Popsicles Week and a Giveaway!

If there's one thing I have fallen in love with this summer, it's homemade popsicles! I don't know what your summers are like, but here in the desert that is Southern California, it's hot. HOT HOT HOT. And while it may be gloomy and gray in June, it's always hot in August and September (and sometimes October, November, and December. The weather is wacky and backwards here). All that is to say, we are heading into the hottest part of the year here, the time of year when some icy refreshing pops are in order!

Now if you are like me, you probably are excited about the idea of making popsicles, but don't really know where to start. And if you are like me, you have probably looked at grocery store pops and thought "really? corn syrup and food coloring?? It doesn't get better than that?" Or, you get the "healthy" pops made from all fruit, but they cost like $4 a popsicle! Well, I'm happy to say that making pops at home is a breeze, you can make them however healthy (or decadent!) you like, and I'm here to help get you started! So, drum-roll please.....

This week on Delish is pops week! All week I will be featuring great popsicle recipes and giving away some great popsicle swag to help you get started! Ready to get started? I'm ready! Lets go!

You can make popsicles in just about anything - cups, glasses, ice cube trays, etc., and there are lots of popsicle molds out there as well. But if you want a really awesome popsicle mold, you can't go wrong with this freezer pop mold from Progressive International, an awesome kitchenware company located in Washington. I've used a lot of molds, but this really is the best mold I have ever used, and I can't recommend it highly enough. It's sturdy, well made, easy to use, and I LOVE that it uses wooden popsicle sticks, meaning you can make an unlimited amount of pops! As soon as one batch is frozen, you pop them out of the mold and make another. No waiting till you eat the old ones, no fuss. This is the mold I use, and I like it so much I want to give one to you! So our friends over at Progressive International have agreed to give away one popsicle mold as well as two packs of popsicle sticks to one lucky reader!

If you just can't wait to win it, you can pick one up at their website, or on Amazon.com!

The next thing you need to get started are some great recipes. I'm not going to lie: sometimes, I just pour juice into the mold and call it a day. And those pops are great! (In particular, we love popsicles made of the Strawberry Lemonade at Trader Joe's) But you can do so much more, which is why I am pleased to feature recipes from two of my most favorite popsicle recipes books all week long! The first book is called Ice Pop Joy, by Anni Daulter. I cannot even tell you how much I love this book! Anyone who has kids (or is a kid at heart) knows how hard it can be get them to eat healthy. (James? He only eats white food. It kills me. He will eat these pops though!)

Ice Pop Joy is full of incredible, all natural recipes using whole foods and natural sweeteners like honey and agave nectar, and these recipes are so good. All the recipes are so fresh and pure, but with sophisticated blends of flavor I never would have thought of. They leave you feeling like you just ate something really good, that was somehow, miraculously, good for you! They're great for kids, but they are also great, no-guilt treats for grown-ups too! The book is beautifully photographed, and every recipe is a winner. I am so delighted to tell you that the author has agreed to give away a copy of her book to one lucky reader!

I will be featuring recipes from the book all week, but if you want to buy it now, you can find it on Amazon, and you can also check out Anni's e-magazine Bamboo: Conscious Family Living.

The second cookbook we will be featuring this week is Paletas, by Fany Gerson. Paletas are Mexican popsicles, and Fany Gerson is the owner of the acclaimed La Newyorkina, a Mexican frozen treats and sweets business in New York. If Ice Pop Joy is refreshing and pure, Paletas is sultry and decadent, featuring classic Mexican flavors: spicy pineapple, Mexican hot chocolate, carmel, avocado, and so on. The toasted coconut pop seriously blew our minds it was SO good! We will be featuring her recipes all week, and Fany has generously agreed to give away a copy of her book to share with you!

Can't wait? But her recipe book on Amazon!

Giveaway details!

To enter, leave a comment telling us your name and your favorite summer dessert! For a second entry, like us on facebook, and come back and leave a second comment! (two entries maximum per person).

Giveaway open until 5pm pacific time, Monday August 15th, when comments will be closed. Winners will be announced Tuesday, August 16th.