What do you love about the summer?

Being a June baby, I love the summertime. Sunny skies, hot sandy beaches, clear blue oceans, and picnics are all things I love about the summer.

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Summers were always really special to me growing up because it was a time for my family to spend together. Having both parents as teachers/coach/administrator meant that they had off the whole summer. My parents would take my sisters and I on vacations to places like Washington D.C.; Hershey, Pennsylvania; Charleston, South Carolina, and more. We didn’t have to travel across the U.S. to have fun though. My mom planned day trips and fun times at home.

Tuna sandwiches, fruit, and juice boxes were neatly packed in a picnic basket for our trips to the Friendship Park in Picayune, MS. We would play to our heart’s content and then relax underneath the canopy of large shade trees. After fun in the sun, my mom would take us to her playground known as Goodwill and thrift stores. This is where we would uncover treasures. Stuffed animals, books, and toys cost only a few cents. If my sisters and I were well behaved, then my mom would treat us to donut holes and chocolate milk. To this day when I treat myself to a donut, then I will want a glass of chocolate milk. That just sounded like one of my favorite childhood books about if you give a mouse a cookie he will want a glass of milk and so on and and so on….

The days we spent at home, my mom may have my sisters and I in the kitchen making homemade pizzas. Living on 5 and a half acres of land provided plenty of space for us to explore and be creative.  It was hard to wrangle us in but my mom’s homemade creamy frozen pudding pops and icy juice popsicles would always do the trick.

Popsicles continue to be an easy frozen treat to make but it has gotten even easier since the addition of ZOKU’s quick popsicle maker. How quick is quick? 7-10 minutes

Our days of making popsicles have returned but with grown-up flavors like pina colada, Nutella fudge pop, strawberry cheesecake, and more. My mom loves the pina colada popsicle.

Why not treat your mom this MOTHER’S DAY with a ZOKU popsicle maker? She can recreate one of her childhood sweet treat flavors or create a new one and share with her children and/or grandchildren. The nostalgia of popsicles remain the same but can now be created in minutes.

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For popsicle recipes, visit my pop-licious blog post.

I want to give you a chance to share and make memories with your mom this Mother’s Day by giving away a ZOKU popsicle maker.

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For your chance to win:

Leave a comment on this post and tell me the first popsicle you would make with the popsicle maker.

or

Follow me via either of the following options and leave one comment to let me know: facebook @Whitney Miller-Masterchef and twitter @whitneymillermc (If you already follow me via both of these listed, that counts! Just leave one comment to tell me, and thank you for following.

Winner announced on Monday, May 6th.

32 Comments

  • Reply
    Nathan Young
    May 1, 2013 at 11:38 am

    I would make a real fruit popsicle with strawberries or blueberries!

  • Reply
    Cory Aldouby
    May 1, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    Well, I would have a hard time choosing either Grape or Orange, because you see, I have special summer memories too! When I was young, my Aunt had a pool and we did not, so on hot summer days, my mother would pack a picnic lunch for us all whole we were there, and the drinks included were both Orange Crush and Grape Ne-hi. I loved them both equally, so through-out our summer days there, I’d switch between the two! Soooo…. Grape or Orange?!
    Have a GREAT summer Whitney! May God Bless you and yours mightily!!

    Sincerely,
    Cory Aldouby
    Michigan

    • Reply
      Whitney Miller
      May 3, 2013 at 9:18 am

      I was just at my aunt & uncle’s house this past week. My uncle had me try a Ne-Hi he had gotten from Cracker Barrel. I love how you can get the nostalgic items there.

  • Reply
    Mary Nail
    May 1, 2013 at 4:57 pm

    I would make something cherry flavored for my grandchildren. This looks like a fun product!

  • Reply
    Joses Wong
    May 1, 2013 at 5:51 pm

    I would make mango and pomelo flavored popsicles for my family and I. Although simple, as a child growing up in Hong Kong with my family, we used frequent the local “Park’n’Shop” grocery store quite often in order to cool ourselves from the heat. We used to try all different kinds of flavors of popsicles – including durian and lychee. We often argued about which ones were better. However, we all eventually agreed that one of the popsicles were better than the rest – it was none other than the mango and pomelo flavored popsicle.

    Now that we have moved to Canada, my family and I do not have the opportunity to have a mango and pomelo flavored popsical anymore. The ZOKU popsicle maker would allow us a chance to recreate that memory and to unite our family together over delicious summer popsicles once again!

    • Reply
      Whitney Miller
      May 3, 2013 at 9:16 am

      Did the durian Popsicle have the strong smell? I had a chance to try a treat with durian in it in Malaysia and the smell was so bad.

      • Reply
        Joses Wong
        May 4, 2013 at 10:28 am

        The durian popsicles didn’t have much of a smell (as a lot of artifical flavoring is used). But the taste of durian is definitely still there. Did you know that in some Hong Kong apartments durian is banned because it stinks up the entire floor? Yucky!

  • Reply
    Rossie Creel
    May 1, 2013 at 6:39 pm

    I would make my mom a banana cream Popsicle. Those are her favorite!

  • Reply
    Frank Daniels
    May 2, 2013 at 10:20 am

    First pop I would make would be a Concord grape juice pop. Growing up, my mom always made Concord grape pops for me and whenever I see Concord grape pops it brings back great memories of my mom and my childhood.

