There is the sweetest, homemade sno-cone stand at our farmers’ market called Sno-con AMOR where the owner (and Kenya’s newest love), Lauda, serves up the most incredible traditional Raspados (Mexican Snow Cones). With homemade syrups in flavors like walnut, coconut and mojito (I almost want to drop to the ground with embarrassment every time Chloe screams, “MORE MOJITO” in a crowd full of parents), these are nothing like the artificially sweetened and colored sno-cones you may be used to seeing. Lauda uses only the freshest, all natural ingredients to produce her frozen works of art.

Recently Lauda has been featuring watermelon-cinnamon as a flavor and it is heavenly. The first time she offered me a taste I was skeptical. Cinnamon and watermelon sounded like quite an unusual combo, but it took just one bite and I was knocked out. So knocked out in fact, that I had to replicate it at home. Given that the kids only see Lauda on Sunday, having granita (very similar to sno-cones) for them at home the remaining six days of the week made me very popular with them indeed.

And no, your eyes aren’t fooling you. That’s yellow watermelon pictured above. The kids can’t get enough of it when it is in season, so I used it to make this cinnamon spiked watermelon granita that tastes almost as good as Lauda’s sno-cones.

Whether you decide to make this with red or yellow watermelon, it’s a super sweet summer time treat that’s filled with AMOR!

Watermelon Granita (Serves 6-8)

5 Cups Watermelon Chunks
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/3 Cup Sugar

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and puree.
2. Place the puree in an 8×8 inch Pyrex dish and put in the freezer for 1 hour.
3. Remove from the freezer and scrape with a fork to break up pieces.
4. Place back into freezer for 1 hour.
5. Remove from the freezer and scrape with a fork to break up pieces.
6. Repeat this process one or two more times over several hours until the
granita is similar in consistency to shaved ice.
7. Serve (cover the dish with tin foil to keep the rest in the freezer).

For me, one of the great sites and smells of summer is a big basket of fresh peaches. We love eating them so much in my house that I tend to go a bit overboard at the farmers’ market every Sunday and buy way more than we could possibly eat in a week. As the days go by, some get bruises while others become uber soft and juicy. Unless you want to eat peaches for every meal there’s nothing you can really do with them except….make fruit leather! If you think my kids like eating peaches, you should just see how excited they get for this homemade fruit leather. They go through it so quickly I tend to make about three batches a week, but one of the great things about this recipe is that it stays good for weeks, if not longer.

Got a little over zealous like me at the market and now you’re sitting with several pounds of super ripe stone fruit — and no where near enough time to eat them before they spoil? Peach fruit leather is your answer!

Peach Fruit Leather

4 Ripe Peaches (skin on)
1 Tbsp Honey

1. Preheat oven to 225 F degrees.*
2. Rinse and remove seeds from peaches.
3. Place the peaches and honey in a blender and puree until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread with the back of a spoon or spatula in a large rectangle (my rectangle was 11 x 15 inches) making sure that the thickness is completely even.
5. Bake for 3-4 hours or until dry and not sticky to the touch. Remember, cooking times will vary depending on how thick you spread your mixture and how much water (juice) is naturally in the fruit.**
6. Set aside and cool at room temperature; it takes several hours for the fruit to soften up. Note that when you first take the fruit leather out of the oven, the edges will be a bit dry and crispy, but if you allow it to sit out for several hours it softens up nicely.
7. Cut with a knife, pizza cutter or scissors into strips, keeping the paper on if desired, then roll the leather into “roll ups”.
8. Serve.

* If you choose to use a dehydrator, cook the fruit leather at 135 degrees for 5 hours.
** Every oven is different, so the cooking time maybe less than 2 hours if your oven tends to run hot.

I bit into a strawberry that I bought at the farmers’ market this past weekend and it was so perfectly ripe, the juice dripped right down my chin. That is the kind of strawberry you want to use for these fluffy shortcakes. Combined with soft, melt in your mouth peaches, that are also in season right now, these Peach & Strawberry Shortcakes are pure heaven.

