Paletas!

Here in Dallas, in certain areas you'll see these little old men (sometimes young) biking around town with an attached cooler filled with icy treats, namely paletas.

Paletas are popsicles that (in my opinion) have gone the extra mile.  The flavors are amazing.  I have had simple paletas like watermelon and I've also enjoyed more wild things like arroz con leche (rice pudding, essentially).

I decided to mix a combination of carrot, mango, lime juice and chili.  I'm very pleased with how they turned out.  I love that my lips are numb from the pepper, but cooled by the paleta.  

The secret to making great paletas?  Add gelatin!  It binds everything really well.

Popsicles

Besides a stiff and fruity cocktail, the next best thing for summer is a popsicle.

Fruity, light, and refreshing are all of my popsicle prerequisites.  With an abundance of fresh berries in the refrigerator, I whipped up these berries and cream popsicles.

After looking at a few recipes, I realized that I could whip these up on the fly, without worrying about measuring ingredients.

They were lovely and refreshing.