Hola! With summer upon us, my kids are playing outside more. Probably yours are, too. It’s a perfect excuse to introduce them to some of the flavors of Mexico and explore the rich Latino heritage in southeast Michigan.
Growing up in Mexico, we’d take a break from playing soccer and head to a corner store to enjoy mangonadas, a frozen treat made from the pulp of mangos and sweetened with sugar. They’re topped with tajin and chamoy and sometimes gummy candies coated in chili powder.
The neighborhood convenience store in Mexico would sell these frozen treats in little blue saucer cups with a Popsicle stick. Now that I make them at home for my own children, I take a shortcut when the cravings hit and use frozen mango, already peeled and diced. Instead of the blue disposable saucers, I make them in my reusable frozen ice pop mold.
We love to eat them on the porch while I share stories of growing up in Mexico.
Make This:
This summer, introduce your kids to this yummy Mexican treat.
You will need:
- Ice pop mold
- Ice pop sticks
- 12 ounces frozen mango
- 2 limes, juiced
- Mango syrup (found in the coffee syrups or ice cream toppings aisle at the store)
- Tajin
- Chamoy (a sweet and sour syrup made from apricots, tamarind and chili powder) Optional
- Recipe yields 10 traditional-sized ice pops.
Directions:
- In a blender, place the frozen mango, 3 Tbsp. of mango syrup and the juice of two limes. Blend until it becomes a smoothie.
- In your ice pop mold, first sprinkle tajin at the bottom of each ice pop mold cavity. If you are adding chamoy, add some now.
- After chamoy, pour the mango smoothie ½ way and tap the mold to flatten mixture. Add more tajin and chamoy, swirl on the side of the mold to create a cool tie-dye pattern. (You can alternate chamoy and mango as much as you’d like). Continue to pour the mango smoothie until each ice pop mold is almost full.
- Leave room for a last red layer of chamoy and tajin, or mango chunks.
- Freeze on a level surface overnight. Thaw for 10 minutes before serving so your ice pops come out smooth and in one piece. !Provecho!
Try That
While food is a large part of how I introduce my Mexican heritage to my kids, we also like to explore southwest Detroit on breezy summer evenings.
One of our favorite places is the Bagley Pedestrian Bridge. We consider it a hidden gem. The kids love running across the cable-stayed bridge and looking over Interstate 75. We love the buzzing sound of the cars below us and the twinkling lights of the Ambassador Bridge.
The bridge connects the east and west side of Mexicantown and, at the end, we love the plaza with benches and architectural structures where the kids can play hide-and-seek. They also love looking at the famous mosaic mural by Hubert Massey, with its bright colors representative of the Latino community here in metro Detroit.
Sarah McCune is a mom and Latina food blogger who loves to take the intimidation out of cooking authentic Mexican food, filling her Instagram with yummy recipes. Follow Sarah on Instagram @growingupsarita.
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