Watermelon Recipes and Meeting Chef Alli
Hello friends! Do you know that today is #WatermelonDay? I do not know who comes up with all these days and sometimes it seems ridiculous to have all these days associated with a certain food, drink, or emotion. But, on the other hand, it is a great way to celebrate something that you might never think of. So today we are celebrating watermelon…with three watermelon recipes.
But first, I want to talk about Chef Alli and how the idea of this blog post came up. If you live in Kansas, chances are that you have heard of her or watched her on regional morning shows on TV. She is an awesome cook, great advocate of Kansas agriculture and above all, a great human being. I found out about her through one of the Facebook pages and sent her a message to see if she would be interested in meeting. I sent the message without thinking much about it and did not expect to hear back from her. After all, she is famous, super busy and I’m sure she has people who work for her and manage her Facebook and stuff. But lo and behold, after few days she sent a message saying that she would love to meet me…Whaat? For reals?
So we agreed to meet for a quick lunch. My expectation was to introduce myself to her and share my vision and hopes about making food that is Kansas made and grown, a part of my blogging. Little did I know that we would sit there for two and a half hours and talk. Talk about our families, our professions, our love for whatever our land produces, our moms, our faiths, community…everything under the sun. Yes, we did talk about recipes and food but it took a backstage. And it was great! She is a wonderful person and I felt a connection to her. There is a saying in India that a person who laughs often and loud is clear at heart. And that is Alli.
While our brief talk about our blogging and recipes, we talked about how you sometimes buy a particular ingredient, make a recipe with it and then rest of it just sits there – waiting to be used. This sometimes feels so wasteful. For example, a package of sesame seeds that I bought. I used it in a recipe and now it is just sitting in my freezer and stares back at me every time I open the freezer. Anywho, Chef Alli made a wonderful suggestion. Why not to take an ingredient, share a recipe around it and then suggest a few other things to your readers that can be made with it. Brilliant!
So that is what is happening here today. Watermelon – ladies and gentlemen! Star of today. More than often we get a watermelon that is too big for our family to consume. So here are three (well four) ways to consume this great summer fruit.
1. Slice it up and enjoy
Nothing beats the original!
2. Watermelon Mint Spritzer
Blend up watermelon chunks with some fresh mint, add sparkling water or club soda and enjoy. Find the recipe here: Watermelon Mint Spritzer
3. Watermelon Salsa
This recipe is great for a cook out, picnic or a barbecue. This recipe can use up a good quantity of watermelon if you have some lying around and easy to scale up or down. A crowd favorite for sure. Here are the details: Watermelon Salsa
4. Easy Watermelon Salad
I made this salad recently for July 4th get together and it was such a hit. Simple ingredients and super easy to make. Do not skip any ingredient, not even the red onions because I know your mind might play tricks on you and tell you that red onions do not sound right. Fresh and watermelony. Grab a quick printable here: Easy Watermelon Salad
So there you have it. If you have a big, beautiful, 2567 lb watermelon and do not know what to do with the rest of it after you have had your heart’s content of eating it as such, refer to this post and enjoy. I will have to thank Chef Alli for giving me an idea for this post.
Have a great weekend friends.
Love – Vaishali.
Blue
August 4, 2018 at 2:23 pmThat looks so delicious and refreshing. Perfect for summer!
Patricia-Ann Que
August 4, 2018 at 5:49 pmthat watermelon salsa looks so good! a perfect for bbq days or just having a fresh meal outdoors!
Janine Ella
August 4, 2018 at 7:37 pmThese recipes are lovely but I think I’ll go try the Watermelon Mint Spritzer first! I love anything that goes with mint so it really caught my attention! Lol
Lesley (makemeupblogs)
August 4, 2018 at 9:13 pmThese are such yummy recipes! Watermelon is my favourite fruit, so I know I’ll enjoy these so much!
Shawn @ Healthy Wealthy Skinny
August 4, 2018 at 9:45 pmAll of these watermelon recipes sound delicious. You have used the watermelon in some very creative ways. I would love to try the Watermelon Mint Spritzer and the Watermelon salad.
Jen @ Jenron Designs
August 5, 2018 at 9:28 amOh the watermelon salsa looks great, you always have the freshest recipe which I love so much, thank you for keeping them healthy and inspiring.
Juli
August 5, 2018 at 4:46 pmThis looks so tasty and nice, love your blog.
Evelyn Hernandez
August 5, 2018 at 7:41 pmLove watermelon and all these recipes look amazing.
Kiran Giri
August 5, 2018 at 8:00 pmI think my son will like them very useful information
Backpacking Series
August 6, 2018 at 12:33 pmThose are some cool watermelon recipes to try! Love the variety!
Vaishali
August 6, 2018 at 12:39 pmThanks..:)
Indu
August 6, 2018 at 12:46 pmWatermelon is my favorite fruit in summer. And now with your recipes at hand lot much can be experimented.
Vaishali
August 6, 2018 at 12:54 pmThanks Indu…I hope you’ll like them.
Chai
August 6, 2018 at 1:04 pmmouth-watering. this watermelon recipe best suits in this hot summer weather.
Mommiestalks
August 6, 2018 at 3:10 pmI love to eat watermelons and in summers this fruit is must. It keeps our body hydrated with taste. In above given recipes salsa looks yummy. I must try it.
Ellen
August 7, 2018 at 12:22 amThese are awesome ideas for what to do with a watermelon! I’ll keep these recipes in mind.
Maysz
August 7, 2018 at 12:47 amI love watermelons<3 and this healthy deserts is perfect for summer <3 I love it!
Summer Mitch Ryan
August 7, 2018 at 5:43 amNever thought are other things we can do with watermelon aside from slice and enjoy. I’m making watermelon salad tonight.
Fibi Drese
August 7, 2018 at 6:45 amI love watermelon and these watermelon recipe I will try in this weekend!
Fibi Drese
August 7, 2018 at 6:45 amI love watermelon and these watermelon recipe I will try in this weekend!
Europe finance blog
August 7, 2018 at 7:33 amInteresting! Could onion really taste awesome with melons?
Vaishali
August 7, 2018 at 9:02 amIt just adds a little it spiciness and crunch. Trust me it tastes good
Sayanti
August 7, 2018 at 11:45 pmFor someone who loves watermelon like me, this blog post is very informative. Thanks for sharing
aisasami
August 8, 2018 at 4:37 amI looooooooooooooooooooove eating watermelon during the summer. I am going to try some of these recipes. I love the first picture with the heart shapes scooped out and blueberries filling those sections.
Nguyen Minh Phuong Trang
August 8, 2018 at 9:31 amYou definately trigger my interest in drinking delicious drinks. Also, I love your recipe with watermelon. Keep it up!
Ishani Nath
August 9, 2018 at 5:47 amWow all the watermelon recipes are great and super easy to make. I love watermelon and they are best in this hot weather. Thanks for sharing.
GiGi Eats
August 20, 2018 at 4:17 pmOh man do I need to send this link to my Sister in Law who LOVESSSSSS watermelon so so so so so so so much!
Astrid
September 8, 2018 at 10:15 pmOh my! That watermelon Salsa looks delish, well so does the spritzer and everything else. My mouth just watered… I can totally make this. Thanks for sharing!
Lorita
August 15, 2019 at 11:44 amThese look so refreshing and perfect for summer potluck! I love watermelons!
Vaishali
August 15, 2019 at 1:13 pmThanks Lorita! I love them too. So refreshing!!