Frozen chunks of watermelon stand in for ice cubes in this refreshing lemon-lime frozen watermelon slush.

Frozen Watermelon Slush

Here we go, another southerner whining about the heat, but frankly y'all, it's been unbearable for me this summer and it doesn't seem to get any easier as the years go by.

Part of blogging on a full-time basis, means that you work from home, and I tell ya, it's gets mighty comfortable here in more ways than one, air conditioning certainly being one of them.

Fire 'n Ice Watermelon Salsa, made with bell pepper, jalapeno, red onion, garlic, lime and cilantro, and watermelon, shown here with my Frozen Watermelon Margaritas.

Fire 'n Ice Watermelon Salsa

I have already been eating cucumbers, cantaloupe, strawberries, watermelon and tomatoes, like I'm never gonna see them again, and summer only just arrived.

Far as I'm concerned they need to move the official beginning of summer up, and just cut spring short, because in the Deep South spring is, oh, I don't know... about two weeks at most I'm guessing. Summer heat and humidity run right on in like it's been waiting. Much of the rest of the country has been pretty hot too from what I'm seeing, so clearly it's not just the south. At least some of y'all do get a reprieve once in awhile. We don't, at least not until it's pretty much winter. Apparently my body just needs hydration or something, because those cooling foods absolutely have been a regular part of my diet here lately.

Sweet iced tea infused with a watermelon puree.

Watermelon Sweet Iced Tea

I was browsing through some old cookbooks recently and ran across iced tea made with watermelon more than a few times. I have to say that I was intrigued. I love my iced tea method, and I love flavored iced teas too, but admit the thought of a watermelon iced tea seemed, well... a little odd to me. I really wasn't sure if I would like it to be honest, but with watermelon season here, I was game. Not only did I find that I liked it, I ended up loving it.

> 

A granita made from juiced watermelon and strawberries and frozen and scraped, for a tender, icy and cold treat perfect for summer.

Watermelon Strawberry Ice Granita

I tell you what, the good Lord sure knew exactly what he was doing when he planned for ripe and juicy tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelons right in the midst of The Dog Days of Summer Down South.

They are, every one, cooling foods, loaded with water and we've sure been eating our share of them here lately, no doubt. If you're heated up, I promise you that a big ole slice of ice-cold watermelon will cool you down right quick and well, I thought, why not take some and turn it into a granita?

Y'all, it's like instant air conditioning.

 

Take lime and mint, the classics of the mojito, and combine them with strawberry and watermelon, for a cooling summer beverage.

Strawberry Watermelon Mojito

Just a quick fly-by since I promised to post this in the 4th of July recipes post.  My computer is runnin' slow as Moses tonight anyway. I'm pretty sure its memory is a bit sluggish and I know how it feels.

A refreshing summer beverage, that borrows the classic lime and mint of the mojito and marries it with strawberry and watermelon - a great adult cocktail for any summer celebration.

Here's how to make one.

Frozen chunks of watermelon stand in for ice cubes for this delightful frozen watermelon margarita. For a strawberry margarita, swap out the watermelon for frozen strawberries.

Frozen Watermelon Margaritas

Ahhh....it's the weekend and 5 o'clock somewhere. Oh, wait. It's 5 o'clock here!!

Remember those watermelon rind pickles from the other day? Well, if you don't feel like foolin' around with the sticky mess from eating that watermelon, here's a very adult way to use up that pulp. Just lay chunks of watermelon on a baking sheet and freeze them for several hours until firm, or overnight.

Watermelon rind pickles are a multi-step process. First, the trimmed rind of a watermelon is cut into slices and soaked overnight in a salt water brine, then boiled to tenderize, and later boiled in a spiced, vinegar and sugar mixture and left to stand overnight, before preparing for water bath canning.

Watermelon Rind Pickles

I don't know what it is about the taste of sweet down south. Maybe sweet things just help to take our minds off of the heat, who knows. We sure like our desserts in The Deep South, no doubt about that. People will talk all day about not wanting to cook but then their eyes will light up at the mention of some baked goods! Some Southerners even like their mayonnaise sweet, sauces sweet, cornbread sweet, and we sure like our watermelon rind pickles sweet!

Many southerners have very fond memories of sittin' on the back porch, or more likely a picnic table in the middle of the yard - the better to hose us down - parked in front of big slices of sticky, sweet watermelon, holding a knife in one hand to cut the juicy pulp off the rind, and very often a salt shaker in the other, and havin' seed spittin' contests with or at our siblings. Yes we do that, and while I know that newly bred seedless watermelon is all the rage these days, I truly still like a good ole seeded watermelon. The only down side is their size and having the place to store it in the fridge, so the smaller seedless ones have become quite popular.