This Froze’ recipe is based on a recipe I originally spotted in Bon Appetit.  (A favorite magazine that I get regularly.)  Once I heard that a Froze’ recipe was big at a restaurant in NYC, I knew I had to bring it out west!  It did not disappoint and we flew through the whole batch when we recently had a small gathering in our home.

If you follow me on Instagram (@jessicatepas), no doubt you’ve seen my personal posts about struggling with a need to be perfect or feel like I’m “perfect.”  Lately, I’ve been going in and out of what is traditionally called the “comparison trap” and it’s no fun at all.

I’d look at other’s follower counts or brands that they’re working with and wonder why they’re seeing such success compared to me.  I’d be in photo shoots desperately trying to cover up the tan lines I’ve gotten from doing the outdoor activities that I love most.  And I’m sometimes feeling inadequate or judged by my profession that I love so much.  (On a related topic, I very much struggle with people think it’s appropriate to ask freelancers or bloggers how they make money, even though I know they mean no harm.  I have absolutely no idea what chemical engineers do on a daily basis, but it’s never crossed my mind to ask them a similar question.)

In all honestly, I have the Olympics to thank for helping me to crawl out of this funk, which they’ve been regularly replaying on our local networks for some reason.  Ray and I are HUGE Olympic fans, loving the pure competitive spirit, as well as that everyone is looked at as competing on a equal stage.  A 41 year old Romanian gymnast made it to the finals to compete against a 19 year old American in the women’s vault.  There’s nowhere else that you will see that disparity, or that togetherness, than in the Olympics.

Every time the Olympics comes up in conversation, it’s a reality check for me.  While some of these incredibly talented athletes are born with pure skill, they ALL have to work their booties off to succeed.  It creates a reflection – where am I spending my time and is it leading me on the path I want to be a part of?  Where the answer is no, that I’m trying to walk somebody else’s path, then I need to re-evaluate.  More on this adventure to come…

In the meantime, to celebrate both the start of Spring and the Olympics randomly being on television again, I decided that a celebratory beverage was in order.  A new Froze’ recipe sounded like the perfect solution.  And it was just as wonderful as we’d imagined.

These take a little time to prep in advance, so plan ahead.  But the deliciousness you create will also last up to a week if you’d like to make it all in advance.  Trust me.  The extra time is worth it.

Froze’ Recipe (aka, Frozen Rose’)

Prep time: 20 minutes; Inactive prep time: 7 hours & 30 minutes

Total Time: About 8 hours

Serves: 4-6 glasses

Ingredients

• 1 bottle (750ml) of flat rose’  (I used a house rose’, but most restaurants will use a Pinot Noir rose’ – just make sure that it’s not sparkling)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup ice
• 8 oz strawberries (about 3/4 or a traditional batch), quartered and hulled
• 1/2 a lemon squeezed for fresh lemon juice

Materials Used

• OXO Good Grips 10″ Frying Pan 
• Ninja Professional Countertop Blender(< I use this pretty much everyday!)
• Wilton Recipe Right Non-Stick Oblong Cake Pan

Directions

1. Pour the whole bottle of rose’ into the 13 x 9 inch pan and place in the freezer uncovered.  Leave in the freezer for 5-6 hours, or until almost completely solid (it won’t solidify completely, thanks to the alcohol.)
2. In the meantime, prep the strawberries by cutting off the stems and slicing them into quarters.
3. Put the fry pan on the stove on high.  Pour the water and granulated sugar into the fry pan and stir sporadically until boiling.  Keep watching and stirring sporadically until the sugar is completely dissolved in the water.  This should take ~3 minutes.
4. Remove the fry pan from heat and evenly distribute your sliced strawberries into the sugar water within.  Allow to sit for about 30 minutes off of heat to allow the sugar water to soak up the strawberry taste.
5. After 30 minutes, strain through a sieve into a small bowl to separate out the strawberry flavored water that you’ll use for the rest of this Froze’ recipe.  (Although I would suggest saving the sugared strawberries for later, too!  They were delicious when combined with some Cool Whip.)  Cover the bowl and put in the refrigerator to cool for 30 minutes.
6. After 30 minutes, in your blender, combine the freshly squeezed lemon juice, cooled strawberry syrup, and ice.  Take the rose’ out of the freezer and scrape into the blender, as well.  Puree to combine until smooth.  Transfer the blender jar to the freezer and allow to thicken about 20 minutes.  Blend again until your Froze’ recipe is slushy.
7. Serve immediately or store in the freezer (just leave it in the blender jar) for up to a week.  If storing, blend until slushy again once you take it out of the freezer.  Enjoy!

Check out my Instagram where I share all of the fun I’m having this season – including even more tasty recipes! Yummin!

Create a great life!