Like the website says, the name says it all. I actually tried this recipe and it’s outstanding. The good part is you can experiment with it and try all sorts of different things, like topping it with chocolate shavings or just about any other sweet treat you can think of.

WATERMELON HEAVEN

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup toasted almond slices
7 cups watermelon puree
6 slices angel food cake

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream, vanilla and powdered sugar. Stir in the toasted almonds. Place a one-cup pool of watermelon puree on each of 6 serving plates. Place a slice of cake on each pool. Drizzle the remaining watermelon puree over the top of the cake slices and then put a dollop of the sweetened sour cream with almonds on each serving as a garnish.

For me, a good recipe is one that; A) tastes great; B) looks cool when completed; and C) is easy to prepare. And I emphasize easy to prepare. Not that I can’t prepare things that require a little more forethought and effort, it’s just that I don’t always have that kind of patience and time. Some people do, though, and I envy them.

The following recipe fits my criteria for a “good recipe.” Throw in the fact that it’s seasonally appropriate and it’s pretty much perfect. By the way, my criteria for recipes is also a good test for choosing kid-friendly recipes. I realize that doesn’t say much for my culinary abilities, but I made my peace with that long ago.

SNOW CAPPED MOUNTAINS

INGREDIENTS

12 3-to-4 inch tall seedless watermelon pyramid shapes
Sweetened whipped cream
8 to 12 ounces white chocolate, shaved
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut         

DIRECTIONS

Arrange three watermelon pyramids on each of four serving plates. Top with whipped cream. Decorate with the white chocolate and shredded coconut and serve

This is it. Two days until Thanksgiving. Crunch time, as they call it. I chose this last recipe because I need to chose a dessert recipe and because it’s easy. Because if you’re going to squeeze something into your Thanksgiving menu two days before the big day, it better be easy, right?

By the way, I couldn’t find a picture of this pie, so I drew a picture of what I think it would look like (below). As always, please don’t make fun of my artistic skills.

QUICK AND EASY WATERMELON PIE

INGREDIENTS

1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 ounce container refrigerated non-dairy topping, thawed
¼ cup lime juice
2 cups watermelon balls
9-inch graham cracker crust

INSTRUCTIONS

Fold together milk and topping. Add lime juice. Fold in watermelon balls, reserving about 5 balls for garnish. Pour into graham cracker crust. Place remaining watermelon balls on pie to garnish. Chill for 2 more hours before serving.

I’m not normally a salad kind of a guy at Thanksgiving because I prefer to save precious room for turkey and dessert, but other members of my family do like salad, so I think I’ll mention this recipe to my mother. Actually, though, this isn’t a “salad” in the traditional sense… it’s more of a mixture of a bunch of great ingredients. Sort of like potato salad or taco salad.

SWEET AND SOUR WATERMELON AND CUCUMBER SALAD

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar or to taste
1 tablespoon poppy seed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
3 cups seedless watermelon balls or small chunks
2 English cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced into small slices

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix together the vinegar, water, sugar (adjusting as desired) and poppy seeds in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the chopped scallions. Place the watermelon and cucumber in a serving bowl and pour the marinade over the top. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate a couple of hours before serving. Toss gently before serving.

Less than two weeks to go until Thanksgiving! Hopefully those of you who are cooking have started planning your menu by now or at least have a good idea of what you’re going to make. If you need some ideas, you can always rely on the recipes here on What About Watermelon, including this one, which sounds like a nice, light dish (even if the “casserole” name implies otherwise).

MY FAVORITE VEGETABLE CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

About 6 ounces baby spinach leaves, cut into strips
3 cups shredded carrots, blanched and cooled
3 cups small cubes of seedless watermelon
1 cup Japanese-style ginger dressing
1 cup toasted sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS

In an 8 x 11 inch serving dish, layer the spinach on the bottom, then the carrots and the watermelon on top.  Pour the dressing over the top and sprinkle with almonds.  Serve immediately.

Here’s the second in a series of five Thanksgiving-themed watermelon recipes I’ll be featuring on What About Watermelon this month. This sauce can be eaten warm or cold, either by itself or on top of turkey or stuffing. You could probably put it on your mashed potatoes if you really wanted to. Enjoy!

