so Mr. H popped it open and we went up stairs. There wasn't much in there besides an air bed, but there was a tattered flag in the window that I caught my eye.

Before heading out to dinner we did a little window shopping and there was a sign place open so we wandered in. Mr. H loves signs. If we had blank walls in our garage, they'd be covered in signs. He did buy two of them, but there were thousands. This is one partial wall of 2 huge rooms.

I have a few more pictures for you involving a wonderful bakery and The Butterfly Haus. Those are for another day though.

Have I mentioned at all how hot it is here in Texas? We've been breaking record temperatures daily! it's been averaging between 102 -104 F. It did get up as hot as 107 though a couple weeks ago. Ridiculous! To cool off, I made popsicles! I found the popsicle molds at Goodwill for $2.99- score!

I found this recipe from Whole Foods and decided on it because I love orange and strawberry together. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I'd walk to the little corner mart across the street from my grandparents house. Aside from getting candy (Laffy Taffy), I'd get Tropicana Twisters in Strawberry Orange. Of course that was on the days I didn't get Clearly Canadian :-)

These popsicles were smooth and pulpy, but not hard and icy like most popsicles. They were tart and refreshing! Perfect for the sweltering heat!

Strawberry Orange Popsicles from Whole Foods

• 1 cup puréed strawberries*
• 1 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
• Lime or lemon juice, to taste

Combine strawberry purée and orange juice concentrate in a medium bowl; set aside.

Heat water and sugar together in a small pot over medium heat, stirring just until sugar dissolves; add to bowl with strawberry-orange mixture. Stir in lime or lemon juice.

Fill popsicle molds with fruit mixture, making sure to leave a bit of room at the top for expansion when they freeze. Set the lids in place and insert the sticks through the holes.

Freeze until firmly set, 3 to 4 hours. To serve, first remove the lids or wrap then squeeze the sides of the molds, twisting them slightly, to dislodge each popsicle. (If necessary, rinse the outside of the molds briefly under hot water to unmold them.)

NOTE: These can be made in small cups or empty yogurt tubs as well. But be sure to stretch plastic wrap or foil across the top, then make a small incision in the top and insert a popsicle stick in each.

*For a smoother consistency, strain the puree of it's seeds.

Makes 8-10 popsicles, depending on size.

Updated: I entered this in the ice cream social sponsored by ScottySnacks, SavortheThyme and Tangled Noodle.

A Perfect Pearing

I saw this recipe for Red Wine and Pear Sorbet on the PBS show, Everyday Food. I don't drink red wine so I thought, "oh I'll never make this" and quickly fast-forwarded through it. Then I remembered I still had POM juice in the fridge and rewound it and paid careful attention. I immediately pulled out my laptop and bookmarked this recipe.

My mother-in-law loves pomegranate juice so I decided to make this for her birthday and I served it with angel food cake and strawberries. I wish I had doubled the recipe though because we quickly consumed it and I was longing for more.

Since POM juice is sweeter than red wine, I cut back slightly on the amount of sugar and I added a few drops of red food coloring just to brighten it up a bit. It came together quickly and morphed from a frozen solid mass into a smooth blush beauty with the assistance of the food processor. Tart, smooth, creamy, sweet and refreshing. A perfect fat free summer treat.

POMegranate and Pear Sorbet adapted from Everyday Food

• 1 cup POM juice
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 lb. ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Coarse salt
• a few drops red food coloring, optional

In a small saucepan, bring juice, water, and sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Add pears; reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice, food coloring (if using) and a pinch of salt; cool completely. Transfer to a shallow baking dish. Freeze until solid, about 6 hours (or overnight).

With a fork, break frozen mixture into large pieces. In two batches, purée in a food processor until completely smooth, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to an airtight container; freeze until ready to serve (sorbet will be soft).

Makes 1 quart

NOTE: I made this in two steps. On the first day I boiled the juice, sugar and pears and poured it into a pyrex dish. I then froze it for a couple days, then processed it til smooth on the third day. Do what you can with the time you have. This recipe's flavor will not be affected, in the least.

See my other POM recipes:

• Strawberry POM Smoothies
• Chocolate POM Cupcakes

Updated: I entered this in the ice cream social sponsored by ScottySnacks, SavortheThyme and Tangled Noodle.

Bedazzled

I'm back from my mini vacation, but I'll tell you more about that in a later post. For now, here is another POM recipe that I made last week.

Michel-lee asked me how I got all this wonderful POM juice. Well, the POM Blogger, Diana, contacted me via email and asked if I'd like to sample some of their juice and I of course said YES! A few days later, I received a case of 8 oz. bottles! So exciting!

The first thing I did was pour it over crushed ice in a tall glass. Refreshing. With half a bottle I made Strawberry POM Smoothies, and the other half I made these yummy cupcakes. I quartered the original recipe, because I didn't want or need 24 cupcakes. I assumed it would make 6 cupcakes, but it made 7. Fine by me. I frosted my cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting, leftover from the Rainbow Cupcakes and topped them with Jelly Bellys to resemble pomegranate arils. They turned out so cute!

These cupcakes were fudgey and INCREDIBLY MOIST. So moist that when I tried to frost them with room temperature frosting, the edges crumbled. They weren't quite as chocolaty as I would have liked, so if I ever decide to make these again, I'd up the amount of cocoa. They also had slightly fruity undertones, which were unexpected and nice. Another bonus, these cupcakes don't contain any eggs or butter, so they're vegan (minus the frosting, of course)- woo hoo!

To see others POM cupcakes, click here, here and here.

POM Chocolate Cupcakes from POM Wonderful

• 1/4 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water, heated to boiling
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F with rack placed in the center. Place a paper baking cup in regular sized muffin tin; set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. In a large measuring cup, combine pomegranate juice and boiling water. Add oil, vinegar and vanilla to the pomegranate juice mixture.

Add to the flour mixture all at once to the wet mixture and whisk to combine (batter will be lumpy). Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (about 3/4 full).

Bake 20-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and free of crumbs. Mine took exactly 22 minutes. Let cool completely before topping with the frosting of your choice.

Makes a mini batch of 7 regular cupcakes.

Visit the POM website to find the recipes for pomegranate chocolate or vanilla cream cheese frosting.

Surprise Package!

Look what came in the mail today!

Thanks for the care package POM Wonderful!

Which recipe should I try first?