Cooling the Summer heat with popsicles - even if it has to be done without a blender!

(Em português)

It's been at least one or two Summers since I've been willing to post a recipe for popsicles, I don't recall it precisely.
In the meantime I have been thinking of how to make popsicles that won't come out as ice blocks, but that also won't give me too much trouble (by which I mean: don't require a stand mixer, or re-stirring every 30 minutes) nor take weird industrialized ingredients.
Hummm. How to make it simple?
Well, I have found out a few things about this process through trial and error, and I think finally I can share a "formula", as I did with the crunchy bars. Although, before I jump into the recipe, I would like to tell that I have been interviewed by Melanie Moreira for the site Receitas sem fronteiras, talking a bit about the ways that lead me to the kitchen. It is only available in Portuguese, but if you want to check out anyway, click here.
The picture illustrating the interview is by Nicole Samperi.
Are you feeling like going to the kitchen too? :)

Fake summer compote.

(Em português)

A real fruit compote is that beautiful thing, seen in Grandmother houses.

It's a huge mason jar filled with fruit chunks in sugar syrup.

Where my Grandmother lived, there was a pear tree, and when they started to ripen, nobody could eat it all. To solve the problem, compote was made, since it's a preservation method.

Now, this recipe here won't serve to preserve anything, it doesn't last long.

But it looks and tastes a lot like compote, except it takes a lot less sugar.

Real fruit jelly. In this case, mango.

    (Ignore the fork in the first picture. The breakfast table was set, so there was a spoon nearby          as well...)

(Em português)

About 300 years ago I bookmarked this recipe in Patricia's blog, and I really wanted to test it.

Ana Elisa posted another real fruit jelly, and I started to like the idea very much.

People say jelly is good for many things, and it's quite easy to prepare but, honestly, those boxed jello flavors can't be appealing.

So the other day I stumbled upon the agar agar package almost expiring in the back of the drawer, I looked at the overripe mango crying for help, and I knew what would I have for breakfast. 

And why agar agar instead of regular jelly?

Well, because it's hard to stop myself from buying cute packaged things  in the grocery stores of Liberdade. Anyway, I try to keep those purchases down to things that might be useful, even though they're not necessary in my life.

Confessions set aside, let's get to the recipe.