Summer Entertaining: How to Cut Watermelon Spears

Try this unique way to cut watermelon for all your summer entertaining!

How to Cut Watermelon Spears

If you're entertaining this summer I'm sure that watermelon will be on your menu.  Let's learn to cut this refreshing an hydrating watermelon in to long spears that are easy to handle and visually appealing.    This is an easy way for a crowd to grab and eat watermelon.  With the rind serveing as a handle to grab and eat from you have a cute presentation and less mess!

Cutting a watermelon this way is really easy.  Since this is a technique, I've linked a video to show you how to do it here:  How to cut a watermelon

What Ingredients do I need?

• A personal sized watermelon works great but any size watermelon will do.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Make sure to have a sharp large chef's knife so you can easily cut through the rind.

• Some people like to cut off the 4 sides (just to remove the white rind) which will give you a more square shape to begin with.  This isn't necessary though.

• Place watermelon spears in a large bowl with the rind sticking out for easy grabbing.

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How to Cut Watermelon Spears

1 personal sized watermelon

Cut your watermelon in half.  Lay one half of the watermelon cut side down on your board.  Make vertical slices 1 inch apart across the watermelon.  Turn the watermelon and cut more vertical 1 inch slices across the watermelon to give your cube-like spears.

(Refer to the video here.)

Spring Fling: Melon Salad

My Melon Salad is a trio of luscious sweet melons laced with a lime honey mixture and topped with mint.  This is a salad that is perfect all Spring and Summer long!

Melon Salad

Everyone needs a simple yet scrumptiously delicious fruit salad in their arsenal.  This melon salad is just that and more.  Made with readily available cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon, this salad is dressed up with a petite dainty cut, and a jazzed up mint, honey, lime topping.

The small dice of the fruit makes this the perfect salad to serve for Mother's Day, a bridal shower, graduation party, a romantic picnic, brunch or summer party.  The taste is one everyone will enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• watermelon
• cantaloupe
• honeydew melon
• fresh limes
• honey
• orange champagne vinegar or champagne vinegar
• fresh mint

Substitutions and Variations

• Change the serving size by cutting the measurement in 1/2 for a 3 person portion or doubling for 12 people. 

• Leave out the mint if you don't prefer it.

• Use a melon baller tool to create pretty round melon balls.

• Leave the melons on a bite size or larger scale  

• Use other combinations of melon such as Snow Leopard, Sugar Kiss, Kiss Limon, there are a lot of summer varieties that will all work well.

• Use white wine vinegar if you don't have champagne vinegar

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Plan ahead as this salad will need to sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend.

• For a shortcut, buy pre-cut melon and slice them into bite sized pieces or melon balls- you will need to adjust the lime honey mixture accordingly to the amount of melon.

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Melon Salad

Serves 6

1 mini seedless watermelon
1 cantaloupe
1 honeydew melon
zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons Champagne vinegar
2 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Peel and de-seed all three melons.  Chop the melons in to petite cubes, about 1/2".  Place melons in a large bowl and combine.

In a small bowl, which together the lime zest, lime juice, honey, and vinegar.  Whisk together until the honey dissolves.  Pour the mixture over the melon.  Add chopped mint and stir until it is all combined well and covered with the lime/honey mixture.  

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, stirring once.  Serve in a large bowl or individual glasses/cups.

Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Spinach and Watermelon Salad with Feta and Walnuts

Summertime is the perfect time to whip up this refreshing variation on a traditional watermelon salad.  With the addition of spinach, walnuts, and an oregano vinaigrette this salad is loaded with flavor!

Spinach and Watermelon Salad with Feta and Walnuts

Everyone needs a good side salad, and as part of my Summer Fresh Recipe Series this one is a winner!  Bursting with refreshing summer watermelon, spinach, feta cheese, and walnuts for crunch, this salad is quick and easy to pull together any night of the week.  Top it off with a flavorful oregano vinaigrette and those flavors will be popping in your mouth!

This is a great salad that will go along with any main course.  Perfect for picnics, BBQs, family get-togethers, even your 4th of July celebrations.  Trust me when I say that you'll be wanting this salad all summer long.

What Ingredients do I need?

• olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• honey
• salt & pepper
• dried oregano
• baby spinach
• watermelon
• feta cheese
• walnuts

Substitutions and Variations

• Use arugula or mixed green instead of the spinach
• Use pinenuts, pistachios, or sliced almonds instead of walnuts

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• You will only use 1/2 of the dressing for this salad.  Store the remaining dressing in a container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

• I use a mason jar to mix dressing in and shake vigioursly, then I store in that container as well.  Less dishes to wash!

