How lucky am I. During what has been, hands down, the hottest spring that I can remember, I get the opportunity to review this cookbook, Irresistible Ice Pops, by Sunil Vijayakar.
Ok. Twist my arm.
I had never actually tried to make my own Popsicles. I did always have a stash of freezies and sandwiches and chocolate, gooey, kinda-sorta Popsicles in the freezer, but I didn’t really get the whole “make your own” thing.
Let me tell you something. My eyes have been opened. I’ve only made one of these recipes so far, but I was so blown away by it that when I grocery shopped on Friday I made sure to get the ingredients to make at least 3 more this week.
I have read this book cover to cover, multiple times, and there is almost nothing that I see that I don’t want to try.
Here’s my quick-skim review for you all:
Title: Irresistible Ice Pops
Publisher: Love Food, an imprint of Parragon Books Ltd
Author: Sunil Vijayakar
Pages: 80
Price / Availability: SRP is $7.99 and it’s available at most retailers, including Barnes and Noble, Walmart, TJ Maxx/Marshalls, Texas Bookman, and online at BN.com and Amazon.com
Pictures: YES! A stunning color photo for every recipe. This is probably my favorite thing about this book. Every Popsicle is so delicious looking you can’t help but want to try them.
Great: A picture for every recipe. This goes such a long way in my book, especially when I’m trying a new type of cooking or baking.
Good: The pages are all laid out very cleanly, which I love. The steps aren’t over complicated, the ingredients are laid out in a separate column. As a designer, I really like how clean and easy to read through it was.
Not so Good: The only real complaint that I had was the background on a few of the recipe pages. Sometimes the ingredients get a little bit lost on a similar colored background. I should also point out though that I’m reading it on-line as the books are just coming off the presses now, so in your hands, this might not be a problem.
Example Recipes: (Just a few to give an example. The 21+ can be made without alcohol…but really, why would you)
Blueberry and Pink Lemonade Pops
Fruit Cocktail Pops (strawberry, peach, and kiwi!)
Pomegranate Power Pops
Peaches and Cream
Cho Berry Rockets
Yogurt Raspberry Ripple Pops
Watermelon Chill-Out Pops
Strawberry Margarita Pops (21+)
Peach Bellini Pops (21+)
Mojito Pops (21+)
Pina Colada Pops (21+)
I’m surprised buy just how excited I am now about keeping my freezer stocked with homemade Popsicles. They’re very easy to make, they taste incredible (I’ve made the Summer Melon Medley Pops so far and was just blown away by how refreshing they were on a hot day), and best of all: I know exactly what went into them so there’s no concern with the kids.
And Oliver, well, he’s an even bigger fan than me I think. He loved making them with me and thought it was so cool that he was able to make real Popsicles. His only complaint was that they took too long to freeze up, lol.
GIVEAWAY INFO:
I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet. The nice people over at LOVE FOOD / Parragon Books Ltd didn’t just let me have a sneak peak at this book. They’re also letting me give a copy to one of you!
So, leave me a comment here, on facebook, or on twitter, letting me know where you would enjoy a nice, ice cold, home-made Popsicle! Winner will be chosen on June 23, so get thinking!
Now for all the cover your butt stuff: I did not receive any compensation for this post or give-away outside of the review copy of the cookbook. The ideas and opinions are solely my own, and were not influenced in any way by the publishers of this cookbook.
Lynna
Linda