There are few games filled with more pomp and circumstance than croquet (one being polo, which is really just croquet on a horse), and for the last couple of years our family has been honored to receive an invitation to one of our small town’s most anticipated events, The Chris and Betty Invitational Croquet tournament. A long-running fundraiser to help eradicate cancer and to remember the loved ones that we have all lost in its wake.
The tournament is a delightful tongue-in-cheek gathering of men in outlandish seersuckers and ladies in big hats drinking cocktails and whacking colored balls through wickets across several playing fields. It’s a fun, family friendly afternoon that we look forward to each year. But last year was especially eventful as the first croquet injury occurred in the tournament’s history, and it occurred to none other than my son.
If you haven’t met my son, then you have no idea that the kid is prone to injury. Everything from splinters, to busted lips, and in this case a croquet mallet to the forehead. He’s never quite grasped the concept of personal space and I imagine that my son, while playing a rousing game of croquet on the children’s field, was simply standing too close to an enthusiastic participant when Jack was unexpectedly clocked right between the eyes by what was surely an excellent follow through swing of a croquet mallet. I wasn’t there to see, but I imagine the poor kid went down like a sack of potatoes.
It was in this prone position that I first saw the injury, a goose-egg topped with a ½ inch split right in the middle. Doctors were in attendance and declared that a band-aid and an ice-pack were all the kid needed. As I breathed a sigh of relief that he would not require more extensive medical care, I could not help but laugh at the incident. This one is going to follow Jack for the rest of his life. He will forever remember the time that he stood too close to the passion of croquet and hopefully he will proceed with caution at this year’s tournament.
What does that story have to do with popsicles? Not much, except I think the poor kid earned one after the day’s events. Especially since, not 15 minutes after the injury, he was back ripping and running with the future players of croquet.
Popsicle Molds
Ok, thanks for getting through the story about the tragic croquet mishap of 2018. Now lets talk popsicle molds. There are several different kinds and the ones in this picture are the cheapest Dollar Store variety out there, but I am not going to recommend them. They are terrible and should be avoided for the sack of everyone’s sanity.
The ones that I really like are these silicon popsicle molds from Amazon. The flexible silicone makes this so much easier to get frozen popsicles out. If you don’t want to invest in a mold then I recommend the 1980’s method of using the little paper Dixie cups and traditional wooden popsicle sticks. You just peel the the paper cup off and you’ve got the perfect popsicle.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar replacement
- 1 cup frozen unsweetened cherries
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the cherries into a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth and the cream cheese is combined with the milk. Add in the cherries and pulse until the cherries are minced finely but not totally pureed. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds (how many will depend on your molds, but 8-10 is about right). Freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove from the molds by dipping the outside into a pan of water for a few seconds until the popsicle releases. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in a ziptop bag in the freezer.
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