To help celebrate Thanksgiving (November 24), I’ll post a new recipe every Friday in November (including the Friday after Thanksgiving). But these won’t be the usual Thanksgiving recipes. The recipes I’ll be posting are designed to help you out of various Thanksgiving dilemmas – like this one. 

THE DILEMMA: You’ve suddenly remembered why Thanksgiving is your favorite holiday (more delicious food than you can shake a drumstick at) and your least favorite holiday (a crowded house full of people you’re glad you only have to see once a year).

THE SOLUTION: Watermelon Wine Spritzers

WHY IT WORKS: The first ingredient listed below.

THE RECIPE:

• 1 bottle chilled Chardonnay
• 2 cups seedless watermelon, cut in small cubes and chilled
• 2 tablespoons grenadine syrup
• 12 ounces chilled sparkling mineral water

INSTRUCTIONS: Divide the watermelon among 6 to 8 white wine glasses (or combine in one giant wine glass for yourself). Divide the wine, grenadine, and sparkling water among the glasses and give them a quick stir. Serve immediately. Repeat as needed.

Italians are intensely proud of their heritage. If you don’t believe me, pay a visit to any local pizza shop, and I’ll bet you two slices of pepperoni with extra cheese that the walls will be adorned with all sorts of photos, maps and other reminders of the homeland. And why shouldn’t Italians be proud? Italy is awesome (a fact I learned from a series of very brief stays in the country back in my Navy days).

One of the most common ways that Italians show their pride is by wearing or displaying the national colors (red, white and green). National pride might also explain why the similarly colored watermelon is so popular in Italy and why it’s not uncommon to see street vendors selling wedges of watermelon during festivals and other celebrations.

Watermelon also plays a key role in many Italian holidays. During Assumption Day – a major religious holiday observed throughout Italy (and many other nations) – a watermelon feast is held in Venice to help “keep community ties.” In the Italian city of Villa Lagarina, legend has it that when a truckload of watermelon arrived in the 1920s, the townsfolk were astonished by the newfound fruit and placed the bounty in the fountain at the center of town. The tradition continues to this day (see image above) with the “watermelon fountain” being filled each year during the three-day celebration.

JOAN M. OF DALLAS, TX, ASKS: I’ve started counting calories in order to get a head start on my New Year’s resolution, which brings me to a question about one of my favorite fruits: How many calories are in watermelon?

Let me be the first to commend you on your dedication to healthy dieting, especially during one of the most challenging times of the year (Thanksgiving through Christmas).

Your question is a good one and a common one. Unlike most packaged goods found in the grocery store, watermelon and other fruits don’t have those little “Nutritional Information” tables on the side to give us the lowdown on what we’re about to consume. Luckily, the National Watermelon Promotion Board has created one (right). The table not only tells us how many calories are in watermelon (80 per 2-cup serving), but it also gives us the skinny on potassium, fiber and various vitamins.

Feel free to print out the table and stick it to the side of any watermelon you have at home. I might suggest printing out a few hundred copies to stick on the sides of watermelons in your local grocery stores, but I can tell you from experience that proactivity of that sort is frowned upon in most places.

To help celebrate Thanksgiving (November 24), I’ll post a new recipe every Friday in November (except for today’s entry). But these won’t be the usual Thanksgiving recipes. The recipes I’ll be posting are designed to help you out of various Thanksgiving dilemmas – like this one.

THE DILEMMA: You’ve been asked to bring a dessert to the family’s Thanksgiving gathering, but you forgot about it until the last minute. (Actually, you didn’t forget, you just figured culinary inspiration would strike in the days before the holiday and it never did.)

THE SOLUTION: Quick Watermelon Shortbread Cookie Crumble

WHY IT WORKS: It’s quick, it’s delicious, and it looks good on a plate. Did I mention that it’s also quick?

THE RECIPE:

• 4 cups crumbled shortbread cookies
• 4 cups small pieces of seedless watermelon

INSTRUCTIONS: Place half of the crumbled cookies on the bottom of a deep 9 x 13 dish and flatten into an even layer. Spoon the watermelon over that in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining cookies over the top. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

The following was posted here on What About Watermelon awhile ago. It’s a very broad question, but a good one, which is why I’m posting it again today.

JOHN K. OF NEW BLOOMFIELD, PA, ASKS: What’s the best kind of watermelon?

Great question, John. Your inquiry may be only six words, but it couldn’t be more difficult to answer.

