Mint

Full disclosure - I work for the Tribune Co. that Zell runs and is actually newly owned by an employee stock option program that's too complicated to be explained here. And more full disclosure - I freely admit that the circumstances regarding the new ownership and all its implications have a fair amount to do with how I feel about this, so if you have any complaints about how my opinion is influenced by self-interest, you can save the keystrokes. It's already admitted. Zell, who made a fortune in real estate and is a Chicago guy himself, makes the point that the gum people have been getting a free ride on the ballpark's name since then-Cubs owner William Wrigley named it after his family in 1927 and perhaps it's time that they pony up the cash like every other corporation that has its name on a sports building.

This supper was inspired by a wonderful meal at Passionfish restaurant in Pacific Grove, Calif., where the chef paired scallops with a butter-rum sauce. Here, in lieu of the more complex ingredients of that dish, a small amount of mint adds flavor while cutting some of the sweetness. Renee Enna writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis. Butter-rum scallops Serves 4 -- Total time: 12 minutes 2 tablespoons butter (divided use) 1 pound bay scallops, thawed if frozen, patted dry 2 tablespoons rum 2 teaspoons honey 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste freshly ground pepper 1 bag (6 ounces)

There's leafy-green mint in pesto and potato salads. Mint in fruit salsas, dressings and sauces. Mint in chocolate confections and atop sliced fruit. Yes, the perky taste is clean and cool -- a perfect flavor profile to add to warm-weather treats. This chocolate cake with mint whipped-cream frosting is simple to make and delicious. Prepare a cake-mix chocolate layer cake (doctored up by adding sour cream to make it rich) and top with a minty whipped cream. Garnish with fresh berries tossed with slivers of fresh mint and a little orange liqueur or raspberry liqueur.

Like most cooks, when I decide to have a dinner party, I usually pick the main course first, then figure out the rest of the menu. Rarely does a side dish become the inspiration for a meal. This past week, however, after testing a recipe for buttered orzo tossed with peas, fresh mint and parmigiano-reggiano cheese, I changed my mind. I was so excited about this delectable spring pasta and vegetable creation that I planned an entire menu around it for a coming dinner for friends. Orzo, the oval-shaped pasta that looks like large grains of rice, can be cooked simply in boiling salted water for a few minutes until tender, then drained, tossed in butter and if desired, seasoned with some grated cheese such as parmesan.

Rob Bailes has been around horses all his life. His father, Mert, saddled J.R.'s Horizon (ninth) in the 1990 Preakness, and his grandfather Bob was the farm manager and a trainer at Meadow Farm in Virginia and the first rider to get on Secretariat's back. Rob Bailes, who has unsung Mint Slewlep in Saturday's Preakness field, is already familiar with the Triple Crown series, having saddled Scrappy T in the 2005 Preakness and come away with a surprising second place behind Afleet Alex. "My dad pretty much taught me everything I know," said Bailes, 42. "I try not to give him credit for the bad things I do. He was a very good conditioner of racehorses, and probably the most important thing he taught me was you don't train every horse the same.

Girl Scout cookies may be coming to a coffee break, lunchbox or kitchen near you. They're for a good cause, and they taste so good that some people have been known to make a whole box of them disappear in one day. In moderation, Girl Scout cookies can fit into your food plan - and you can still fit into your clothes. If you ate a serving of the best-selling Thin Mints (four cookies) every day for a week, there would still be a few cookies left in the box. But if those cookies never seem to last that long at your house, here are some tips that can help: Don't eat them straight out of the box. It's too easy to lose track - or lose control - of how many you're eating that way, especially if you're watching TV or working on a computer while munching.

What it is -- A new, chewy, mint-flavored candy by Hot Tamales What we like about it --The flavor isn't overpowering, yet the candy can freshen breath and satisfy the sweet tooth at the same time. Fans of the original cinnamon-charged Hot Tamales might not care for the cool mint, but they should still give these a try. What it costs --79 cents for a 2-ounce package Where to buy --Available at grocery stores Per serving --200 calories, 0 grams fat, 51 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams protein, 0 grams fiber, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 30 milligrams sodium

Astronomy European craft to crash on moon Europe's first mission to the moon is due to crash-land in a cloud of dust and rock early Sunday, ending a three-year voyage that gathered data about the lunar surface and tested a new engine intended to propel future spacecraft to Mercury and other planets. The European Space Agency's SMART-1 should hit its target on a volcanic plain called the Lake of Excellence at 1:41 a.m., orbiting lower and lower as it makes its final approach at 4,475 mph. Observatories on Earth will try to capture images of the impact and the resulting debris cloud, and European space officials hope it will provide information about the minerals present at the impact site.

I am told that rather than saying "Good morning," farmers in New England greet one another in June simply by asking "Peas up?" Mine are. Several healthy plants have climbed a trellis and formed pods. This spring, with its cool days and its gentle rains, has been a good one for the peas. I planted two types of peas: conventional peas, which you shell, and sugar snaps, which you eat whole, pod and all. The trouble is I can't remember which is planted where. So lately, I have been spending a lot of time studying pea pods and munching on a few, trying to figure out if they should be picked immediately or left on the vine to fatten up. Mostly, I favor fattening.

If your local congressperson offers you $100 to offset federal taxes on your gasoline purchases, do yourself a favor. Ask for the money in pennies. As of late last week's trading in the futures markets, the value of the zinc and copper in a penny now exceeds 1 cent for the first time. The metal price in a penny has not rallied enough to justify the cost of melting down the coins. Using the latest available futures prices for zinc and copper, the metal in the penny is worth $0.01016. But the milestone means that just about everyone is carrying solid evidence of the historic rally in industrial metals prices that erupted this year.