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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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PUMPKIN WHOOPIE (!) PIES WITH CREAM CHEESE VANILLA BEAN FILLING

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Today the girls and I dug back to our Pennsylvania roots and baked up a batch of delicious Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!  Max mixed the batter.  Maddie made the filling.  And Bessie, our beloved family cow, kept time with her tail to the tune that Pa played on the fiddle.  I'll leave it to you to figure out where I've embellishmed my story (just a little).  They're very simple to make and as Bessie will tell you, are "udderly" delicious.  Still with me?  Well, bless your heart! Here's the recipe: Pumpkin Whoopie (!) Pies with Cream Cheese Vanilla Bean Filling Makes 9 For the “Pies” 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 2 large eggs 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil 1 cup canned pumpkin 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat the oven to 325
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Pumpkin Butter ~ A Dippy Love Story and Recipe

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A few years ago my husband and I were in charge of making snack at my daughter's preschool.  On the top shelf of the oven, one of the teachers had an apple pie baking.  On the middle and bottom shelves we were baking grilled cheese sandwiches (Monterey Jack cheese on Milton's Original Whole Grain Bread).  As is oft to happen with fruit pies, the apple pie bubbled over, coating the corner of one of the sandwiches below with sweet, cinnamony goodness.  Mr. Rook, a big fan of trying unusual food combinations eyed the syrupy sandwich with eager anticipation.  I, however, was wary.  Perhaps it's un-American, but I'm not really a huge fan of apple pie (gasp!).  Smooth-talker that he is, Mr. Rook talked me in to trying a bite and, "WOW!"  It was fantastic!  Unfortunately, this accidental delicacy was in short supply.  So, that evening, we made up a batch of the same grilled cheese sandwiches.  Because we didn't have an apple pie on hand, and hoping to
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ATTACK OF THE TWO TON TIGGER...OR, WHAT I'M THANKFUL FOR

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Dear Food, I hate you.  No, wait, I love you!  You are tasty, cozy, cooling, warming, complex, powerful, subtle, a delicious art form, and possess the power to evoke memories and bring people together.  At the moment, however, I resent you.  It is because of you and your irresistible deliciousness that I was not able to fit in to my cute little vintage WW II nurse costume this Halloween.  That's how I ended up in my husband's Tigger costume.  It had been in the garage for several years and had thereby accumulated more dust than the surface of Mars.  Halloween was a cold night and the Tigger costume looked warm.  After all, it's made of heavy-duty fleece and is made for a 6' 5" man.  I saw warmth and comfort and I went for it.  Nevermind the fact that I'm asthmatic and that the two greatest triggers for said affliction are dust and cold weather.  What was I thinking?  Apparently I wasn't!  So I spent the week following Halloween with a head full
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PUMPKIN PIE ICE CREAM FOR OUR INDIAN SUMMER

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Due to the bassackwards microclimate of the Monterey Peninsula, we are intermittently experiencing a beautiful Indian Summer ~ Days of warmth and sunshine, with just a subtle backnote of Fall crispness lingering in air.  Have you ever wondered what's up with that layered-tank-top-and-long-scarf look that's so popular with the Old Navy/Gap set?  They're not totally nuts ~ they were probably raised in an area that experiences the Indian Summer.  One day you're bundled up in fleece and Ugg boots (this uniform is standard issue in our area).  On the menu:  a cozy Pumpkin Soup and crusty whole grain bread enjoyed fireside.  Next day your sporting shorts and flip-flops.  On the menu?  Well, you're still feeling "Fall", but suddenly hot soup doesn't have quite the same appeal.  So, here in the land of topsy-turvy seasons we've learned to adapt our favorite seasonal recipes to compliment the "climatary quirks", as it were.  If you're
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VINTAGE PAPER DOLLS ~ FREE PDF ~ PART II ~ a wardrobe upgrade from The Graphics Fairy!

