Freezing Your Herbs

My chocolate mint is starting to take over the pot that it's growing in so I decided to cut some off, but I didn't have an immediate use for it. I recall reading in a gardening book that herbs can be frozen and stored for a few months. Throwing the herbs into a bag and tossing it into the freezer will result in a clump of frozen mint. To prevent the leaves from freezing together, first place them on a baking sheet. Then once they're frozen they can be put into a bag and stored in the freezer until needed.

Grilled Chicken and Potatoes with Tomato and Cucumber Salad

It's time for another Fine Cooking recipe! This one is super simple and it will really impress your friends. Especially if you're able to get some nice grill marks on the chicken! I don't have an outdoor grill, because I don't have a backyard, but this recipe can also be cooked using a grill pan on a stove. When using a grill pan the chicken and the potatoes will most likely have to be cooked separately (unless the grill pan is big enough). Everything is tossed in a lemon vinaigrette, which adds a nice brightness. This recipe serves 4.

The Indoor Garden Expands to The Outdoors

The last I updated about the indoor garden everything was moving along nicely. Since then, I've moved some things outdoors. The tomato plant was outgrowing the space that I had for it in my front window, I had some pepper plants transplanted into my parent's backyard and I also planted cucumber seeds in my parent's backyard. It's been an interesting experience to see the plants begin to flower and set fruit. The carrots were recently harvested and they tasted delicious. Although, they were smaller than I had expected (more on that later).

Mint & Lime Mojito

The first time that I had a Mojito was in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in 2008 while I was on vacation with a few of my girl friends. It somewhat become our signature drink of the vacation as we ordered them every time we were at a bar. Here is 20 year old me enjoying a Mojito in Mexico...

When we came back from vacation we started to ask for Mojitos at bars and restaurants, but most of the time our server would give us a puzzled look. After being disappointed with the few Mojitos that I could find, I decided to make my own Mojito recipe. Some people like granulated sugar in this drink, but I prefer simple syrup (which can easily be made at home and I will include this recipe as well). You can substitute granulated sugar instead of simple syrup if you like.

Cucumber-Mint Water

Earlier this year I purchased a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer. My thought process was that it would help me drink healthier, because I rarely drink water and I'm usually drinking some sort of artificially flavored juice. I don't know what it is about the taste of water, but I just don't like it! I like something with flavor. So I started juicing and I juiced everything under the sun! Let me tell you, fresh fruit juice is way better than anything you can buy in the store. I then experimented with mixing some veggies into my fruit juices and I discovered that cucumber added a very cool and refreshing note. So when I came across a cucumber-mint water recipe in my Fine Cooking magazine I just had to try it out. You don't necessarily need a juicer for this recipe, but you will need a blender.

Indoor Garden Update

The indoor garden is coming along just as planned with the exception of the stubborn mint and the addition of a few new plants. I got a strawberry plant for the boyfriend's sweet tooth and a lime basil plant for my Mojito tooth. I never heard of lime basil before, but when I saw the seed packet I had to have it! I immediately imagined it in various cocktails, teas and pasta sauces. Also, I had been waiting for my potato tubers to come and they finally arrived earlier this week. I will be planting them today and I'm so excited!