As you all know by now, there is a story behind everything I do. Last year, I made some really cool yogurt ice pops. They were a big hit on Instagram and were actually featured on Martha Stewart’s feed. I DIED. Almost a year has passed and one of the things I really wanted to do with those pops was to use an obnoxious amount of lilacs in the shoot. By the time I went out to the local park to STEAL these lilacs, they were all dead and gone. Instead, I substituted some white blossoms which were nice but they were NOT lilacs. For the past two weeks, I have been stationed outside the park “tree watching”. You know I’m nuts right? Well, let me tell you that there was no way on earth I was going to miss LILAC SEASON this year. NO WAY!!!

Yesterday, I donned my “flower stealing” disguise – dark sunglasses, hoodie, plastic grocery bag along with a pair of garden shears which I found buried in the garage. It was a dreary, dismal day – not great for a photoshoot – but I was determined to get this done. I left the house at 3:30 p.m. – perfect timing with the dismissal of about 500 students walking through the local park – NOT!

I walked inconspicuously along the chain link fence that private properties back onto through the park. Whipped out the shears and started going wild – “Edward Scissorhands” style. I helped myself and came home with a loaded bag of beautiful flowers and some greenery while onlookers gawked and pointed. Come on……..don’t they know who I am by now? I mean really.

I tried another recipe this year for these delicious cold treats and you know what? I have to be honest. EVERYTHING tastes better with a bit of FAT added to it. Yes, there is heavy cream in these pops, but they were so smooth and dreamy it was WORTH every one of the 50 calories each. (#notsobad). Now look at these babies? They are OH SO PRETTY right? Keep calm and remain seated. You absolutely do not need to fuss with the drizzle here. These popsies are perfectly fine PLAIN but I just had to play Matchy Matchy with the lilacs and greenery so I made the chocolate drizzle. The other option is to simply dip them in good quality chocolate – IF YOU MUST. They are just as good naked so let’s get going. COCONUT LEMON ICE POPS – with very optional Blackberry & Matcha drizzle 6 oz coconut milk 6 oz heavy cream 2 tbls honey, agave or maple syrup 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp lemon zest 1/3 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened Combine first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir in the shredded coconut. Ladle or pour the mixture into molds and freeze for a few hours, or until set. With frozen pops still in the freezer, prepare the chocolate drizzle. Remove pops from molds and place on a cookie sheet or cutting board lined with wax paper. Get ready to drizzle fizzshnizzle. Optional Chocolate Drizzle: 1 cup good quality white chocolate, melted & divided into two bowls Add-ins blackberry syrup & matcha tea

Blackberry Syrup: 1/2 cup fresh blackberries puréed in food processor. Strain juice through sieve. Place juice in medium saucepan with 2 tbls sugar. Over medium heat cook until thickened. Let cool completely before adding to melted chocolate.

Into first bowl with chocolate, add 2 tsps of blackberry syrup. Into second bowl with chocolate, add in 1 tsp cooking grade green matcha. Stir well and place into small plastic zip bag. Cut one end with a tiny hole and drizzle over ice pops. The chocolate will harden almost instantly. Place back into freezer for 10 minutes to harden completely. I made 10 ...5 are left and I was the only one home. Uh oh. See ya next week! Debi @thegardenofeatin xoxo