Within the main types of seedless, picnic (seeded), icebox and yellow flesh watermelons are hundreds of different types, many of which are very closely related because they are literally closely related. What I mean by that is that many watermelons are often crossbred to produce a product with the best attributes of both contributing varieties.

Below is a chart from the National Watermelon Promotion Board website characterizing just a few of the more than 200 varieties of watermelon grown here in the United States.

While this chart doesn’t specify which types are better, I can tell you that one of the most popular varieties of watermelon is the Crimson Sweet, which is prized for its deep, red, very sweet flesh. It’s also popular among growers of all experience levels because it’s a hearty watermelon that’s relatively easy to grow.

Although the exact variety of watermelon you might buy in the grocery store often isn’t labeled (if it’s a seedless, it could be one of several varieties), it’s a pretty safe bet that the best type of watermelon is the kind that’s sitting right in front of you, ready to be eaten. I know that’s an easy way to answer your question, but it’s true, right? For a more detailed look at 18 popular types of watermelon, check out this handy slide show on the Saveur website. It might not answer your question, but it’ll definitely make you very hungry.

To help celebrate Thanksgiving (November 24), I’ll post a new recipe every Friday in November (including the Friday after Thanksgiving). But these won’t be the usual Thanksgiving recipes. The recipes I’ll be posting are designed to help you out of various Thanksgiving dilemmas – like this one.  

THE DILEMMA: Thanksgiving guests from out of town arrived the night before and, like any good host, you need to prepare breakfast. But on this day, the last thing you have time for is cooking another meal.

THE SOLUTION: Watermelon Walnut Bagel Spread

WHY IT WORKS: You don’t want to cook a big breakfast and, with a Thanksgiving feast looming on the horizon, your guests won’t want to eat one either. Bagels are a good option because guests can choose how much they’d like to eat (a half or a whole?). This spread is convenient for you because it can be prepared a day or two in advance and kept in the fridge until it’s needed.

THE RECIPE:

• 6 ounces whipped cream cheese
• 2 ounces walnut pieces, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup minced seedless watermelon

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix together the cream cheese, walnuts and cinnamon. Just before using, mix in the watermelon. Spread liberally on toasted bagels.

This month’s watermelon prize is the watermelon Christmas tree ornament pictured on the right. It’s handmade by Pumpkin Tree Lane, which has a shop on Etsy.

I also gave away an ornament last year, but it was a slice of watermelon and not a whole watermelon like this one. This one is kind of fun because its color will blend in with the rest of the tree and be one of those “surprise” ornaments you only notice when you’re up close. It kind of reminds me of the “Christmas pickle” tradition some families practice with their tree. Basically, you hide a pickle in the tree (or a pickle ornament) and the first child to find it on Christmas morning gets an extra present from Santa Claus. Will the “Christmas watermelon” replace the Christmas pickle? It just might!

I’ll give this early Christmas gift away to one commenter chosen at random from all the comments posted on the blog this month. Good luck!

The original title of this blog entry was “Happy Halloween,” but then I started thinking – why do people wish a Happy Halloween? Shouldn’t it be “Scary Halloween” or “Frightful Halloween?” I’d even accept a “Have a Mischievous Halloween” if someone greeted me with it.

I can understand “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year” – those are cheerful holidays. But Halloween isn’t like that. You wouldn’t wish someone a “Morbid Thanksgiving” or a “Hair-Raising Easter,” would you? Of course not. So what’s with all the good cheer at Halloween?

Maybe I’m over-thinking this. Besides, when talk shows got into the Halloween game with entire shows dedicated to turning the day into a “festive celebration the whole family can enjoy,” I guess the holiday officially took a turn for the jolly. (No offense to these shows … my mother-in-law loves them.)

Elephant’s are Earth’s largest land animal, so it makes sense that they’d be fans of one of the largest fruits/vegetables. In this video, we see an elephant making good use of his 10,000 pounds by reducing a watermelon to mush and scooping up the remnants with his trunk. I once tried stomping on a watermelon and eating it like this, but I didn’t get nearly the same reaction from the crowd.

The above image has haunted just about every Google Image search I’ve done for watermelon photos over the past few years, so I figured I’d finally find a use for the freaky pic by featuring it during this month-long Halloween celebration. I don’t know if it’s the beady little eyes or the casual smirk, but I can’t look at this picture without getting the shivers. Seriously, I love watermelon, but if someone knocked on my door dressed like this, I’d slam it shut and barricade myself in the basement.