  • Reply
    Cindy Elder
    May 2, 2013 at 10:22 am

    If I had a Zoku popsicle maker, I would make totally healthy and totally delicious fruit smoothie pops! Using many of the fresh fruits we have here — strawberries, mango, bananas, cantaloupe, etc. – I’d blend them with yogurt and then freeze them!

    • Reply
      Whitney Miller
      May 3, 2013 at 9:14 am

      That sounds nice!

  • Reply
    Michael Cole
    May 2, 2013 at 11:39 am

    I remember summers with my family. We would always have fun gardening together picking corn, and beans and peppers. It was a fun time to spend time with them. If I were to win this popsicle maker I would make a watermelon flavor popsicle cause it would remind me of all the fun times I had spitting out watermelon seeds.

    • Reply
      Whitney Miller
      May 3, 2013 at 9:14 am

      My friend Lara’s family had a big garden when we were growing up. We would sit in front of the T.V. and shuck peas. It was a fun time to spend together.

  • Reply
    Patrick Barber
    May 2, 2013 at 11:55 am

    I’d be cranking out mojito popsicles like crazy.

  • Reply
    Susie Johnston
    May 2, 2013 at 4:05 pm

    I would try and make Dream Sickle. Loved that when I was young. I would have to share with my grandchildren….kisses

  • Reply
    Elvia Edwards
    May 3, 2013 at 7:51 pm

    We have fruit smoothies for breakfast, blueberries, strawberries, pears, figs and sometimes add a banana. I think this would make a great Popsicle. This Would make a fun item to help enjoy summer even more.

  • Reply
    Thai Dang
    May 6, 2013 at 11:36 am

    I would love to make blue berry with hint of lime popsicle to my mom 🙂

  • Reply
    David Palmer
    May 6, 2013 at 11:41 am

    I’d make something with fresh strawberries. It seems like every day is just a countdown for the next strawberry season!

  • Reply
    Ronny Nicklin
    May 6, 2013 at 11:44 am

    Sadly, I just lost my mother to ovarian cancer on4/22/13 so I would not be able to share this with her. (But she would love to use this with her grandkids!) However, my mother-in-law (who has been like a mother to me) has a great recipe for pineapple sherbet that I would love to try in this. It is cool, light, and refreshing … perfect for our hot Kansas City summers!

    • Reply
      Ronny Nicklin
      May 6, 2013 at 11:45 am

      oops… that should read “She would HAVE loved to use this with her grandkids.”

  • Reply
    Sarah
    May 6, 2013 at 11:47 am

    I would make the Nutella Popsicle first!

  • Reply
    Holly Chandler
    May 6, 2013 at 11:59 am

    my mom is a healthnut and would love this to make instant fruit pops!!!

    • Reply
      Whitney Miller
      May 7, 2013 at 9:43 am

      Holly you are the randomly selected winner of the ZOKU quick Popsicle maker. Congratulations! I hope you and your mom enjoy it. 🙂

  • Reply
    Seth
    May 6, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    I’d blend vanilla yogurt with a pinch of cinnamon and strawberries, banana, and pineapple!
    I can’t imagine how many hundreds of popsicles my mom made for us boys during summer…haven’t had one in years!

  • Reply
    Jodi Gillaume
    May 6, 2013 at 12:16 pm

    I would make a chocolate covered strawberry popsicle 🙂

  • Reply
    Travis Voss
    May 6, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    I would try out banana bread w/cinnamon flavored popsicles! 🙂

  • Reply
    Tom
    May 6, 2013 at 2:36 pm

    I would make chocolate cream yuuuuuuuuuuuuuummy

    Like you Whitney 🙂

  • Reply
    Alexandru Godeanu
    May 6, 2013 at 2:54 pm

    Clearly i would make my first popsicle dedicated to my mother because she has always been there i needed her most and i am thankful to her because she taught me how to cook even if i am only 15 years old :)the first popsicle would probably be an orange popsile because obviously that’s her favorite flavour!

  • Reply
    Renee Seppälä
    May 6, 2013 at 3:50 pm

    Can this be won by someone outside of the US? I am currently living in Finland, while my mom is oceans away in Manila, Philippines. I wish we could share a sweet treat together soon – but for now dessert dates on Skype will have to suffice.

    This weekend we will be celebrating both Mother’s Day and my birthday (may 13) on Skype – but it would be nice to have a Popsicle maker. Haha 🙂 I think I would enjoy a lemon/lime Popsicle, though I would prefer it to be of the Philippine variety that we call calamansi. Yum!

  • Reply
    Joshua Neal
    May 6, 2013 at 6:49 pm

    I would make an Ocean Spray Blueberry popsicle first then make a Pepsi flavored one for my mom as she loves to drink Pepsi alot.

    Me and my family used to sit out on the sun, swim in the swimming pool, camp and have Bar-B-Ques during the summer back when I was a kid and when my dad was alive who we lost to colon cancer on 02/08/2009 even even though he was my step father he was the only dad I ever knew.

    I do Relay For Life which is held every year on the third Saturday of June and walk around the track with my mom as our teams leader Legacy of Love.

  • Reply
    Alberto
    May 6, 2013 at 10:53 pm

    I would make my first Zoku pop a Dulce de Leche Cheesecake pop without doubt. I haven’t had the actual dessert my mom used to make when I was a kid! Now that I think about it, I should get the recipe from her soon and invite her to have a Dulce de Leche Cheesecake pop with me; it’ll be a walk down memory lane for sure (:

    • Reply
      Alberto
      May 6, 2013 at 10:55 pm

      *I haven’t had the actual dessert my mom used to make since I was a kid!

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