Shopping for vacation trinkets can take its toll on you, especially when it’s mid-August and you’re in Baja California Sur. The heat, coupled with the lack of breeze as you move from store to stall to the hot pavement, can make you exhausted and a bit cranky. One hot afternoon in Todos Santos, we slid into the local ice cream shop to refresh ourselves before continuing on to find exactly what our kids were looking to take home.
The ice cream was just the thing we needed. There was a slight problem, though. Too many delicious flavors to choose from left my kids in a quandary. They kept asking, “Should I get two different flavors or just stick with one?”
I left them to make their own decision – not only because they are old enough to decide which flavor, or flavors, they should consume, but because I spotted something else.
It was the display of paletas, Mexican ice pops, that caught my attention. But now it was my turn to be in a quandary. With just a handful of flavors – lime, cactus fruit, watermelon . . . I wondered which one I’d choose, until I spotted the coconut paleta, and my mind was made up.
I asked for a coconut paleta and sat down to enjoy, while everyone else was consumed with figuring out which flavor they would choose. Several minutes later, after decisions were made (Strawberry, Choco Chip, Mint Choco Chip and Cactus Fruit) and Dad paid for our ice cream, the girls excitedly took turns tasting each other’s ice cream choices. They then realized that they had no idea what I had chosen. The turned to me and exclaimed, “Mom, what did you get?”
“Coconut,” I answered, in between my small bites. I provide as little information as possible in the hopes that they would move on and eat their own ice cream. But, no. The barrage of “Oh, can I try it?” hit me, and I obliged, hoping that their collective bites wouldn’t diminish the size of by treat too drastically.
I have no photo of my paleta, because I was too deep into my enjoyment to turn my camera towards the paleta and snap away. I just sat there letting the cool, creamy taste of coconut slide down my throat.
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Back at home, I’ve transitioned to the fast-paced back-to-school season, but I find that my thoughts keep taking me back to the lazy, surf-filled days of Mexico, and my deliciously refreshing coconut paleta. This time around I decided to share with my family – and make enough so my family wouldn’t ask to take a bite of mine.
Coconut Paletas
- 1, 14-ounce can of coconut milk
- 3/4 cups half and half
- 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Place all ingredients, except the coconut, in a blender and blend until combined.
Mix in shredded coconut.
Fill ice pop molds and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
Enjoy!
