St. Patrick's Day Chocolate Mint Cookie Bark

   I stumbled across this yummy recipe for chocolate mint cookie bark and thought it would be fun to make with my son. We always bake something festive together for St. Patrick's Day and this recipe combined all of my favorite things! It's a great recipe to involve your child in because of all of the little jobs you can give them while you're melting the chocolate (like sorting the M & M's, crushing the Oreos, etc.). I hope you'll enjoy it!

St. Patrick's Day Chocolate Mint Cookie Bark

Ingredients
    •    12 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
    •    12 ounces white chocolate chips
    •    2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (like Crisco), divided
    •    20 chocolate sandwich cookies (I used regular Oreos)
    •    1 cup Andes mints broken into bits
    •    1 cup green M&Ms (I used regular)
    •    Green sprinkles
 
    1.    Line a large jellyroll pan or cookie sheet with wax paper. Roughly chop sandwich cookies into quarters.
    2.    Pour semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon shortening into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute; stir chocolate well. Microwave for another 30 seconds; stir until chocolate is smooth. (If necessary, microwave in additional 15-second increments, stirring between each one, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.)
    3.    Spread melted chocolate in a thin layer onto wax paper. Sprinkle with chopped cookies and Andes pieces, pressing them down into melted chocolate in a single layer.
    4.    Melt white chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon shortening in a clean bowl by repeating the above process, but microwave for only 15 seconds after the initial 1 minute since white chocolate melts more quickly than regular chocolate.
    5.    Carefully drizzle white chocolate over cookie layer and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle with M&Ms, pressing them down into the white chocolate, and then fill in any bare areas with green sprinkles.
    6.    Refrigerate until chocolate is hard. Carefully break into large chunks and enjoy!

Everything ready to go in the refrigerator!

Once the bark has cooled, break it apart into pieces.

We put some in a little bag and attached the recipe as a gift for my son's teacher.

Useful Gifts/Northampton Survival Center

   Living in a small space really makes you think about the amount of stuff you have. I really don't have that much stuff, I've gotten rid of a lot of it over the years and each time I've moved. But when you don't have a lot of living space, what little stuff you DO have seems like too much. This has made me very mindful of my purchases and especially of the gifts that I give and receive. I'd rather get a useful gift than something that will take up more space and won't get used. Don't get me wrong, I love clothes, books, music, and smelly lotions just as much as the next girl, but if I want that kind of stuff, I'll just buy it for myself. When receiving a gift, I'd rather it be something useful. Over the years I've developed a deep appreciation for incredibly useful, practical gifts. There's nothing I love more than when someone recognizes another person's need for something and then gives it to them.
   
   I wanted to share one of the most useful gifts I ever received. When I was 18 years old, I moved out of my parents' house and into my own apartment. I had no idea what I was doing and I was totally unprepared for the situations that might come up when you live alone. One of the gifts that my parents gave me during that time was this beauty:



    
   That's right, a simple toolbox with a few basic tools. At the time, I thought, "What am I going to do with this?" But this gift has been used over the years more times than I can count (particularly the level!). I am so grateful that my parents recognized what I needed and gave it to me. I love this toolbox! I wish more people gave useful gifts like this!
  
   Useful gifts don't have to be something material. A useful gift could be giving someone support or providing friendship or volunteering your time. I was scheduled to do some volunteer work last fall at the Northampton Survival Center. The Survival Center is an emergency food pantry that provides low-income families in Hampshire County with free food, clothing, and personal care items. I wanted to put my office skills to use and help people, so I met with the staff at the Survival Center and arranged a time to come in each week to work in their office. Unfortunately, the week I signed up I also received a full time job offer from somewhere else, so I never got a chance to volunteer. But I still drop off clothing and other items whenever I get the chance.
  
   I guess where I'm going with this is, you never know how important a useful gift could be to someone. I never would have guessed that the toolbox I received over a decade ago would still be one of my favorite belongings. Next time you give a gift, consider making it a useful one! 
  
   To give the gift of your time or learn more about the Northampton Survival Center, visit http://www.northamptonsurvival.org/.

"The hands that give are more pious than the hands that pray..."