March 2010 Cookie Carnival - Pecan Mint Bars

I finally got around to making our March Cookie Carnival Cookie - Walnut Mint Bars.

 Here's my version:

Pecan Mint Bars

* 1/2 cup (1 stick)plus 2 tablespoons margarine, divided
* 1-1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 wafers, crushed)
* 1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans because my family doesn't care for walnuts)
* 1/3 cup powdered sugar
* 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
* 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
* 1 egg
* 1-1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract OR 1 tablespoon green creme de menthe
* Green food color(optional)
* CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE(recipe follows)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Melt 1/2 cup margarine in medium saucepan; stir in crumbs, walnuts, sugar and cocoa. Press firmly on bottom of ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Beat cream cheese, remaining 2 tablespoons margarine and cornstarch in small bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk then egg, peppermint extract and food color, if desired. Pour evenly into prepared pan.

3. Bake 25 minutes or until center is set. Cool. Drizzle CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE over top. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Cut into bars. Store covered in refrigerator. 24 to 36 bars. bars.

CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE: Melt 1 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips with 1-1/2 teaspoons shortening (do not use butter, margarine or oil).


** MY NOTES**

They were easy enough to whip up and they look pretty...but...I'm not sure how crazy I am about the peppermint extract in these bars. I liked them but I think that I would've liked them much more if the chocolate was mint flavored instead of the cream cheese filling being flavored with the extract. Something is just off to me ....  My daughter and I globbed extra chocolate on the top of the bars because it was sooo good. :)

I like the bars, though, so I might try them again with another flavor of extract -- maybe almond extract with bits of maraschino cherries chopped up and sprinkled on the top of the filling before baking it. Then afterward, I'd drizzle dark chocolate on top --doesn't that sound good?

You can see the original recipe for Hershey's Walnut Mint Bars here. 


I hope that everyone will check back for the round-up for this cookie at the end of the month!! I can't wait to read what everyone else thought of these cookie bars.

Really Late Menu Plan

Better late than never, right?

Here's our menus for this week.......

Family Menu

• Monday - cheeseburger sliders & spicy mac n cheese
• Tuesday - hamburger stroganoff
• Wednesday - crockpot chicken tacos* & Spanish rice - new recipe
• Thursday - pork tenderloin & tomato pasta salad* -new recipe
• Friday - bbq chicken chopped salads* - new recipe
• Saturday - breakfast for dinner - poached eggs & fried potatoes

My Low Carb Menu 

• Monday - cheeseburger & salad
• Tuesday - chicken sausage & sauteed green beans
• Wednesday - chicken taco salad
• Thursday - grilled pork tenderloin & broiled tomatoes w/cheese
• Friday - lc bbq chicken chopped salad
• Saturday - breakfast for dinner - scrambled eggs and turkey bacon

Have a great week! Be sure to check out other menus at Menu Plan Monday.

Low Carb Chicken Lettuce Cups w/ Avocado Bacon Dressing

Spring is in the air! It's the perfect time to start using one of my favorite low carb food cups - Romaine hearts. This is a perfect "cup" to hold all sorts of salad mixtures. Today I'm using grilled chicken with an avocado bacon dressing.

Chicken Lettuce Cups w/ Avocado Bacon Dressing

3 lg. Romaine hearts, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel
1 grilled chicken breast (leftovers are perfect!)
Avocado Bacon Dressing* - recipe below

To assemble: 

Lay Romaine hearts open on a plate. Slice the chicken breast into 9 thin strips. Lay 3 chicken strips on each lettuce "cup". Top with 1-2 tablespoons of avocado bacon dressing.

Avocado Bacon Dressing 

1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and chopped into medium pieces   
1/4 tsp no salt cajun seasoning
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Frank's hot sauce
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 C. celery, chopped into very small pieces3 pieces of bacon, fried crisp and broken into crumbles
**note** Do not add any salt until you do a taste test first. I found that there was plenty of salt in it from the bacon that I used. 

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl with an electric mixer. Stir in celery & bacon.Spoon immediately on top of the chicken lettuce wraps.

This dressing can also be used as a dip for vegetables. If a thicker dip is desired, mix in more avocado to the recipe above. Adjust seasonings, if needed.

                                                 

Another Yummy Meatball Recipe

This Italian meatball recipe comes from a member named Catwoman on FamilyCorner.com. The meatballs have a really good flavor to them, plus they held up well when I cooked them in the spaghetti sauce after baking them.

Italian Meatballs
2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
2 eggs, scrambled
saltine crackers, crushed small, half tube +
(I ran the crackers through the food processor to make fine crumbs)
1/2 onion, minced
3 Tbsp. parmesan cheese, grated finely
garlic cloves, minced
dried parsley to taste
dried sage (my secret ingredient!)
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cooking spray onto a cookie sheet.

Mix all ingredients together well. Use as many cracker bits as needed- meatballs should be moist but not slimy. Form into half-dollar sized balls and place on cookie sheet so sides are not touching. Cook in oven for 15-18 minutes, watching so they don't burn, until brown. (Make sure to not over cook them if you are going to add them to spaghetti sauce to finish cooking.) If desired, roll meatballs on paper towels to get rid of extra grease.

** My Notes **  I cooked the meatballs for 15 minutes and then dropped them into spaghetti sauce to cook for another 1/2 hr. They held their shape in the sauce. I froze the leftover sauce and meatballs and then had no problem reheating them for the next meal.

Coconut Meringue Macaroons

These macaroons are slightly crisp on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. Great for an after-dinner dessert or even a midnight snack. The macaroon is also an accepted dessert or snack for Passover.

What You Need

2 Egg Whites
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 2/3 Sweetened Flaked Coconut
2/3 C. Sugar
2" Ice Cream Scoop


What You Do

Beat together egg whites, vanilla, & salt until it forms soft peaks. Slowly add sugar to the mix, and then beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold coconut into the meringue.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Generously grease a baking sheet. Using a 2" ice cream scoop, drop the coconut meringue mixture onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until very lightly browned.