“Popsicles”

Two young ladies with lemonade-flavored 
Popsicles: What's not to love?

In the immaculate, stainless steel kitchens of Nicole Parton’s Favorite Recipes, we do not pinch registered trademarks. We simply borrow them and hope we aren’t headed for the hoosegow. It behooves me to say that these are not Popsicles™or Popsicles®. They are but pale imitations (See how pale they look in the photo? That’s because they’re made from a simple can of lemon soda! So who’s gonna sue two adorable little girls - huh, huh?) 

Aha … I, too, can make brightly colored Popsicles! Also not ™or ®. Catch me if you can, Copper! Technically, these are “frozen pops” - and man, they’re crazy good! Did you know 11-year-old Frank Epperson accidentally invented the Popsicle in 1905? I didn’t either: I read it on the Internet. 

(If you read it on the Internet, it must be true. For a small search fee, the Internet will probably reveal Frank’s email and home addresses, telephone number, income, number of divorces, monthly alimony payments, mother’s maiden name, and social networking sites).

As the online story goes, young Frank used a stick to stir powdered soda pop with water, and forgot the solution as it froze overnight on the porch of his home in Oakland, California. As the story continues: “Frank pulled out the whole frozen mass and found that he had invented a new treat. He named it the ‘Epperson Icicle.’ ” 

“The following summer, he made his frozen treats in his family’s icebox and sold them around his neighborhood under the shortened name of ‘Epsicle.’ Frank later rechristened his discovery the ‘Popsicle’ to show that they were made from soda pop. Epperson patented [the Popsicle] in 1924, when he was 30 years old.”

Today, Frank is probably on a dating site, trolling for 40-somethings. Which is remarkable, considering Frank shucked this mortal coil when he was a mere child of 99.

So here’s a version of the “Popsicle.” It’s not Frank’s recipe. It’s not mine, either. Too bad. If it were, I might have patented it to become as rich and famous as Frank. And maybe I’d be trolling on dating sites for 40-somethings, too. 

“Popsicles”:

One 3-oz. (85 g) package jelly powder

1-1/4 c. (310 mL) granulated sugar

2 c. (500 mL) boiling water

2 c. (500 mL) cold water

Dissolve drink crystals, jelly powder, and sugar in boiling water. Add cold water, mixing thoroughly. Pour into two-part “pop” molds, topping with covered plastic stick. Freeze several hours until firm. Store extra liquid in fridge or freezer, reheating to melt solution and refreezing as additional “Popsicles.”