'Tis the Season of Mint

Living in the northwest, I suppose that peppermint is really a year round flavor. It grows in great abundance everywhere, and I love it. Peppermint in salads, in tea, in pasta, as a breath freshener... My largest pot is devoted to my mint plant, which has gone from a couple wiggly stalks purchased at a local nursery, to the abundance seen below.


That said, the candy flavor variety is still near and dear to my heart, and I'm very pleased it is in season at a grocery store near you.

Mint M&M's are pretty much a divine gift from on high. I stockpile them as soon as they appear in stores, hide them from myself as a surprise out of season, and devour them in really unhealthy quantities. Stir a few into your morning coffee or glass of milk, mix them with ice cream or froyo, add chopped ones to cookies, or just enjoy a handful with another guilty pleasure.

Candy canes are another fave option, but I'm a bit of a snob about them. The cheap kind taste like (I know, I'm deranged for thinking this) old washcloths -- kind of mildewy and moist. Gross, right? I have no clue why I have this association. But a truly delicious candy cane, in either a classic hard style or a softer melt-in-your-mouth-like-dinner-mints style, make me very happy. I like to get a cold glass of milk and use a candy cane to stir it until it dissolves, leaving me with pink minty milk. It is SO good.

And for those of you who have decided that this quantity of sugar consumption is unforgivable for either dental or scale related reasons, I understand. Try some faux-sugar peppermint syrup in your coffee or maybe some good old fashioned peppermint herbal tea. Meanwhile, I'll take your share of M&Ms, thanks.