An easy and refreshing way to cool off this weekend

It is shaping up to be a scorcher of a summer in Texas this year. A great way too cool off is with some homemade popsicles. These are perfect for lazy Sundays like today and super easy to make.

Campari Citrus Popsicles

Makes 10-15 popsicles

Adapted from a recipe on Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 cups orange juice
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup Campari

Popsicle molds (I bought mine at IKEA)

Directions:

Mix the water and sugar together in a small pan over a low heat, and bring up to boil until the sugar dissolves. Allow the simple syrup to boil for 4 minutes, remove from heat and cool (makes a little over 1 cup). I used organic cane sugar which gives the simple syrup the caramel color you see in the picture above. It does not affect the taste or color of the popsicles.

Combine the citrus juice and Campari and add 1 cup of simple syrup.

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze at least 8 hours or overnight. To remove, run the molds quickly under hot water, and gently pull out the pops.

Note:

I halved the recipe above because I only had 6 popsicle molds. You could also use Aperol, a bitter orange aperitif in place of Campari. Aperol is more orange-y and less bitter than Campari. Additionally, you can use grapefruit juice instead of orange juice for the Campari popsicles, just omit the lemon juice.

IKEA Name Generator

Ever wanted to know what your name would be if you were a piece of IKEA furniture? Go here to find out.

iPhone Apps

Some cool and usable iPhone apps:

Sherwin Williams Color Snap and Benjamin Moore Color Capture: Ever been somewhere and see a color you love and want that color to use in your own home? These apps will allow you to use a picture and then it will suggest a color that matches it and also provide coordinating and contrasting colors.

myPantone: The entire Pantone color library on your phone. It will let you create custom color palettes and share them online.

iHandy Level: Need to see if that picture you hung is straight? This free app will tell you.

Craigsphone: Craigslist for your iPhone. This would be useful for spending a day hitting garage sales and estate sales.

SwedeShop: Allows you to create lists and record bin numbers and aisle locations for items you want to purchase at IKEA. It also will tabulate your total cost so there is no sticker shock at the register.

Epicurious: At the store and don't know what to cook for dinner? This app lets you search through all of epicurious.com's food and drink recipies. It will also let you create shopping lists and give you step by step cooking instructions.

WhatTheFont: Out and about and see a sign with a font that you would like to use? Take a picture and this app will tell you what font it is.