The third week of July is special: It’s Capture the Sunset Week! As the mellow calm of summer seeps in, this is the perfect time to admire the many colors of the sunset. From vivid oranges to vibrant pinks, deep purples and streaks of red, sunsets are a magnificent sight. While Capture the Sunset Week implies you’re supposed to go out and photograph the actual sunset, that just didn’t seem like enough fun to us.
So, let’s celebrate Capture the Sunset Week the Basket way: with food! Let’s dive into how you can capture the colors of the most breathtaking sunsets in your dishes, to munch and sip while you watch.
1. Tequila Sunset
You’re heard of a tequila sunrise, but have you heard of a tequila sunset? This spin on a bar classic blends 1-1.5 oz. of tequila with 4 oz. of orange juice, and a 1/2 oz. of blackberry brandy. Fill your serving glass with ice, tequila, and your juice. Then, top with blackberry brandy. Voila – a sunset in a glass!
2. Sunset Fruit Salad
There’s never been an easier or healthier way to capture the sunset than with a sunset fruit salad. Toss purple grapes, pineapple, watermelon, strawberries, and cantaloupe in a bowl and serve. For a true sunset effect, arrange the fruit on a platter in an ombre effect: placing all of the pineapple together, then the cantaloupe, the watermelon, the strawberries, and the grapes, fading from color to color. Step back and behold your sunset salad!
Basket Tip: Red fruit like cherries are in season during June. To save some coin, opt for these to add color to your platter.
3. Sunset Pops
For this sweet treat, you’ll need to repurpose your juice (if you didn’t drink it all with your tequila, that is). You’ll need orange or grapefruit juice, grape juice, and cranberry juice, as well as popsicle molds. These you can find at most 99 cent stores, or at your local supermarket.
Begin by filling 1/3 of each mold with your lighter juice, either the orange or grapefruit. Place in the freezer to set a bit, so that the colors won’t blend. Wait approximately 40 minutes and add your cranberry juice, leaving 1/3 of the mold empty for your third juice. Place in the freezer for another 40 minutes. Lastly, top the remaining 1/3 of the mold with grape juice.
Allow each pop to freeze thoroughly before popping out of their molds. Now you’ll have a treat to keep you cool during the warm sunset – and it only cost a few bucks!
4. Sunset Antipasto Platter
Summer sunsets don’t take place until after 8 p.m., which could be after dinnertime for you. But, you can keep things light with a finger-food antipasto platter. You can include a variety of cheeses for color, including:
- Sharp Cheddar
- Cheddar Jack
- Port Wine
- Red Windsor
- Gouda
Then, incorporate red peppers for color, kalamata olives, and tons of crackers. Even add shrimp and cocktail sauce for pops of pink and red. Mix and match what’s on your platter based on whatever you can find at a good price (Basket can help with that part), and the colors you see in your sunset (Mother Nature will handle that). Snack to your heart’s content while capturing the sunset!
5. Pineapple Sunset Upside Down Cake
Pineapple upside down cakes are a retro classic, typically calling for canned pineapple, jarred maraschino cherries, and a boxed cake mix – simple and super cheap. While of course that recipe is well and good, we invite you to bring some fresh sunset-inspired flavors into the mix. Use canned peaches, or a tropical fruit blend with pineapple and red and yellow papaya – we love the Del Monte Tropical Fruit Salad for this. For additional sunset colors, top with a deep berry sorbet: think rich blackberry or raspberry.
If you’re feeling fancy, feel free to use fresh fruit as opposed to canned. If you’re choosing to make a sunset fruit salad as well, repurpose some of your strawberries, cherries, and pineapple as ingredients in your upside down cake. For direction on creating a pineapple upside down cake, check out this recipe from the queen of baking herself, Betty Crocker. Then, doctor it up to your liking to create a sunset upside down cake.
Most importantly this week, bask in the sunset with those you love. Grab a friend, loved one, pet, or all three, and watch as the day’s last rays cast watercolor hues across the sky. Throw some cheese on a cracker, dig your fork into some moist cake, and sip your colorfully adorned cocktail. Celebrate Capture the Sunset Week in style, the Basket way. And, if you want to save on groceries all week long, don’t forget to download the free Basket app, where the sun never sets on savings.
