Peppermint

Peppermint is just wonderful. Although I've heard sometimes that peppermint can be bad for you, it's also apparently one of the oldest medicinal herbs in the world. I don't care much about this either way, but I think it's just perfect in tea or candy (although I don't love the hard peppermint candies, for those I prefer spearmint), a little sweetened. Today, I had some lovely peppermint saltwater taffy, which is lovely and reminds me of the beach. It's nice to have a flavor that can simultaneously remind you of both the beach and the holidays, and peppermint manages to strike just the right balance.

One of my all-time favorite peppermint dishes is peppermint ice cream. A recipe for you to make it at home can be found here: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/peppermint_ice_cream/. My friends and I made it one Christmas, and I remember a lot of laughing and whacking of the candies. Overall, it's a fun group recipe, with a delicious product. It makes for the perfect holiday dessert.