Have the niños take part in your family’s Thanksgiving dinner preparation this year.   Pumpkin pie pops are a great spin-off of the traditional pumpkin pie dessert we all love to indulge in after the big dinner.

Not only are they fun and easy for little hands to assemble, but require very few ingredients to create.  Because everything is ten times more fun on a stick, think of  this autumn treat as circular empanaditas on a stick.

Arrange them in a pretty flower vase to decorate the kid’s table as a fun centerpiece.

Pumpkin Pie Pops

You will need:

• 2  -  9” unbaked pie dough crusts
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs
• 1 – 15 oz can plain pumpkin
• 1 – 12 oz can condensed milk
• 12 bamboo skewers or wooden popsicle sticks

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Soak bamboo skewers or wooden popsicle sticks in water for 15 minutes

In a small bowl, mix sugar, salt and spices.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs.  Stir in pumpkin, sugar, salt and spice mixture and condensed milk.  Set aside.

Pie Pops Assembly:

1. On a floured surface, prepare pie dough by rolling out the crusts to 9 inches in diameter.
2. Using a 2  ½” cookie  or biscuit cutter, or the rim of an overturned glass, cut out as many circles as possible.  Gather dough scraps and roll out to cut out more circles.  Repeat with second pie dough.
3. Place half of the dough circles on two baking sheets and gently press skewers (or popsicle sticks) on each of them.
4. Place a tablespoon of pumpkin mixture on the center of each dough circle.
5. Beat the last egg in a separate bowl.
6. With a baking brush, brush egg wash around pumpkin pie filling .
7. Add the top crust by gently placing the second round on top of the round with pumpkin filling and skewer.
8. Using a fork, gently press around the pie sides to secure and seal the pie pops.
9. With fork, poke a few holes on top of the pie pop to let trapped air escape.
10. Once sealed, brush the pops with egg wash.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Makes 6 Pie Pops

{All photos courtesy of Ericka Sánchez}

Ericka Sánchez–Proudly born in Torreón, Coahuila Mexico, Ericka arrived in the United States in 1982 to El Paso, Texas. Her love of food began in her mom’s kitchen but flourished in a food photography studio where she assisted in food styling/design and photo shoots.

Now a wife and a mom to a 2-year old toddler, Ericka launched her bilingual blog Nibbles & Feasts in 2010 as a guide to satiating food cravings through recipes and to share her restaurant recommendations and food events in Los Angeles. You can read all of Ericka´s recipes here.

All images ©SpanglishBaby, Ltd

Summer is over, but the craving for salads isn’t. I just crave heartier salads that can take me through the hectic day and that my daughter will also love.

For this month’s Mizkan Cooking Challenge the five participating bloggers had to come up with a Favorite Light Recipe using a Nakano rice vinegar™as an ingredient. It really was easy because their seasoned rice vinegars can be splashed onto so many simple dishes to enhance their flavor. I chose to use the Nakano Rice Vinegar with Roasted Garlic to blend in with the robust flavors of the roasted corn, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, avocado and cilantro that make up this salad I tossed together with so many of my girl’s favorite ingredients that she gobbled it up!

Recipe: Roasted Corn, Mozzarella and Avocado Salad

Ingredients

-16oz bag of frozen roasted corn (or you can roast fresh corn yourself if you have time for that)
-1 pint cherry tomatoes
-8oz mozzarella cheese
-2 Hass avocados
-1 cilantro bunch, chopped
-1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
-2tbs Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar Roasted Garlic
-cayenne pepper to taste

-salt and pepper to taste
Directions


Empty the corn, mozzarella, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced avocados and chopped cilantro all into one bowl.

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil with the Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar and pour on top of the salad mixture to coat.

Sprinkle some cayenne to pepper to taste. I like adding a lot of it, but my girl doesn’t like spicy foods, so I add it to my own serving.

Salt and pepper to taste and mix to coat all the ingredients.

Cut up some ciabatta or baguette and serve immediately.

This is not a salad you want to prepare too much in advance because the cilantro wilts and the avocado browns quickly. But, it’s so easy to prepare that you can make it as soon as the craving hits!


Get even more Favorite Light Recipes inspiration when you check out the recipes (with video included!) that these Latina food bloggers created. Just click on the badges below.

And visit the Nakano Facebook and Twitter pages where they are always posting great recipes and quick easy splash-on tips with your favorite seasoned rice vinegar as a healthy alternative.

