Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food

12 June 2011

5 Cooling Watermelon Drinks 4 Summer

Instructions on how to carve a watermelon Birthday Cake

From Denny: Did you know that America ranks as number four in production of watermelons? Bet you didn't know that important factoid. Now you are ready when you see the Trivia Crowd coming your way. You are sure to impress.

Some more fun facts about watermelons from the site National Watermelon Production Board:

* About 200-300 varieties are grown in the U.S. and Mexico
* 50 varieties are very popular
* The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt.
* Watermelon is 92% water
* Early explorers used watermelons as canteens
* In 1990, Bill Carson of Arrington, TN grew the largest watermelon at 262 pounds (1998 ed. Guinness Book of World Records)

Today - and this past week - the temperatures have been riding high in the 90's, near 100 degrees, making everyone miserable. One sure way to help cool off in this heat is with fresh fruit like watermelon.

Seedless watermelons now make up 60 percent of the crop as they are highly favored among consumers at the grocery store. And don't worry if you prefer not to buy a large melon. You can do like I did this weekend and just purchase a large slice of your favorite watermelon. Sometimes, you just want to enjoy watermelon for a few days not an entire month! :) I like to buy the wedges because I can see how ripe the watermelon is and check out the seed level, if any.

Take a look at these wonderful recipes from the National Watermelon Production Board. They sure have been busy on their site figuring out how to entice people to enjoy their product.




Watermelon Pomegranate Green Tea

From: National Watermelon Promotion Board

Makes: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups watermelon purée
2 cups pomegranate juice
4 cups strong prepared and chilled green tea
1 cup white grape juice
Ice for serving

Directions:

Mix ingredients together in a large container (except ice) and chill well. Stir before serving and serve over ice.







Frozen Watermelon Blackberry Margaritas With Cilantro and Vanilla

From: National Watermelon Promotion Board

Makes: 3 to 4 drinks

Ingredients:

1 cup chilled watermelon purée
1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
1 tsp. fresh cilantro leaves
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Juice from 1 or 2 fresh limes
1/2 cup chilled tequila or to taste
1 tbl. Triple Sec
2 to 3 cups crushed ice

Directions:

Blend first seven ingredients together until smooth. Add ice and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Note: Rim glasses with sea salt or raw sugar.






Watermelon, Pineapple and Peach Smoothies

From: National Watermelon Promotion Board

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped, seedless watermelon
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained well
2 cups peach yogurt
Dash of ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Blend ingredients together in a blender until smooth and serve immediately.






Watermelon and Grapefruit Shooters

From: National Watermelon Production Board

Serves: Makes about 12 shooters

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
4 ounces strawberry flavored gelatin mix
1 1/2 cups watermelon puree
1 cup pink grapefruit juice
1 1/2 cups Tequila

Directions:

Bring one half cup water to a boil. Place the gelatin in a heatproof container with a spout and pour the water into the gelatin and stir to dissolve. Combine the dissolved gelatin and the watermelon puree. Divide the watermelon mixture among 12 shot glasses or small juice glasses. Cool until thick but not set. Top each glass with the grapefruit juice and tequila.





Pink Watermelon Chardonnay Sparklers

From: National Watermelon Promotion Board

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

1/3 glass watermelon purée, chilled
1/3 glass chardonnay, chilled
1/3 glass sparkling water, chilled
1 watermelon ball

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a wine glass and serve immediately.


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

*** Check out Holiday Recipes From Dennys Food and Recipes

Romancing The Chocolate - chocolate recipes and more food
Comfort Food From Louisiana - Cajun, Creole, New Orleans and more comfort food
Unusual 2 Tasty - different twists on favorite foods, international food too
The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Best Spiritual Posts
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor
Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious And Odd - more crazy humor
Dennys Blog Feeds - what is posting on all the blogs at a glance
Dennys World Of Quotes
Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts Food - an online newspaper
Related Posts with Thumbnails

Ratings and Recommendations by outbrain