Having a Hot Summer? Have a drink.

Remember when I made ice cream for the summer bucket list? And I bought an ice cream machine? Well, first off, having an ice cream machine is fabulous. Not only can you make ice cream and froyo and sorbet, you can also make frozen drinks - slushes and margaritas and daiquiris.  I had no idea.

It's been in the 100s here all week, which is actually cooler than normal this time of year...but way too hot to hang out there long.

So, I made WaterLimoncello Slushes!

(You read that right - Watermelon and Lemon/Limoncello Slushes = WaterLimoncello Slush.  What would you call it?  I got stuck!)

Easy as pie too.  Actually, way easier. I hate making pie crusts.

Here's what I used:

Half of an average sized seedless watermelon
up to a quart of lemonade - homemade, mixed, whatever.
ice cream machine
Limoncello - I use about a shot per serving, and right now I have Caravella.

Here's what I did:

Scoop out the middle of the watermelon - an ice cream scoop is fun to use, and kids would totally love to do it.

Puree it in a food processor or blender in small batches - or else you will have a very sticky pink appliance.  The amount of liquid you need depends on your ice cream machine - mine is a two quart machine -  you'll want about 1/2-2/3 of your total liquid to be watermelon juice.

So I made about 1.25 quarts of watermelon juice, and filled the remainder with homemade lemonade, just for a hint of lemon and sweet/tart to break up the very sweet watermelon.    Now is also time to add the Limoncello.  You don't have to, and without it you have a kid friendly slush.  Just don't overfill your machine.

My machine has an interior bucket that you freeze ahead of time - follow your machine's instruction manual for freezing.

Here's a pic of the juice - with room left at the top of the container for expansion.

Turn your machine on, and let it go for 15-20 minutes, but check it often to see how it sets up.  You don't want it to freeze solid!

For awhile, it's hard to see the ice chunks in it, but when it looks like you could buy it from the corner store, you got it.  You want it thick and icy, but not solid.

Turn off the machine and scoop the slush into glasses.  Serve with wide shake - type straws, and garnish with mint if you'd like.

I honestly can't think of anything more summery and refreshing than Slush + Watermelon + Lemonade.  That = Summer in my book.

Enjoy the dog days of summer before they're gone!