Heading into the holiday weekend that often marks the end of summer, it seemed appropriate to milk the last days with a frozen treat. Before you know it, kids will be heading off to school with back packs full of new school supplies, we’ll be airing out stored sweaters and all of us food folks will be scheming up pumpkin recipes.
Earlier this summer, I enjoyed dinner at an old friend’s house in my hometown. A bunch of my high school pals and their children gathered for a backyard BBQ. Mid way through the meal, the faint sound of music wafted into the yard. The kids all stopped what they were doing as abruptly as a needle off a record. Ears perked up and eyes widened, hopes were confirmed…. it was the ice cream man.
Everyone ran for the front door, clamoring, with nerves on end, fearful that the ice cream truck wouldn’t come down our street or that we would miss the opportunity. Luckily, my friend Pat seems to have a personal connection with their neighborhood ice cream truck (I learned he is the prime benefactor) so the truck never misses his house. Even the two dogs lined up to get their milk bones from the friendly cold treat purveyor.
After the excitement subsided, I realized that my nerves were returning from over excitement to a normal state of relaxation. The musical tune of my childhood ice cream truck still riles me up as surely as Pavlov’s drooling dogs. Perhaps it is memories of ice cream man treats that have trained me to be crazy about anything frozen in the form of a rocket?
A few weeks ago, my talented officemate Sarah Drake (check out her pretty blog) sent me this recipe for Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles. They were just as amazing as she had described! They are so creamy and delicious. I reduced the sugar slightly from the original recipe and gave them a new name. You could make these in any shape or form, I even put some in ice cube trays for a quick fix.
Hold up your pops and slurp…here is to the last days of summer!
Easy, Creamy, Lemon Dream Popsicles
2/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1 pinch salt
1 2/3 cup buttermilk
Whisk sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in 4-cup measuring cup until sugar dissolves. Whisk in buttermilk.
Divide mixture among ice pop molds. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.