4/20/12

Grapefruit Slush


One thing I never realized before I got married and my husband and I started our own little family unit was that traditions take work. Sometimes they just happen on their own, but a lot of the time it takes planning and effort to keep a family tradition going. I had all these grand plans the first year we got married about the things we would do to celebrate the holidays, different seasons, special occasions, birthdays, etc. Most of those either didn't come to fruition or were quickly forgotten the next year because I got lazy.

A few of the traditions stuck around, though, and this grapefruit slush is one of them. The recipe comes from a friend I met in Minnesota, and when she would make it for parties and other gatherings it was always one of my favorite things served. I was looking around for something to bring to an Easter dinner at my brother's house a month after my husband and I were married and e-mailed her for the recipe. It has become an Easter tradition at our house ever since.

Part of the reason the recipe has stuck around is that it is pretty easy. Easy is good when it comes to finding a tradition you want to keep. It's also delicious, so it's never hard to convince me that the little effort required to make it is worth it. It's so refreshing and "Spring"y that I've really started to crave it when the weather starts to warm up. The only hard part about it is explaining what it is to people who haven't eaten it before. It's a cross between a drink and a side dish/dessert, since it is mostly liquid but I generally serve it with a spoon to help eat the fruit pieces in it. You can easily change the fruit used to fit your tastes or to include what is on sale at the grocery store. You certainly don't have to limit eating it to Easter, and although I want to make it a special treat I'll admit that I cheat sometimes and serve it during the summer.


Grapefruit Slush

Ingredients

  • 3 cups sugar
  • 3 cups water
  • 5 pink grapefruits, sectioned (See here for instructions on how to section grapefruit)
  • 3 sliced bananas
  • 1 small can crushed pineapple, undrained
  • 2 small cans mandarin oranges, drained
  • 1 cup sliced strawberries
  • 1 cup blueberries (frozen works great. Blackberries work well here, too.)
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup lime juice

Directions

  1. Mix sugar with water in a large bowl and stir to dissolve completely. Stir in remaining ingredients and pour into 2 9x13 pans. Freeze at least 4 hours. (Overnight is best).
  2. To serve, remove pans from the freezer and cut into chunks. It helps to let them sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes to soften, or use a knife to hack it up. Add frozen chunks to a punch bowl and pour a 2-liter bottle of Sprite or Fresca over it. Stir to dissolve and break up large chunks. (It helps to let it sit for a few minutes to do this. Alternatively, if you aren't serving a large crowd, just add some of the frozen chunks to individual glasses and pour sprite over them. Put remaining unused fruit mixture back in the freezer.)
Prep Time: 15 min Freeze Time: 4-12 hours Serves: 16-20 people

Recipe Source: Family recipe of the lovely and talented Katie Millett


9 Click For Comments:

FAVZIEZ!!!!!! I love love loved eating this on Easter Sunday :)

Given my recent grapefruit obsession, this is perfect!!  It looks like a really refreshing treat for a hot day.

Boy oh boy does that look refreshing! Love the ingredients you used and I bet you're looking forward to making this even more fun *wink*wink* after the baby! Lovely recipe for summer.

It's suppose to be in the 90's here this weekend...This would be so refreshing.

Oh, Nicole ... you always come up with such wonderful goodies!  This looks just absolutely fabulously delicious.
Tracey @ The Kitchen is My Playground

Wow, this sounds totally refreshing and delicious! I dont' know if it's the warm weather, but i've been craving cold, fruity things to eat and this sounds like it would hit the spot! I'm "pinning" it  now :)

Mm this looks like a great summer drink. I could see it being combined well in a sangria type thing too, if you wanna booze it up a bit :)

Nicole, this looks delicious! I'm in Hawaii right now and wish that I had a glass of this RIGHT NOW because, believe it or not, pineapples here are $7 and I am just *way* too cheap to spend that on pineapple. Thus, given my expectations that Hawaii would be all things pineapple, you can imagine that I'm craving anything with this particular fruit in it. :) 

This is making me excited for summer!  Looks delicious.

Post a Comment

 
Pin It button on image hover