playing it cool: watermelon lemonade slushies

We're almost ready to share our summer bucket list with our readers and one of the items that's become high priority this year is homemade ice cream. With so many fun frozen treats to make I'll be sharing our favorites throughout the summer here on the blog so be sure to swing back by to get all the recipes and follow us on Instagram @rachbraden for more updates about our festive summer adventures.

Kensi and Finn love helping out in the kitchen especially when it comes to sweet treats. I asked Kensi to choose two flavors of ice cream to make this summer and she came up with chocolate-chocolate and sprinkles. These two little monsters love their ice cream, it doesn't matter if it's in a cone or in a bowl, smashed between cookies or layers of cake, my babes don't care they eat it all ways. 

To make our ice cream I use the Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker.  I've had it for several years now and love the machine so much. It's easy to use and makes the perfect portion of ice cream. I also have an extra bowl to make more than one flavor at a time, but this sweet treat making machine isn’t just for ice cream. Another fun favorite to make are slushies! They’re pretty simple to make in the Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker and you can pretty much make them using any one of your favorite drinks {except diet sodas} and let it run just until it becomes icey. Some favorites include lemonade, fruit juice and iced tea. Mike and I are huge Arnold Palmer fans so we love mixing the tangy lemonade with unsweetened tea. We could sip on this any time of the year and the slushie version is all the more perfect on our hot summer days. 

We’re kicking off our summer by making Watermelon Lemonade Slushies. The sweetness of the watermelon perfectly balances the tart lemonade and we kept going back for more. I used pre-made lemonade from Chick-Fil-A because it's one of my favorites and I didn't have to fuss with making it from scratch. They sell it by the gallon along with their tea if you wanted to make an easy Arnold Palmer version. 

Watermelon Lemonade Slushies

3 parts Pureed Watermelon
1 part Lemonade
(adjust quantities based on your preference of tartness)

Mix ingredients in a pitcher and pour into prepared (frozen) ice cream bowl. Place bowl in machine and top with lid. Turn machine on and let it mix for about 15 minutes or until it reaches your desired slushy consistency. Serve it in your favorite summer glass and garnish with sliced lemon and watermelon wedge. 

Kensi and Finn really enjoyed their slushies and loved eating the watermelon. Kids eating watermelon is probably one of the best combinations of all times, it has summer written all over it! I hope you try this delicious summer treat and enjoy it as much as my little crew does! Kensi said it was one of the best ‘sloshes’ she’s had! Happy Summer and remember to follow us to see what we have in store this summer season.