Sky-Girl’s ninth birthday – long-stemmed flower, so tall, so sweet ::::
Sweet Sky-Girl is nine. Nine! Already. She decided to have a birthday sleepover party with a few friends, full of furikake popcorn, takeout pizza, and our family’s almost-a-tradition pandan chiffon cake.
She has a nice mix of friends, the bossy one, the quiet one, the inbetweener, the funny one. They sang some raucous karaoke (wow, was that loud) and bounced on a neighbor’s trampoline to get the wiggles out of their systems before food and movies. No delicate flowers here.
That’s where these more pretty than flavorful ice pops come into the story. See the edible flowers above? They all have different strengths. The marigolds are extremely durable and can be strung for lovely garlands, the snapdragons pinched over and over continue to snap without wilt, the dahlia (I think that’s what the orange petals are on the left) stays bright with color even after torn from its capitulum, and the nasturtium stands as a great seasoning with its peppery flavor. None, just like these spirited friends and Sky-Girl, are wilting petals.
This recipe wasn’t the most flavorful, but the flowers were the star, giving texture and the beautiful colors. I was experimenting with the icy part, wanting something not too opaque so that the color of the petals would be obscured. The mix of liqueur, water, and a little sugar had potential. I didn’t want to add too much liqueur and sugar to prevent freezing properly, but not enough would be boring. Well, I erred on the side of not enough and…boring taste…but pretty!
Sky-Girl, if life ever makes you feel blurred into the background, unimportant, frustrated, don’t worry. Those moments will melt away. You’ll always be left with the vibrancy of you. Keep being the sweet, thoughtful girl you are. You told me recently you want to be a veterinarian when you grow up. Your compassion for animals and how you are so gentle with our guinea pigs shows me you’d be a very caring veterinarian. I hope you always ask for me to hug and kiss you goodbye in the early mornings when I go to work and demand that I say goodnight at your bedside every night. I love you, squirrelly girl.
One year ago: lemon cupcakes (with googly eyes, for her eighth birthday)
Two years ago: mermaid and narwhal cake – with tutorial for fondant toppers and accouterments (Sky-Girl’s seventh birthday)
Three years ago: gudetama cupcakes (Sky-Girl’s sixth birthday)
Four years ago: rainbow cake (gum paste topper tutorial) with german buttercream frosting (recipe) (Sky-Girl’s fifth birthday)
Five years ago: bourbon cherries (My prep for our trip to Japan in 2017. We celebrated Sky-Girl’s fourth birthday at Mount Fuji.)
Six years ago: minnie mouse cake roll (for Sky-Girl’s third birthday)
Seven years ago: hello kitty cake roll (for Sky-Girl’s second birthday)
Eight and a half years ago: We celebrated Sky-Girl’s first birthday about six months late and it coincided with the blog’s fourth anniversary: pandan chiffon cake
Eight years ago: goodbye, california!
Nine years ago: mummy’s fudgy chocolate oatmeal bars recipe – and our new arrival (the birth of Sky-Girl)
Ten years ago: thai iced tea and butterfly purple ombre cake
Eleven years ago: cranberries all around and honeyed goat cheese tart
- 4 cups water
- various edible flowers (petals retained) - I ripped the petals off on some and they floated too much (can poke down these floating petals later after popsicles are slushy.
- 2 T fruity liqueur (elderflower or something with little color)
- 1 T sugar
- simple syrup (see recipe for more details)
- Place petals inside the popsicle molds being sure to layer them on top of each other gently. You can also use a dab little simple syrup to glue some of the petals to the sides of the molds in various positions.
- Mix water and elderflower liqueur in a large bowl and stir well to combine.
- Gently pour the mixture into the popsicle molds to avoid disturbing the petal placements.
- Freeze slightly without sticks, about 1 hour, then add sticks. This will help push some of the floating petals down to the bottom.
- Freeze at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- To remove from the molds, gently place in warm water until the popsicles pull free.
- NOTE: Yes, there's alcohol in this, but a very small amount. Unless there is a sensitivity or other medical issue, I see no reason not to share these with adults and children.
