Mentha piperita


Looking for some yum?

Hopefully you've found the peppermint species to be interesting thus far, but let me share with you my favorite part!  As I shared with you in my contact page, I love to cook and naturally I dug through my cookbooks to find a couple delicious, yet relevant recipes for you all to try out!  Just click on a link here at the top to get started.  Happy snacking!

Easy Mojitos
Citrus Mint Cooler (non-alcoholic)
Mint Berry Blast
Mint Sauce (for lamb chops)
Chocolate Mint Wafers
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

 

Easy Mojitos

 To make these mojitos, you will need:
Ice
6 ounces light rum
12 mint sprigs
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons sugar
club soda
4 slices of lime

Directions
Place the ice, rum, and mint sprigs, as well as the lime juice and sugar to a beverage shaker and shake well.  Serve over ice in a high ball glass.  Top each glass off with club soda and garnish with a slice of lime and mint sprig.  Yield 4 glasses.

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Citrus Mint Cooler (non-alcoholic)

For these delicious beverages, you will need:
2-1/2 cups cold water
2 cups sugar
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup orange juice
10 mint sprigs
1 bottle (32 oz) ginger ale, chilled
cold water

Directions
Place first five ingredients (water through mint sprigs) in medium sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring until all the sugar is dissolved.  Cover, remove from heat, and let steep until cool.  Strain, cover and refrigerate.

To serve, fill glasses with equal parts cold water, ginger ale, and fruit juice.  Add ice and serve immediately.  Yield about 15 servings.

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Mint Berry Blast

For this nutritious snack, you will need:
1 cup each fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and halved strawberries
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
1 tablespoon lemon juice
whipped topping, optional

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the berries, mint, and lemon juice.  Gently toss to coat.  Refrigerate until serving.  Garnish with whipped cream if desired.  Yield 4 servings.

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Mint Sauce (for lamb chops)

For this family classic, you will need:
1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Place mint leaves in a small bowl. Stir in boiling water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until sugar is dissolved. Cover and let steep for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with lamb. Yield 6 servings.

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Chocolate Mint Wafers

For these minty delights, you will need:
4 ounces dark chocolate candy coating
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
18-24 vanilla wafers

Directions
Place candy coating and extract in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave uncovered on high for 30-60 seconds, or until smooth, stirring every 15-30 seconds. Dip vanilla wafers in, coating them evenly. Allow excess to drip off and place on wax paper to set. Store in an airtight container. Yield 18-24 cookies.

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Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

For this yummy treat, you will need:
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 drops green food coloring
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
In a large bowl, stir together milk, cream, sugar, salt, and the vanilla and peppermint extracts until the sugar has dissolved. Add the food coloring until your desired color is reached. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to he manufacturer's instructions. After about 10 minutes, stir in the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened (about 30 minutes), spoon into a container and freeze for at least two hours.

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Go back home

To make sure my information is correct or to learn more about M. piperita, check out my references page.