Giada's Melon and Mint Slush: Cool & Minty Refreshment

First off thank you to everyone who tweeted, Facebook messaged, emailed, commented, etc. about my (and Max's) safety and well-being during and after the tsunami warning. Having spent a long, sleepless and pretty scary night, (my house is just on the other side of the published evacuation area line), it meant so much to me to get all of your inquiries and well-wishes. I felt all the love and I return it with all my heart. Overall Hawaii was lucky--there was damage to some homes, businesses and property along the waterfronts and nearby low-lying areas from the surges and flooding, particularly on The Big Island and Maui, with some on Oahu too, but no lives were lost and for that we are very thankful. Please keep your thoughts and prayers on the people of Japan right now--they so need it, and if you can, please consider donating to the Red Cross or other organizations lending aid. Every little bit can help.

After last night, I should have probably put some alcohol into Giada's refreshing Melon and Mint Slush to calm my nerves! ;-) I chose this simple recipe for our final potluck with Giada at I Heart Cooking Clubs because I had some leftover Honeydew melon and mint to use and it is one of my favorite combinations. This is a quick and easy drink that I just made one change to. It calls for 1/2 cup sugar which I felt with the sweetness of the melon and the ginger ale, was not at all needed so I left it out completely and was perfectly happy with the result.

You can find the recipe at the Food Network here.

Melon & Mint Slush

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

(Serves 4)

1/4 (about 1 lb) honeydew melon, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
3 cups crushed ice
1/2 packed cup fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 cups ginger ale
1/2 cup sugar

Add the melon, ice, mint, ginger ale, and sugar to a blender. Pulse until the mixture becomes slushy. Pour into 4 glasses and serve immediately.

Notes/Results: A delicious drink to welcome spring--I love how cooling and calming the pairing of melon and mint is. This is a very refreshing drink--whether plain, or if some rum or vodka just happened to "fall" into it. ;-) I am going to get on my anti-added processed sugar soapbox and say that it is a shame that we so often feel a need to add extra sugar to beverage recipes. I think that 1/2 cup of extra sugar in this would have made it much too sweet and would have masked the flavor of the melon--which comes through so nicely--and who needs those extra calories anyway?! (OK, climbing down from soap box now--thanks for listening!) This slush would also be great with watermelon or cantaloupe. I would make it again.

Sadly this is our last Potluck with Giada at IHCC and we switch to a new chef in two weeks. You can check out what the other IHCC peeps made for their potluck dishes by going to the post here and following the links.

Happy Weekend!