Cool Down With Watermelon Treats
Dear Merri Lou: Do you have any recipes that use watermelon? Thanks, Sandy, Spokane
Dear Sandy: These will cool you off on a hot day. Don’t forget to wash watermelons with water and then dry with paper towels before cutting.
Strawberry Watermelon Slush
From “The Complete Guide to Country Cooking” (Taste of Home Books, 1998).
2 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
1 pint fresh strawberries, halved
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cups ice cubes
Combine the watermelon, strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Gradually add ice, blending until slushy. Serve immediately.
Yield: 5 (1-cup) servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 92 calories, no fat, 1 gram protein, 23 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams dietary fiber, no cholesterol, 5 milligrams sodium.
Wacky Watermelon Pie
Adapted from a recipe from the National Watermelon Promotion Board.
Crust:
1-1/2 cups low-fat graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup reduced-fat margarine, melted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Filling:
12 ounces fat-free whipped topping, thawed
3 ounces watermelon-flavored gelatin powder
1/4 cup water
2 cups watermelon balls
To prepare crust, combine crumbs, margarine and sugar in a mixing bowl. Press mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan. Chill 1 hour or until firm. (Or, bake in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes or until edges are brown. Cool on rack before filling.)
To prepare filling, combine whipped topping, gelatin powder and water. Fold in watermelon balls. Spoon into prepared crust. Chill for 2 hours.
Yield: 8 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 190 calories, 5 grams fat (22 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 139 milligrams sodium.
Watermelon Punch
From “The Old Farmer’s Almanac Guide to Summer’s Best Recipes (1998 Edition).”
6 cups watermelon juice (see note)
2 cups pineapple juice
1 (12-ounce) can frozen raspberry juice blend
1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a large jar or pitcher and chill.
Yield: 12-14 servings.
Nutrition information per each of 12 servings: 91 calories, no fat, 1 gram protein, 22 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 4 milligrams sodium.
Note: To make watermelon juice, process small chunks of watermelon in a blender or food processor until they turn to liquid.
Dear Merri Lou: Years ago there was a restaurant on Riverside Avenue named New York Coney, I believe. Would it be possible for you to obtain the Coney Island Sauce recipe that was used there? I have never found a Coney Island Sauce to equal the ones served there. Thank you in advance. - Hattie, Spokane
Dear Hattie: Former New York Coney Island owner Charles Sands had a good laugh when I contacted him; he’s been offered up to $15,000 for his recipe, which he’s kept secret for 30 years. Sands, whose restaurant closed in May 1988, says his recipe used 11 spices, including cumin. Here’s another time-tested version to try, from our newspaper’s former Dorothy Dean Homemakers Service; experiment by adding extra spices of your choice.
Coney Island Sauce
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
Pinch cumin, optional
Brown ground beef slowly, but thoroughly, breaking with a fork until crumbly. Add remaining ingredients; simmer uncovered about 20 minutes, until thick. Serve on heated hot dogs in split toasted buns. Garnish with chopped onion, if desired.
Yield: 2 cups sauce, enough for 4 to 6 coneys.
Nutrition information per each of 4 servings (using extra-lean ground round): 264 calories, 6 grams fat (20 percent fat calories), 57 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrate, 78 milligrams cholesterol, 1,408 milligrams sodium.
Dear Readers: In response to the Elsie’s Peach Cobbler recipe printed here June 10, we heard from Marianne LeSage, who got the recipe from her friend Elsie Crossland of Brewster, Wash., and submitted it to the “Pacific Northwest Trail Cookbook” (Snohomish Publishing, 1990). LeSage, who led groups into the Pasayten Wilderness on horseback trips, enjoyed Dutch oven cooking for her clients and often served the cobbler using rhubarb or apples as well as peaches.