Oh, and here’s a behind-the-scenes pic with my little helper. She loves to pose with the ingredients!


Disclosure: This recipe and post was made possible thanks to the sponsorship from Mizkan Americas.

Photo courtesy of Nicole Presley

Editor´s note: We invited one of our favorite food bloggers, Nicole Presley from Presley´s Pantry, to share with us two kid-friendly recipes using the New No-Stick Performance spray by PAM. First, she shared these ingenious lasagna cups and now we have the dessert! 

I’m a huge fan of cobbler and celebrate all that it represents: bringing my family together in the kitchen to get a slice; enjoying our cherry cobbler as a family unit; and us parents proudly watching our 2 year old baby devour his dessert from start to finish.

The part I DON’T like about it is the clean up and how it often sticks to the pan. Now that PAM has come into my life with a NO-STICK Performance Spray I will be making cobbler all winter long! It was such a breeze to cut a slice out of the pan and hand it to my eager son!

Watch the video for step-by-step instructions and scroll below for the details. Enjoy!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhA2_c5lmPI

Ingredients for cobbler cake:

1 1/8 – cups sugar

3 – cups flour

1 – teaspoon baking soda

1- teaspoon baking powder

1/2 – teaspoon salt

1 – cup cold butter (2 sticks)

2 – large eggs

3 1/2 – tablespoons half and half

1 – teaspoon vanilla

1 – cup sour cream

Ingredient for filling:

40 – ounces cherry filling

Directions

In  a food processor mix all dry ingredients (sugar, flour, baking soda and powder, salt) together.  Then add in cold butter.  Flour mixture will eventually become crumbly with the butter pieces the size of peas.  Remove from food processor and place in a large mixing bowl.

In a medium bowl add eggs, half and half, vanilla, and sour cream. Then take a fork and mix well until completely combined. Now add egg/sour cream mixture to flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until combined/moistened. Divide cobbler cake batter in half.

In a 9 x 13 inch pyrex sprayed with PAM, add half of the cobbler cake batter, and spread evenly across.

Now take your cherry filling and slowly spread across the top a little at a time until completely covered.

Now add remaining cake cobbler mixture to top in big drops to try and cover top, leaving some cherry filling exposed.

Ingredients for cobbler topping:

1/2 – cup sugar

1/2 – cup sliced almonds

Lastly take cobbler and sprinkle with sugar and almonds!

Bake for 60 minutes or until tester toothpick comes out clean. Your cobbler will be golden and your kitchen will smell sweet like a cherry.

Disclosure:  This post is part of a sponsored campaign on behalf of PAM Cooking Spray. We received compensation, a toolkit and PAM promotional items from ConAgra Foods to make this post possible.

All Photos Courtesy of Nicole Presley

Editor´s note: We invited one of our favorite food bloggers, Nicole Presley from Presley´s Pantry, to share with us a kid-friendly recipe using the New No-Stick Performance spray by PAM and she came up with something quite delectable.

I’ve wanted to try my hand at making lasagna cups for quite a while now, but due to fear of them sticking to the pan I’ve always reserved the occasion for another time. To my delight I stumbled across a New No-Stick Performance spray by PAM, and couldn’t resist the challenge to build my very own lasagna cups. The results… FLAWLESS! I was tickled pink at how easy they were to remove from the pan. I even pulled some out effortlessly with my hand. I’m praising this little NO-STICK sensation in the yellow can with the highest regard. Do you know what kind of baking/cooking possibilities PAM just opened up for me? The proof will be in the recipe below and when your kids ask for ¡Más, porfavor!. Enjoy!

Lasagna Cups Recipe

Ingredients

14 – lasagna noodles (cooked according to package)
1 – cup shredded mozzarella
12 – thinly sliced zucchini rounds (about 1/4 of a zucchini)
1/4 – cup ricotta
1/3 – sauteed or fresh chopped mushrooms
1/4 – cup pesto
1/4 – cup pine nuts
1/2 – cup shredded cheddar cheese
12 – thinly sliced tomato rounds (about 2 medium sized tomatoes)

What you’ll need:

1 – can Pam Ultimate No-Stick performance spray
1 – standard size muffin pan

Directions:

Boil lasagna noodles according to package. Drain water and carefully cut off ridged edges of all noodles. Then cut 12 of the noodles in half, you will need two halves per muffin cup. Cut the last 2 noodles into 6 pieces, making 12 squares total. Let’s get working.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lightly spray muffin pan with Pam Ultimate No-Stick Performance spray. Then take two pieces of lasagna noodles and form a cross inside muffin cup. Take a pinch of mozzarella cheese and place it in the center of overlapping noodles.

