If You Like Piña Coladas...

Photograph by: Brian Maker

and getting caught in the rain.

Isn't this song perfect for the summer ? I know it's old school, but it's still so sexy.

While my honey doesn't especially like taking walks in the rain, we have gotten into midnight swimming. It's such a great time to talk and unwind and have a little alone time with each other.

Obviously I was inspired to write up some Piña Colada recipes. Some old, some new. Try the ones you like and enjoy. So if you're taking a walk in the rain or enjoying a midnight swim, think of me. I'll be doing the same. :)

Let's start out with some Piña Colada Cupcakes. Rum, pineapple tidbits and coconut milk baked right into these luscious little cakes. And then, to top it off, a "Rummy" frosting, toasted coconut and pineapple slice and maraschino cherry. Very tasty.

Pina Colada Cupcakes
[This recipe comes from Miss Mermaid at
mermaid sweets, wonderful baker]

(Makes 24)

2 ½ cups cake flour or AP flour (what I used)
1-teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
3/4-cup coconut milk
1/4-cup rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-teaspoon coconut extract
1/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained well

Combine coconut milk and rum.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
Cream butter and sugar in mixing bowl on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape as needed.
Add vanilla, coconut extract and mix until incorporated.
Add one-third of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
Add a third of the coconut/rum mixture and mix until incorporated. Continue to alternate with flour and liquid two more times. Scrape sides of bowl.
With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the crushed pineapple.
Fill each one about 2/3 full. Bake until cake springs back when lightly pressed or skewer comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Rummy Buttercream Frosting
(double the recipe to pipe frosting like in photos)

½ cup butter, softened to room temp
2-2 ½ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
coconut milk as needed

Beat butter, sugar, and rum together with a handheld mixer at low speed until moistened, then beat at high speed to cream. Stop after a minute to scrape bowl and add vanilla. Beat till thick, fluffy and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Add small increments of confectioners’ sugar if too wet, dribble in a little coconut milk if too dry.
[This frosting recipe is ultra delicious. You really must try it.]

We move onto a Piña Colada Cake

Piña Colada Cake
[This recipe comes from How Stuff Works]
Ingredients:

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) white cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix

½ cup cold whipping cream
¼ cup dark rum
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
¾ teaspoon vanilla

2 cups cold whipping cream
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and cored
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Preparation:
Prepare cake mix and bake according to package directions using 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; cool completely.

For rum filling, combine all ingredients in small bowl until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until ready to use.

For whipped topping, place 2 cups whipping cream in large bowl; beat 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat 20 seconds or until stiff peaks form. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until ready to use.

Place pineapple cut side down on cutting board; slice very thinly. Place slices on paper towels; pat dry.

Place 1 cake layer on serving plate. Spread half of rum filling evenly over cake. Spread 1 cup whipped topping evenly over cake. Sprinkle with 1 cup coconut; top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining rum filling evenly over cake. Spread remaining whipped topping evenly over top and side of cake; sprinkle top with remaining coconut.

Press pineapple slices around side of cake vertically, overlapping slightly. Reserve any remaining pineapple slices for another use. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.
[This cake is very delicious. It's whipped cream frosting is temptingly cool with just the right flavors of the added pineapple slices. NOTE: Be sure and store in your refrigerator or it wil melt.]

The next two recipes are linked to other Piña Colada posts I've done in the past. This list of recipes will cerainly give you a variety to chose from.
This first one is Coconut-Pineapple Pudding. It's creamy, cool and tastes just like a piña colada - but in the form of pudding.

Here is Piña Colada Cheesecake. A tasty but elegant dessert for a summer night get-togethers.

And last but certainly not least, is your Piña Colada drink. You've got your alcoholic and non- alcoholic recipes...anything to keep the kiddos happy.
Piña Colada

3 ounces light rum
3 tablespoons coconut milk
5 tablespoons crushed pineapple
2 cups ice

Blend at high speed until smooth. Strain into a glass and serve with a straw. Top with a pineapple wedge and a cherry.

Piña Colada Smoothie

1 eight-ounce can crushed pineapple, chilled
1 medium banana, cut up
¾ cups skim milk
½ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons bottled or canned piña colada mix, chilled
ice cubes

In a blender, combine the undrained pineapple, banana, milk, orange juice, and piña colada mix. Cover and blend until nearly smooth. Serve over ice. Makes 2 servings.
***********************

So...
If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain...