WATERMELON CRANBERRY SAUCE

INGREDIENTS
4 cups fresh cranberries
½ cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice from 1 lemon
Zest from 1 lemon
½ cup maple syrup
Dash cinnamon
2 cups minced watermelon

DIRECTIONS
Heat cranberries, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and zest in a 3-quart saucepan over medium low heat until it simmers. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until cranberries are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the maple syrup and cinnamon to the pan. Simmer another few minutes. Remove from heat to rest for 10 minutes. Stir in watermelon and serve warm or chill and serve cold. Makes about 4 cups.

As promised, here’s the first of five Thanksgiving-themed watermelon recipes I’ll be featuring on the blog this month. This is the one I will be making for my dinner with my family later this month. It’s easy to make and it looks pretty tasty too. The picture above isn’t exactly what this recipe will look like, but it’s close.

WATERMELON HAM WRAPS

INGREDIENTS

(Makes approximately 15 pieces. Double recipe if needed)

1 tablespoon chive and onion spreadable cream cheese
1 large, burrito-size low-fat tortilla
1 ounce thinly sliced low-fat ham
1 lettuce leaf
1 seeded watermelon spear, about 1/2-inch thick, 1-inch wide and 9-inches long

INSTRUCTIONS

Spread cream cheese on tortilla, covering to edges. Place ham across center of tortilla; top with leaf lettuce, making sure edges to be rolled are not covered. Place watermelon spear on lettuce just off center. Roll tortilla over watermelon spear; continue rolling, tucking in ham and lettuce. Cream cheese will help tortilla stay rolled. Slice wrap into half inch to three-quarters of an inch pieces. Fasten pieces with wooden pick if needed.

As soon as I saw the photo above on a website, I knew that I had to carve my very own watermelon brain for a Halloween party I’ll be attending this weekend. But like everything lately, I ran out of time and I don’t think I’ll be able to put my carving skills to the test this week. So, I’ll do the next best thing and link to a website with step by step instructions for carving this cranial concoction. If anyone tries this, take a picture and send it to me using the experts link on the right, and I’ll post it here on What About Watermelon!

I used to eat way more pudding when I was a kid than I do as an adult. I’m not sure why I ever stopped, because pudding is pretty darn tasty. So when I stumbled across this recipe for watermelon pudding, I knew I had to rekindle my love affair with the sweet, creamy dessert.

I haven’t tried it for myself yet because I’ve been pretty busy lately (yes, too busy to make pudding). I’m also afraid to make this recipe because I have no idea what orange blossom water is.

WATERMELON PUDDING

INGREDIENTS

2-1/2 pounds ripe watermelon
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1-1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons chopped pistachios plus extra for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

Cut watermelon into chunks and remove rind and seeds. Put watermelon through a food mill or process in a blender to get about 2 cups juice.

Combine the watermelon juice, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan, and stir until the cornstarch completely dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Let boil for a few minutes until the pudding is bright red. Stir in the orange blossom water and cinnamon.

Pour into 4 or 5 small ice cream goblets. When cool, stir in chocolate pieces and pistachios.

Refrigerate until well chilled. To serve watermelon pudding, sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

Everyone I talk to says watermelon and feta cheese are two foods destined to go together. Sort of like peanut butter and jelly or coffee and doughnuts. Apparently, there’s something about the sharp saltiness of feta cheese that pairs perfectly with sweet juicy watermelon.

So I went out and bought some feta cheese and watermelon and gave it a whirl. I’m happy to report that everyone I talk to is 100 percent right. Watermelon and feta cheese really is a culinary marriage made in heaven. Even if you’re not a feta lover, you have to give this recipe a try.

There are actually lots of watermelon feta salad recipes out there. Some have several ingredients, and some are basically just watermelon, feta and one or two other ingredients. The recipe below is the one I tried.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups of 1 to 2 inch watermelon chunks
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup pitted black olives
• Black pepper to taste (optional)
• Lime juice (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Mix all the ingredients together. Enjoy.

Pretty simple, huh? All you really need to do is mix watermelon and feta cheese, but you can throw in some more ingredients like the ones above if you like. Some recipes add thinly sliced red onions. Some use a little bit of fresh parsley or mint. Maybe a little olive oil. It’s up to you!