Roasted Strawberry Red Wine Popsicles
/The sun is warm and bright and I feel like a new person, emerging from a cocoon of winter jackets and subdued moods. Summer is nearly upon me, with only a week left of school until break. As a gift to myself, I am taking the summer off from work to travel, to breathe, to spend time in the kitchen, to remember what it feels like to have free time once again. Last year, I struggled through my summer, trying to juggle six graduate school courses in an effort to finish my master's degree and dealing with a six week long recovery from an operation that knocked me to the ground.
I hope that this year my summer will be different—curative to both mind and spirit.
After a long bike ride through the woods and by the lake, my skin is warm and pink from the sun. Once I found my way back home, I collapsed on the couch, overcome by heat, and reached for one of these popsicles. It was the right choice for the right time, refreshing and sweet.
I have been on a berry kick lately, mixing blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries into my morning bowl of breakfast quinoa. After dinner, I often bring out the berries again, dipping them into melted chocolate (a vice that I find too heavenly to give up). When I was coming up with this popsicle recipe, it only seemed natural to reach for the berries once more. Mixed with a little red wine, these popsicles are as sweet as they are energizing.
Roasted Strawberry Red Wine Popsicles are a sweet, bright addition to your warm summer evenings. Strawberries are roasted in sugar and balsamic vinegar (to bring out the flavor of the berries) before mixing with sweet red wine to form these frozen treats. Since the red wine is a major component of the base of these popsicles, it is important to choose a wine that you already love and enjoy. Because of the alcoholic nature of these popsicles, they are not suitable for minors.