Last weekend I wrote about basil, a favorite herb of mine. For this weekend, my second time participating in Kalyn’s Kitchen’s Weekend Herb Blogging event, I decided to call a herb from my childhood: mint.

What does mint have to do with my childhood?

At my grandparent’s home in Wappingers Falls, NY, where I lived for the first 11 years of my life, my grandmother grew two edible crops – tomatoes and mint. I don’t remember much of her tomato growing, mostly because the plants never seemed to produce much fruit. But as for the mint, I fondly remember running out around the kitchen island and out the Dutch door to pick some fresh and fragrant mint leaves to toss into pitchers of iced tea. And I can still remember stooping in that clumsy child way and plucking a leaf from the plant just to sniff it a bit when I was very little.

It’s funny how a smell, a sight, a sound can bring you back in time. Just writing this post, I am flooded with images of my childhood – of the home my grandparents made, of the land where I played, and of my grandparents themselves. I can smell the scent that wafted around when my grandmother took her garlic pills (apparently it was some health craze) and I can feel the textured linoleum floor in the kitchen and feel the smooth countertops. And I can hear and feel the sensation when you’d open and close the built in bread box. There is just so much.

It’s hard to believe that’s a place where I can’t go back to and where I will likely never be again. I knew I would always miss them a lot when their time came, but I never knew it would be this much.

Back to the mint. The mint you see pictured, I bought at the grocery store. Still, the first thing I did when I got home was sniff it. Some things never change I guess.

GROWING: I plan on growing mint this spring and summer, and bought the seeds today. I’m going to do both the spearmint and peppermint varieties. Now, in case you didn’t know this, mint is an invasive species so you’ve got to be cautious when growing it. Originally, mine was going to go in the herb garden I am planning, but after considering it, I think I either need to grow it in a container or find a different spot. I’ll probably opt for the first option though.

HARVEST/STORAGE: According to the National Gardening Association, mint leaves can be harvested young or old and can be dried for storage or frozen fresh. Check out their website for tips on saving the leaves.

USES: Mint leaves can add a nice zing to iced tea or be used to make fresh tea. They are also used for a variety of alcoholic drinks (Mint Juleps, anyone?) and desserts. One of the most interesting recipes I have come upon was for English Roast Beef on Allrecipes.com.

What did I do with the mint though? Check out my very original recipe for Basil Mint Not Pesto sauce.
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On a sidenote, after writing this, I noticed that Cream Puffs in Venice has a great post up about a similar topic – except hers involves chicken stock. Check it out.

Weekend Dog Blogging

Also, although I usually don’t blog about my pets, I had to submit this photo for Sweetnick’s Weekend Dog Blogging. This is one of my two beagles, Scrappy. See the biscuit under his paw? Well, remember the zwieback debacle? Well apparently, my failed attempt at baby teething biscuits proved worthwhile after all. I seem to have stumbled on a recipe for great dog treats…I’m going to do some tweaking on it and I will post the recipe sometime in the future. Scrappy and my other beagle, Snoopy, are gaa-gaa over them.

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Well, when I saw Sweetnick’s post about Weekend Herb Blogging, which Kalyn’s Kitchen hosts, I just jumped at the chance to share what I’ve just learned about basil.

You see, I’ve wanted to grow my own herbs for some time but I wasn’t sure where to start. I mean where do you put them, first of all? And what do you pot them in? And should I buy ones that are already growing or breakout the soil and seeds? Finally when I was doing the weekly grocery shopping yesterday, I decided to just jump right in and take the plunge with an already potted and growing basil plant.

So here it goes.

Care: According to the National Gardening Association, the plant should be kept “in full sun in moist, well-drained soil.” They go on to say (in another article on the subject) that basil plants should have six hours of full sunlight a day, and like warm environs.

Uses: This herb is great with tomato for sauces, bruschetta and salads. It is a great seasoning for Italian dishes as well. Basil is also used in pesto. According to Timeless Herb Secrets, basil can also make for a great bath. “You can make an invigorating beauty bath by adding a strong infusion of fresh basil leaves to your bath. Use 1 cup chopped basil leaves in 2 cups boiling-hot water. Steep for 15-20 minutes,” they write.

Legends: The Greeks once thought that only royalty should harvest this herb with a golden sickle, according to a column at Sally’s Place. Author Linda Gilbert also states that in ancient Rome, it was thought that basil could charm a fire-breathing dragon. Check out that column for some more fun tidbits.

Now onto my recipe to go with this fantastic herb.

Pasta Fresca
serves 1

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
4 basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 oz mozzarella (I used Cappielo’s Marinated), diced

Heat olive oil in small frying pan over medium heat

Stir diced tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper into pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes until tomatoes break down and sauce thickens.

Toss basil with sauce and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes

Remove from heat and toss with pasta (approximately 1 cup) and cheese

Garnish with Parmesan and additional basil, if desired

Note: Fresh mozzarella is also great with this.

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I am so excited.

Shawn and I got hooked on sea salt with lavender last year. However, we finished our supply and I haven’t been able to locate more … until now. I found Grey Sea Salt with Lavender at Williams-Sonoma yesterday. Lavender is a great flavor addition for breads — used sparingly though since it can get overwhelming.

Homemade bread with lavender, here we come!

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I am obsessed with flavor. And by flavor I mean poignant, memorable, recognizable aromas and tastes. I don’t know why, but everything I make has to “sing,” as an editor of mine always says.

I’ve noticed that there are a few things in my spice cabinet that get pulled out a lot. And it’s those spices that I use in different quantities with varying pairings to make all sorts of dishes.

First, there is my French Sea Salt. I bought it at Williams-Sonoma a few months ago and it’s from “the island of Ré, off France’s Atlantic coast,” according to the little blurb on WS’s website. Nice big chucks of salt add a great flavor to just about everything. I use it instead of table salt, almost on a daily basis. Sea salt is great in dishes like Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Crostini, Balsamic Tomato, Corn and Cucumber Panzanella and Balsamic Roasted Green Beans.

Secondly, there is my McCormick Barbecue Seasoning. It’s a powder form and virtually calorie free. But it tastes great. I love adding it to stir-fry or rice. But then, I am a barbecue junkie. I have no less than three varieties of the bottled version in my house at any given time.

Trader Joe’s Dried Basil is another favorite of mine. I use it mostly in sauces, but lately have found myself sprinkling it on meats and pastas too. I am thinking that I might create a little herb garden in my kitchen so I can use the fresh version more often, though. How hard could a little herb garden be to maintain?

See also All About Basil.

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