I made some recently as a treat for my parents and the kids one afternoon. Everyone lined up in front of me with their plates held out as I assembled each shortcake for them, topping a half a shortcake with naturally sweet
fruit, followed by a dollop of honey yogurt and finally it’s better half, creating the perfect summer time treat.

Peach & Strawberry Shortcake (Makes 8 Shortcakes)

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
3 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, cold and cubed
3/4 Cup Milk
1 Peach, pitted and diced
1 Cup Strawberries, stemmed and quartered
1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Honey

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place the first 4 ingredients into a food processor and combine.
3. Add the cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. Place the mixture in a bowl, make a well in the center and pour in the milk. With a fork, slowly stir until the ingredients are just combined.
5. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead about 5 times.
6. Pat the dough out into a rectangle and cut out about eight 3-inch rounds using a circular cookie cutter or the rim of a glass .*
7. Place the rounds on a sheet pan, bake for 17 -19 minutes and set aside to cool.
8. In a separate bowl, combine the peaches and strawberries.
9. In another bowl, mix the yogurt, vanilla and honey.
10. Cut shortcake in half through the middle, place a large spoonful of fruit mixture in the center, a heaping of yogurt honey sauce and top with the remaining shortcake half.
11. Continue making the shortcakes and serve.

*Option: you can brush the tops lightly with milk and sprinkle some sugar on the rounds before baking if you desire for extra sweetness.

I consider myself pretty healthy, but my husband takes it to an even higher level. He’s more of a au natural guy where I’ve still got a healthy amount (pun intended) of “if it comes from a box or can it’s all right with me” in me. Yes, I’m all about making things homemade as often as possible, but with so much keeping me busy, it’s not always a realistic goal. For example, as much fun as it is to make homemade ice cream, more times than not I throw my arms up and grab the Stonyfield from the freezer for me and the kids.

I don’t know if there’s something in the water or if a witch cast a spell on him, but my hubby has been diving in the kitchen more and more lately, coming up with a list of recipes that are actually really yummy! He’s been making this version of homemade ice cream that tastes unbelievably delicious, even to someone like me who wants the real deal. The kids certainly can’t tell the difference and hubby says if he didn’t know better, he wouldn’t be able to either — and this man knows his ice cream. But the best part is that instead of needing an ice cream maker or having to wait hours for the ice cream to freeze, his version is ready in less
than a minute, is totally healthy and the kids love helping him make it!

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream (Serves 4)

1/3 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Frozen Sliced Bananas*
1/4 Cup Frozen Strawberries ***

1. Place the yogurt, cocoa powder, honey and vanilla extract in a blender and quickly combine the ingredients for a few seconds, using the lowest setting to puree.
2. Add the frozen banana and strawberries to the mixture. Puree on the lowest setting for 20 seconds.
3. Scrape down the sides and puree again. Repeat the process until the mixture is smooth.**
4. Serve.

* Hubby’s Tip - Bananas can take a day up to 4 hours to freeze well, so take three or four bananas,
slice them about 1/2″ thick, freeze them in a Ziploc bag (make sure to lay the slices out flat in the bag when you freeze so they don¹t stick together) and leave them in the freezer so you can always make this treat on a moment’s notice.

** Use the lowest setting to puree to avoid the ice cream from getting too loose and so it has more of a true ice cream texture.

*** Hubby likes using strawberries but you can use whatever frozen fruit you like in addition to the bananas.

My inspirations for weelicious recipes come from a lot of different places. For some, they’re simply based on a food I see at our farmers’ market, for others it can be a dish I love from a restaurant or a food memory I had as a kid that I now find myself craving (and possibly want to make a bit healthier). In the case of this Summer Fruit Gazpacho, my muses were the mint growing wild in our garden and all of the naturally sweet fruits sitting on our kitchen counter that I was afraid would spoil. Traditional gazpacho is a cold soup made with tomatoes and other vegetables. This version is completely different, but I wanted to call it a gazpacho because I love the idea of a cold soup during these hot summer months and truthfully….I just dig the word “gazpacho”!

