Strawberries & Cream Popsicles
order the mold, get the strawberries, and get ready to be the MVP this weekend.
I knew a long time ago that I wanted to be a mom. I also knew that cooking for my kids and witnessing their reaction would be one of the best parts of the experience. I was totally right! Seeing Dean light up while he’s eating something I’ve made him is just the best. Last week I got it in my head that Dean needed to eat his first popsicle. But not just any popsicle of course, it needed to be homemade! Because I have all the time in the world, I wasn't on a giant fast food campaign shoot, and the kids aren't passing each other sickness like a game of ping pong. Right… Anyway, enter me buying a popsicle mold on Amazon prime.
Strawberries & Cream
It’s always fun when June rolls around and you’re reminded of what strawberries actually taste like. Turns out they are delicious! If you can’t resist them, in their cute robin’s egg blue basket, at the farmer’s market like me, than this recipe is for you! It uses a bunch of fresh strawberries and your choice of cream (sour cream, creme fraiche, mascarpone, yogurt) to create a perfectly balanced sweet treat. I froze mine in layers to get distinct stripes. But you absolutely do not need to do this. You could achieve a more swirled effect by pouring them into the mold in alternating layers and freezing them just like that. Hot Tip: don’t fill the molds all the way to the tippy top because liquid expands as it freezes and your pops will overflow. These also are the ultimate make ahead recipe. You could make these at night after everyone goes to bed, pop them in the freezer and they’re sitting there, ready for whenever you want to become everyone’s favorite person. If you’d like to make these, the recipe is at the bottom of this newsletter.
A Big Bowl Of Everything
That’s what we had for dinner one night: A big bowl of everything I was trying to use up. The only fresh/bought just for this addition was snap peas. The snap peas at the farmers market right now are literally sweet like candy. When I announce we’re having “Rice Bowls” for dinner, that’s really what I mean. Here’s what was in the bowl this week:
Sushi Rice
Crispy Tofu (from The Weekday Vegetarians)
Snap Peas (quickly stir fried w. ginger & garlic)
Kimchi
Sliced Avocado w. Furikake & Chili Crisp
Cilantro & Basil
What I’m Loving This Week:
Kewpie Deeply Roasted Sesame Dressing: Here’s your new addiction, you’re welcome. I can’t say I’m typically a bottled salad dressing kind of gal. But this is a different beast. It is exactly what it says it is: a sesame dressing that has a deep toasty roasty sesame flavor. Are the ingredients super healthy? No. Are they terrible? No. It’s somewhere in the middle. Canola oil is the base and which I don’t love from a health stand point BUT drizzle it on simply steamed veggies and it balances the scale DELICIOUSLY.
Chicken Milanese: On Saturday night I had a delicious veal milanese at the diner. Ok, so there’s a lot to unpack in that previous sentence. Yes, I was at the diner on a Saturday night (at 5pm) - I have kids. Yes, I ordered veal milanese at a diner - I live in New Jersey and also my local diner happens to be quite delicious. If “milanese” is not in your vernacular (I’ll assume you’re not Italian), it is a thinly pounded piece of chicken, veal or pork that is breaded and fried to perfection. Then topped with a very simple fresh arugula salad. I mean, it’s pretty much heaven on a plate. So I’ve had it in my brain that I want to make Chicken Milanese soon. Maybe it will end up here.
Mom Guilt: Yeah, turns out that this week I just LOVE to feel mom guilt! Oh, you too? Or if you’re not a mom, you might be asking “what’s there to feel guilty about?”. Very good question! Everything and nothing at the same time. It’s one of those things that I couldn't understand until I experienced it. I could go on for paragraphs, but I won’t. Just to say that if you’re feeling it, I am too.