Happy Friday, gang! Backyard season has officially arrived — and this week on Fridays with Oscar, we are celebrating in the best possible way. We’re pouring a fresh blended Watermelon Mojito that is bright, minty, and the most beautiful shade of pink you’ve ever seen in a glass, and pairing it with Grilled Chicken Skewers drizzled with a classic green chimichurri that is so good you’ll be spooning it onto everything within reach. It is the Friday spread we have been waiting for since January, and it did not disappoint.
Pull up a lawn chair, fire up the grill, and let’s celebrate the weekend. 🍉
What You’ll Find in Today’s Post
🍉 Watermelon Mojito
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This is not your average mojito — and that’s entirely because of the fresh blended watermelon. It gives the drink a natural sweetness, a gorgeous blush color, and a flavor that is unmistakably summer. Paired with muddled mint, white rum, and fresh lime, it’s refreshing, beautiful, and dangerously easy to drink. Make a big batch of the watermelon juice ahead and you’re halfway to the best backyard happy hour of the season.
FAQS – Watermelon Mojito
We recommend it for the smoothest, most beautiful drink — but if you don’t mind a little texture, you can skip the straining and use the blended juice as-is. Just give it a good stir before pouring.
Absolutely — in fact, we encourage it. Blend and strain the watermelon juice up to 24 hours ahead and store it in a sealed jar or pitcher in the refrigerator. Give it a shake before using as it may separate slightly.
Yes! Combine the watermelon juice, rum, lime juice, and simple syrup in a large pitcher and refrigerate. When ready to serve, pour over ice in mint-muddled glasses and top each with club soda. It’s a gorgeous and effortless batch cocktail for a crowd.
A clean, light white rum is ideal — Bacardi Silver, Plantation 3 Star, or Flor de Caña Extra Dry are all great choices. You want the rum to complement the watermelon and mint rather than compete with them.
Absolutely! Skip the rum and add a splash of coconut water or a little more club soda for a beautiful, refreshing non-alcoholic watermelon mojito. It’s just as pretty and just as delicious.
Watermelon Mojito
Ingredients:
- 2 cups fresh seedless watermelon cubed
- 3 oz white rum Bacardi or similar
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- ½ oz simple syrup
- 12 –14 fresh mint leaves plus extra sprigs for garnish
- Club soda to top
- Ice
- 2 small watermelon wedges and lime wheels for garnish
Instructions:
- Add the cubed watermelon to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove any pulp. You should have about 1 cup of fresh watermelon juice. Set aside.
- Divide the fresh mint leaves between two highball glasses. Add a squeeze of lime and muddle gently until the mint is fragrant — be careful not to over-muddle or the mint will turn bitter.
- Fill each glass with ice. Pour ½ cup of the fresh watermelon juice into each glass, followed by 1½ oz of white rum and a splash of simple syrup.
- Top each glass generously with club soda and stir gently to combine.
- Garnish each with a fresh mint sprig, a small watermelon wedge on the rim, and a lime wheel. Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
We’d love to see! Tag us @styleatacertainage
🍢 Grilled Chicken Skewers with Chimichurri
Chicken thighs are the undisputed champion of the grill — more flavorful, more tender, and far more forgiving than breasts, especially on a skewer. Here they’re marinated in a smoky, garlicky blend of smoked paprika, cumin, and lime juice that plays beautifully with the bright, herby chimichurri drizzled on top. Add bell pepper and red onion to the skewers for color and a little sweetness, and you’ve got a complete, stunning platter that looks like serious effort but comes together with ease.
FAQS – Grilled Chicken Skewers with Chimichurri
Chicken thighs are more flavorful, more tender, and far more forgiving on the grill — they stay juicy even if they cook a little longer, which makes them ideal for skewers. We’ll always choose thighs for grilling, and we think once you try them this way, you will too.
A minimum of 30 minutes will give you good flavor, but if you have time, 2–4 hours in the refrigerator is ideal. We don’t recommend marinating longer than 4 hours as the lime juice can begin to affect the texture of the chicken.
Absolutely — traditional chimichurri is made by hand with a sharp knife. Simply mince the parsley, cilantro, oregano, and garlic as finely as you can, then stir in the red wine vinegar, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. The hand-chopped version has a lovely rustic texture.
