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Showing posts from July, 2010

Chonky Boys: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches that Scream Summer!

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Featuring my thick and nuggy Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookies, these ice cream sandwiches are the stuff that summer dreams are made of.  If you've ever had the Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich at Disneyland , you are going to LOVE these!  These big and bold chocolate chip cookies are based on a recipe from my culinary school studies at Auguste Escoffier, but with a few modifications to give them that Jennuine touch.  They make the perfectas book for a fat slice of real vanilla bean ice cream.  And those mini chips?  You just gotta have that extra cronch! Thank goodness this recipe only makes 8 sandwiches, otherwise I would be eating them for breakfast lunch and dinner.  This way, my big family can help save me from my inner child diet-saboteur.   Print With Image Without Image Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches Yield: 8 Author: Jenn Erickson Loaded with chocolate chips and buttery, brown-sugary vanilla flavor, these mall-sized cookies form a perfect partnership with a
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BURGERTIME! MINI LOOKALIKE CAKES TWO WAYS -- You Want Shortbread Fries with That?

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Single serving, life-sized burger cakes Chances are you've already seen and been charmed by the little cakes that look like cheeseburgers that have popped up online in profusion this year. These darling little lookalikes typically feature a cake "bun", a brownie "burger" and colored frosting. So what's my angle?  My spin?  How about a shortcut to making the mini bites?  Save time without sacrificing taste! How about amping up the realism on the life-sized version while balancing the textures and flavors for a more "grown up" taste?   The Mini "Burger Bites" Let's start with the minis ~ the tiny "burger bites".  Most recipes I have seen use mini cupcakes.  I was looking for a way to eliminate this extra baking step (= less time and less dishes to wash), while adding flavor and a nice contrasting texture.  For the bun, I used classic "Nilla Wafer" cookies.  They're not as sweet as a cupcake,
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BACK TO SCHOOL (SO SOON?) -- BACK TO SCHOOL BLOG HOP!

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(a wee bit of back-to-school clipart for you!) Where did the Summer go?  The words Back to School never fail to make me nostalgic for my own school days ~ The crisp autumn air, that feeling of excitement mixed with trepidation, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, and, being a child of the 70s, the pride in ownership of a shiny, new metal lunchbox.  The lunchboxes may have changed, but some things remain constant, like the Dixon Ticonderoga No. 2, the Pink Perl Eraser, and back to school shopping.   For many parents and families, Back-To-School harkens the arrival of the End-of-Summer traditions.  For my family, this means a big beach bonfire with friends, back-to-school shopping, and Mama-time manicures/pedicures with the girls the night before school starts.  What are your traditions? If you've written any posts on the subject of school, back-to-school, school lunches, or end-of-summer traditions, please feel free to link below.  You're welcome to share
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SECRET SQUIRREL COOKIES ~ Brownie-Stuffed Peanut-Butter Pillows of tasty goodness

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AFTER HAVING PUT TOGETHER THE POST FOR THE "CUSTOM DINNERWARE DIY"   (click HERE to learn to make your own custom dishes and dinnerware) I was left feeling that those sweet dishes were looking a bit barren.  I needed something to fill them tout de suite. Earlier in the month, I was paying a regular visit to one of my favorite bastions of confectionery brilliance, BAKERELLA , and came across her aunt's recipe for Pillow Cookies -- get this: it's a brownie bite baked in to a chocolate chip cookie! Salivating yet?  I baked up a batch quicker than you can say "chicken-in-a-biscuit" (why?  I dunno, just felt like it), and they were divine.   Click HERE to visit Bakerella and get the recipe for yourself. On Monday, I had the good fortune (or misfortune in the case of my diet) to come across an insanely original and to-die-for twist on the classic "Cake Cone" at Cookies And Cups :  PEANUT BUTTER CUP BROWNIE CONES! To ma
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Adventures in Lazertran -- or Secret Squirrel & the Custom Dinnerware DIY

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Do you remember those Make-a-Plate projects from your childhood?  You'd draw on a special piece of paper, send it to the factory, and a few weeks later would have a fabulous melamine plate?  I'm still a big fan of those plates, but I'm thrilled to say that I've learned a new technique that allows you to apply your own artwork and images to real ceramic dinnerware .   It's like Make-a-Plate, but ALL GROWN UP!  Interested?  Read on... Several months ago I came across The New Book of Image Transfer by Debba Haupert.  In this book, Haupert explains in depth how to transfer images using Lazertran Waterslide Decal Paper to such materials as wood, leather, pottery, glassware, metal and ceramics -- making it possible to create completely customized, professional looking transfer projects at home.   I purchased myself a copy, but as often happens, life got in the way and the book was shelved.  Fast forward a few months...I'm co-hosting a Tea Time Ba
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