I’m going to be honest with you: I’m pretty irritable today. My three-year-old woke me up for good at 4:00 this morning (after waking me up numerous times throughout the night), and the second I walked out of my house and the wall of heat and mugginess hit me, I knew there was no hope for the rest of the day. Eighty-four degrees at 7 AM is just WRONG, people. And 100+ degrees at any time of day is even more wrong – which is what the weather has been like here all week. So even though I already shared one watermelon recipe this week, I’m still sharing this lemonade today. I’m hoping that by talking about this cold, refreshing, delicious summer drink, my mood will improve and I won’t mind the heat so much when I have to go back out into it later today. Hey, I can dream.
Essentially, this lemonade is summer in a glass. It’s like drinking a sweet summer afternoon in liquid form, if that make sense. The watermelon and lemon flavors blend together so perfectly to make a drink that is both sweet and tart, and completely refreshing. My family went through a pitcher of this (which is what the recipe below makes) in no time, and we all just loved it. I could even be persuaded to add a shot of vodka to my glass next time, as my husband so cleverly suggested.
Watermelon Lemonade
from smitten kitchen
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 cups fresh seedless watermelon puree (strain through a coarse strainer to remove seeds, if not using seedless watermelon)
3/4 cup simple syrup*
3 cups cold water
Stir all ingredients together and serve over ice.
* Simmer one part water with one part sugar (I used 3/4 cup of each) until sugar has dissolved. Let cool. Alternately, simmer one part sugar with half as much water and once it has dissolved, add the second half of the water, cold, which cools the mixture down faster.
About 95% of the time, I don’t stage my food for photos. I love looking at gorgeous, staged food photography on other food blogs, but frankly, I just don’t have the patience to do it myself. Usually the photos you see on my site are taken right before I start eating. And usually while I’m taking them, there are two little boys clamoring for more of this or less of that in the background, and a husband who is very good about indulging my hobby but who also just wants to eat already. So I snap a couple of pictures and call it a day. Desserts are easier to stage, since I usually make sweets on the weekends and have more time to take pictures.
On a recent weekend, I made these watermelon frozen yogurt popsicles, and then I realized I had a dilemma on my hands: How in the world do you photograph a popsicle? After going back and forth for a while and trying different things, I decided I’d just take a picture of the popsicle in its natural habitat: my son’s mouth.
(Yes, he is currently in a phase where he always wants to wear his hair spiky. And yes, he is a very silly boy.)
We absolutely loved these popsicles, if you couldn’t tell from the photos. The watermelon juice is so sweet and refreshing, and the vanilla yogurt adds a delicious creamy element. This is a popsicle I can feel good about my sons eating. It’s a perfect summer treat, and I can’t wait to experiment with more variations!
Watermelon Frozen Yogurt Popsicles
slightly adapted from Debbi Does Dinner…Healthy and Low-Calorie
2 cups seedless watermelon, diced
1 6- to 8-ounce carton light vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon sugar or sugar substitute
Blend ingredients in a blender or food processor and pour into molds. Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight. Remove 5 to 10 minutes before serving so the popsicles can easily be removed from their molds. Makes 6 large or 12 small popsicles.