(lyrics)

I was tired of my lady, we'd been together too long.Like a worn-out recording, of a favorite song. So while she lay there sleeping, I read the paper in bed. And in the personals column, there was this letter I read:

"If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain. If you're not into yoga, if you have half-a-brain. If you like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the cape. I'm the lady you've looked for, write to me, and escape."

I didn't think about my lady, I know that sounds kind of mean. But me and my old lady, had fallen into the same old dull routine. So I wrote to the paper, took out a personal ad. And though I'm nobody's poet, I thought it wasn't half-bad.

"Yes, I like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain. I'm not much into health food, I am into champagne. I've got to meet you by tomorrow noon, and cut through all this red tape. At a bar called O'Malley's, where we'll plan our escape."

So I waited with high hopes, then she walked in the place. I knew her smile in an instant, I knew the curve of her face. It was my own lovely lady, and she said, "Oh, it's you." And we laughed for a moment, and I said, "I never knew"

.."That you liked Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain. And the feel of the ocean, and the taste of champagne. If you like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the cape. You're the love that I've looked for, come with me, and escape."

"If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain. If you're not into yoga, if you have half-a-brain. If you like making love at midnight, in the dunes of the cape. You're the love that I've looked for, come with me, and escape."

Enjoy!

Aprovecho, A Mexican American Border Cookbook

Mariachis	La Llorona
Chile Colorado	Enchiladas
Chiles Rellenos	Menudo
Cafe Kahlua	Margaritas
Mango Cake	Piloncillo Bread
Polvorones	Salsas
Piñatas	Cascarones

These photos represent some of the wonderful recipes and reviews that can be found in the Aprovecho A Mexican American Border Cookbook.

Hello everyone. I hope you had a fantastic holiday weekend with fireworks and barbecues and some great family time. There’s nothing like the holidays – any holiday – to bring a group of family and friends together to enjoy each others company.

We kind of celebrated the 4th on Friday, July 3rd. Both Lily and Bob had to work on Saturday. Initially we planned a great barbecue, some swimming and going downtown to watch the fireworks display at the Downtown Street Festival. Boy, were we WRONG! So much for the 5 P's. (Proper Planning Prevents Poor Perfomance.)

We’ve reached our so-called monsoon season here in El Paso and wouldn’t you know it, just as the charcoal was beginning to smolder and getting to just the right temperature, we had a deluge of rain. So cancel the outdoor BBQ, cancel the swimming and cancel the fireworks.

We opted for another indoor grilling. Hamburgers, hotdogs and chicken and pepper skewers. We also had some of Bob’s Chile con Queso, some wine coolers and a most delicious Piña Colada Cake. My Piña Colada blog post will be up later this week, so you’ll see the recipe then. Lily and I have managed to come up with several recipes where you can enjoy the flavors of pineapple and coconut. Some will contain the traditional rum some will not.

It’s been a while since I wrote about my Aprovecho A Mexican American Border Cookbook, so I thought I’d do a post about that here and a post about my Mi Chita's Mexican Chocolate Recipes ecookbook on the chocolate blog.

The Mexican American Border cookbook came about a few years after having a website called APROVECHO, THE MEXICAN KITCHEN on the Internet. Having collected a ton of recipes from my mother and grandmother (plus all the ones I had been collecting on my own), I decided to put them online for my children and family to enjoy. My children and my husband contributed to the design of the website. There was a lot of data input, research, technical complexities of working HTML (which at that point in my life I had never even heard of) and design. A huge undertaking for someone who was not familiar with the whole “writing for the Internet” scene.

To make a long story short and to get back to my cookbook, I worked the website for seven years – mostly on my own. I wrote a few articles for outside publications and had the good fortune to have a publisher be interested in producing a cookbook from my recipes.

Publishing is NOT an easy task. As the years roll on it’s becoming more and more difficult to achieve print publication as almost everything is being produced digitally. This is why I ventured into experimenting with producing my Mexican Chocolate Cookbook as an ebook. But despite the problematic adventure, we still had the Border cookbook published first in hardback and then in paperback. A nice legacy for my children.

The Aprovecho cookbook is a tribute to the traditions and recipes handed down from my mother and grandmother. Their un-orthodoxed manner of teaching me how to cook without the use of recipes or measurements is what taught me that creating meals doesn’t necessarily come from a book or from someone’s idea of what a dish should look like. It comes from the heart. It stems from what you want to offer the family table at a time when all are gathered around to share their most precious gift, the gift of time and love.

From these sentiments grew the website…from the website blossomed the cookbook. A true cultural celebration for past, present and future generations.