The morning after I made it and let it chill overnight, the kids and I sat on the kitchen floor armed with three spoons and an enormous bowl of this refreshing, sweet soup. There’s only one word to explain what happened at our impromptu picnic we tried the first refreshing spoonful: de-voured. We finished the whole batch before the day was over.

Soup for breakfast you might ask? After taking your first taste of this one, it won’t seem at all strange to eat in the morning or any time of day you want to serve it. Especially when it’s a nutritious as this!

Summer Fruit Gazpacho (Serves 4)

6 Cups Cantaloupe, peeled & seeded, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp Fresh Mint, chiffonade
1 Cup Strawberries, stemmed & quartered
1 Peach, seeded & diced
1/2 Cup Blueberries
1/2 Cup Yogurt
1 Tbsp Honey

1. Place cantaloupe chunks into a food processor and puree.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the mint, strawberries, peach, and blueberries.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the yogurt and honey.
4. Evenly divide the cantaloupe puree into small bowls, top with mixed fruit and add a dollop of the honey yogurt sauce on top.
5. Serve.

* If you want to make this dish vegan, replace the yogurt and honey with soy yogurt and agave

There’s no way to describe the looks on Kenya, Chloe, hubby’s and my faces when we tasted the first peaches of the season at our local farmers’ market two weeks ago. As soon as I spotted them, I think I shrieked! Actually, I know I did because my husband looked at me like I was a crazy person (he’s used to it by now though, as it’s generally how I act whenever I see a fruit or vegetable I love that’s reappeared at the market after a long absence). But of all of the produce I adore, peaches are way up on the list and if you’ve ever seen my kids eat them, you’d observe that the peach doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

Especially when it gets hot, I like to take really ripe fruit and make popsicles. Between the luscious strawberries and succulent peaches available at this time of year, you probably only need a dash of honey to brighten the flavor of these pops. Why spend a bunch of money on packaged popsicles made with artificial coloring and all sorts of additives when you and your kids can make these super easy, truly all-natural, refreshing pops that are the perfect treat on a warm summer’s day!

Peach & Strawberry Popsicles (Makes 6 Popsicles)

2 Ripe Peaches, pitted
1 Cup Strawberries, stems removed
2 Tbsp Honey
1/2 Cup Milk (any variety works)

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and puree.
2. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 3 hours.
3. Serve.

I had the great pleasure of taking Kenya to Kentucky a few weeks ago for a mommy-son trip. We had the best time going by the house I grew up in, hanging out with cousins and grandparents, swimming and going to Huber’s Orchard where I used to go with my family as a child to pick seasonal fruits and veggies. Kenya and I jumped on the back of a tractor and drove out to acres upon acres of strawberry fields, each armed with huge boxes in which to put our pickins. I’m pretty sure that Kenya ended up eating as many strawberries right there in the field as he did putting in his box (his red stained mouth and fingers gave him away), but the joy I experienced watching him buzz around, plucking one berry after another is a mental photograph I will always carry with me.

After heading back to California with strawberries still on my brain, I started playing around with idea of filling them with a mixture of soft cream cheese and sweet preserves — a kind of pop-in-your-mouth treat to enjoy anytime. As I was building them, I noticed that they resembled little red elves, so I added chocolate chip eyes to enhance the effect and make them look even cuter (and taste more decadent). We may still be months away from Christmas — when these would also be a perfect treat — but there’s no reason you can’t enjoy these festive goodies over this 4th of July when strawberries are in season, at their sweetest, delicious and ripe for the pickin’! Just ask Kenya!

Strawberries & Cream (Serves 4)

1/4 Cup Whipped Cream Cheese
1 Tbsp Strawberry Preserves
1 Pint Strawberries, rinsed & stems removed
Chocolate Chips, optional

1. In a small bowl, whisk the cream cheese and preserves until combined.
2. Place cream cheese mixture in a small Ziploc bag, snip off one corner to create a piping bag.
3. Slice 1/2 inch off of the top of the strawberry, fill with cream cheese mixture and place the “hat” back on top.
4. Place 2 chocolate chips in the cream cheese mixture for the eyes.
5. Repeat with the remaining strawberries.
6. Serve.

