I hesitate to call this a recipe but I thought I'd share it as this sparked a craze at home, and all because I left some juice in the freezer longer than I should have.

I don't know how many of you have pre-teens and teenagers at home, but if you do, have you ever attempted to get them to do even a modicum of housework? Try it, if you really want to know what a losing battle actually is.

We have this problem at home with ice. There's never any. I make it and everyone else, especially my boys, when they come home from school hot and sweaty, take it. And take it, then take some more. So, the one time in say 3 weeks, when I want just 4 ice cubes because the bottle of juice I just brought back from the supermarket isn't quite cold enough, I'll reach into the ice chest in the freezer and have my finger tips caressed by nothing but cold, cold air. This happens a lot. Too much, actually.

Expletive uttered, I dumped the juice into the freezer and cooked lunch, then reorganised the boys' wardrobes, then cleaned the bathrooms. Juice suddenly remembered, out came the frozen bottle and a string of sailor speak. All I'd wanted was a nice, really cold drink, preferably stil liquid ! Apparently, in this house, it was too much to ask. I next did what any hot and harried housewife would do; took a kitchen devil and sawed the bottle in half. I was going to get my cold juice, one way or another.

Ten minutes later, I was on the sofa, feet on the coffee table and cold, sweet and sticky juice on my chin, apron and fingers. Bliss! My mother always told me, if you're gonna do something, do it right! So, I got pink guava and soursop juices and made a more civilised, fruit filled,bicoloured version of my impromptu treat. For those wondering about soursop, it's a delicious sweet and sour, refreshing and fragrant fruit that looks like this. Some of you may know it as guanabana.


image from www.foodmuseum.com


These popsicles are really easy and such fun that even my work challenged boys have not been able to stop themselves making these all week. Did I tell you that my youngest is a budding sculptor? No? See for yourself.

The next Rodin of the ice sculpting world  ; )

Prep 5 mins          Makes 4


400 ml (4 cups) pink guava juice
400 ml (4 cups) soursoup juice
6 strawberries, hulled and halved
4 x 200 ml (7 oz) disposable cups or tall, narrow glasses
4 popsicle sticks (I used disposable chopsticks which I chopped in half)



Half fill each of the 4 cups with one of the juices. Put in 3 strawberry halves, leaving the middle clear so you can pop in the stick later. Put cups in the freezer and leave until half frozen. How long this takes will depend on your freezer.

Remove half frozen juice from freezer and push a popsicle stick into the centre of each cup. The half frozen juice should be able to support the stick and hold it upright. If not, remove stick/s and return juice to freezer until firm enough. Keep checking every 15 minutes or so. If juice freezes completely, you won't be able to get the stick in.

Once sticks are in, return to freezer until 3/4 frozen. Remove from freezer and using a toothpick, prick the surface of the juice as far as the toothpick will go, in about 4 or 5 spots around the popsicle stick. This will help the other juice to seep in and 'anchor' itself so that when you pop them out of the cups, they wont split into two halves where the different juices meet. Pour in the other flavoured juice up to the brim and return to the freezer.

When completely solid, remove from freezer, grab the stick while holding the cup and twist firmly to remove popsicle. Enjoy!