Beverage Update

Well, we tried the strawberry margaritas with gin instead of tequila and they were quite refreshing. We didn't have any fresh mint so we had to make do with dried. My only quibble with the recipe is that it says it makes 5 cups. That is only if one wrongly assumes that one cup of frozen watermelon is the same as one cup of blended watermelon.

We also tried this frappuccino recipe because it was the only one for which we had all the ingredients on hand. (We had to make chocolate sauce.) It was excellent! We made it a second time and it wasn't as good, probably because we added too much ice.

Watermelon-Mint Margaritas

Someone pointed me to this recipe on Southern Living. Although I haven't tried it yet, one of the things that makes it looks appealing is that it specifies that it can be made without alcohol. My husband doesn't care for tequila, but he will still be able to try this recipe. Another thing that looks great about it is that with the watermelon and fresh mint it has such wonderful summertime ingredients.

Watermelon-Mint Margarita Recipe

Prep: 10 min., Freeze: 4 hrs. Use leftover watermelon to make this slushy summer drink.

4 cups seeded and chopped watermelon
Fresh lime juice
Sugar
1/2 cup tequila*
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
Garnish: fresh mint sprig

1. Place watermelon in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze 4 hours or until firm.

2. Coat rims of cocktail glasses with lime juice; dip in sugar.

3. Process frozen watermelon, tequila, and next 4 ingredients in a blender until slushy. Pour into glasses. Garnish, if desired.

*1/2 cup orange or apple juice may be substituted for tequila.

Yield: Makes 5 cups