Yes! Arrange the skewers on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil on high for 5–6 minutes per side, until cooked through and charred at the edges. You won’t get the exact same smokiness as the grill, but they are still absolutely delicious.
Chimichurri actually gets better as it sits — the garlic mellows and the flavors meld beautifully. Make it up to 24 hours ahead and store covered in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before serving and give it a good stir. Leftovers are incredible on eggs, grilled fish, or roasted vegetables.
Grilled Chicken Skewers with Chimichurri
Ingredients:
For the chicken skewers:
- 1½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small red onion cut into 1-inch pieces
For the chimichurri:
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley packed
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro packed
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ cup good olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken thigh pieces and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours for best flavor.
- Meanwhile, make the chimichurri. Combine the parsley, cilantro, oregano, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Add the red wine vinegar and olive oil and pulse again until combined but still slightly textured — you want a sauce, not a purée. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. The chimichurri can be made up to 24 hours ahead.
- If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling.
- Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto the skewers, alternating with pieces of red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and red onion.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Grill the skewers for 5–6 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through and has beautiful char marks and the vegetables are tender and slightly caramelized.
- Transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle generously with chimichurri and serve the remaining chimichurri on the side for dipping.
Did you make this recipe?
We’d love to see! Tag us @styleatacertainage
🐾 Check in With Oscar & Ollie
Ollie has been giving us looks lately. Not the affectionate kind — the other kind. The kind where she turns her head just so, narrows those golden-green eyes, and stares at you with an expression that suggests she has assessed the situation and found it wanting. We caught her mid-assessment this week, and honestly, the camera loved it. She is majestic and slightly menacing, and we wouldn’t have her any other way.
And for our Oscar moment this week — this 2022 photo on the screened porch is one of our absolute favorites. There’s Beth, drink in hand, and Oscar sitting right beside her like he always did — happy, present, and completely convinced that wherever Beth was, that was exactly where he needed to be. That porch, that smile, that dog. We are so grateful for every single one of those summer Fridays with him. 🐾
Weekend Style
Beth’s Look
Red and gold on the porch — yes, please! I have been looking for a reason to wear these wide-leg crop jeans in the most perfect shade of deep cherry red, and a backyard Friday happy hour was exactly the right occasion. The sequin shell top catches the light in the most beautiful way — it looks dressy, but it wears like a casual top, which is my favorite kind of piece.
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The gold braided leather belt ties the two together and adds just enough structure at the waist. Gold thong kitten heel sandals and a gold link bracelet finish the look with a little warm-weather glamour. Sometimes you just want to be a little sparkly on a Friday, and I am not apologizing for it.
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Kelly’s Look
This is my version of the perfect backyard entertaining outfit — effortless, comfortable, and just put-together enough to feel intentional. The striped linen Islington pants (sold in petite sizes!) from Boden are the star: wide-leg, relaxed, and in the most cheerful mix of blue, pink, and cream that feels like summer in pant form.
Shop Kelly’s Look
I layered a white rib tank underneath the natural linen Garçon button-up, worn open and relaxed with the sleeves rolled, which is honestly my favorite way to style an overshirt in warm weather. Brown toe loop sandals keep it grounded and casual. This is what I want to wear every single weekend from now until September.
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More Spring Inspiration on The Blog
- Blackberry French Gimlet & Asparagus Prosciutto Bundles
- Spicy Paloma & Street Corn Salad
- Rosé Sangria & Grilled Chicken Flatbread
- Hibiscus Margarita & Grilled Shrimp Tacos
Cheers to Backyard Season!
We have been waiting for this Friday all year. The Watermelon Mojito is going into our permanent happy hour rotation — it’s that good — and those chimichurri chicken skewers are the kind of easy, crowd-pleasing recipe that makes you look like you really have your outdoor entertaining life together. We hope you fire up the grill this weekend and give both a try.
Tag us on Instagram and show us your backyard spread — we love seeing your tables, your glasses, and your good times. And come back next Friday for more! We’ll save you a skewer. 🔥
With love from our kitchen to yours, Beth, Kelly, Ollie…and always, Oscar 🐾
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