refreshing

Watermelon And Cucumber Cooler

watermelon and cucumber boozy cooler - recipe

Hi dear Friends!

May I invite you for a drink today? (Or should I say ‘July I invite you …’)? 🙂

It is sweet, cooling, refreshing and boozy too!

Sounds good?

Then here it is…

 

watermelon and cucumber cooler - recipe

To get that lovely drink, all we need to do is cooperate here a little… 🙂

So, to start, let’s find the above mentioned ingredients somewhere.

 
 

watermelon and cucumber boozy cooler - recipe

1. Cut the watermelon and cucumber into cubes or chunks.

Try to get rid of as many watermelon seeds as possible.

Or try to get a seedless watermelon… which would solve the whole situation… which leads me to a thought that I might have mentioned this fact earlier… but better late than never, right? Sorry!

 
 

watermelon and cucumberwatermelon and cucumber boozy cooler - recipe oozy cooler - recipe

2. Place the fruit chunks in a blender.

Save a few for garnish.

 
 

watermelon and cucumber boozy cooler - recipe

3. Blend, blend, blend until all you see is a lovely puree.

 
 

watermelon and cucumber boozy cooler - recipe

4. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl or pitcher and working in batches, pour the puree through the sieve.

 
 

watermelon and cucumber boozy cooler - recipe

5. Now press on solids with a rubber spatula to get as much liquid as you can…
or want 🙂

🙂 🙂 🙂 I am smiling a lot today. I wonder why…

 
 

watermelon and cucumber boozy cooler - recipe

6. In a small bowl, stir together the lime juice and honey.

 
 

watermelon and cucumber boozy cooler - recipe

…

 
 

watermelon and cucumber boozy cooler - recipe

7. Add to the watermelon and cucumber juices.

 
 

watermelon and cucumber boozy cooler - recipe

8. And then, ta-dah, add vodka. And if you decide not to, it will still taste very nice.

Adjust sweetness with more honey if desired.

 
 

watermelon and cucumber boozy cooler - recipe

9. To serve, fill four glasses with ice and top each with the cocktail. Garnish with cucumber and watermelon skewers.

I think this drink just screams ‘SUMMEeeeeeeR’!

Enjoy!

With love,
Petra

(This recipe was adapted from MarthaStewart.com. Makes 4 servings.)

 

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Lemon Delight

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

I know how it is.

Recently you’ve been craving something yummy but you just didn’t know precisely what it was.

And I am here to tell you exactly what it is.

That’s my purpose on this planet, actually.

What you’ve been craving recently is this wonderful, delicious, scrumptious and luscious lemon delicacy.

Call me a witch if you want to…but I just know it.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

These are the ingredients that you’ll need if mere looking at these pictures isn’t enough for you.

This treat isn’t just wonderful in taste, it is also very interesting in structure – which only adds to its WOW factor.

Since half of it is baked and the other half is cooked you get two surprises in one dish.

Isn’t that amazing?

Come and have a look, I’ll show you what I mean.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

1. To prepare you own Lemon Delight first place the softened butter and the sugar (1/2 cup – 100 grams) into a medium bowl.
2. Mix it with your hand mixer until light and fluffy.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

3. Add three egg yolks…

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

4. …and mix again until smooth.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

5. Add the flour and the baking powder and give it another mix, just until combined and well incorporated.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

Very yellow, ha?

It might have something to do with the fact that I am using home eggs here – fresh from my Grandma.

They are so much richer in color.

Thanks, Grandma!

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

6. Then grab a lemon and juice it – any way you like.

If you are a Xena woman like me, you can squeeze it with your bare hand (okay, I am not that much of a Xena woman, I just don’t have the juicer here with me). That might actually be the reason why I am not showing the picture of me squeezing the lemon (oh, that was a stormy fight). But what I am showing here is a little trick that helps a lot…if you’d like to make things easier then just roll the lemon on the countertop (before you slice it). It will help to break down some of the fibers and the juice will flow more freely when you cut it.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

7. Then, when the fight is over, pour the milk and the lemon juice into the batter and stir to combine.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

8. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until firm.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

9. Add the egg whites to the batter and, using a rubber spatula, fold together gently.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

10. Spray you ramekins with some vegetable oil and fill them with the batter.

Since I used 1 cup (250 ml) dishes, there was just enough batter to fill three.
11. Place the ramekins into a deeper baking pan and gently pour boiling water to come halfway up the sides of  the ramekins.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

12. Bake at 356 degrees F (180 degrees C) for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.
13. Remove from the oven and dust the top with some confectioner’s sugar.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

So now you know what I meant when I said that half of this dessert is baked and the other half is cooked.

You’ll be amazed by how this process results in the dessert’s structure – the top half looks like a cake and the bottom half has a structure of custard.

It’s cute.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

Yum!

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

Okay, it seems that I am done here.

And now only tomatoes for me for the next seven days.

lemon delight, lemon souffle recipe with step-by-step images

Enjoy, dear friends!

(This recipe makes 3 portions if prepared in 1 cup – 250 ml dishes.)

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Orange Granita

orange granita recipe with step-by-step images, orange slushie recipe, how to serve orange granita

Mmmm…my first encounter with granita…that was something truly amazing.

It happened during my vacation in Italy a couple of years ago.

Oh, I will never forget that moment.

Actually, I was spending the holiday with my sister and her family then. One lovely morning we decided to have a proper look at the village we were staying in…so – under the burning Italian sun – we walked every street, saw every sight and met ever person possible.

Phew!

My feet still get depressed when they remember that.

After a couple of hours, as knackered as people can get, we decided to relax in a cute café sitting on top of a hill and offering a magnificent sea view.

And GRANITA.

First of all, the cup I was given amazed me with its wonderfully colorful content.

And then…wow…that first mouthful…OH, THAT FIRST MOUTHFUL…it was the most refreshing,  invigorating and memorable dessert in my whole life.

During all the years that followed, just until recently, I hadn’t even dared to think I could prepare that delectable treat at home (you know, they make it in those big ‘freezing-and-mixing’ tanks).

But now the things have changed.

And you know what?

Granita might be the simplest and easiest dessert there is.

orange granita recipe with step-by-step images, orange slushie recipe, how to serve orange granita

THESE are the ingredients!

1. First, pour the juice into a saucepan and place it over medium-low heat.
2. Add the sugar and stir.

orange granita recipe with step-by-step images, orange slushie recipe, how to serve orange granita

3. Add the lemon juice and continue stirring just until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Remove from heat.

orange granita recipe with step-by-step images, orange slushie recipe, how to serve orange granita

5. Then find a larger (4 cup – 1 liter) ‘freezer-friendly’ container and pour the mixture in.
6. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and put in your freezer.

orange granita recipe with step-by-step images, orange slushie recipe, how to serve orange granita

7. After about 2 hours into the freezing process, remove the container from the freezer and move the liquid around with a fork, breaking the forming crystal structure. Put back in the freezer.
8. Repeat this process about 3 more times (every 2 hours). Then let freeze for as long as you wish.

orange granita recipe with step-by-step images, orange slushie recipe, how to serve orange granita

This is what I got after leaving the mixture in the freezer overnight.

Wonderful granita!

See? It’s doubled in volume.

orange granita recipe with step-by-step images, orange slushie recipe, how to serve orange granita

To serve the orange granita, you can use some fresh oranges. Just cut an orange in half and, using a spoon, remove its flesh. Let freeze for a couple of hours. That way you’ll get a nice, cooling and impressive bowl.

Enjoy, dear friends.

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