Lemon Water Ice

I worked at Rita's when I was younger (and subsequently got fired for giving food away to my friends - whatev! - ha!) and I always looooved the lemon water ice. Paul and I are having an "at home date night" tonight and it's really muggy outside, so I decided to make something cool and refreshing. This one is super easy and REALLY yummy!

All you need is:
1 3/4 c water
1 c sugar
The juice of 3 lemons (I added a bit of zest from a lemon, too)

Add sugar to water and heat in a saucepan. Bring to a boil until sugar is totally incorporated into the water. Turn off heat, add lemon juice, whisk well, and poor into a pan. I used a loaf pan and it fit well. It won't fill the entire dish up, so don't be alarmed! Put the dish/pan in the freezer for a couple of hours. I was out for about 3 hours and it was perfect by then. Rake a fork through the frozen mixture and voila - lemon granita! DELICIOUS! I saved the halves of the lemons I used to serve the granita. You can add a sprig of mint if you're feeling fancy!

And hey, if you're feeling saucy, maybe add some liquor (mmm - tequila anyone?!)!Obviously the saucy version isn't so kid-friendly, hehe! I just thought of how delicious it would be to puree some watermelon and make some watermelon water ice, too... another Rita's fave! Get creative and let me know what you did! I'll pick up a watermelon this week and let you know the ratios of watermelon, sugar, and water I used.

Stay cool! And don't mind this awful photo... a certain someone was climbing on the computer desk as I tried to take this!