Adults-Only Fourth of July Desserts and Treats

For kids, the endless days of summer are filled with fun, friends and family vacations. For most adults, summer means getting a couple weeks away from the pressures of the job and maybe a handful of weekend backyard barbeques. With school out of session, there's a daily ritual that remotely resembles a summertime version of trick-or-treat. Keeping with tradition, sugar-starved youngsters go into a frenzy, running and screaming-- seemingly driven by the mystical, musical emanations coming from the ice cream man's truck as it rolls through the neighborhood. In turn, parents come to the door, sigh and empty their wallets so the kiddies can each get a grossly overpriced ice cream treat, vaguely shaped like the most popular cartoon character du jour.

Let the children eat their hyper-sweet frozen confections. This summer, grown-ups can grab for their own special 4th of July desserts and treats-- icy cold creations that will satisfy the sweet tooth with a bit of bite. The following recipes can be easily modified to your own liking. Swap out the melon for mango, try a different type of alcohol or get creative by adding fresh strawberries, blueberries or peaches into the mix. Make extra-- these aduls-only, frozen fruit treats will go fast.

Hooched Honeydew Sorbet

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon zest, fine (using microplane)

1 TBS light corn syrup
8 cups honeydew melon, cut into chunks
1/2 cup vodka

Directions: Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Add lemon zest and continue to boil for a few minutes. (until sugar is fully dissolved) Remove from heat and stir in corn syrup. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Working in two or three batches, use a blender to combine honeydew and simple syrup, blending just until mixture is pureed. Add in the vodka and stir through. Pour mixture into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Pour the well-chilled mixture into an ice-cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. When sorbet reaches slushy-frozen state, pour into a freezer-safe bowl and freeze until firm, about 3-4 hours.

Watermelon Pops

Ingredients:
1 seedless watermelon

1/2 cup vodka or tequila, your choice

3 pairs chop sticks

1 sheet non-stick parchment paper

Directions: Cut watermelon into 30 uniform sized 1 to 1 1/4 inch cubes. Using a melon baller, make six melon balls. Put the melon pieces in a bowl or shallow dish and pour on the vodka or tequila and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow alcohol to be absorbed, stiring the fruit gently every hour.

Carefully insert the pointed end of a chopstick through the center of one melon cube and gently slide down about 2/3 of the way towards the other end. Skewer another melon cube, guiding it down until it contacts and aligns with the first. Repeat until four or five cubes have almost filled the stick, leaving a small point on the end. Cap off the melon cubes with a single melon ball. Finished product will resemble a popsicle. Set pop on a parchment covered paper plate. Repeat the process to yield six pops.

Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight, serve and enjoy!

Orange Cream Pops

Ingredients:

1 can Mandarin oranges, 11 ounces

2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened

2 TBS orange-flavored liquor

2 TBS orange juice frozen concentrate

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: In a blender, add the drained oranges and frozen concentrate then pulse briefly 4-5 times. Transfer puree to a large bowl and add softened ice cream, orange liquor and vanilla. Working quickly, stir thoroughly to combine. Spoon the mixture into pop molds or small paper cups. Place in freezer. After 30-45 minutes, insert a wooden pop stick into each cup and continue to freeze until firm, about 4 hours.