Mint driving you crazy? Here's a great way to use it

Every year I like to grow mint in my herb garden. This year I planted peppermint and a spearmint.
   As a mint plant grows, I like to watch its glorious green leaves reach out to the sky, ready to be picked and used in a delicious dish or recipe.
   But as anyone who plants mint knows, it grows well. There’s no need to coax a mint plant along – there is always a plethora ready to be picked once it starts to grow.
   The recipe I write about today, Mintade, is one of my favorite ways to use plentiful mint.
   It’s so quick, so easy, and a lovely drink to serve at a summer breakfast.
   The recipe was originally published in Gourmet magazine a few years back, but is not present on epicurious.com, the mag’s recipe site.
   However, I found it reprinted on another blog. Click here for the recipe.
   The recipe calls for fresh orange juice and fresh pink grapefruit juice, but in the interest of saving time, I use store-bought juices in these instances.
   The fresh lemon and lime juices, though, I squeeze from the citrus fruits with a juicer.
   The recipe says to tear the mint leaves, and that’s a good direction. It helps release the mint flavor into the drink.
   The blog on which this recipe is reprinted says the writer used ¼ sugar – I used ½ cup as the recipe directed. And, I used Splenda instead of sugar.
   You don’t need to strain out the mint leaves before serving this drink. They will settle to the bottom of the glass, or sneak in with a sip.
   To make mintade, orange, pink grapefruit, lemon and lime juices are combined with water, fresh mint leaves and sugar.
   Chill and serve!

Hibiscus and Ginger Iced Tea - another brilliant non-alcoholic summer refresher.