Minty Freshness

I have started growing some fabulous things in our little garden. My current favorite is the Mint bush I have growing in my sun-room. It smells so fresh and is very strong at certain points during the day. The best trick: it drives away bugs! It's a natural bug repellent, so I take it out sun-tanning with me... that is, when it stops raining!

But I hadn't really any good ideas as to what to do with my new best friend...

So I researched it! This is another excerpt for Trying Something NEW!
I confess, I'm a super nerd. I love researching things just for fun. And when I've saved new information and created new documents, i love organizing the folders on the computer! Our Computer is currently a well oiled machine with everything in it's special place.

Back to the Mint Project!

I found ways to use Mint in cooking and made a new cooking folder! *oh bliss*

Here are my top picks of the recipes I found:

Mint Pesto
( from the HerbExpert )
Simply blend 2 handfuls of mint with cashew or macadamia nuts with 2tbsp honey and 1tbsp vanilla extract. This pesto works well with sweet dishes, including chocolate cake and ice cream.

Mint Cooler
( from tasteofhome )
Lemon Mint Cooler Recipe
5 Servings
Prep/Total Time: 15 min.
Ingredients
2-1/4 cups water
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 medium lemons, sliced
1/2 cup lemon sherbet, softened
1 liter ginger ale, chilled
Directions
For mint ice cubes, combine the water, mint and lemon juice; pour into two ice cube trays. Freeze until set. In a pitcher, combine the lemons and sherbet; slowly stir in ginger ale. Add the mint ice cubes. Yield: about 5 cups.
Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 104 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 1 mg cholesterol, 24 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, trace protein.

Mint Yogurt
(from Moscow Food Co-op)
Try this with fresh fruit for breakfast or dessert—so simple, and so elegant. And did I mention stunningly tasty too?
1/4 cup sugar1/2 cup shredded fresh mint leaves1/2 cup water1 cup yogurt, well chilled1 cup cream, well chilled
Place the sugar, mint and water in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 4 minutes, then stand for 5 minutes. Strain and cool.
Place the yogurt, cream and mint syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Garnish with extra mint leaves.

Did You Know...?
That mint leaves can give you relief from bug bite itch! Its all natural and smells better than the average itch cream!


I'm going to start with some mint leaf ice-cubes. Start small. I can do it! Then maybe I'll try cooking with it. lol.