The book contains more than 250 recipes. Recipe samples are:
Chocolate Mejicano, Café Mejicano, Agua Fresca, Horchata, Margaritas, Sangria, Piña Coladas, Rompope (Eggnog), Vampiro (Mexican Bloody Mary)

Tequila French Toast, Huevos Rancheros, Menudo

Chile Con Queso, Jalapeño Poppers, Steak Tampiqueña, Chile Colorado, Chile Verde, Enchiladas, Tacos y Taquitos, Fajitas, Christmas Picadillo, Ensalada de Nopalitos (Cactus Salad)

Galletas de Mantequilla, Kahlua Cake, Mango Cake, Piloncillo Bread, Polvorones, Sopaipillas

And of course: Salsas and more salsas.

Also included are sections called “Did You Know”: Mariachis, Legend of the Poinsettia, Legend of La Llorona, La Virgen de Guadalupe, Juan Diego, Matachines and (couldn’t leave this one out) Mexican Beers.

There are four dedicated chapters on “How-To’s”: Making Cascarones (Confetti-Filled Eggshells), Making a Star Piñata, Making Sugar Skulls for Dia de Los Muertos, and everyone’s favorite – Making Tamales.


I hope you take the time to explore the Aprovecho Cookbook. If you follow the link below, Amazon will let you take a peak inside.

If you do preview the Amazon Aprovecho book, let me know what you think. Hasta luego mis amigas(os).


For a good laugh...You may be from El Paso if....

1. You buy salsa by the gallon.

2. Your Christmas decorations include sand,
candles and 100 paper bags.

3. You think a red traffic light is merely a suggestion

4. You MUST visit Chico's Tacos when you come to town to visit.

5. You know what "dry heat" means.

6. You complain about a humid day when the relative
humidity reaches 20%.

7. Most of the restaurants in town have the first name "El or Los."

8. Every restaurant serves refried beans and rice with your meal.

9. Everything you eat includes green chilies, jalapeños or both.

10. You think 60 tons of crushed rock makes a beautiful yard.

11. You notice your car overheating before you drive it.

12. Your house is made of stucco and has a "swamp" cooler on the roof.

13. You no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.

14. You can ride an ATV or 4x4 down the dry riverbed of the "mighty"
Rio Grande instead of using the levee.

15. During a rain, you see more water on the street than there is in
the Rio Grande.

16. You know 1/2" of rain means the streets will be flooded.

17. You know a mere 1/4" of snow will shut down the entire city but
the next day it'll be 60 degrees again.

These things make El Pasoans unique. But, while I can poke fun at myself, I still have to face certain realities that exist in this town. Our sister city of Juarez, Mexico, population over a million, has approximately 1200 troops patrolling the city. Talk about third world. The insane drug cartel wars have once again increased in intensity after a short lull. In the month of June (2009), there were over 200 murders in the city, most related to the cartel wars. More than 30 of these murders were teenagers either from Juarez or El Paso visiting relatives in Juarez. The total murders having occured in Juarez this year reach over 800. This does not even take into account the murders of women that continue to go on day after day but have been low keyed to give publicity to these savages battling over their "drugy" territories.

If you're a person of faith, say a prayers for our neighbors across the border. If you're not, then please just send some positive vibes this way. Thank you y hasta luego. :)

Tacos de Carnitas with Red Chile Salsa

Most recipes call for pork shoulder or Boston butt to be used in the preparation of Carnitas. All I had were two pork tenderloins, so I figured that was good enough for my family and me.

I didn’t want to make a big production of dinner, just something simple to where I could set up a taco bar and let everyone make their own tacos however they wanted to. Carnitas seemed to be the right choice.

Look at those beautiful bits of crispy pork spilling out of the taco shells. Topped with guacamole and served with refried beans, this is an easy and delicious dinner.

It’s a hot and muggy lazy summer. So it’s either BBQing or something that can be eaten (mostly) with your hands. Gives me an idea for another meal: shooters. But, I guess that’ll be another post.

I set up the table (with the help of Lily, Brian and Bob) to provide sour cream, guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese and lettuce, taco shells and a big steaming bowl of carnitas and refried beans.

Lily and Brian had made Paula Deen’s Biscuit Donuts earlier in the day and were quite ready to eat something a little heartier (they’d been munching on the donut holes since morning). To see the famous and easy-to-make donuts using Paula Deen's recipe, go to the Mexican Chocolate blog. They were actually pretty good. They decided the recipe should go on the Mexican Chocolate blog because despite the fact that they didn’t use Mexican Chocolate for the glaze, they did flavor it to taste like it. Sounds reasonable to me.

