Your hometown may have its merits, but does it have a watermelon man? Mine does. How cool is it to pull over on a side street on a hot summer day and buy a watermelon from a friendly gentleman and former Navy SEAL?
Meet Cowboy, watermelon man
Of course, after meeting Cowboy, my next mission was to go home and blitz up some fine watermelon margaritas. I made a couple of batches before I landed on the perfect formula to share with you. Ready? Here we go.
WATERMELON MARGARITAS
4 heaping cups of watermelon, cubed
3 limes, squeezed (plus 1 extra for garnish, if you like)
1 cup tequila
2.5 oz. Grand Marnier
2.5 oz. Cointreau
Into a pitcher, pour watermelon cubes, lime juice, tequila, Grand Marnier and Cointreau. Here’s where it can’t get any easier: grab a stick (immersion) blender and blend away! If you don’t have one, you can use a traditional blender, it will just give you one more thing to clean up. 🙂
Now that you’ve got that down, it’s time to make these drinks sparkle. Combine sanding sugar (the coarse kind you use to decorate cookies) and some Kosher salt on a small plate. Then dip the rim of each glass into some tequila you’ve poured onto another small plate, then into the sugar/Kosher salt mixture.
Is there a bit of tequila left? You can pour it into the pitcher, or bartender’s treat, just drink it yourself. 😉 Garnish with a lime wheel if you wish. And remember, if you drink, don’t drive, do the watermelon crawl! CLINQUE!
Let’s go back to the 70s and 80s with a light and fruity summer treat–perfect to eat when you wanna beat the heat. Too many of us forgot about this delightful fruit mousse-like thinG, so let’s revive it right now. It’s so easy to make and reminds me of times when life was more carefree.
Keep it sweet and simple with just yogurt and Cool Whip, or add fresh fruit. And, if you do add berries, save some for the top to give your pie a grin, because who can resist a smiling dessert? 🙂
The most challenging part of this pie is finding French or custard-style yogurt–not fruit on the bottom, not Greek. Stonyfield’s Smooth & Creamy Organic is an excellent choice. Here in central Connecticut, I was thrilled to find it at West Side Marketplace in Rocky Hill. Stonyfield Organic makes all great things dairy, including my favorite milk and cream. If you can’t find Stonyfield, Yoplait Thick & Creamy is another good option.
COOL ‘N CREAMY SUMMER SMILIN’ BERRY PIE
1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip, thawed
2 6-oz. containers French or custard-style yogurt (try Stonyfield Smooth & Creamy or Yoplait Thick & Creamy): how about strawberry or strawberry banana?
6 oz. fresh raspberries (optional)
1 graham cracker crust (I like Honey Maid)
If you’re using them, set aside the most perfect berries for your smile–or whatever design you’d like to make.
Fold yogurt into thawed Cool Whip till combined. Now, if you’ll excuse my technical term, smoosh the remaining raspberries into the side of your bowl with a spoon and stir them in, too.
Smooth evenly into graham cracker crust. Decorate top of pie as you like.
Put the pie in the freezer for about two hours so it sets and holds its shape when you slice it. Store remaining pie in the fridge.
Sending you a cool Strawberry Letter of summer enjoyment straight from my childhood. ♫ Feel sunshine sparkle pink and blue, playgrounds will laugh if you try to ask: Is it cool? Is it cool? ♫ Oh, yes, it is!
Katty's Kitchen 