I have always had mint in my herb garden.
Well, after having mint in my actual herb garden I now grow it along the fence where it can be controlled by the lawn mower. It does have a tendency to spread rapidly and take over everything.
I digress….
I have always grown mint, but other than tea or minty summer drinks I have rarely used it.
I decided it’s time to change and broaden my horizons.
We were both very happy with this dish – the lemon and mint worked very well together (along with the chives and basil).
BTW – did you know that you can easily store a cut avocado by putting it cut side down on a plate and refrigerating it? Without the pit, of course. Yes, I know there are a lot of ‘hacks’ out there declaring that it must be rubbed with lemon and / or wrapped in cling film and / or any number of other things, but really, slap it on a plate and stick it in the fridge – it will be just fine for a day or two.
Some people really like to over-complicate the easy stuff….. But, then, my method wouldn’t make a great YouTube video.
Lemon Orzo with Avocado and Herbs
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (4.5oz, 130gr) orzo
- 2 tbs salad olive oil
- 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 avocado, cubed
- 2 tbs chopped chives
- 2 tbs chopped basil
- 1 tbs chopped mint
- 8 Greek olives, pitted, chopped
- 2oz (60gr) feta, crumbled
Instructions:
- Cook orzo in a large pot of boiling water, according to package directions. It should be done after 10 – 12 minutes. Remove a few and taste.
- When done drain and rinse briefly.
- Whisk the lemon juice and olive oil.
- Add the herbs, olives, avocado, feta and stir to combine.
- Add the orzo and stir again. Serve.
I think I’m going to do this again – and add shrimp.
We’ve been having a rash of burglaries in our area lately.
We are not pleased.
I remember on one of our first trips to this side of the pond, back in the beginning of time, how amazed we were at the trust and honesty that seemed everywhere. Our house in Minnesota had been burglarized, as had our offices. Crime, while nowhere near the level it is currently, was still relatively common.
But in Europe it seemed the opposite. I remember thinking that if I foolishly left my wallet sitting on a park bench in Oslo it would most likely still be there when I returned to retrieve it the next day.
It would also most likely have had a note attached chastising me for my carelessness.
We didn’t always remember to lock our house in Andorra and we didn’t worry about it if we forgot. People used to leave their cars unlocked and running while they ran into a shop to pick up a few things.
We felt the same here in France…. Until now.
Our little village had 5 houses burglarized in one week in May. They were typical burglaries (or so I’m told): the owners gone for a short while, the house trashed and jewelry, money and electronics taken.
Last night I learned that one of the women in my conversation group had been hit. In her case, it was just the jewelry. The culprits didn’t even bother with the computers.
Even scarier, when she went to her local jeweler for copies of the appraisals for insurance, he told her that she was just one of many that had been in recently. He said that if everyone that had been robbed, replaced their jewelry through him he would be able to retire. This was coming from a small town jeweler.
So, now we have to do something we never thought we would be doing again – getting a security system.
We already have the big dogs. We need to get the signs warning of the big, mean, vicious dogs to hang on the fence, though.
But the dogs aren’t always here…..
It’s time to get the security system.
As ‘they’ say… Better safe than sorry.
Still, I really hate that it has come to this.
But it could be worse.
Sigh…..
I had two big “mean” dogs inside my house when it was robbed…..stupid thing was the burglars smashed in the front door when the back door was already wide open for the dogs to go in and out during the morning .
When you have too much mint, try stuffing the cavity of a whole chicken with it before roasting. It give a wonderfully exotic aroma to the chicken. Sorry about the break ins. Our little town has seen a rash of car break ins, smash-and-grab. Disheartening.
Maybe you can make one of these in French for your gate. Our sign is a picture of a snarling doberman that says: Go Ahead; Make his Day. I tried to attach the pix I have but couldn’t do so.
My sign says, “I can make it to the fence in three seconds…can you?” with a Doberman silhouette in the middle. It’s a ‘safe’ sign meaning, in our state, you put up a sign that says Beware Of Dog and you’re admitting the dog is vicious. If the burglar gets bit, he has every right to sue you and will probably win and your dog will be put down. It’s my hope the sign works because if you pat my dobermans on the head, they’ll help you carry the stuff out of the house and pack the car for you…
I am definitely making this recipe sans mint. We are not mint people.
kate, how horrible. It’s all very unnerving, but I guess that is how life is now.
Zoomie, I think if one has any mint at all one has too much. It seems to multiply very quickly. Thanks for the tip. It is disheartening, isn’t it? As a species I think we’re regressing.
Phoenicia, I like that…. I know longer tell the dogs to be quiet when they bark their heads off at strangers.
nighstmusic, some laws are beyond ridiculous. Here if you are bit it’s because you were stupid enough to put your hand in the dog’s mouth.But, then, Europeans, esp. the French, have always loved big fences and tall hedges monitored by growling dogs. They like their privacy and security. May have something to do with those pesky wars…. I was never a mint person either, but I’m starting to like it – a lot.