So I hope you’ll give Carnitas a try. Carnitas, by the way, means “little meats” in Spanish. Traditionally they are made with pork but I bet the tacos would be just as tasty if you made it with chicken or beef. Enjoy your day, we are. After having less than an inch of rain all year long, we’ve finally hit our “monsoon” season and it’s been coming down in glorious, copious amounts since Sunday.

Carnitas

2 (4-5-pounds) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5-inch chunks, trimmed of excess fat
I used two pork tenderloins
2 (16 ounce) cartons of chicken broth – I used Swanson’s
½ cup orange juice
1-tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 whole onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1-teaspoon black pepper
1-tablespoon ancho chile powder
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1-teaspoon chile powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
In a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine pork, broth, juice and seasonings. Add enough water to completely cover the meat. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 2 – 3 hours (or longer) until meat pulls apart easily. Add salt to taste if needed.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove meat from liquid in pot (discard the liquid) and spread the meat out in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon chile powder and drizzle 2 tablespoons oil over the meat. Break the meat into small chunks. Roast meat for 15 to 20 minutes until brown and crispy.

Remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm while preparing your garnishes: guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa and shredded lettuce. If you are making your own taco shells, make them while the meat is roasting in the oven or if you are using prepared taco shells, warm them in the oven when you remove the meat from the oven and are preparing your garnishes.

Red Chile Salsa
(inspired by Tyler Florence)

1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained of most liquid
3 Serrano chiles, chopped (or less if you want less heat)
1 large red onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, smashed
2 teaspoons sea salt
juice of 2 limes
½ cup chopped cilantro (we didn’t use)
a drizzle of olive oil

Put all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse 3 or 4 times for a chunky-style salsa, or longer if you don’t want it so chunky. Pour into serving bowl, cover and chill until serving.

Barbecuing Memories

Several years ago, Bob, my son Mikey and my nephews Rob and Larry decided to have a cook-off. (I told you we were all competitive in the kitchen!) It was August and about 105 in the shade here in the city of the sun – El Paso. We set up a couple of grills and the BBQ competition began.

This post is really about my son Michael, Mr. BBQ, Jr. He loves to barbecue, just like his father. I love looking at pictures of him when he was just a baby. Look.

Now he’s all grown up. He got his degree from UTEP, has an excellent career, is married to my wonderful daughter-in-law Jennifer and has a love of video games, cars, all gadgets of a digital nature, and Barbecuing.
Back to the BBQ Cook-off. Da Boys grilled their hearts out – then jumped into the pool to cool off. We invited some family and friends to judge the entries. These guys were serious.

Surprisingly, Bob won for his now (family) famous Ribs and Homemade BBQ sauce. Mikey came in second for his BBQ Chicken. I declared them all winners, the food was fantastic. As you can imagine Lily and I supplied the sides and desserts.

We took a picture of the four smoky-hot grilling maniacs.
Not long after I had this picture up for all to see, I got an email from my son with a picture back.
He said I had messed up the photograph and had just “cleaned it up” for me. Well, what he did was switch faces all around so that he would be shown as Mr. BBQ. I tell you, these kids don’t have anything better to do!

But it didn’t stop there. I’m always putting up pictures of my kids on the computer, just like you guys do. Here's one I had of the two of them. He looks like a giant next to Lily.

Sometimes I alternate between them. So, my son said he had the solution.
Half him...half her!!!

Am I sad that he and Jenn moved to Dallas? Yes a little. Am I sad that Lily is moving to Dallas to finish school? Yes a little. But both my children will be in the same city and they will be able to watch over each other. PLUS, when I go visit, I can see them both at the same time. I was feeling a little guilty about always posting about my daughter while making few references to my son. If you haven't gotten the idea yet, I adore my kids. Bob and I are very blessed to have them.

May your relationship with your children be strong and loving. May it last as long as you do. Hugs to everyone. Here is a photo and the recipe for the real Mr. BBQ Winner...Bob.
Ribs with Bob's BBQ Sauce

Ribs, ribs, ribs, as many as you want, beef or pork
1 recipe Bob's BBQ Sauce, recipe follows

Bob's BBQ Sauce

1 medium onion, finely chopped
¾ cup tomato sauce
¼ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
½ tablespoon vinegar
½ tablespoon apple cider
¼ cup water
Dash of pepper
3 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon pineapple bits
Juice from ½ a lemon
2 teaspoons mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Sauté onion in unsalted butter until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes on low medium heat. Add remaining ingredients one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

Prepare the night before barbecue and allow to thicken overnight in refrigerator.Ribs:Boil ribs in beef broth or seasoned water for one hour (that's one hour after the water starts to boil), covered, over medium low heat. Prepare grill 15 minutes before ribs are done boiling. Boiling the ribs does three very good things for the meat: it gives it flavor, it tenderizes it and it then takes much less time on the grill and avoids burning the meat.

