EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY Wyatt adds refreshment to your kitchen with these popsicle recipes

WRITER: WYATT SQUIRES

For me, making homemade popsicles is the most fun I’ve had with the quintessential summer treat since chasing after ice cream trucks as a kid. It’s a great activity for the kids and is easy to personalize. An easy way to make homemade popsicles is to use plastic cups or ice cube trays. If using plastic cups, a trick is to use a plastic spoon as a popsicle stick for handy use when the treat melts. Here is my current favorite popsicle recipe for a great treat that can be made with whatever is readily available in the kitchen.

These lemon bars are a summer staple with a nutty twist. The ground walnut and walnut oil crust is an enhancement rather than simply a dairy replacement. You can always substitute with other nuts or even coconut in the place of walnuts. Just make sure the oil matches your choice. To easily remove after baking, spray your 8 in. X 8 in. baking pan with cooking oil and line with parchment paper, leaving enough to hang over the edge of the pan on two sides. Shake on powdered sugar at the time of serving. The powdered sugar will be absorbed after 15 minutes.

You will need a blender for the strawberries INGREDIENTS • 2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen) • 2 cups of sugar • 1 1/2 cup lemon juice • Two orange drink packets (each makes two quarts) • 1 TBSP strawberry extract • 1 TBSP vanilla extract DIRECTIONS 1. Mix strawberries and sugar in a large bowl. Let set for 30 minutes, then blend. 2. Add strawberry mixture, lemon juice, drink packet contents into a 1 gallon pitcher and stir until dissolved. 3. Add the strawberry and vanilla extract and fill the rest of the pitcher with water. Stir. 4. Fill popsicle containers and freeze overnight.

INGREDIENTS For the crust: • 3/4 cup flour • 3/4 cup ground walnuts • 1/3 cup powdered sugar • 1 TBSP cornstarch • 1/4 tsp salt • 1/3 cup walnut oil

For the filling: • 3 eggs • 1 1/2 cups sugar • 1 TBSP lemon juice • 1/2 cup lemon juice • 1/2 cup flour • Powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare pan by spraying with cooking oil and lining with parchment paper. 2. For the crust: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ground nuts, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt. Drizzle in the oil then stir with a fork until mixture is fully moistened. Transfer to the pan and press evenly across the bottom to form a crust. Bake for 15 minutes until light golden brown. 3. For the filling: While the crust is baking, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour in a large mixing bowl. Once the crust is out of the oven, pour the filling over the crust and bake for 20-25 minutes. 4. Let cool to room temperature before serving. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.