In fact, here's a challenge: try to eat only things on a stick today.

Yup, today is Something On A Stick Day. So you can spend the day eating corn dogs, lollipops, and Popsicles. Actually, the Food Network show Unwrapped did a whole show about food on a stick (including corn dogs, Bugs Bunny Bars, and Key Lime Pie on a Stick), as did the show Ham on the Street (Caramel Apple Pie on a Stick!)

Of course, you'll want to end the day by toasting marshmallows over a fire (or, um, stove).

Of course, that headline makes it seem like I'm no longer sick. That's not the case at all. I'm still under the weather, though not nearly as bad as I was a few days ago.

I've been sick for the past week. It really wiped me out (which you can probably tell from my lack of posts here). If you haven't been sick this season yet, just wait, I'm sure it's coming. I know some people who had the throw 'n go (I hope that's self-explanatory), but I was "lucky" enough just to have a fever, body aches, chills, coughing, a scratchy throat and complete and utter exhaustion. So I spent most of the week just sitting on the couch, wrapped in a comforter, watching TV. And also trying to decide what the hell to eat or drink for the week. Just about everything I tried to eat or drink tasted funny.

After the jump, the four items I ate the most while sick, and the four I didn't/couldn't eat.

We've covered some odd food and drink products here at Slashfood, from Lamb & Mint Potato Chips to Pizza Flavored Beer to Turkey and Gravy Soda, but this might be one of the weirdest. They're Pickle Sickles: popsicles made with pickle juice.

Now, I like interesting food products, and I'm even interested in those Kool-Aid Pickles Joanne talked about a couple of months ago, but popsicles made out of pickle juice? Yeah, that's refreshment: the ice cold feel of a popsicle for those hot summer days, only with the taste of pickles! Check out the site though. The ordering page is blank right now, but there's a "Pickle Sickle Song" to keep you entertained.

If anyone tries these, please let us know how they are.

Clever piece today at The Onion AV Club, The Hater's Guide To Summer. It's sort of a quick list of things to do this summer, aimed towards people who hate the season (like me!). One of the products they talk about is Fla-Vor-Ice, and I'm glad someone else has finally said that they don't taste that great.

My roommate is addicted to the things, and they certainly are cheap, but the taste? Yikes. Give me Popsicles or Fudgsicles or Italian Ice any day over these synthetic frozen rainbow sticks of blah.

What is your frozen confection of choice during the hot months?

If ever you found yourself chewing on your Barbie doll's head (presumably, when you were three years old), now you can do the same thing as a more mature person with a Barbie popsicle. These Barbie-sicles aren't found in stores - oh, no no no - you make them yourself, and Objects of Desire shows you how.

All you need is a bit of plasticene to shape the mold, a Barbie doll, flavored syrup, and popsicle sticks. I'm not sure if this is meant to appeal to men, women or children, but whichever it is, make sure you make a Ken-sicle, too. I believe the instructions would be the same.

More popsicles:
Fear Factor popsicles
Making your own popsicles
Prevent popsicle problems
Catch those popsicle drips

I was in line in the supermarket last night, and the woman behind me told her son, around 10 or 11 years old, that if he wanted he could run to get some ice cream. About 5 minutes later the kid came back.

With frozen eyeballs and green slime.

He picked up Fear Factor Pop Ups, from Popsicle. These little frozen concoctions look like regular Pushups, but they have "extreme" colors and big eyeballs on the top of them. Let's take the copy straight from the web site:

"In sour cherry with an eyeball gumball and sour watermelon, both with the shocking taste of sour lemon slime. Or the slime pop - sour watermelon flavored ice with sour lemon slime." (Do those lines even make sense?)

The mother, needless to say, was not pleased with her son's choice. In fact, I think I heard her say the word "no" about 17 times. The poor kid was heartbroken when she told him to take it back and get something "normal." But he didn't cry, so good for him.

I didn't even know they made food products based on reality shows. I'm not looking forward to Big Brother Cake or Blind Date Juice.

Summer heat may get the craving for ice cream going in some, but to kids, it often means that they'll have a chance to get a frozen novelty from the ice cream man at the park. Frozen novelties are the brightly-colored, not-quite-ice-cream creations that kids love, often studded with rock-hard gumballs. They're more likely to call them ice pops, or something to that effect, than "frozen novelties," though they're usually more interested in whether they'll be able to get their favorite flavor or cartoon character than in the name. Artist Meredith Allen was inspired by summer and ice pops, but instead of eating them, she created a photo series of melting pops. All of the pieces are interesting (you can order prints of them online), but you might be inspired to try to take some shots of your own, too.

I love popsicles, although I do tend to keep away from the overly sugary day-glo variety I preferred on hot days when I was 6. Times and tastes change, but one thing about popsicles does not: they drip. Skilled popsicle eaters will navigate their way around and catch all drips before they fall, but usually kids aren't so resourceful and end up with sticky hands. Parents might want to take note that sticky fingers can be avoided with DripCatchers, which are thin cellulose sponges that catch drips before they can leave the popsicle. The expand as they get dripped on, so they'll never miss a drop. They all have different designs on them (and can be custom done, too), so they're fun enough to appeal to kids and not just to parents who want less-sticky children. They're $6.95 for 24.

Since it's summer, ice cream and popsicles are de rigueur. But as the mercury climbs upward, so do the chances of melt-age downward onto your shirt.

The Great Little Trading Company, a site geared mostly toward kids and parenting, has Lickety Sips. They are holders for popsicles and ice cream treats that catch anything that melts and would normally dribble along your fingers, through the valleys between your knuckles, and down your arm. The cool thing is the small straw on the side that allows you to sip up the melted sweetness.

The Lickety Sips come in different colors and are available for £5.99 for four.

[via: BabyGadget]

Who didn't love popsicles when they were a kid? I know that I did. They were sweet, refreshing and turned your tongue bright colors - a crucial popsicle feature for kids. After a while, I acquired a set of plastic popsicle molds and moved away from the neon, ice-cream truck offerings. I would freeze sodas, fruit juices and, occasionally, stuff them full of semi-soft ice cream (so I could eat if off a stick). With summer coming up, I think it's a good time to relive those childhood memories and start making some popsicles at home. Popsicle-making is also a great activity to do with your kids, since they can pick out their own flavors. For the neon tongue look, take a tip from Elise and add a few drops of food coloring to the frozen popsicles. This mold will make 10 pops at a time and comes with 50 sticks, though it's not hard to find more at craft stores when you run out.

Want some recipes? Try:

• Make your own pudding pops
• Make popsicles with fruit juices
• Strawberry margarita popsicles (nonalcoholic)
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Popsicles

Kids come up with some interesting ideas. How about a Blueberry Syrup Waffle Popsicle, or a Caramel Apple Carnival Pop? These are two of the winning flavor combinations from last year's Flavorologist contest.

If your son or daughter is between 6 and 12 and has his own ideas about what ice cream should taste like, he or she is eligible to enter this year's Nestle's Flavorologist contest. By submitting an original flavor combination for a frozen popsicle, a flavor name and description of the appearance of the popsicle, along with short "resume" describing their experience playing with foods, they could win a batch of custom popsicles! There are 10 winners and included in each prize package are a $1000 US savings bond and a school ice cream party. One grand prize winner will get a behind the scenes factory tour and an all-expenses paid trip for 4 to California.