Kitchen Challenged

I have never proclaimed to be a good cook. Or even remotely knowledgeable about anything related to cooking. But I can at least keep my family fed and decently well-nourished. Today, however, one would have to wonder about me.

My son has been begging me to make strawberry popsicles again (we did this one time this summer) and I finally agreed to do it today. Why not? It's at least 37 degrees outside.

So I started searching for the recipe. Where would I have put a popsicle recipe?

Under appetizers and beverages? No. But I found a missing muffin recipe there.

Under snacks? No. But there was my playdough recipe.

Under cookies and candies? No. But I think that is where ham and potato casserole landed.

I was getting desperate and just started looking in every category because obviously my filing system was not that reliable anyway.

Twenty minutes later I still had no popsicle recipe. I know, most of the world could probably pull off strawberry popsicles without a recipe, but I was not that brave. I had searched through every possible category and even my 2nd recipe box - the one that holds the recipes that people have given me on cards so gigantic they don't fit in a regular box - to see if somehow it had jumped in there. I was about to give up and suggest something else when my five year old said to me, "mom, last time we made popsicles, didn't we use that kids cookbook that grandma gave us?"

Ah hah. I'm glad someone in the family still has a brain. Maybe I can train him to be the cook of the family.

Another 20 minutes later we had everything combined, poured into the little cups, and ready for the freezer.

The recipe said to freeze them for two hours and then put in the popsicle sticks. I even set the timer so I wouldn't forget.

I guess I need a louder timer. Guess where the "popsicles" (really just frozen stuff in a cup at the moment) are right now?

Sitting on the counter THAWING so I can put in the sticks. I almost tried a hammer, but it's too cold to go to the garage to find it.

I do not remember popsicle making occupying my entire day last time we attempted the task. Oh, what we do for our kids. They better love them. They will love them. They don't have a choice.