lime

San Francisco Summer weather is notoriously fickle; brisk and gray, with temperatures rarely peaking above 70 degrees, our city's weather has even been the fodder of a rather infamous saying: "The coldest Winter I ever spent was a Summer in San Francisco." That said, every once in a while we're blessed with a warm streak, and almost as if overnight, the parks fill near to the brim with crowds picnicking and basking in the ephemeral rays of sunshine.

While I'm hardly one to pooh-pooh the pleasant weather, there is a marked downside. It's almost unheard-of to have air conditioning (or heat for that matter) in this mild-weathered city, so when temperatures occasionally spike, the interior of my apartment, and many of my peers', quickly becomes oppressively hot. Now, rather than let my inner Oscar the Grouch qualities shine forth, I choose to be proactive and indulge in a variety of frozen treats and frosty beverages — it's only practical, right?

With its ease of preparation and delicate texture, granita is perfectly primed for my strategy of cooling from within. It's the perfect treat to prepare on the sort of Summer's day more suited to lounging by the fan than whiling away the hours in the kitchen. While it's not an instantaneous pleasure, the actual active time is negligible — about two minutes every hour or so until it's ready, and the results are more than worth the minimal effort. Keep reading for the low-fuss recipe.

I don't know that I've ever seen a cool color palette as perfect as the key lime and periwinkle pairing in this living room by Cobbold Du Pont Interiors. The yellowish green is a color I've long adored — in fact I painted the walls of my old studio the same shade. But never in my wildest dreams would I have thought to pair it with periwinkle. The large-scale area rug brings in most of that purplish blue hue, and it's oh-so-smartly toned down with soft slate gray velvet upholstery. I love how the dark periwinkle and grays anchor the lightness of the lime.

To recreate this palette in a room in your home, begin by painting your walls Benjamin Moore's Wales Green 2028-50. In the daylight, the color has a tart green shade, and in dim light it bears a more yellowish hue.

Find a rug or fabric that brings in the blues. Then, accessorize and furnish your home with some of these finds:

I'm a big fan of raspberry cocktails, so I knew the minute I came across a raspberry rose syrup that it'd be a must try. The recipe called for rose petals, but I substituted rose water, which I already had on hand (it can be found at Middle Eastern grocers or online at Amazon).

The cooking process is basic: Dissolve sugar in a wine-and-water mixture, cooking raspberries down until a gooey syrup forms. The finished product is not only sweet and tart, but also has a lingering floral flavor from the rose water. See the easy recipe — and the different ways I made use of the syrup! — when you read more.

There's one spirit that always gets a party started, and for my Mexican-inspired birthday dinner, I'm turning to tequila. Yes, it's a dangerous idea, but I only turn 29 once! I'll have plenty of beer on ice and I'm also making these cool frozen margaritas.

The key ingredient is a scoop of lime sorbet that melts with the tequila. It's easier than mixing classic margaritas all night and I won't have to worry about juicing a million limes — perfect! To check out the recipe I plan on using, keep reading.

It's like oranges with cinnamon for dipping: Reader Mee-shell uploaded this photo of mangoes with chili and lime to the Savory Sights group in the YumSugar Community. Do you have an image of something delicious that you recently made or enjoyed? Upload it!

I picked this snack up at a street fair recently but it's super easy to make at home. Toss sliced mango with lime juice, salt, and chili powder. Done! (Jicama and papaya work great too.)

The cherimoya was once described by Mark Twain as "the most delicious fruit known to men," and I must agree: it's divine! Although the cherimoya originates in South America, it's now also grown in California.

If you were to combine the flavors of mango, pineapple, papaya, and bananas, it would be pretty close to the taste of a cherimoya. The texture is exceptionally creamy, almost like an avocado, and it makes a very smooth sorbet. At the store, you might pass up a cherimoya since its appearance is similar to reptile skin, but don't let its looks fool you; it's an easy fruit to enjoy.

Lime juice and lime zest add a kick to the naturally sweet fruit. Pull out your ice cream maker and hunt down a couple cherimoyas, you won't be disappointed. To see this simple sorbet recipe, keep reading.

Recently, I was looking for an uncomplicated make ahead dessert that involved coconut. After searching through a bunch of recipes, I decided on these coconut lime squares. They are easier than other bars because you don't have to chill and roll out the dough, and the lime custard is not heated on the stove. It's a surprisingly simple procedure. The resulting dessert is buttery, tart, and absolutely awesome. They were a total crowd pleaser, and I ended up with only one left to photograph! These squares would be excellent at a Spring picnic. Want the recipe? Read more.

I am always tempted by cocktails with cucumber in them but often disappointed. Aside from the classically refreshing Pimm's Cup, the cucumber-based recipes I've tried have either been too sweet, not sweet enough, or way too much trouble.

The Gordon's Cup, however, made me giddy, and it wasn't just the 1/4 cup of gin. This cooling Summer cocktail is easy to make: simply muddle lime and cucumber in a shaker, toss the other goods on top, give it a few shimmies, and dump everything out in your cup — no straining required. Shake up your Summer and get the recipe.

Since today is National Tequila Day (cheers!), I thought I'd share my latest obsession with you. While I'm a huge fan of the classic margarita combination of tequila and fresh-squeezed lime juice, it pales in comparison to the delightful pairing that is watermelon juice and tequila. I'm so crazy about this dynamic duo that I've already made three different cocktails with it. The one seen here — my current fav — is a mixture of watermelon, tequila, mint, blueberries, and lime juice. With its sweet, minty flavor, refreshing thirst-quenching quality, and beautiful blushing color, this cocktail is almost perfect. I say almost because it's far too easy to drink. A problem that's quickly solved with a generous float of tequila. To get the party, or the weekend, started, make this drink tonight