Today I've got some push pops for you! And some thoughts on authenticity!

The number one unwritten rule of food blogging, as it seems to me, is that the food you present has to be the very best ever. Like, there is no other food that exists on this earth that could possibly measure up to what you are sharing with your audience. Go read other blogs. Read my archives. Superlatives and hyperbole abound. I'm know I've been guilty of over-adulation of my home cooking, even as I try really hard to be as honest and authentic in this space as possible.  Even if it means admitting that I made something that didn't live up to my expectations, I want to share that, because the real truth of home cooking is that things don't come out perfectly. They almost never do. And I really think that is important to admit, even in a space like Tea and Fog, where I'm obviously just trying to highlight how brilliant I am in the kitchen. Ha. But, just because something didn't turn out the way I wanted or thought it would, that doesn't mean there isn't any there there. It could be that there is a spark of a good idea, waiting to show through all the mistakes and bad ideas, and that alone is enough for me to share with an audience, because you never know, someone could read it and get inspired.

Why bring this up? Well, because of these push pops. I had the idea to try to recreate those orange sherbet push pops at home. You know, the ones that, for a while, were branded with the Flintstones for some reason? I used to love those pops, savoring the sherbet as I allowed myself to push the pop up just another centimeter, eating it as slowly as I could before it melted. So, I churned up some orange sherbet colored only with orange juice and flecked with zest, and then froze the sherbet in some fun push-pop cake molds. The sherbet was citrusy and refreshing, and the molds worked better than I hoped. But I was kind of not into them, and I don't really know why. Maybe its the lack of orange food coloring that made them less exciting to me, or the absence of animated cave men, but they didn't really reach the heights I had quite imagined in my mind. 

So, I went back and forth on whether to share these push pops here. Even though they were tasty, I was just so meh about them, and I had no idea what I could even say to sell them. But then I remembered how excited I was to make them, how much fun I had with the idea of turning a childhood treat into something homemade, so I decided to share them anyway. They are really very good, so you should know about them, and I'll try not to ruin the moment with my lack of enthusiasm. 

Orange Sherbet Pops

Sherbet adapted from David Lebovitz

• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• zest of 1 small orange
• 3 tbs fresh squeezed orange juice

1. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of milk with the sugar and zest, and and heat until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from the heat, add to the remaining milk and chill thoroughly.
3. When ready to freeze, stir in the orange juice and freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
4. When churned, spoon sherbet mixture into push pop molds (or regular popsicle molds). Freeze until firm.