Friday, June 20, 2008

Making Bread...

Has never been so entertaining! Check out this posting on the Accidental Hedonist... I think it's an excellent tutorial on making bread from scratch.

Pleased to enjoy!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Wacky About Watermelon

Maybe it's the hormones or maybe it's the 100 degree weather we've been having, but I've been wacky about watermelon lately. Although I do hate cutting the fruit, it's been well worth the effort - I've been blessed with one juicy and sweet melon after another.

However, last weekend house guests brought over a not-so-sweet melon that left me wondering what to do with the 5 pounds of pink flesh that weren't so enticing to eat. After a little experimentation, I found that watermelonade is the perfect use for that under-ripe watermelon.

The basic recipe for making this refreshing concoction:

In a blender, puree 4 cups of cut melon with the juice from 2 juicy lemons and a spoonful of sugar. Add more sugar to taste (depending on just how under-ripe your melon is) and blend. Pour through a sieve to separate the pulp and seeds and serve over ice. YUM!

According to the Farmer's Almanac, there are a few ways to tell if a watermelon is ripe:

1. Thump it. If the watermelon sounds hollow, it's ripe. This is difficult for less-gifted ears.
2. Look at the color on the top. The watermelon is ripe when there is little contrast between the stripes.
3. Look at the color on the bottom. A green watermelon will have a white bottom; a ripe melon will have a cream- or yellow-colored bottom.

Apparently I'm not the only watermelon fanatic out there - check these sites for more watermelonriffic recipes and information:

Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade
Agua Fresca
Grilled Watermelon
Other Watermelon Wonders