Place ribs on medium heat on the grill for 5 minutes on each side. Then, put heat to low and generously mop barbecue sauce over tops. Turn frequently and each time you turn them over, add more barbecue sauce. Cook until desired doneness of meat and the barbecue sauce is just moist. Serve with anything...and lots of napkins!

Here's a picture of the second place winner...Mikey's BBQ Chicken.

Watermelon, Flank, Cocoa: Crazy Combination

But here's what you get.

A delicious meal of Cocoa Flank, original recipe by none other than Miss Paula Deen, some watermelon and mozarella skewers with a tasty tequila-lime glaze and watermelon agua fresca. Oh, I almost forgot the watermelon salsa to go with your cocoa flank. Our dinner was delicious. We sat there after eating, no one wanting to get up we were so full.

We sliced up the flank and made "faux" fajitas with it. Warmed up some flour tortilas and topped it off with the salsa. What a satisfying meal.

I didn't always like watching the Paula Deen show, but she kind of grew on me. My daughter and I now go around saying y'all for everything. Watching her with her boys is rather endearing. Her love for Michael, her honey, is also fun to watch. He's such a quiet man. You know he just loves watching her perform for the camera. It kind of pulls you in.

Most of her recipes are down-home goodness for me. Lily and I will be trying the biscuit donuts recipe this weekend. I'll let you know how they turn out.

But for now, I couldn't pass up this Cocoa Flank recipe she did on her show not too long ago. Chocolate...on steak? Oh yeah, baby. Delicious with a capital D.

Bob's not a fan of mole, so I didn't tell him what I was cooking up. Though this recipe isn't "mole" per se, the marinade aroma and taste was reminiscent of the delectable mole sauce. But once you grilled the flank, the full, blown-out flavor of mole was grilled right into the meat and didn't over power the flank. What can I say, you've got to try it. Great Southwestern flavor.

Chocolate Flank Steak with Pineapple Salsa
By Paula Deen
(The changes I made are written in red.)
Serves:
3 to 4 servings

Ingredients
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder used red chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt I used one of my flavored salts: The Green Chile Salt
Pinch ground black pepper
2 pounds flank steak
Pineapple Salsa, recipe follows (made watermelon salsa instead of pineapple)
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish, optional

Directions
In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine vinegar, cocoa, brown sugar, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add flank steak; seal bag, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
Spray nonstick griddle with nonstick spray and preheat to medium-high.
Remove steak from marinade and discard marinade. Place steak on the griddle and cook for 6 minutes on each side for a medium-rare. When cooked to desired doneness, remove from the griddle, to a cutting board, and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut steak across the grain into thin strips. Serve with Pineapple Salsa and garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.



Pineapple Salsa: (Made Watermelon Salsa)
1 whole pineapple, peeled and diced, 2 cups of small chopped watermelon
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and flesh diced
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl, combine pineapple, avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Yield: 2 cups


Watermelon Skewers

2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
2 cups cubed mozzarella
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tequila
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon lime zest
4 wooden skewers

Thread watermelon and mozzarella on wooden skewers.
Mix olive oil, tequila and sea salt. Drizzle over skewered fruit and cheese. Sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate until serving.

Watermelon Agua Fresca (Adapted from Eating Well)
http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/06/watermelon-agua-fresca.html

8 cups cubed seeded watermelon, divided
1 cup water, divided
1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 liter seltzer water, pre-chilled

Puree half of the cubed watermelon, half the water and half the sugar in a blender. Pour through a coarse strainer into a large container. Repeat with the remaining watermelon, water and sugar. Stir in lime juice. Refrigerate until very cold - at least 4 hours.Before serving, stir in seltzer and garnish with fresh lime (or a small slice of watermelon) if desired.

Other variations of Agua Fresca are:

Agua de Melón: Use cantaloupe or any other melon.
Agua de Fresa: Use strawberries.
Agua de Papaya: Use papaya. The addition of lime juice makes a tastier beverage here.
Agua Fresca de Pepino: Use peeled, seeded cucumbers and lime juice. Cut down on the sugar. Very refreshing

Try making one of these as an alternative to Iced Tea. They're all natural and darn good for you. Real foods for real people.