Pineapple Mango Sorbet with Chili, Lime, and Salt

Digging through the freezer for a long lost package of onion bagels to go with my smoked salmon, I stumbled upon the ice cream bowl for the KitchenAid and realized we had yet to make ice cream this summer. Utter blasphemy.

With half a carton of Costco mangoes ripening on the counter and a fresh pineapple looking for a home, the recipe pretty much wrote itself.

It wasn't all tropical fruit and smiles, though. Blood was shed.

Relax. She's not doing what you think she's doing. Just an unfortunate incident with a vegetable peeler.

The kiddos loved theirs just like this. Icy cold, smooth, crisp, and pure. But I couldn't stop thinking about a summer long ago spent walking the waterfront in Veracruz crunching jicama and pineapple in copas de frutas coated with chili, lime, and a sprinkle of salt. Can you see where this is headed?

Vacation in a Cup Pineapple Mango Sorbet

1/2 of a fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into pieces
3 mangoes, peeled and pitted (watch those little fingers with that slippery peeler)
1 cup sugar
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. dark rum (optional)
chili powder (optional)
sea salt (optional)
lime wedges (optional)

1. Puree pineapple and mango in a blender until smooth. Add sugar, lime juice, and rum and process until well combined. The kids gave me a hard time about the rum, but 1 tsp. distributed throughout an entire batch of sorbet is not going to kill them and it lends a nice subtle counterpoint to all that fruity sweetness. Chill mixture in the fridge for an hour or so.

2. Pour cold mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the instructions (or pour into any freezable container if you don't have an ice cream maker and chill several hours until firm). Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

3. Top with a squeeze of lime and dust with salt and chili powder before serving. Voila! Your Mexican tropical beach vacation in a cup.

Basil Mint Mojitos

I love my kids. And after a long sweltering day of riding CTA, picnicking in a tick-infested park, one destroyed iPhone case and and a full-blown WWF style 4-year-old death match, I love them just a smidgen more with a refreshing cocktail in hand.

Basil Mint Mojitos, Baby.

Mufasa's got a sweet little herb garden going and I am reaping the benefits. As if I needed an excuse to make this drink, the mint has been taking over. Turns out the basil needed a bit of a trim as well. 

Basil Mint Mojitos

2 sprigs mint, torn into pieces
2 sprigs basil, torn into pieces
2 lime wedges
1.5 ounce basil infused simple syrup*
1.5 ounces rum
Club soda

1. Place mint, basil, lime, and basil infused simple syrup in a glass. Muddle well. A dedicated muddler works well here but so did the blunt end of my meat mallet. Use what you have. No need to get fancy.
2. Pour in rum and stir. Add ice cubes and top off glass with club soda. Stir well and garnish with additional limes, basil leaves and/or mint.

*To make the basil infused simple syrup, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add 3-4 sprigs basil to the syrup, cover, and let sit for a few hours or overnight. Remove and discard basil. Pour syrup into airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Sip long and sip hard. School doesn't start again until late August.