Too Much Watermelon!

I don’t know if you guys know this or not, but… I enjoy alcoholic beverages.

Also, day drinking.

What I hate is letting food go to waste. This must have come from my college days, as I watched my mother throw away enough food to feed a small country trying to get me to eat as a kid. These days, I’m just too cheap (ahem, frugal) to waste my hard-earned bounty.

But it’s sometimes hard to buy food for one or two people. I know the unit prices of our favorite items so that I can price-check at a warehouse store like Costco. In so many cases, buying in bulk is not in our best interest because the food won’t get eaten in time or is otherwise not cost-effective. Things that are worth it: sun-dried tomatoes. Things that are not: fresh tomatoes.

But watermelon. Sweet nectar of the warm-weather gods. Watermelon screams summer to me, even though I live in a moderate climate that feels like summer approximately 3.6 hours most days between May and September. Regardless, one of the simple pleasures of summer is biting into a fresh piece of watermelon.

I like buying a whole melon because I think they are fresher and it’s a better value, but in a household of two, it’s often too much for us to get through without it getting mealy. My solution: FROZEN WATERMELON CUBES.

It’s not a far jump from there to alcoholic beverages and day drinking (bringing it back around, you see).

The frozen watermelon cubes pretty much work as ice cubes, so I suppose you could add them to non-alcoholic beverages and/or smoothies. I haven’t tried this tactic, so let me get right to my point:

The Screamin’ Summer

A refreshing summer cooler, compliments of a popsicle +  frozen watermelon + vodka. This cocktail screams summer, and you’ll be screaming for more!

The basic version I’ve been making lately looks like this:

1 all-fruit lime popsicle (like the Fruit Floes at Trader Joe’s or Dreyer’s Fruit Bars)
1 cup frozen watermelon cubes (this is approximate)
1.5 oz citrus vodka (this is conservative)

Place all ingredients in a blender and let ‘er go until smooth. Pour into a 16 oz glass and add bubbly water/club soda to the desired consistency. Add a straw and enjoy!

The popsicle flavor options are endless, and the booze options probably are as well. Tequila? Ole! Rum? Arrgh, matey! I use cheap vodka and don’t notice the difference. Splurge if you want to, but it isn’t necessary.

To make the frozen watermelon cubes, follow these easy steps:

1) Cut watermelon into cubes. If your watermelon has black seeds, remove them.

2) Place on parchment-lined platter or cookie sheet and place in freezer. The parchment lining makes it easy to transfer without sticking.

3) Transfer to freezer bag for storage.

Greg and I have been enjoying these refreshing beverages on weekend afternoons. If you try these at home, let me know what flavor combinations you experiment with!