Cantaloupe has finally found a home in my kitchen.  After years of half-hearted tolerance, I can now say I love the melon and its lovely floral flavors.  Maybe I’ve been alone for years in detecting an off flavor that just doesn’t hit my palate right, but I don’t think so. Hasn’t any one else been disappointed at nearly every restaurant fruit plate composed of 50% cantaloupe?

Well, when Romeo starting chunking up my least favorite fruit and making a smoothie out of it, I wasn’t thrilled.  But we drink smoothies all the time.  One mediocre drink wasn’t gong to ruin my day.

Then I tasted it, and was blown away. The key is in balancing out the flavors with the pineapple and raspberries.  All the beautiful notes come out, and all the ugly ones fade away.  I don’t know what the carrot adds exactly, since I couldn’t taste it, but this smoothie has got it going on, and I’m not messing with it.

Cantaloupe Smoothie
1 lb. cantaloupe (about 3/8 of a small melon)
1/3 pineapple
5 oz. (half a bag) frozen raspberries
1 carrot
1 cup 100% juice fruit punch blend (or more depending on your blender)
5 ice cubes

Chunk up the melon, pineapple and carrot - you know your blender so you decide the size of the pieces.  Put everything in the blender and whiz until very smooth and a little frothy, adding more juice if necessary - you want a pourable consistency.  Makes 2 smoothies, but you might want to drink them both yourself.

My father-in-law likes to go all-out in typical Texan bigger-is-better style.  Sometimes this means having an air-hockey table in our living room with the legs chopped off just right, making it the perfect height for his grandson.  Sometimes this means buying an enormous citrus juicer so he can subsist on ceviche with ease.

I guess we have different ideas on “going all-out,” but here I am, with a state-fair-reminiscent citrus juicer staring at me, so I drink.  And here are a few of the refreshing summer drinks we have been enjoying. With ease.

watermelon agua fresca with lime:  Scoop watermelon flesh (seeds and all) into a blender.  Pulse a few times, then blend until just liquified, pushing down the solids as necessary.  Strain out seeds and excess pulp with a fine mesh strainer.  Add lime juice to taste, and optionally, sweeten with agave nectar or sugar.

lemonade with chia seeds:  Add a tablespoon of chia seeds (found in health food stores) to unchilled lemonade.  Let sit until the seeds have become gelatinous. Chill.  Serve with a straws - almost bubble-tea style.

sorrel mint bissap with lime:  inspired by Yolele!: Recipes from the Heart of Senegal by Pierre Thiam.  Make flor de Jamaica from Hibiscus (sorrel) flowers: In a saucepan place about two cups of hibiscus flowers,  add water until just covered.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down heat, add a handful of mint leaves and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, let cool.  Strain hibiscus and mint leaves, add lime to taste, dilute with cold water (to taste) and chill.

Next up: my lemonbalm plant is getting bigger and I’ll be steeping lemonbalm leaves in hot water, chilling and using it as a base for lemonade.