Refreshing Fruity Slushee

I like to add some sweet to a party, but it’s too hot to bake! And who really wants a piece of cake at a bar-be-que? I wanted something that could be made in advance, was nice and simple and… *cold*. A homemade slushy was just the thing. After scouring the internets for some tips, I came across the fantastic idea of using hollowed citrus as individual icee bowls. How neat! Compostable containers, portion control and vibrant orange flare!

Time to hollow out 6 large naval oranges. Have the juicer handy to squeeze the innards so they don’t go to waste. The hollowing is best done with room temperature oranges, in the sink with a bowl nearby. And do your digging with a grapefruit spoon or regular ol’ spoon.

No need for perfection. Remember the slush is going to fill up the orange skins. I set the 12 halves in a cupcake pan. Check the space in your freezer first to make sure the pan fits.

I let the cups firm up in the freezer as I prepared the fruit slushy mix. After being man-handled, they lost some rigidity.

Slice up one medium firm banana to add to the slush. It’ll give a nice texture contrast.

Heat the following in a pot: 4 cups of water, 1 cup of sugar, 3/4 cup orange juice concentrate, 3/4 cup lemonade concentrate. Stir till sugar dissolves and add some fruit to the mix. I added a 11 oz. can of mandarin oranges, drained, and a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple. Now a word about all this. Try to find concentrates that don’t have high fructose corn syrup. I am usually not a fan of canned fruit in recipes but this slushee is for the party guests! Though maraschino cherries would add a great flash od color, I couldn’t find any without creepy carmine, boiled bug coloring.

Now it is time to fill your orange skins. I stirred up the fruit mix in a pot big enough to dip in a liquid measuring cup in. This made things a little less sloppy. Embrace that things’ll get sticky and sloppy. That’s why there’s cleaning products. Fill them right to the rim. The cupcake pan serves to catch any overflow. Get them in the freezer to firm up, ideally overnight.

To garnish, I sliced up some fresh strawberries and let them peek out of the bowls. I waited a bit so strawberry wouldn’t sink in completely. Cover the cups with plastic wrap and let chill overnight.

Get them out of the fridge to thaw an hour or so before serving.