Monday, January 14, 2013

Ssips, Where have you been?!?

Way back when, in high school, one of my favorite snacks were these little boxes of lemon iced tea.  What I would do was stick them in the freezer.  Once frozen solid, I'd take them out and trim off one side with scissors.  Then I'd painstakingly chip, chip, chip away at the ice.  It was a labor of love, but at some point the ice would start getting a hole in it, the size of the spoon.  That's when the magic happened.  I could shave away at the tea and it was like shaved ice.  I adored this 70 calorie snack that took a whopping 30 minutes to eat.  I hadn't thought of it in many years.

And then last month, one day I was in Dollar Tree.  And there before me, was a 5 pack of Ssips.  Was it the same delicacy that I remembered?  The boxes were not the same black color as in high school, but I had high hopes as I put some in my cart.

Turns out, they were just the same!  And I'm not sharing.  Actually, I did let Paul try a little spoonful, and he said, "I don't see why you're so excited about this."  Good.  More for me! 

Sadly, this story does not (so far) have a happy ending.  I went to three Dollar Trees and have yet to locate anymore 5 packs of Ssips.  I have a sneaking suspicion that I bought a 5 pack that was produced back in 1990 and was about to expire this spring.  Maybe it was the last one in existence!  Why oh why didn't I buy more than one?!?

How about you, readers?  What special treat from your childhood would you be excited to see on the grocery shelves today?

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good Morning, Lisa. What a great find. Sounds delicious.

A long ago memory for me is a MILKSHAKE candy bar. The community swimming pool concession stand would freeze them and they were so good on a hot summer day.

Anonymous said...

I googled the ssips and found a current website with lots of different flavors and even recipes.

http://www.johannafoods.com/drinkboxes.htm

Jill said...

It's always fun to find a treat from our past. Have you tried searching for them online?

Jeanne said...

What a cool idea, and a great way to "stretch out" 70 calories! Hope you have a great week!

Unknown said...

It does sound like you found a long lost treasure!

Liz Mays said...

You are adorable with your excitement about this. I would LOVE if they made Marathon candy bars again!

Kerri Farley said...

What a great find!! When I was growing up there was a round sort of Reese Cup - but it was ONLY peanut butter - I cant remember exactly what it was called - but it was smooth and delicious ....

Eat To Live said...

I think I remember seeing these a few years ago. I have never tried them but they must be good for you to crave them like you do.

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

That must have been so fun, to find something that you enjoyed so much in your teens. Maybe you could order some online?

Slamdunk said...

Ahhh, I hope not. Maybe there will be a dozen more trucked in from some rural part of the State.

I don't really have any childhood snacks that I cant find today. My mom passed away many years ago, and my father learned to make some of her recipes. He treats me to sage stuffing every once in awhile--it was the best.

Sunnybrook Farm said...

I have never heard of them but if I find any in my travels to discount stores, I will get some for you. At least you got to live the dream again if only for awhile!

Sonya @ Under the Desert Sky said...

Hahaha! Paul's reaction is too funny. I'm glad they were as good as you remember, though.

I'm not sure I can come up with a treat from childhood that I'd be excited about - I'm sure it would be one of those "I'll know it when I see it" items.

Sally said...

What a great find! Hopefully, the store you found them will restock unless, as you say, they were old. I doubt that,though.

My "thing" back in the stone age was a Sugar Daddy (I know, love the name). I need to see if they still make them. :)

Gail Dixon said...

Sounds refreshing. Hope you find more!

Gail Dixon said...

Oh, my favorite treat from childhood was bubblegum flavored ice cream that actually had a piece of gum on the bottom. :)

An Apel a Day said...

Yummy! I wonder...since you can't find them any longer, if you could make your own? Lemon Iced tea shouldn't be too hard to make. Pour it in ice cube trays or Popsicle mold. Then put them in the blender when you want them broken up.

Then thing from my childhood is pudding pops. I now make them with pudding, a cup of almond milk and a package of soft tofu. I can't even taste the tofu. My kids love them! I also liked rootbeer float bars. Oh and the Candy Buttons. I haven't had Candy Buttons in years.

TexWisGirl said...

have never heard of them! :)hope you can find more.

Michaele said...

How have I never seen these? No matter how many you get - it probably won't be enough.

Valerie Boersma said...

Some of the candy I remember from my childhood seems to have disappeared, but that probably a good thing!

Your frozen lemon Ssips sound pretty good to me, too!

andy said...

Hi Lisa great find !!! Hope you have a great start to your week

Our Neck of the Woods said...

So neat that you found them again! Hope you didn't buy the last ones and can find them at another store. Or maybe online? They sound yummy!

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Oh how I wanted you to be able to find more when you returned...they made you so happy!!!...:)JP

Betsy Banks Adams said...

My mother was an excellent cook and baker. Her Prune cake was excellent; so were her cheese rolls; and her fried apples, and the rhubarb we had... I never learned to cook like Mom --but I do have some of her recipes which I use... One of my favorite treats was something called Orange Balls --which she made at Christmas. I made them for my sons --and one of my sons taught his daughter how to make them.. Isn't that neat?

Hugs,
Betsy

Tweedles -- that's me said...

They came back to tease you- I think.
love
tweedles

Linda said...

I see them on Amazon. They have some incredible things!

renae said...

hi Lisa! hmmmm, I don't know this product? interesting tho.

Myya said...

I love finding things that take you back. A couple years ago I got back into fireballs & have been addicted again ever since :)

Barbara said...

What a great find! I don't know what product I would love to find. I'll have to think about this one.

Anonymous said...

Mine was Big Hunk. I used to freeze those, and thought they were as awesome as jelly shoes and Aquanet. I tried it again a few months ago only to realize that at my age, eating a whole candy bar was gastro-suicide. Maybe I'll try a juice box.

Vision By Mila said...

we had the so-called "polar icecream", vanilla-ish, not too sweet, creamy, yum! I think they started to make some version of it nowadays, but not the same..

Nancy said...

I can't think of anything at the moment -- weird that you found these. Was there a date on them? Lol.

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I've never heard of those. Sounds yummy frozen.