If there are two foods I have in our kitchen at all times, it’s cucumbers and avocados. My kids love their cukes. They are just as likely to sit around munching on whole persian cucumbers for a snack as they are apples or bananas.

Many nights, I serve sliced cucumbers and cubes of avocado as individual side dishes at dinner, so I thought, why not mix them together, add a few fresh herbs and turn them into a bright salsa! It’s a cool, refreshing
side dish that you can also serve alongside chips or even on top of fish or chicken on those warm nights when you want something nutritious and light but that also takes little time or effort to prepare.

Cucumber Avocado Salsa (serves 4)

1 Large Cucumber, seeded and chopped
2 Avocados, peeled, pitted, & cubed
2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Mint, chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt

1. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and combine.
2. Serve.

Every week at our local farmers’ market I buy several pints of assorted berries for the kids to munch on at breakfast or lunch. Chloe loves her berries, but when I offer her a mix, she always picks out the blackberries to eat first.

Over the past few weeks, the blackberries have gotten even bigger and sweeter than usual, so I’ve been buying extra. I love using them to make smoothies, popsicles, in cereal or just to eat on their own, but coming up with a recipe for a cake for them to star in was really exciting and new for me.

The best part about this the cake is that it isn’t too sweet, so you can happily enjoy it for breakfast, as an after school snack or even as a simple dessert (with tea of course, though it’s not required!). I didn’t actually get to test it out for all those different uses though since it didn’t stick around along enough. In less then 24 hours, the cake I made completely disappeared. Granted, it’s debut from my oven conveniently coincided with a gaggle of hungry kids that happened to be playing at our house, but it’s popularity only confirmed to me how special and unique this treat really is.

Blackberry Tea Cake

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
2 Large Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Whole Milk
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
2 Tsp Lemon Zest
2 Cups Fresh Blackberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter and flour a 13″ x 9″ baking dish.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
3. In a standing mixer or bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.
4. On low speed, add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, milk, sour cream and zest.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until combined.
6. Place blackberries on the bottom of the dish and top with the batter.
7. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool for 20 minutes on top of a cooking rack then flip dish over for the cake to come out.
9. Cut into squares and serve.

Lately, I’ve been surprised. For whatever reason, a lot of weelicious moms have been demanding a recipe for rhubarb. With all this sudden reader interest in rhubarb, how is it possible that I never created a recipe using it? Maybe I kept away from it because many rhubarb recipes call for a a good deal of sugar to off set it’s mildly tart taste. But after I came across some beautiful rhubarb at our Farmers’ Market last weekend, I decided to take it home and eat some raw to see how it tasted on it’s own. In it’s natural state, rhubarb actually has an apple-y taste, not too sweet, but oh so good. When paired with fresh sweet strawberries, the need to use so much sugar disappears. Add a crumbly topping of oats, some lemon zest and a touch of brown sugar and rhubarb finds its perfect home.

This Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble came out of my oven around 3pm, just in time for the kids to get their midday munch on. I brought it outside for them in little bowls and they sat quietly eating it under the trees on what was a perfect spring day. When my kids are silent it’s a good sign they are utterly satisfied, so I knew I hit the jackpot. Of course it wasn’t long before they were both screaming for more. If my husband comes through with Mother’s Day breakfast this Sunday, I will definitely be making this again for dessert that night so we can enjoy this special treat together (along with, hopefully, a moment of peace and quiet).

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble (Serves 4-6)

Topping:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Lemon Zest
1/2 Cup Chilled Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes

Filling:

1 Cup Rhubarb, chopped
2 Cups Strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Place the first 5 ingredients into a bowl and combine.
3. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and crumble with your hands to form small pea-size clumps.
4. To prepare the filling, toss all the ingredients in a bowl and then place in an oil sprayed 9-inch pie dish or an 8×8 baking dish.
5. Crumble the topping on top of the filling, place dish on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden.
6. Cool and serve.