The Garden Apartment

The Long Winter {and white hot cocoa}

Yesterday morning we woke up to this beautiful sight. In the moment it seemed wondrous- even beautiful. Then, as I braved the cold crisp air yesterday evening to walk the dog, I encountered a neighbor and babbled on about how much I enjoy walking in the snow.

"You're in luck," he responded "We're due for 12-24 inches this weekend."

This statement quickly changed my state of mind. Suddenly I was ready for warm spring weather. I mean, isn't March almost here?

You see, we just had a record breaking snow fall a few weeks ago. The 16 inches of accumulation seemed like a novelty, given that the DC area historically gets very little snow. 

Now I feel like I might as well be living in South Bend, Indiana again- where 12-24 inches of snow is a regular occurrence.

If you find yourself bracing to be snowed in this weekend, I recommend adding some white chocolate to your grocery list. This recipe for white hot cocoa will warm you up, head to toe {and it tastes delicious}.

White Hot Chocolate {serves 2}

• 1 1/2 Cups whole milk
• 1 Cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces of white chocolate discs (or chopped white chocolate)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• fresh nutmeg, grated 

Combine the milk and heavy cream in a medium sauce pan. Heat until almost boiling (the milk will be steaming). Turn off the heat, and slowly whisk in the white chocolate pieces. Once the white chocolate is completely incorporated, add the vanilla.

Ladle into mugs. Grate fresh nutmeg directly atop.

Never Ending Watermelon: Watermelon Granita Meets Rum Colada

When it gets hot and sticky outside, we all need a little something to cool off with. After bringing home an enormous watermelon, John and I made watermelon granita, then cooled things off a little more with a delicious watermelon rum colada.

John recently returned from a road trip to South Carolina. Knowing my love for roadside stands, he brought home an enormous watermelon. When I say enormous, I mean that this guy had potential to be a 4-H Fair winner. And now, we just can't get rid of it-- and I LOVE watermelon. So, we decided to get creative. During strawberry season I wrote about making granita- a delicious Italian ice (similar to sorbet) which requires no ice cream maker for the process.

Optimistically, we thought we could knock out the rest of our watermelon with a batch of granita. We had no idea that just one quarter of our beast would equal 6 cups of fresh watermelon. So, we made some more granita. And then, John decided to spice things up with a rum colada. He is very excited that this is his first "recipe" posted here and wanted to name the drink Awesomeness, because truly, this is one refreshing and delicious beverage. However, I had a feeling those people coming across this recipe via google and other means would more likely appreciate practical (though less exciting) descriptors like "watermelon" and "colada." 

Because this is so refreshing and perfect for those hot summer day's, I am submitting this to "A Southern Grace's" Beat the Heat Event. *Disclaimer: I did use the stove for 1 minute in order to make my simple syrup. I probably could have just combined really hot tap water with the sugar to make my syrup- if I was strictly interpreting this challenge.

This is relatively simple to make. There are limited ingredients for the granita and the colada. You just have to be around to mix the granita every 30 minutes or so during the freezing process (about 2 1/2 to 3 hours). If you want to just eat it as a dessert, it's delicious. If you want the perfect refreshing drink for that summer party or get-together, add a little run and lime juice to the granita, blend together, and enjoy. So here it is: John's awesomeness Watermelon Rum Colada.

Watermelon Granita

Hands-on Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: Three Hours

• 6 Cups of watermelon, seeded and diced
• 1 Cup of water
• Juice of one lime
• 3/4 Cup sugar

Heat the water, sugar, and lime juice until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

Puree the watermelon in a food processor or blender until no chunks remain. Add the simple syrup and blend a few more times. Pour into a 9" x 14" baking dish and place in the freezer. After 30 minutes, remove. Scrape the frozen outer edges into the middle of the pan. Return the mix to the freezer. Repeat this every 30 minutes until the mixture is frozen (about 3 hours). Place into a container and cover. It will store in the freezer for about one week.

Or, have a little fun and. . .

Watermelon Rum Colada

Simply put some watermelon granita into a blender, add a few shots of rum (I will not speak to quantities here- as I tend to do this on taste preference), and a few squirts of lime juice. Blend until smooth, pour into a glass, and top off with a lime wedge.