• The salad should be served chilled or at room temperature.  Watermelon tends to weep as it gets hot.

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Spinach and Watermelon Salad with Feta and Walnuts

serves 4

Oregano Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and black pepper

 
Salad:

1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
4 cups baby spinach
1 to 1 1/2 cups cubed watermelon

For the oregano vinaigrette: In a small bowl or mason jar, add  olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, honey, dried oregano and some salt and pepper.  Whisk or shake vigorously to combine.  Note:  You will use about half so you may store the leftover vinaigrette in a container in the refrigerator for another use.
 

To make the salad: Set aside some feta and walnuts to top off the salad before serving.  Add the spinach and watermelon, remaining feta and walnuts to a large bowl.  Drizzle with about 1/2 of the dressing and toss to coat.   Garnish with the reserved feta and walnuts before serving.

Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Watermelon Salad Mediterranean Style

Sweet juicy watermelon with salty feta and cool cucumbers make a great tasting Mediterranean style salad.  Mix in some fresh herbs and toss it with a honey vinaigrette and you have summer in a bowl!

We've been eating a lot of Mediterranean style dishes this summer and this side dish is a perfect addition.  One of my favorite bloggers is Suzy from The Mediterranean Dish and this is one of her wonderful recipes.  Truly, all of her recipes are amazing so head over there and take a look around.

WATERMELON SALAD MEDITERRANEAN STYLE

Watermelon Salad is one of those dishes that has that sweet and salty combo going on and it is fabulous!  This variation of the traditional salad is more sophisticated by including cool cucumbers and chopped basil and mint.  Both herbs bring out the sweetness of the watermelon and pair perfectly with the salad.  Cucumbers are cool and crispy and filled with water just as watermelon is.  They are a great match.  And then she goes a step further by dousing the whole salad in a tart honey lime vinaigrette.  Delishhhh!

This is the go-to dish this summer that pairs with any main dish you are serving.  Plus it's light and fresh and is so easy to throw together.  As my 13th installment in my Summer Fresh Recipe Series that focuses on easy, light dishes using fresh summer ingredients, you can't have a summer without watermelon, and this salad.  It's that good!

Enjoy!

Summer Fresh Recipe Series

• Chicken Fajita Kabobs
• Refreshing Melon Salad
• Peach Blueberry & Ginger Crisp
• Grilled Sirloin Steak with Garlic Herb Vinaigrette
• Grilled Vegetable Platter
• Sirloin Steak topped with Herb Salsa with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots
• Lemon Blueberry Scones
• Grilled Honey Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricots & Brocollini
• Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby
• Simple Mediterranean Salad
• Grilled Chicken Kofta
• Greek Cobb Salad

Watermelon Salad Mediterranean Style

serves 4-6

For the Honey Vinaigrette
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lime juice
1 to 2 tbsp quality extra virgin olive oil 
pinch of salt

For the Watermelon Salad
1/2 mini watermelon, peeled, cut into cubes
1 English cucumber, cubed (about 2 cupfuls of cubed cucumbers)
15 fresh mint leaves, chopped
15 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, more to your liking

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, olive oil and pinch of salt. Set aside for a moment.

In a large bowl or serving platter with sides, combine the watermelon, cucumbers, and fresh herbs.

Top the watermelon salad with the honey vinaigrette and gently toss to combine. Top with the feta cheese and serve!

source:  The Mediterranean Dish

Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Refreshing Melon Salad

Refreshingly cool, sweet melons mixed with onions and feta top a bed of baby spinach and doused with the most flavorful citrus garlic vinaigrette make one heck of a side dish!

In the summer when the heat has you beat and it's too hot to even think about cooking, I've got a solution to the side dish dilemma!  A nice, easy salad is in order.  But let's mix things up a bit and make this salad that is both tangy and sweet, cool and crisp, and oh soooo refreshing!

REFRESHING MELON SALAD

This dish is my 11th installment of my Summer Fresh Recipe Series and this one is another winner.  Quick and easy is the name of the game, and using summer's fresh produce it what it's all about with this recipe.  The feature here is fresh melon.  I used watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew, but you could use any melons you choose.  To give this a more "salad" feel I included a bed of baby spinach and sprinkled in some red onion and feta cheese. All this is doused with a wonderful citrus garlic vinaigrette  which is made from orange juice and lime juice with some added flavor from the garlic and sweetness from some honey.  Then we top off the entire salad with some torn mint leaves which brings out the fruit flavors so well.

