Grocery Discoveries

Yesterday I had a grocery delivery from Amazon fresh.  It is a delight to be able to logon and order your grocery needs and have them delivered.  I order from them a couple of times a month and it is so much nicer than dealing with the crowds at the grocery store and then all the schlepping up from the car.  Seriously, the order delivered yesterday would have taken three or four trips to the car alone.  Whenever you have the paper towels or toilet paper, etc. it proves it weight in gold!  One item I ordered was a watermelon.  Look what greeted me as I cut it open:

The swirls in the meat of the melon reminds me of seashells.  It is not often that I feel the need to take a picture, but in this case I did.  It amuses me that it is considered a seedless watermelon when you can see the seeds, but they are not the big black ones and so there you go.  Watermelon is a sure sign of summer and I also saw a recipe I decided to try.

Watermelon Gazpacho
          - recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

Prep time is about 15 minutes and yields 4 - 1 cup servings

Ingredients:

• 1 large tomato, pureed
• 1/2 serrano chile (opted for a red bell pepper)
• 2 cups cubed fresh watermelon
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (substituted white balsamic vinegar)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1/2 cucumber, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill, plus more for garnish (surprise I skipped this!)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

 

In a blender, puree the tomatoes, chile, and 1/2 of the watermelon. Pour in the red wine vinegar and olive oil and pulse. Add the onion, cucumber and dill and season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Pour into chilled bowls and sprinkle with dill, feta, and remaining watermelon. Serve.

The one modification I made was that I opted to not puree the cucumber to add a little texture to the soup.  I liked it better.  Additionally, added a few small cubes of watermelon to add texture as well.
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As I was putting the groceries away, I noticed a small box that seemed out of place.  I was not sure what it was and when I opened it up I was quite pleasantly surprised.  They had sent along a piece of key lime pie for me to try.  Amazon fresh has a series of vendors that supplies extra special items you can also order.  In this case, pies.  Well, looking at the website, this pie would run $27.00 for a whole pie, a bit rich for my taste.  But it included a message mentioning to take time and look at the various specialty items they have available and thanking me for being a loyal customer.  Nice touch.

Well, first up, the pie is going to be a treat later on this day.  I am looking forward to it.  Have always like key lime pie.  I went and looked at the site and as mentioned a tad rich for my tastes, but on a special occasion it might be worth it.  They offer all sorts of berry pies and there was one that I found quite interesting, but likely not one I would order - Bourbon Butterscotch Cream Pie.  Their description = This New Orleans-inspired delight starts with a delicate crust of vanilla wafers, brown sugar and toasted pecans. We then pour in sweet, smooth homemade pudding infused with caramelized sugar, vanilla, butter and a splash of bourbon whiskey - all topped with freshly whipped cream and toasted pecan pieces.  I can feel the cavity already growing just thinking about it.