Lemondrop Melon

On a recent trip to Sam's Club I found a Lemondrop Melon.  The label said it had a sweet melon flavor with a lemon twist!  The flavor is delicious, you really taste the lemon.  I mixed it with blueberries for a fruit dessert!  The flavors were great together.

 It looks like a small cantaloupe melon on the outside ~

 On the inside it looks like a honeydew melon ~

If you see this melon in your grocery store pick it up for a real treat!!

FFwD ~ Salmon and Tomatoes en papillote

 Salmon and Tomatoes en papillote was our next recipe to make with the FFwD group!  I love salmon so I was excited to make this.  I have made a similar version before, but as with most of Dorie's recipe this was another great one.  And very easy too!  It is a great way to cook salmon for those who are not sure how to cook it.  (Jill if you are reading my blog - try this way you will love it)

 The salmon is on top of fresh basil leaves sprinkled with salt and pepper.  To the salmon add a sprinkle of olive oil, fresh lemon zest, thinly sliced green onions, lemon slices, a couple more basil leaves and fresh rosemary.  Add a few seared grape tomatoes (you don't have to sear the tomatoes).

 Seal the packets, making sure they are airtight with a little extra room for them to puff!  Bake in a hot 475 oven for about 10 minutes.  I did mine for 12 because I don't like my salmon to have any jiggle!  This method gives you a delicious moist piece of salmon!

Dori uses non-stick foil.  I had never heard of it ~ where have I been?  You can find it right next to all the other foil!  It works great, but I have always used parchment paper and it works great too!  But it is always fun to try something new (at least it was "new" to me)!!

Another added benefit to this dish, you can assemble the packets up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerate until ready to bake. 

Check back next week, we are making Cold Melon and Berry Soup!

Blueberry Lemonade

 I call this my "healthy" lemonade!! 

The blueberries make this beautiful color of lemonade. 

And it is easy to make.

 Just a few ingredients:  sugar, blueberries, lemons and water!

 Having a juicer makes squeezing the lemons easy. 

I love this juicer, especially when I want to make fresh orange juice.

 Mix the blueberries with a little sugar, and you end up with a thick blueberry sauce.

 Mix the lemon juice and blueberry mixture together.

The perfect drink for a hot summer day!

Blueberry Lemonade
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 cups water
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 10 lemons, including pulp but not seeds)

First make a simple syrup by combining 1 cup sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the mixture boils.  Lower the heat and allow the syrup to simmer for another minute.  Remove from heat and let cool.  In a blender or food processor, puree the blueberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar.  In a pitcher, combine the cooled syrup, lemon juice and blueberry puree.
To serve, pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup of base into a glass and fill with water and ice.
Makes base for 12 servings.
*I halved the recipe and it turned out great.