Add a sliced zucchini to the top of mozzarella cheese. Then dollop a teaspoon of ricotta cheese, add a teaspoon layer of mushrooms, a teaspoon of pesto, a few pine nuts, and a small pinch of cheddar cheese.

Then take two sides and fold into cheese, there should be a small gap showing. Take one of the noodles squares and place on top to bridge the gap.

Then take the other two sides and close. Will overlap slightly. Lastly place a sliced tomato on top and mound with a pinch of mozzarella cheese.

Repeat until done. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until cheese on top is golden crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Removal is so easy you can use your hand, or spoon, or a little spatula.

Lasagna Cup Tip: You can eat them with your hand or served in a bowl of pasta sauce. These are also just the right size to put in your kids lunchbox!

Disclosure:  This post is part of a sponsored campaign on behalf of PAM Cooking Spray and ConAgra . We received compensation, a toolkit and PAM promotional items from ConAgra Foods to make this post possible.

Nicole Presley is a culinary enthusiast who lives to cook, eat, breathe and talk food. She writes an original recipe food blog called Presley’s Pantry from her home in East Los Angeles. Apart from working on her blog everyday, she dedicates her time to raising her 2-year-old son along with her fiance, and dotes on her Mother. Any small left-overs from her blog recipes are fed to her two grumpy chihuahuas, Oso and Penny.

Below are three of my family’s favorite back to school lunches.  All of them can be mixed and matched with your children’s favorite ingredients and paired up with a favorite fruit or healthy dessert.

All images © NibblesandFeasts.com

Fun Size Pizzas
Kids can’t resist pizza.  What better way to surprise them than by packing mini versions of their favorite treat.

1 whole wheat English muffin
2 tbsp pizza sauce (or spaghetti sauce)
2 tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese
2 slices of salami (or pepperoni or ham), each cut in half
2 zucchini rounds, each cut in half

On each English muffin slice spread 1tbsp of sauce, 1tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese, two half slices of salami and two half slices of zucchini rounds.  Place in toaster over long enough to melt cheese.  Serve with a favorite fruit.

All images © NibblesandFeasts.com

Pinwheels
Cute food shapes and containers such as bento boxes make meal-time 10 times more fun.  Use cookie cutters to cut fruit, bread or tortillas.

1 whole wheat flour tortilla
1 tbsp cream cheese at room temperature
1 tbsp avocado
8 spinach leaves
2 thin slices of your favorite deli meat

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and avocado by stirring with spoon.  Spread mixture evenly on warm tortilla. Add a layer of spinach and top with deli meat slices.  Roll tortilla carefully keeping layers in place.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Slice in 1-inch pieces.

All images © NibblesandFeasts.com

Hummus, Turkey & Swiss Pita with Cucumber
Hummus is the perfect substitution for mayo.  It is high in fiber, iron and vitamin C.

1 whole wheat pita pocket
2 tbsp hummus
5 cucumber rounds
1 slice Swiss cheese
1-3 slices of turkey ham (depending on width of slice)
2 large lettuce leaves
2 tomato slices

Toast pita in toaster oven (can be eaten cold too).  Open and evenly spread hummus dip.  Carefully tuck in lettuce, turkey ham, cucumber, tomato and cheese.  Enjoy with a favorite fruit.

Ericka Sánchez–Proudly born in Torreón, Coahuila Mexico, Ericka arrived in the United States in 1982 to El Paso, Texas. Her love of food began in her mom’s kitchen but flourished in a food photography studio where she assisted in food styling/design and photo shoots.Now a wife and a mom to a 2-year old toddler, Ericka launched her bilingual blog Nibbles & Feasts in 2010 as a guide to satiating food cravings through recipes and to share her restaurant recommendations and food events in Los Angeles. You can read all of Ericka´s recipes here.

Fruity and naturally sweetened drinks are far superior to any fruit concentrate or soda.   Soda pop has been linked to obesity, which leads to other serious health problems.  By making your own sodas, you can limit your intake of sugar and chemicals while dazzling your kids with a natural, tasty drink.

