We live in Houston, a steamy city with summers that stay muggy enough to ensure very few people suffer from wrinkles in their old age.  Think about how it would feel to walk through a giant bowl of warm Jell-o and that gives you an idea of what a ‘pleasant’ summer day is like here.

SO!  My summers are focused on cold stuff – stuff that quenches the thirst and helps ebb the un-ladylike flow of summertime perspiration.  Appetizing, right?  Here’s what I got – share your summertime noshing weaponry in the comments below!

I love the beautiful rainbow popsicles from Ohdeedoh above because they are 1) pretty 2) homemade 3) rainbow magical.

However, we live in a neighborhood that lives in dies by the ratty refresqueria – cheap, convenient and friggin’ good flavors that you can’t find elsewhere.  It’s where people sweat together in line yelling or singing in Spanish, salivating over the sweet/spicy cups of icy goodness that will soon be dripping over their flip flops.

Or, if you’re me, desperately trying to summon the willpower to NOT order the giant-giant cup of creamy elote that I crave 23 out of a typical 24 hours day in addition to my ‘muy grande tangerina raspa con leche condensado‘.  And maybe mango if I’m feeling frisky.   And yes, my Spanish sucks.

So given our neighborhood palate – raspas (Mexican snow cones, if you will – but with cooler flavors like tamarind, vanilla bean, cinammon con leche or chamoyado with is sweet, sour and spicy at the same time OHMAHGAH) are a big deal!

Re-create the experience with this amazing raspberry horchata raspa recipe.  Or, if you really want to get All-American / lazy pants, try this Bomb Pop raspa – just don’t tell any Latino neighbors on your cultural abomination.

And now for something completely different…

Watermelon is a huge part of the drippy days of summer, but I have NEVER seen it eaten this way before – Ideas In Food blog creates a pork belly-esque take of watermelon slices.  WOWZAH.  If you think that’s cool, check out their watermelon prosciutto recipe too.

I’ll be indulging in some serious melon action this summer.  Perhaps I can round out an entire watermelon meal – watermelon gazpacho to start, watermelon breast with watermelon, feta and mint salad — and what the heck, some sort of watermelon cupcake derivation for dessert.

Anyone in?  :)  We’ll stop for raspas after – get ready to rock out your Tejano dance skills and don’t forget the extra deodorant.