Cherry Limeade and Lemon Lime Ice Pops

You know what summer always means to me? Popsicle parties. It's a tradition that my friends and I started after one barbeque where we ended up eating more popsicles than veggie burgers. Then when I hosted the next one, I bought Dora the Explorer popsicles and they had the super cheesy jokes on the sticks. We had such fun eating the popsicles and reading the jokes that we went through the entire box. So now we just have popsicle parties. We'll make appetizers, and buy chips and dip, but the emphasis is on the popsicles themselves.

...Yeah, we're healthy like that.

These don't have cheesy jokes on the sticks, which I'll admit is half the fun. But if you go the plastic cup and wooden stick route, then you can write some on yourself with a food-safe marker. Here are some examples:

What do you call a lazy bison?

A buffaloafer

Why did the melons have a large wedding?

Because they canteloupe

What do you call a trunk of bison?

A buffaload

I don't know why, but they love buffalo jokes. I love cheesy jokes, so if you have another, let me know.

These popsicles are not cheesy. They are citrusy. And cherry...y. I've been in a cherry limeade mood, so I made cherry limeade and froze it. My father thinks these are too tart, but I like tart. You might want to add some extra sugar if you don't like tart.

I only had enough cherry juice to make three cherry limeade pops, so I made some lemon lime ones with my leftover ingredients. Again with the tart, but that can be fixed with some added sugar. I actually used Sprite Zero- because that's what we have in my house- so these are sugar free (well, free of refined sugars anyway; lemons and limes have natural sugars). You can always use your favorite sugar free sweetener to sweeten further. Because of the tart.

You might not have gotten this yet, if you don't follow me on twitter or facebook- or haven't been paying any attention- but June is Camp NaNoWriMo. It's just like regular NaNoWriMo, but in the summer. In honor of camp, I've decided to start something new. Sundays in June I'll be doing Sunday S'mores. Each Sunday, I'll be doing a s'mores-inspired recipes and hosting a link-up party. I might continue it all summer if it doesn't make me too crazy. There's a second session of camp in August. So get your best s'mores recipes ready.

Tomorrow's also a special day here at Treats & Trinkets HQ. Yes, it's Memorial Day, but I have another special surprise that has nothing to do with Memorial Day.

Cherry Limeade Ice Pops {Printable Version}

Yield: 3 6oz. pops

 
Ingredients
2/3 cup lemon lime soda
1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice
¼ cup fresh lime juice
Pinch sugar (optional)
12 maraschino cherries, stems removed and quartered

Directions
In a large measuring cup or a container, mix together the soda, cherry juice, lime juice, and sugar if
using. Pour into ice pop molds or plastic cups with popsicle sticks, alternating with the maraschino
cherries. Leave at least ½ inch from the tops of the containers. Freeze for a minimum of 6 hours.

*To make the cherries “float”: add a few pieces and some of the liquid to each mold. Freeze for about 10 minutes. Repeat until full. Freeze fully before serving.

 
Recipe by Kim

Lemon Lime Soda Pops {Printable Version}

Yield: 3 6oz. pops

 
Ingredients
1 cup lemon lime soda
¼ cup sugar (or sugar-free sweetener)
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup lime juice

Directions
In a large measuring cup or a container, mix together the soda, sugar, lemon juice, and lime juice. Pour into ice pop molds or plastic cups with popsicle sticks, being careful to leave at least ½ inch from the tops of the
containers. Freeze for a minimum of 6 hours.

Recipe by Kim