Watermelon Cookies

They may not be as nutritious as the real thing, but these watermelon cookies are awfully cute! I originally found the recipe on Taste of Home, but tried my hand as simplifying things a bit. In the end, they were surprisingly easy to make.

What you'll need:
- sugar cookie dough (I used store bought)
- red and green food coloring
- chocolate chips or currents (is there really a choice?)

1. Divide your dough in half. Mix red food coloring in one half.

2. Divide the remaining dough in half. Reserve one portion to stay white. Mix green food coloring in the remainder.

3. Form the red dough into a fat sausage about 4 inches long. Chill all of the dough in the fridge for an hour or two.

4. Roll out the white dough into a rectangle the same approximate width of your red dough "sausage". Wrap this dough around the red dough, encasing it. Repeat with the green dough.

5. Allow the dough to chill for several hours until firm.

6. Slice evenly and place on a cookie sheet.

7. Press mini chocolate chips or currents into the red centers of the cookies.

8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

9. Bake your cookies and slice into fourths while still warm. Enjoy!

Watermelon Day by Kathi Appelt

I'll admit it. I'm reviewing this book because it's about a watermelon, and honestly, there aren't many watermelon books out there. I can honestly say, however, that Appelt won me over.... not with the illustrations (which are okay) or the story (about a girl waiting for her watermelon to ripen), but with the rich language sprinkled throughout. On nearly every page is a nugget of beautiful imagery to savor and enjoy:

"It made a thick, dull sound, like Pappy's boots when he dropped them on the front porch." "She patted her watermelon. It was full of the cool summer rains. Full of the warmth from its sandy nest. Full of the deep hot sun."  "So hot that the air wrinkled up like an unironed shirt." "Willow branches dipped up and down, testing the icy water."

These poetic phrases rescue the book from being just a simple summer story and make it worth your time to seek out and enjoy with your child... maybe with a slice of fresh watermelon!

I'm linking up to:
- stART @ A Mommy's Adventures