When the temperature rises, I always keep a variety of syrups, fruit teas or aguas frescas in my refrigerator ready for impromptu drinks.  You can pretty much mix and create your own if you experiment with different flavors, spices and fruits.  The options are limitless.  For some fizz, add some sparkling water or club soda.

Since this week we have a Bicultural Birthdays Celebration going on, I am sharing these fizzy and refreshing drinks recipes that are perfect to serve at any fiesta.

Here are three cool-down easy recipes for fun summer sparkling beverages your kids will absolutely love.

All images © NibblesandFeasts.com

Sparkling Rooibos Raspberry:

A delicious way to dilute fruit juice for children

2 teaspoons rooibos (red bush) tea
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon honey 2 cups raspberry blend 100% fruit juice
2 cups sparkling water

Place loose tea in teapot and cover with boiling water.  Add honey and stir, then let tea cool.  Strain into pitcher.  Combine with juice and sparking water.  Serve cold over ice.

Makes 1 quart

All images © NibblesandFeasts.com

Mijitos

A word play of a Mojito and a perfect thirst-quenching and invigorating beverage.
A family favorite.

10 Mexican limes, juiced
12 mint leaves
2 cups of water
4 tablespoons organic raw blue agave nectar
2 cups sparkling water

Place lime juice and mint leaves in a glass pitcher. Use a muddler to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice.  Add blue agave sweetener and stir.  Add water and sparkling water and serve over ice.  Garnish with thin lime slices.

Makes 1 quart

All images © of NibblesandFeasts.com

Fresh Fruity Sunrise

A fun and irresistible drink for the child in all of us

2 cups mango or tropical blend 100% juice
1 cup cranberry juice
1 cup sparkling water

Combine cranberry juice and sparkling water in a separate container.

To get the fun sunrise look in your glass:  Add ice.  First, pour mango juice first to the halfway point in your glass, and then slowly add the cranberry and sparkling water mix.

Makes 1 quart

Share:  What´s your favorite refreshing summer drink?

Ericka Sánchez–Proudly born in Torreón, Coahuila Mexico, Ericka arrived in the United States in 1982 to El Paso, Texas. Her love of food began in her mom’s kitchen but flourished in a food photography studio where she assisted in food styling/design and photo shoots.
Now a wife and a mom to a 2-year old toddler, Ericka launched her bilingual blog Nibbles & Feasts in 2010 as a guide to satiating food cravings through recipes and to share her restaurant recommendations and food events in Los Angeles. You can read all of Ericka´s recipes here.

Today our amiga Vianney of Sweet Life Bake shares a recipe she and her daughter came up with for Strawberry Empanadas! … Read the sweet introduction written by Bonnie’s daughter, Angelica and then onto the sweet recipe!

Kids everywhere rejoice when the final countdown begins. Summer is finally here! Freedom from books, flash cards, reviewing math, (the worst subject) and history lessons. For an 11 year old nothing beats playing video games, movies at the drive-in and staying up late, except spending time in the kitchen. When I was little my Mom used to drag me into the kitchen as she says “to teach me life skills.” – All I heard was “more work.”

She was pretty smart about the whole thing, she began with cookies. Sweet chocolate chip cookies would make any 3 year old sing. Little by little she began adding new recipes; new techniques and I looked forward to my time in the kitchen. Soon I was flipping through her cookbooks and she even began buying me my own books. Who knew my Mom’s “life skills” classes would lead to my love of baking? I guess Mom’s do know what they are talking about, (smile.)

This weekend after she sent my Dad to the grocery store, which I knew was a mistake, we ended up with a ton of strawberries. My Mom said we should make empanadas and we did. They came out great and my Dad said they were the best he has ever had. Gotta love Dads.

Strawberry Empanadas by Sweet Life Bake
By Angelica Rodriguez with Vianney Rodriguez

Make 18-20

Dough:

3 cups all purpose flour, plus a little more for rolling dough

½ tsp salt

3 tsp piloncillo, grated with zester

2 sticks of butter, diced and chilled in freezer until needed

¾ milk, chilled and divided

Filling:

2 cups strawberries, diced

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ cup brown sugar

For egg wash:

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp of milk

Prepare filling (can be made the day before)

Over medium high heat in a medium saucepan add strawberries, cinnamon and brown sugar.

Cook until brown sugar dissolves and strawberries become thickened about 15 minutes.

Move filling to a bowl and cool to room temperature.

Prepare dough:

Add the flour, salt and piloncillo into a food processor, pulse twice to combine.