This is a side dish that goes along with just about anything you like.  Fish, chicken, beef, and pork will all be perfect entrees.  This can be eaten cold or at room temperature.  You can make this ahead just leave off the dressing and the mint until you are ready to serve.  

Enjoy all the fruit that summer has to offer.  We just can't enough!  Take a look at my other installment from my Summer Fresh Recipe Series below.

Enjoy!  

Summer Fresh Recipe Series

• Peach Blueberry & Ginger Crisp
• Grilled Sirloin Steak with Garlic Herb Vinaigrette
• Grilled Vegetable Platter
• Sirloin Steak topped with Herb Salsa with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots
• Lemon Blueberry Scones
• Grilled Honey Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricots & Brocollini
• Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby
• Simple Mediterranean Salad
• Grilled Chicken Kofta
• Greek Cobb Salad

Refreshing Melon Salad

serves 4

Ingredient Checklist

2 cups baby spinach

1/4 cup red onion, sliced thinly 
1 cup watermelon, sliced

1 cup cantaloupe, sliced

1 cup honeydew, sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese (2 oz.), crumbled

1 Tbsp fresh mint, torn into small pieces

Dressing:

2 Tbsp. orange juice
1/2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 Tbsp. honey
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

On a small platter arrange spinach so that it forms a base and covers the platter.

In a small bowl add sliced onions and cover with water.  Allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Arrange melon slices over the spinach.  To make the dressing:  Add to a small bowl, orange juice, lime juice, honey, garlic, salt & pepper, and olive oil.  Whisk until emulsified.  Set aside.

Remove onion from the water, draining off any excess moisture.  Add on top of the melon.  Spread around crumbled feta cheese.  Drizzle with dressing and then add the torn mint leaves.  Serve immediately.

adapted from:  Triple Melon Salad

Quick and Easy Watermelon Lemonade

Yum

I just love summertime.  There is nothing like a great summer song, feeling that tingle on your skin from the hot sun, and a cold drink.

I always used to associate summer with Sunkist soda pop.  Do you remember that commercial that played "Good Vibrations"?  To me that' was the epitome of summer when I was growing up.  These days I'm more of a lemonade kinda girl.  I just love the tartness of the lemons, and the thirst quenching flavor on a hot summer day.  

Since the 4th of July is right around the corner I usually serve a pitcher of lemonade to have during our days activities and with whatever items we grill for our All-American dinner.  So let's change up the standard lemonade and give it a little pizzazz by adding some additional fruit infused flavor.

QUICK AND EASY WATERMELON LEMONADE

To make this easier I use a pre-made pink lemonade.  Trader Joe's a wonderful one, but any brand will do.  Just make sure it's one you like.  Next we need to make the fruit puree.  This is where the watermelon comes in.  All you need is a blender to puree the watermelon and a fine mesh strainer to remove any solids so you are left with a nice pure watermelon juice.  Now that you have that, the rest is simple.  The concoction is about a 2/3 lemonade to 1/3 watermelon juice ratio.  Served over ice you will have a frosty piece of heaven in a drink.  One that screams summer!!!

Perfect for the 4th of July or any summer day, this watermelon lemonade will keep you cool on even the hottest of summer days.

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Watermelon Lemonade


serves 8

8 cups of jarred Pink Lemonade (any brand)
3 cups cubed watermelon
1 tbls sugar (optional for sweetness)

Pour ready made lemonade into a bottle or pitcher. In a blender puree the watermelon. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, discarding the solids.  Pour watermelon puree into the pitcher with the lemonade. Stir to combine.  Fill glasses with ice and lemonade.  Enjoy.   

Beth's Simple Fruit Salad

Yum

When Spring and Summer hit we are in Heaven around here because it is "Fruit Season"!

Both MGG and I are big fruit lovers and can't wait until the abundance of fruit produces each year.  We spend countless weekends scouring Farmer's Market for varieties of fruit that are new to us, while also loading up on the basic, berries, oranges, pears, peaches, cherries, grapes, and nectarines.

Today is all about the basics. They are your standard fruits.  They can be used in smoothies like this Tropical Sunset Smoothie and my Vanilla Kiwi Smoothie or baked into muffins like Lemon Blueberry Muffins and Strawberry Sour Cream Muffins.  Salads get punched up with fruits such as this California Salad.  Since we eat fruit so much it was no surprise that I have a Simple Fruit Salad that we serve with meals as well.

