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As of this week it has become glaringly apparent that it's summer. The kids are showing it, too. The higher the mercury goes, the more often they ask for cool or frozen treats. Popsicles are the perfect answer to their pleas, but store-bought varieties can be full of sugar, artificial colors and flat-out expensive sometimes.

The solution to that problem is to create your own. Homemade popsicles are one of the easiest things to make. If you have your own popsicle molds it's even easier, and if not, all you need are paper cups, popsicle sticks and plastic wrap. Any liquid that freezes well is fair game. You can test your ideas by filling a section or two of an ice cube tray and freezing until firm.

We've used everything and had lots of fun experimenting. We've had popsicles from fruit juice, pudding, flavored gelatin, pureed fruit and yogurt. These popsicles were made to taste like one of our very favorite summertime treats - strawberry milkshakes.

Strawberry Milkshake Popsicles

Hands-On Time: 5 minutes
Ready In: 6 hours
Servings: 6-8 popsicles

Ingredients:

16 ounces (2 cups) vanilla or strawberry flavored yogurt (blended type, any fat percentage works well)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (leave out if you are using vanilla yogurt)
5-6 large strawberries - hulled and cut in half

Directions:

1. Puree all ingredients together for 30 - 34 seconds in a blender.
2. Strain well to remove seeds. You can leave out this step, but the seeds will settle at the bottom of the mold and will be visible at the top of the popsicle  when unmolded.
3. Pour into popsicles molds and attach lids with sticks or, if you are using cups cover each cup with plastic wrap and insert the stick through the plastic. Don't let the stick touch the bottom of the cup. Settle sticks evenly in the center of each mold before freezing.
4. Freeze for 6 hours or overnight before unmolding. Check after half an hour and re-settle popsicle sticks if necessary.
5. Run the underside of the molds under warm water momentarily before unmolding.