Frozen Minty Grapefruit Bars

naturally sweet, tart, fresh...

About two months ago I was ordering a few things on Amazon...mostly kitchen stuff that will debut on this blog! And, one of the things I got was ice pop molds. It was still chilly out, but I've always wanted to get some and I was pining for summer. So, I added them to my cart and checked out. Now that it's finally staying warm it's a great time to try them out. So, for this recipe and to finish up this series I've made Frozen Minty Grapefruit Bars.

Grapefruit loves mint. There are many salads, sauces, and dessert pairing the two. Therefore, I thought I'd join in and make these super simple frozen fruit bars. My ice pop molds only hold about 3.5 oz each. So, this recipe is roughly 2 cups of liquid. It's important to leave about 1/2 inch space at the top of each mold as the water will expand as it freezes (a little physics for you today!). So, adjust the ingredient amounts to fit your ice pop molds. No molds? No problem! Fill small paper cups (suggest Dixie), cover with foil, and insert a popsicle stick. Voila! Don't let anything stop you from making these sweet, tart, and fresh fruit bars. Here's how to make them...

Ingredients - Makes 6 (~3oz.) Bars
3/4 C Granulated Sugar
3/4 C Water
Pinch Kosher Salt
~10 Fresh Mint Leaves, divided
1 1/4 C Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
To Make: Ice Pop Molds

Directions
Separate about 4 mint leaves from the rest and finely mince them. Set aside.

Make the mint simple syrup: Combine the sugar, water, and salt in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and dissolve the sugar, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining whole mint leaves, and steep for about 10 minutes.

Fill the molds: Next, remove the mint leaves from the simple syrup. Pour the syrup and grapefruit juice into a measuring cup or spouted bowl. Stir in the minced mint leaves. Then, carefully pour the liquid into the molds, making sure to leave about a 1/2 inch space at the top.

Freeze the bars & serve: Put the caps on the molds and place them in the freezer. Allow the fruit bars to freeze until solid, 5-6 hours. When ready to serve, quickly run the molds under warm water. This will help loosen the mold. Serve and enjoy!

Arranged Seafood Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Happy Mother's Day...

Today we celebrate Mom. She does (and still does) so much for us. She's there when you need someone to talk to, supports you, and helps you no matter what. She may have given me life, but without her unconditional love I would never have known how to live. My mom is my best friend and I love her dearly. If I had been making her lunch today, I would have made this salad (she came over for dinner instead).

This arranged seafood salad takes a bit of time to make since everything needs to be chopped, but it's worth the effort, especially if it's for Mom. The shrimp and scallops are gently poached and then mixed with crab, avocado, green onions, dill, mayo, and sour cream. This seafood salad is creamy and fresh. I then arrange this on top of lettuce and surround it by grapefruit, jicama, radishes, and radicchio. Finally, I top the salad off with an easy grapefruit vinaigrette. Spoil Mom with this seafood salad. Here's how to make it...

Ingredients - Serves 4
Salad
1/2 lb. Bay Scallops
1/2 lb. Medium Size Shrimp, peeled & deveined (tails off)
1 (8 oz.) Container Crab Meat, picked over for shells
2 Avocados, pitted & diced
3 Green Onions, sliced
2 T Fresh Dill, chopped
2 T Mayo
2 T Sour Cream
1 Head "Living" (or Boston) Lettuce
1 Grapefruit, supreme
1/2 Jicama, cut into match-sticks
6 Radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 Head Radicchio, chopped

Vinaigrette
1/2 Grapefruit, zest & juice
~1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Granulated Sugar
Salt & Pepper

Directions
Cook the scallops & shrimp: Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Add the scallops and shrimp and poach for 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Pat dry.

Make the seafood salad: Combine the cooked scallops and shrimp to the crab, avocado, green onion, dill, mayo, and sour cream in a large bowl. Season with salt to taste, cover, and refrigerate.

Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl combine the grapefruit zest and juice. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Add the sugar and a pinch each salt and pepper. Whisk again, taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. Set aside.

Arrange the salad: On a large plate put 4 or 5 lettuce leaves down. Place a 1/4 of the seafood salad into the center. Then, arrange the grapefruit, jicama, radishes, and radicchio around the seafood salad. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Citrus Salsa

celebrate Cinco de Mayo...

It is indeed May 5th (where has the time gone?) and the year is just flying by. Today we celebrate the Mexican heritage and Mexico's victory over the French during the Battle of Puebla. While this unofficial holiday is celebrated today, it shouldn't be confused with Mexico's Independence Day, which is September 16th. The best thing about today is that I always celebrate with food, such as tacos, margaritas, churros, and of course chips and salsa.

This year I've made a very different salsa - one that I saw on Pintrest. So, this is not my recipe. All credit goes to this site and cook: Closet Cooking. This recipe is tangy and sweet and full of citrus fruits. Yum! For this series of posts I'm focusing on Ruby Red Grapefruit. Nothing says spring more than citrus and this one just happens to be red. Try this unconventional salsa today. Here's how to make it...

Ingredients - Serves 6-8
2 Large Navel Oranges
2 Large Ruby Red Grapefruits
1 Lime
1 Jalapeno, diced
1/4 C Red Onion, diced
2 T Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Kosher Salt
To Serve: "Hint of Lime" Tortilla Chips

Directions
Supreme the citrus: Begin by cutting the oranges, grapefruits, and lime into bite-size pieces. The best way to do this is to "supreme" the fruits. Cut off the top and bottom of each fruit. Set flat and cut away the rind, working from top to bottom and rotating the fruit. Then, cut between the membranes to release the segments. Hold the fruit over a bowl while cutting out the segments, that way the juice is captured. Finally, cut each segment into bite-size pieces.

Prepare the salsa: Put the diced fruit, jalapeno, red onion, and cilantro into the bowl with the collected juices. Add a big pinch of salt. Mix everything together well and refrigerate until ready to serve (at least 1 hour).

Serve: I suggest pairing this salsa with my favorite tortilla chips - "Hint of Lime" and serving it as an appetizer. But, this would also be delicious on top of fish tacos, shrimp quesadillas, or margarita marinated grilled chicken. Get creative! It's a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Enjoy!