Summer doesn’t start for a good couple of weeks but it seems like nobody bothered to tell Mother Nature. Everything is growing like a weed, including – sadly – the weeds. Some old soul once said that a weed is just a flower growing in the wrong place. Thanks. Please do remind me of that next time I’m on my hands and knees, yanking out another ‘flower’.
And then there are the sounds of summer. The birds tweeting, the leaves rustling in the breeze, and your neighbor swearing (loudly) as he tries to start the riding lawnmower. Of course, there are always the folks across the street who decided to tear up their lawn and replace it with a paved patio, astro turf and giant plastic kids’ pool. Smile and wave. To each his own.
And you? You eye that spot in the shade and dream of something cold to eat and a restorative nap, camouflaged as ‘reading’. A chile-spiked ice pop is just what the doctor ordered. Eat it quickly before it melts and ignore the weed – I mean flower – growing next to you.
Makes 12 x 1.25oz ice pops
1 large mango, just under 1lb., peeled and pit removed
2 oz / ¼ cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp habañero powder, or more to taste
zest & juice of 1 lime
juice of 1 orange
To garnish:
Shredded coconut
Chopped pistachios
Make sure you cut away all of the flesh surrounding the mango pit and capture any juices too. Coarsely chop the flesh and place it and any juices in a saucepan with the sugar and 6 ounces / ¾ cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes – until the mango is soft but not mushy. Add the habanero powder and blitz in a blender until smooth.
Place the mixture in the fridge and when it’s cool, add the lime zest and two juices. Give it a stir, taste, and add a dash more chile powder if you desire.
Sprinkle your preferred garnishes in the bottom of each mould, top with the chilled mixture and then finish with more garnishes – or leave ‘naked’ if you like. Insert the sticks and carefully place in the freezer. Freeze for at least 4 hours until frozen solid. Pop out of the moulds and eat.
Do you want the good news first or the bad news? Right you are, let’s kick off with the good. The good news is that popcorn is a high fiber snack that will fill you up and put a smile on the face (unless you’re a total curmudgeon with no friends and a black cloud over your head).
But living to 100, isn’t all it’s cracked up, is it? So relax, kick back and make a batch of caramel corn. It will take you back to the state fair you went to as a kid and give you a big ole rush of nostalgia. You’ll end up looking for that stuffed animal you won as a kid, then remember that your dog ate it. Guess that goes under the bad news category too but not a lot we can do about that.
1 Package 
It ain’t over folks. So don’t break out your linen pants or sundresses, because old man/woman winter hasn’t exited stage left. There is more to come, dollars to donuts. Don’t put away your sweaters or your snow tires and for heaven’s sake would you stop looking at that seed catalog.
Besides, winter is an excuse to savor comfort food. Something cooked nice and slow. Lots of spice and not a lettuce leaf in sight. Because all too soon, spring will show up for its day in the sun, and then summer will be here with all its heat and humidity and suddenly winter won’t look so bad after all.
The Chile Trail 