Temperatures are climbing, so we're all thinking of the summer heat and trying to find ways to stay cool. One of the coolest summer stories I know tells of the invention of Popsicles, more than 100 years ago.
The making of a cool treat
Let's turn the clock back to 1905 and meet Frank Epperson, an 11-year-old boy living in San Francisco.
Frank was an inquisitive child, always mixing things together and wondering what would happen. In those days, what we call "soft drinks" today were personal creations. Boys and girls would buy flavored powders and bubbly soda-fountain water and then mix them together.
Well, one evening not long after Christmas, Frank was mixing away, combining flavors in search of a wild, new blend to wow his friends with the following day. But the evening had gotten late, and Mrs. Epperson said that enough mixing had been done for one day.
Frank left his newest mixture on the windowsill and went to bed. That night a rare, cold front from the Arctic dropped down into California, sending temperatures into the freezing zone. No one is quite sure who, but someone hurriedly shut the window, leaving William's new mixture and his stirring stick outside on the ledge.
The next morning, Frank rushed to the window and found that the fruit-flavored liquid had frozen completely. When he removed the glass using warm water, he found he could handle the ice-cold treat easily by holding the stick, which also had frozen upright in the now-solid liquid.
Honoring Pop
Frank never forgot his discovery, and by 1922, he was marketing the "Ep-sicle." But the name just wasn't generating sales.
One year later, his five children renamed the treat in his honor over a family dinner, calling their favorite dessert a "pop-sicle." The name change worked, and the Popsicle grew in popularity, until the Great Depression of the 1930s wiped out Epperson, forcing him to sell the rights to the Good Humor Ice Cream Co. to save his family from bankruptcy.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Except for one problem: The Popsicle melts! What a mess for busy moms (and dads, too). So why not try a modern variation called, say, a "Mom-sicle"? It's easy to make, fun and very car-friendly.
Ana Kinkaid would love to hear your comments at ilovetocookbut@ hotmail.com.
Mom-sicles
1 package brownie mix
24 popsicle sticks
1 cup semisweet-chocolate bits
2 teaspoons shortening
Assorted cake sprinkles
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 13-by-9-inch pan with aluminum foil so that the foil extends 2 inches over the edge of the pan. Spray the foil with cooking oil.
Mix the brownies according to box directions, pour the batter in the pan and cook for 1 hour.
Remove the cooked brownies from the pan, and cool for 30 minutes in the freezer.
Peel off the foil, and cut into 24 rectangular bars. Gently insert one stick into each bar so that they resemble a popsicle.
Combine the chocolate chips and shortening, then heat for 1 minute in a microwave on high.
Dip each Mom-sicle in the melted chocolate, and decorate with sprinkles.
Allow the chocolate to set.
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