BETH'S SIMPLE FRUIT SALAD

Simple is in the title because this is a cut and throw in a bowl type of salad.  Nothing fancy, just a lot of good fruits cut into bite sized pieces and placed in a pretty bowl.  No special sauce, no drizzle, or glaze....just good delicious fruit!

Perfect for picnics, potlucks, holidays, and everyday meals or snacks.  Have fun with fruit this year, it good for you!

Enjoy!





Beth's Simple Fruit Salad


2 cups cantaloupe, cubed
2 cups honeydew melon, cubed
2 cups fresh pineapple, cubed
2 cups watermelon, cubed
1/3 cup blueberries
1/4 cup blackberries
2 kiwi, sliced
1 cup strawberries, sliced

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to mix.  Serve chilled.

Fruit Salad with a Red Currant Raspberry Sauce

 Yum

Summer fruit is everywhere and what a better way to use it than in a cooling fruit salad.

This salad isn't any old fruit salad though.  No, it is one that is tossed in a wonder sauce.  Yes, a sauce that just lends another layer of fruit flavor to the mix. 

Recently I had the leisure of attending  a Cool "No Cook" Sauces cooking class taught by Phillis Carey (one of my favorite chefs) down in San Diego.  She made some fabulous sauces using oils and vinegars from Vom Fass.  I love them all but new that I would make the Red Currant Raspberry Sauce first.  She placed it on a fruit salad and I loved it so much that I kept my dish simple as well.  

We had this for Memorial Day, but guess what?  The 4th of July holiday is coming up next week and this would be the most PERFECT dish to serve at any BBQ festivities you may be having.  Perfect for a picnic, grill, potluck, outdoor concert, beachside, lakeside...you name it.  Everyone loved this fruit salad so since it was such a hit, I wanted to share it with you today.

Kitchen Notes:  This uses a Red Currant Jelly.  Bonne Maman' make a good Red Currant jelly.  You also may find it from Knott's jelly.  If you can't find the red currant use a good grape jelly.  It tastes delicious as well.  This also uses raspberry vinegar which I've seen at most major grocery stores as well as Walmart.  You can also get one here. It's also perfect in salad dressings.  The 3rd item is that she uses grapeseed oil.  This is a great base to the dish as it a healthy choice and has a clean, light mild taste which is perfect for a dish where you want the fruit flavors to shine.  This can be bought at most grocery stores, Walmart, and Trader Joe's.

This serve a crowd but you can adjust this to suit how many you are serving.  I used little ice cream cups to serve our in.  They look adorable!

Enjoy!




Fruit Salad with a Red Currant Raspberry Sauce

5 cups of mixed fruit ( I used watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, honeydew melons)

Sauce:
1/4 cup red currant jelly, melted and slightly cooled
2 T raspberry vinegar
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup grapeseed oil

Place the mixed fruit into a large mixing bowl.  To make the sauce, whisk together the melted jelly, vinegar, sugar, mustard, paprika and salt until well mixed.  Slowly whisk in the oil.  At this point the sauce may be chilled until serving time.  When ready to serve, pour over fruit and toss to combine.  Serve immediately or may be refrigerated up to 4 hours before serving. 

Source:  sauce if from Phillis Carey Cool 'No Cook' Sauces cooking class

Watermelon Milkshakes

This is not my typical drink.

I know, I know...I usually make smoothies.  I've made lots and lots of them, sharing them all with you.  But sometimes you just gotta be bad.  Not the suffering guilty bad, just a little cheat drink.  You know what I mean?  So today instead of putting my wonderful summer fruit in a smoothie, I went a little decadent and put it in a milkshake!

Watermelon...juicy, fruity and light tasting.  Such a summer flavor that I love.  So what better way to relax on the patio or by the pool in this still hot weather, than with a decadent milkshake!  Let me tell you, when I made these they didn't last long.  MGG had ours by the pool and I think he must loved his.  He was making yummy noises while he was drinking it.  And when I looked away and then looked back it was gone!  

So since this is MGG approved I'm sure your family and kids will love this as well.  

Take some time out to be a little bad...it feels soooo good!

Watermelon Milkshakes

serves 2

2 c vanilla ice cream or vanilla frozen yogurt

8 oz cubed watermelon
1 cup milk

Add ice cream , watermelon chunks, and milk to a blender. Blend on high for 1 – 2 minutes.   Serve immediately.


Shared with:  Weekend Potluck