My love affair with watermelon goes way back to the days when I was a pint-sized (well....actually 'husky-sized) kid. I would jump up and down with glee when my Dad would make a detour on his way home from work and visit Stanley's, a local fruit and veggie market. The ultimate prizes that Dad would bring home in those humid summer months would be coconuts and watermelon. My little brother and I would patiently watch as Dad carefully sliced open the watermelon, and carved it up. He would toss each cube into our huge tupperware container, but not without first letting us cherry-pick the pinkest pieces. Before we polished off one half, I would make it my mission to be the first to the pull the uncut half of the watermelon out of the fridge and drill holes with my spoon straight into the heart, slurping up each morsel of juicy sweetness. Gosh, I was a really annoying kid. ;)

These days, when I'm not munching on straight-up watermelon, I am eating it as a savory salad. I'll tell ya, something magical happens when you put these 4 simple ingredients together: cubed watermelon, crumbled feta cheese, basil picked from our garden, and a dash of freshly ground black pepper. No recipes....just grab and toss it in a bowl. Make it, eat it, love it. Enjoy!