Summer on a Stick

I am exhausted. This summer has been so full. Frogs, skunks, bees and parents. It's all good but I yearn for some personal time with Tim by ourselves. My parents got here a week ago and are spending the month roaming around New York staying away from the Texas heat. It was my mother's birthday and Tim as usual pulled out all the stops - Thai curry turkey burgers with pineapple salsa, grilled corn and asparagus and an amazing multi-tiered strawberry layer cake. My mom was thrilled, my dad had seconds and everyone was asleep within minutes after the evening movie started.

Our cocktail hour that afternoon was funny and one of those perfect summer moments. Tim cut chunks of watermelon and soaked them in Margarita mix, inserted popsicle sticks and put them in the freezer. We sat out on the front porch sucking on watermelon/margarita pops and enjoying the perfect day. I felt grateful to have the people that I love the most around me and felt that time stood still for just one minute this summer. One perfect minute.

FROZEN MELON MARGARITA POPS

Stir together 3/4 cup tequila, 1/2 cup Grand Marnier, 1/2 cup lime juice, and a pinch of course salt in a large bowl.

Cut melon ( rinds removed) into wedges. Soak in tequila mixture for 15 minutes. Insert ice pop sticks into wedges. Freeze on a rack lined baking sheet for one hour.