Watermelon Slicer - A Favorite Foodie Gadget

How many times have we struggled to cut a watermelon?

It's size makes it clumsy and awkward to cut.

Have you seen one of these? 

Now, believe it or not, I really don't run out and buy the 

latest cooking gadget.  I actually tend to be a traditionalist

and have very few gadgets.  But this got my attention.  

I love using my similar, and much smaller, apple slicer for apples, 

so why not one for watermelons?

It says it slices up to a 25 lb. melon, including other

melons and pineapple.  I was expecting this slicer to be large.

It's size made me laugh when I took it out of the box.

It's HUGE and it works like a charm!

 It's blades are made of stainless steel and it's plastic hand grips make it comfortable
 to press down.  I was VERY pleased to see it includes a much-needed safety cap

for when not in use.  It would be scary to store it without it.

As you can see, its recommended to cut off each side first.  This enables

the melon to sit on the board without rocking on its end and ensures

a safe and even cut.  The blades are sharp, but it does take a little bit of

muscle.  I lightly pound the grips to get it through the largest part.

And, what do you think about that middle piece?

I call that a "Chef's Snack" and I might even fight for that piece 

from the heart of the watermelon.

I am left with 12 uniform slices after mere seconds.

Just think how quickly one can cut-up watermelons for a crowd?

I found my melon slicer on Amazon.com here.

Now I just need to find a place to store it... 

I will be sharing this post on

 

Thank you for visiting!!

Fondly,

~Karen 

Summer Balcony Dining and Fresh Strawberry Salad

 One of my favorite things to do is to eat outdoors.
On a recent summer evening, I enjoyed a lovely dinner at 

my daughter's on her balcony.  The weather was a beautiful 70-something.

Perfect for outdoor dining with a friend and family.

I made a centerpiece using store-bought flowers, combining 

them with sliced limes inside a square glass vase. You can see

I placed some of the discarded flower stems on the bottom of the

vase to help wedge in the limes (to avoid their tendency to float)

and to act as a floral frog to anchor in the flowers.

 

Our food picture taking was a little scarce, but I did want 
to share with you this delicious Fresh Strawberry Salad.

This fresh baby spinach salad included bleu cheese crumbles, 

thickly-sliced fresh strawberries, sliced red onion, and blanched 

slivered almonds. I dressed it with a White Balsamic Apple Vinaigrette.

I don't use a recipe, but a very similar one is this copy-cat
version of Panera Bread's White Balsamic Fuji Apple Vinaigrette.

 What a relaxing way to spend the evening... outside.

Where do you like to eat during the summer?

Thank you for visiting.

I will be linking up with these talented ladies' linky parties:

Fondly,

~Karen

Happy Birthday America!

 

Today, America turns 238!

I feel truly blessed to be an American.  

Wishing everyone an enjoyable Independence Day.

 

Let's wave our flags proudly today and everyday!

Fondly,

~Karen