Watermelon Granita
by Jodie Fitz
3 cups diced watermelon
1 cup pitted fresh cherries
1 navel orange
2 tablespoons PICS honey
1 teaspoon PICS vanilla extract
Place the diced watermelon and pitted cherries in a blender.
Cut the navel orange in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into the blender. Add in the honey and vanilla extract. Blend all ingredients together until mixed well.
Pour the mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish and freeze overnight.
Before serving, shave the iced mixture with a large serving fork, moving in different directions. Scoop and serve frozen.
Watermelon: You can save time and purchase pre-cut watermelon in the produce section of your local Price Chopper/Market 32.
Little hands: Young children can dice the watermelon using a plastic knife- a great way to help develop and strengthen motor skills, control and knife safety.
Pitting the Cherries: It’s simplest to pit cherries with a cherry pitter, but if you don’t have one, you can remove the stem and poke the pit through using a chopstick, toothpick, straw or even a thin pastry tip.
Leftovers: Store frozen fruit shavings in an airtight freezer container.
Alternative: Granita is a perfect, fruit-packed afternoon snack and great alternative to a traditional snow cone.
Cooking with Kids: Every recipe is filled with life skills that encourage a child’s confidence in the kitchen. Here are a few to focus on when making this recipe:
- Dicing and knife safety
- Pitting cherries
- Extracting juice
- Measuring ingredients
- Following directions
- Blending and blender safety
- Freezing
Keep the kitchen cool by making this watermelon cooler. It’s a light, refreshing drink with a whole lot of goodness in the mix. There’s just one thing….beware of brain freeze!
Watermelon Cooler by Jodie Fitz
3 cups diced watermelon
4 cups ice
2 lemons, fresh
½ cup PICS honey
1 teaspoon PICS vanilla extract
2 cups water
Remove the fruit of the watermelon from the rind and dice it into small chunks. Measure 3 cups of watermelon. Add it to the blender.
Measure and add 4 cups of ice to the blender.
Cut the lemons in half and extract the juice from the lemons using your hands, a citrus squeezer or juicer. If you are extracting the juice by hand, squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl and remove the seeds before adding the lemon juice to the blender.
Add the honey, vanilla extract and water to the blender.
Blend the ingredients well and serve!
Little Hands: Younger children can cut the watermelon using a plastic knife.
Lessons for children when making the Watermelon Cooler Recipe:
- Dicing
- Knife safety
- Measuring ingredients
- Extracting juice
- Blending and blender safety
- Following directions
Mint Watermelon Salad
by Jodie Fitz
4 cups seedless watermelon seedless
1 tablespoon fresh mint
½ of a lime (yields approximately 1 tablespoon lime juice)
2 tablespoons water
I tablespoon PICS honey
1 teaspoon PICS vanilla extract
Slice the watermelon, remove it from the rind and dice the watermelon. Place the diced watermelon chunks into a bowl.
Chop the fresh mint. Use herb scissors or a (plastic) knife to cut the leaves on a cutting board. Cut enough to measure 1 tablespoon. Set the measured mint aside.
Extract the juice from the lime half into a liquid measuring cup. Use either a citrus squeezing tool or your hands.
Add the water, honey, fresh mint and vanilla extract into the lime juice. Using a fork or mini whisk, whisk the ingredients together well. Pour the mixture over the diced watermelon and gently stir the ingredients together so that the watermelon is fully coated.
Cover the watermelon salad with a cover to your bowl our plastic wrap, place it in the refrigerator to set for an hour or two. Stir again before serving.
This is refreshing and light. It’s a great afternoon snack and/or perfect for entertaining.
Watermelon: Approximately ¼ of a watermelon will yield 4 cups diced depending on the size of the watermelon.
Little hands: Younger children can easily cut the watermelon with a plastic knife.
Time-saver: Purchase the watermelon quarter or pre-sliced at your local Price Chopper/Market 32 Supermarkets.
Entertaining: When serving this you can obviously serve this in a large bowl and guests can help themselves. However, this simple salad is beautiful when served in individual portions such as mason jars, glass parfait dishes or plastic 9 oz. clear party cups that can be located in the paper product aisle at your Price Chopper/Market 32 Supermarkets.
Place your individual servings of Mint Watermelon Salad on a tray at your buffet and voila, you take simplicity to fabulous.
Lessons for the Kiddos: If you are making this recipe with children, here are some skills to focus on…
- Dicing
- Cutting
- Knife safety
- Measuring ingredients
- Following directions
- Shopping for ingredients