Add butter, cover and pulse eight or nine times until butter and flour combine to the crumbly texture.

Add the ¼ cup of milk and pulse twice. Continue to add milk and pulse until dough comes together.

Method: If the dough does not combine continue to add milk. Remove dough and knead into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

On a large work surface and lightly dust with flour.

Roll dough and cut into 4 inch circles.

If working on a small surface cut dough in half. Roll into a smaller rectangle and cut your circles.

Spoon 1 tbsp of filling in center of circle.

Brush one edge lightly with water and fold the dough over.

Using a fork seal edges, transfer to ungreased baking sheet and brush with egg wash.

Bake 15 minutes.

Bonnie Rodriguez (aka as Vianney) is a proud Texan, Latina and mom who enjoys spending time in the kitchen with her kids. Join her as she dishes up her favorite meals at Sweet Life Bake.

I’ll never forget how blown away I was when I tasted peanut butter for the first time a bit after I moved to this country as a teenager. I’d never ever tasted it before and, as a big peanut fun, I just couldn’t believe how good it tasted and how I could it eat it in a variety of ways: by the spoonful, on PB&J sandwiches — which were, to me, the epitome of an American snack or lunch box — or as one of the main ingredients in a bowl of chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup and sliced bananas topped with some sort of cereal. Yum! (Actually, I think I’d die if I ate anything close to that now!)

As I got older, my love affair with peanut butter dwindled. But then, I became a mamá and I quickly remembered how much I loved it and why!

So here’s a super quick and easy snack I make for mis niños which is not only yummy, but super healthy. Although they’re called “quesadillas,” they don’t really have any cheese, it’s just the concept behind them.

Ingredients

• Tortillas (the recipe calls for flour tortillas, but I prefer corn)
• Peanut butter, chunky or creamy
• Ripe babana sliced
• PAM cooking spray
• Cinnamon to taste

Preparation

1. Spread a hefty spoonful of peanut butter onto the tortilla and top it with a few banana slices.

2. Give the skillet a quick spray of PAM, I alternate between the butter flavor or the original one, and set the burner on medium heat.

3. Place folded tortilla in the skillet, and heat 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.

4. Let the tortilla cool a little bit. The peanut butter is nice and gooey, but also hot!

5. Slice into wedges, sprinkle some cinnamon ¡y a comer!

While sharing this recipe with you, I’ve also given you a tip on how I use PAM cooking spray to help me make these super quick, easy and truly healthy snack! We invite you to also share your tips on how PAM Helps You Pull it Off and enter PAM’s Top Tips contest for a chance to win $5,000 cash, a dinner party with Venezuelan-native celebrity chef George Duran and more. All you have to do is go here and submit a video, photo or blog entry with your cooking, grilling or all-around creative household tip on how to use PAM.  ¡Buena Suerte!

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored series to help promote PAM’s Top Tip Contest. We also received PAM products and promotional material from ConAgra to assist in preparing the posts. All opinions are our own.

Photo courtesy: Susan O. Stephan

I love being a mom!  Watching my children learn and discover new things is truly amazing.  It is amazing to see how my boys change as they grow.  Being a mom has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  The joy and happiness that my children bring into my life is hard to describe, but other moms understand that feeling without any words needing to be said.

Being a good mom presents challenges.  I was finding it difficult to get my boys to eat healthy and nutritious meals.  I love to cook, but with our busy lives, it can sometimes be difficult to fit in all of the activities that we do plus making a healthy dinner.

My Spanish playgroups have played an integral role in my development as a mom.  Not only do my kids benefit and have fun playing with other children who speak Spanish, but I have met some wonderful women who have become my friends and support.  When my son was in the hospital for an operation last year, the moms from my playgroup supported us throughout this trying ordeal by bringing us meals during our stay in the hospital.  Fortunately, all turned out well for my son, but I will forever be grateful for the food that was provided by the moms in our playgroup.  There is something about food and its ability to create community.

As I pondered the best way to feed my sons healthy meals, I turned once again to my playgroup.  A friend from the group told me about an article that she had read about dinner exchanges.  I loved the idea, and we decided that our group would be perfect for trying this fun food exchange.  In a meal exchange, each participant makes multiples of the same meal based on the number of participants.  So if five people are participating in the exchange, you make five portions of the same meal.  The meals can be packaged in freezer bags or in disposable plastic ware.  Each of the participants in the exchange receives one of your meals, and you come home with five different meals from each participant.  Our group tries to make the exchange fun for the kids too, we have a snack and the kids can play together.

