text: Arizona is hot If that is your thing great but it are not mine I grew up in Powell Wyoming a little mountain valley town where winter lasts about nine months out of the year and you are lucky to get through it without getting snowed in at least once I have never owned a pair of shorts as an adult because I prefer to stick to climates where they are not needed Unfortunately sometimes visiting the people you love involves putting up with temperatures you do not so when Boyfriend and I were killing an afternoon in the Mill Avenue district in Tempe and stumbled across Paletas Betty I jumped at the chance to duck in someplace air conditioned for a cool sweet treatnnSome people will probably balk at the idea of spending on a popsicle I on the other hand am very much a believer in the idea that you get what you pay for and these pops are no exception Betty uses fresh natural ingredients to make her delicious frozen creations with flavors ranging from standards like strawberry and lemon to unusual ones like Mexican hot chocolate spiced with cinnamon and even chicken stock and peanut butter pops for your canine companionnnThe personal touches to Bettys paletas like the mold she uses to create a biteshaped indentation in each pop and the peeloff stickers on her labels add a bit of whimsy As others have mentioned the store was uncluttered very clean and brightly lit through huge windows facing the streetnnBoyfriend and I sat at a table on the patio which was refreshingly free of sticky gootry finding a nongross outdoor table at most frozen treat places and enjoyed peoplewatching while we munched on our paletas As soon as the clerk got around to describing the spiced chocolate pop I knew exactly what he was going to order I went for the melon a delicious combination of cantaloupe and basil that was amazingly refreshing after traipsing around shopping in the heat nnWe had just eaten lunch at a local brewery and were in for a huge dinner that night with family so I was glad that the pops could satisfy our jones for a little treat but did not fill us up We traded bites and each enjoyed the others selection very much although I can safely say Boyfriend would not have been up for a tradennWhile I probably will not be making my way out there just to have another I will readily admit that knowing I could stop in for a paleta here would make a trip back to Americas oven much more tolerable