Summer Favorite

{photo credit to Gentyl & Hyers at Cooking Light}

One of the things I love most about summer besides EVERYTHING! is the abundance of inexpensive and flavorful produce; namely watermelon.  

Because this tasty fruit (among many others) flourishes in warm weather, it's the perfect excuse to consume massive amounts of locally grown produce.  To explain further, I'm truly just not one for self control - I'm an all dip and no chip kinda gal - so having all of these super healthy and delicious seasonal offerings at my disposal is this southern girl's dream come true... 

What I'm craving now:

Watermelon Slushie

{photo credit to Krysta's Life in Food, recipe here}

Riddle me this: what could possibly be more refreshing than a watermelon slushie?

{photo credit to Monica B Hide, recipe here}

To keep it simple, mix one part frozen watermelon (seedless & cubed) and one part coconut water. Pop it in the blender on the highest setting until the mixture is completely smooth.

{photo credit to Kimberly Snyder, recipe here}

To get fancy, add... 

mint or basil

a tablespoon of agave nectar or honey

a splash of lime juice

a banana or any kind of berries

maybe even a shot of rum if you're feeling a little crazy

{photo credit to Raw Food Recipes, recipe here}

And now I give you 5 reasons to drink (or eat) up: just incase you still need a reason or two...

watermelon provides healthy amounts of virtually all essential vitamins and minerals 

just 1 wedge of watermelon provides over 30% of your daily Vitamin A & C requirement

it's a powerful ally against many types of cancer, because it contains lycopene

it tastes wonderful

it's very pretty

Any questions?

Just Peachy

One of the most wonderful things about living in Austin, TX is the abundance of local produce.  

Growing up, I thought all peaches came from Georgia (hello, "Georgia peaches" has such a nice ring to it).  Little did I know that tiny towns sprinkled throughout the Texas Hill Country (with names like Luckenbach, Stonewall and Fredericksburg) are locally famous for the numerous peach varieties birthed each year.

I'll be the first to tell you that Texas peaches make for excellent gifts (recently a co-worker received two dozen from one of his clients) and even better snacks.  Then of course you can always top them with brown sugar, oatmeal, flour and butter for everyone's favorite summertime dessert - peach cobbler.


However I do find one thing about peaches off-putting.  I can never find a perfect peach - they're always a little too hard or too mushy. Which in turn means they're a little sour or overly sweet.  What's a girl to do?  If you're interested in how to select the perfect peach - as am I - Chef de Cuisine Grant MacDonald from TRIO has the inside scoop. Click here to watch.