The dinner exchange can be both economical and a time saver.  By taking home a variety of different meals, it’s less tempting to go to dinner or even order a pizza when you have a fresh and healthy dinner in your freezer or refrigerator.  Our first meal exchange gave us healthy, home-cooked meals.  I also liked that it introduced me to new dishes and cuisines.  I especially enjoyed the dish of mote pillo that one our moms from Ecuador prepared.

The meal exchange has not only helped me to feed healthy meals to my family, but it has also exposed me to new dishes and cuisines.  A meal exchange can be a great way to have fun, experience new and exotic dishes, and most importantly have healthy dinners ready and waiting for your family.

Susan O. Stephan is a credentialed Spanish Teacher in the state of California who earned her Master’s degree in Educational Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. She has taught in Spain, Japan and the United States. Although currently on leave from her job, she continues to use her teaching skills with her sons and in her Spanish speaking play groups. Her blog-http://tesoltopics.blogspot.com/

Photo by The Infamous Gdub

I think one of the treats I took the most for granted when I lived in El Salvador and, later, in Mexico was the paleta, the ultimate frozen treat.  They are everywhere and anywhere.  I grew up with the ding, ding of the bell hanging from the paletero’s cart as he walked in front of my house at the same time every afternoon.  My favorites were the paletas de coco, de fresa, pistachio and horchata.

I still remember the time my father, who lives in Houston, went to visit me in Mexico City.  He would make me take him to the corner paletería every single day to devour one or two paletas.  I seriously thought it was a bit obsessive from his part.  I could understand if he wanted something more típico, like quesadillas de huitlacoche, something he just couldn´t find in Texas.

Now that I don’t have paletas at every street corner, I get it and I crave them. You might think a popsicle is just a popsicle. How different can they be?  If you´ve ever had a popsicle in a Latin country you know what I´m talking about.  These paletas are thick, creamy, rich and totally natural.  The typical Mexican ones have bits and chunks of the fruit frozen in them.  Since diversity is what Mexican culture is all about you can find paletas in tons of flavors ranging from fruits, nuts, flowers, cucumbers and even chiles.  Yes…have you ever tried a mango con chile paleta?  Yum, yum.

I live in L.A. where I can find comparable-tasting paletas if I look and go out of my way.  The paleteros in my hood don´t carry the real deal.  Natural is so hard to come by these days.  So, my best alternative is to make them myself for my paleta-obsessed 3 year old.

I recommend spending a couple of dollars in a basic paleta mold that you can reuse.  I bought these some months ago and really like that I can pop out each one individually.  Another option is to use paper cups and wooden popsicle sticks.

For any basic paleta de agua you will need fruit, water, probably some lime, and a blender. The idea is to make a chunky juice and then just pour it into the molds and freeze for 5 hours. The chunkier, the tastier.  Try this site for a good variety of simple recipes.

If you want to get more fancy and prepare a heartier paleta, I´ve got a couple of tasty milk-based recipes that Toma Leche sent my way.  Somehow, they convinced a bunch of the best paleterías in California to share their most popular recipes. And now, I’m sharing my favorite recipe with you. A paleta can’t get more real or nostalgic than this.

This is also a great summertime activity with your kid where you can tell them in Spanish all about arroz con leche, paletas and the memories they stir.

Paleta de Arroz con Leche (makes 12 paletas)

Ingredients

1 cup of rice

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 cup whole milk

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup condensed milk

To make:

Put the rice and cinnamon stick in a saucepan with enough water to cover the rice completely and a bit more.  With the heat on low, let the water evaporate just to where it’s level with the top of the rice and add the whole milk. Continue simmering until the rice is “al dente.”

Add the sugar in the saucepan and mix together.  After 5 minutes add the evaporated milk and mix.  Once the rice is cooked through, transfer to a serving plate and then add the condensed milk.  You can blend the rice and milk before pouring into the paleta molds.  For an extra touch, add a pinch of cinnamon and/or raisins to taste.  Put in the freezer for four hours.

When you’re ready to take the paleta out of the mold, pass it under warm running water and gently pull until it comes out.

Tell us, what’s your favorite sabor de paleta?

Disclosure:  I was invited by the lovely ladies of Toma Leche to learn about their new campaign and was treated to a tasty paleta.  All the words I wrote about my paleta obsession are completely mine, mine.