Summer is not really over - Popsicles - Inghetata

I don’t know how the weather is where you live, but here, last week was hotter then July or August. And I don’t know if it is just my impression, but this summer was more humid than ever here in Los Angeles. The last three days were so hot, that is hard to believe is October already. Especially when I look at the stores and see displays with Halloween and Thanksgiving. I looked at the cooking magazines and their newsletters and everybody is writing about fall menus, seasonal ingredients, Thanksgiving, and it feels weird, at least for now.
My mom told me that back home has been raining lately, and about two weeks ago it was so cold, it felt like November- December, but here you could hardly say that.
I live in Los Angeles for almost 7 years now, and I think we are in a blessed place. I love the weather, but from time to time, I miss the rainy days, the smell of autumn, leaves and earthiness, the wind, and the frost at Christmas time (just for a week would be fine, thank you). I miss those days when on the way home the clouds gathered out of nowhere, we had no umbrella, and we were running, but not too fast, to get home before we were soaked - and I know I would have never said this back home, but after 7 years and 15 rains in all, if they were 15...... And I miss tasting the snow flakes (don’t laugh, but since I was a kid I loved opening my mouth and let some melt on my tongue, not to talk about the times when we were actually eating snow, ahem). It’s funny now in December when we are going to buy a Christmas tree and following tradition we are making sausages, headcheese, stuffed cabbage rolls and cozonac (which is almost like a Challah bread, but has a sweet stuffing), and at the same time you are wearing t-shirts and outside are 20C.
That’s why last week, instead of looking at chilli recipes and hearty soups or stews, we wanted ice cream. So, we made popsicles to cool down, and they were a tasty treat, plus the work was minimal.
There is no recipe, just one cantaloupe, one and a half cups mango nectar, one cup pineapple from a can. The cantaloupe and the nectar had enough sugar, so I didn’t add anymore. I cut the cantaloupe in small cubes, then put everything in a blender and pureed for about 10-15 seconds. Put it in the popsicle tray and into the freezer for about 1-2 hours. It made 10 popsicles, after we have been tasting the fruity mixture too many times.
They were very refreshing and tasted so sweet, that next day we made a second batch.
And if the weather continues to be so warm this coming weekend, we’ll make popsicles again, this time with some berries and maybe yogurt.

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Inghetata de pepene galben, mango si ananas

Nu stiu cum e vremea pe la voi acum, dar aici, ultima saptamana a fost ingrozitor de cald, parca mai rau decat in Iulie si August. Si parca a fost mai multa umezeala decat verile trecute. Nici nu-ti vine sa crezi ca e deja Octombrie, mai ales cand te uiti prin magazine si vezi produse si vitrine aranjate pentru Halloween si Thaksgiving deja (?!?!). Ma uitam prin revistele culinare tiparite luna aceasta si la emailurile lor cu retete, si toti vorbesc de retete si meniuri de toamna, supe si tocani, ingrediente de sezon, si chiar despre meniul pentru masa de Ziua Recunostintei si mi se pare ciudat, e prea devreme, doar nu le-a venit inca vremea....
Mi-a spus mama ca acasa a plouat deja saptamanile trecute in nestire, ca a fost chiar frig rau, ca in Noiembrie - Decembrie, dar ca apoi s-a facut iar frumos si apoi iar frig, dar aici, nici vorba de asa ceva.
Traiesc in Los Angeles de aproape 7 ani, si cred ca stam intr-un loc binecuvantat. Imi place la nebunie vremea asta, dar din cand in cand mi se face dor de ploaie, sa miroasa a toamna, a frunze si a pamant umed, a vant, si chiar a ger, macar o saptamana in preajma Craciunului. Mi-e dor sa ma prinda ploaia fara umbrela, si sa grabesc pasul in drum spre casa, dar nu prea tare, ci numai suficient cat sa nu ne facem ciuciulete. Mi-e dor sa gust fulgi de zapada ( sa nu radeti, dar asa faceam copii fiind, si nu de putine ori mancam zapada de-a dreptul). E ciudat acum in Decembrie, cand mergem dupa bradul de Craciun, ne-apucam de facut carnati, toba, sarmale si cozonaci, iar afara sunt 20 C si lumea poarta tricouri.
Din cauza vremii, saptamana trecuta, in loc sa ma uit la retete de chili, mancaruri si ciorbe, noua ni s-a facut pofta de inghetata. Asa ca am facut inghetata sa ne racorim, si au fost un desert delicios, si cu munca minima.
Nu am o reteta, un cantalup (aproape 1 kg), 300 ml nectar de mango si o jumatate de conserva de ananas in compot. Nu am avut nevoie de zahar pentru ca si pepenele si nectarul au fost suficient de dulci. Am taiat pepenele galben in cuburi, si am pus toate ingredientele la blender, pulsand 10-15 secunde, apoi am pus in forma de inghetata la congelator pentru 1-2 ore. Noua ne-au iesit 10 bucati, dupa ce am tot gustat piureul de fructe de mult prea multe ori.
Au fost atat racoritoare si delicioase, incat a doua zi am mai facut o tura.
Iar daca vremea continua sa fie atat de calda, weekendul asta facem altele cu ceva zmeura si iaurt.