Girl Scout Birthday

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By Diane Forrest

Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try:

To serve God and my country,

To help people at all times,

And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be:

Honest and fair,

Friendly and helpful,

Considerate and caring,

Courageous and strong, and

Responsible for what I say and do,

And to respect myself and others,

Respect authority,

Use resources wisely,

Make the world a better place, and

Be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Girl Scout Slogan

Do a good turn daily.

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Last month I told you about Robert Baden-Powell and his wife over in England.  He is the founder of the Boy Scouts.  A year after the Boy Scouts started, Juliette Gordon Low, from Savannah, Georgia went to England and met with the Baden-Powell’s to talk about an organization for Girls. When she returned home from her trip she made her historic telephone call to a distant cousin, saying, "I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!".  The Girl Scouts were born.  This took place 100 years ago today.  Since that time they have seen many changes, had many members, and have grown worldwide.

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There are 3 different groups of Girl Scouts.  The age 7 to 9 year olds are called Brownie, Intermediates from age 10 to 13, and seniors from ages 14 to 18.

The Girl Scouts are very popular this time of year with thousands of young ladies selling their delicious cookies for fund raisers for projects throughout the year.  So today, on the Girl Scout's birthday, why not try a box of thin mints...or your favorite flavor from one of the young scouts in your area.

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There's something in my pocket

It belongs across my face

And I keep it very close at hand

In a very convenient place

I’m Sure you couldn't guess it

If you guessed a long long while

So I'll take it out and put it on

It's a great big brownie smile!*

* Brownie Scout song learned by Brownie Diane during her time in the scout organization

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National Chocolate Mint Day - Yum!!

Got spoon?
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By Diane Forrest,

It’s that time of year again, when the girl scouts come knocking at your door selling those wonderful cookies.  It is a love/hate relationship for me...While I love the Girl Scouts, and Love their cookies, I Hate to see them coming because I know I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to that order sheet they stick in my face.  I immediately order 2 boxes of the thin mint cookies, and then I will look through the sheets to see what else they have.  The worst part about it is when they finally arrive; I open the box, pull out a tube, and eat all of them at once!

Whoever thought of putting chocolate and mint together is one of my heros.  I love the chocolate mint ice cream, and as part of my research for this article (wink wink) I had to get a small pint to remind me why I love it so much.  That...and the girl scouts haven't reached my neighborhood yet.  The coolness of the mint and the creaminess of the chocolate are a perfect match.

It is gone...

The other morning, Valentine's Day morning, my mother placed some gifts on my front porch and when I went out and saw it I brought it inside to see what Cupid had left me.  There was a red tote, which was great, I love having a bag to carry stuff to places, but what was inside the tote was amazing!  There was a bag of Ghirardelli chocolate peppermint bark squares!  I thought I had died and gone to heaven!  Of course I had to open it right away and have one, even if it was only 8 o'clock in the morning.  I had first tried this at Christmas, and have been looking for them since then.  I was not aware that it was a limited edition variety, but fortunately my mother was aware of that fact, and hid this away for Valentine's Day.

In case there are no girl scouts in your area, I found this recipe for the thin mint cookies on allrecipes.com for you to try, but, if you can't wait long enough for the oven to pre-heat, you can run to the store for some Keebler Grasshopper cookies, they are just as wonderful as the thin mints from the girl scouts.

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Today is National Chocolate Mint Day, so treat yourself to some cookies, ice cream or candy in honor of this wonderful day.

Thin Mint Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
• 3 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter or margarine until creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until mixed well. Beat in egg and mint extract.
2. Sift flour, cocoa, and salt together into a small bowl. Add flour mixture by halves into creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
3. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface roll dough into two 1 1/2 inch diameter cylinders. Wrap each cylinder in waxed paper, and refrigerate 5 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thirty minutes prior to baking, place both cylinders in freezer.
5. Remove one cylinder at a time, and slice 1/4 inch thick pieces with very sharp knife. Place on cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Melt 1/4 cup butter or margarine and the semisweet chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Drizzle over warm cookies. Place on wire racks, and let cool and harden completely.