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I was catching up with some of my favorite blogs today, which of course means spending some time with The Graphics Fairy .  I was delighted to find that she and I both have one of the same darling little paper dolls in our collections.  I decided to repost my free paper doll PDF and include a link to The Graphics Fairy so that anyone with this Paper Doll can have the full wardrobe (I believe hers is a Gaucho costume and is simply too flippin' cute!).   A few years ago I spotted these charming vintage paper dolls at an antique store in Santa Rosa. Not wanting to "impulse shop", I left them behind; only to find that I couldn't get them out of my head. Fortunately, my little brother was living in Santa Rosa at the time and was sweet enough to pick them up and mail them to me. At the time I had so many plans for the darling quartet of paper people, but I soon became preoccupied by two real life baby dolls (my daughter Madeleine, followed by her sister Max, three
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IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO GRANT A CHRISTMAS WISH!

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While reading some of my favorite blogs today I came across a post by my friend Tabitha over at I Choose Bliss .  It really touched my heart and propelled me into immediate action.  I hope you'll feel the same way too: "Diana Biorkman needs your help in making her son's wish come true. She has a 5 year old son, Noah, in the last stages of a 2.5 year battle with Neuroblastoma Cancer. The family is celebrating Christmas next week and Noahs request is to get lots of Christmas cards. Please consider sending cards to: Noah Biorkman 1141 Fountian Viewcircle South Lyon, MI 48178 Please let this precious child know he is DEEPLY Loved. FILL HIS MAILBOX WITH JOY" I set out some doodads and paper scraps I've been collecting for just such a project and let my 4-year old daughter Max get creative making a card for Noah.  She really got into the spirit of making a special card for this little boy that I told her was very sick.  It's never too e
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COLD TURKEY ~ THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING CONUNDRUM

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OKAY, LET'S TALK TURKEY!   After all, that time of year has crept up on us with stealth and a loud and blood curdling, " GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE !"    First some Turkey tips from this Bird about Another: 1)  Try a kosher Turkey.  They are held to the strictest standards and are therefore of very high quality, are extremeley clean (cleaned and processed by people, not by machines in giant factories), and come already partially brined, and that means a nice juicy roast! 2)  If you're buying a regular or heirloom bird, be sure to brine it.   Heirlooms and free-range birds can be wonderful, but are often a little drier than regular turkeys.  Not sure where to put your bird while brining?  Try a small cooler.  It will keep it cool and won't take up valuable space in the fridge.  Alton Brown has a great brine recipe on FoodNetwork.com . 3)  Consider cooking your stuffing outside of the bird.  Not only is it safer (sparing you the potential for an u
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ONE WARM COAT ~ A HEARTWARMING CAUSE

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Is your child's school, club, or team looking for a way to make a difference in their community this winter?   Consider a " ONE WARM COAT " DRIVE:  It's as easy as printing up a flyer, setting out a box, and registering with " One Warm Coat " online  to get connected with agencies in your area that will distribute the coats to people in need during the cold winter months.  "Take a peek in your closet, garage or chest to help out those not quite so blessed. Should you find a coat you do not wear Just bring it here to show you care. It’s getting cold And you may find It warms your heart to be so kind. Coats and Jackets: New and old Recycled here to fight the cold . It doesn’t matter: Big or small Our humble box accepts them all."                                 ~ Troop #2033's One Warm Coat Poem I am proud to say that this will be the third year that my daugher's Brownie troop will be organizing a &
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STUFFED PUMPKIN WITH CORNBREAD CHICKEN-APPLE DRESSING
(TAKE THIS SQUASH AND STUFF IT!)

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Running some last-minute Halloween errands this week I was startled to find that as far as the retail world is concerned, Halloween is long gone, Thanksgiving has been leap-frogged right over, and it's CHRISTMAS!  Poor little Turkey Day!   Well, the big box stores may be decking their halls with boughs of holly, but I've got some serious Pilgrimizing to do around here.  To kick off Turkey Month, I'm going to do old Tom a favor and offer a wonderful alternative to stuffing his cold, pink carcass (did I hear someone say Salmonella?) with soggy bread.  Introducing the STUFFED PUMPKIN WITH CORNBREAD AND CHICKEN APPLE SAUSAGE DRESSING.  The presentation is festive and lovely, and this sweet and savory stuffing always brings guests back for seconds!  Gobble Gobble! STUFFED PUMPKIN WITH CORNBREAD CHICKEN-APPLE DRESSING • 1 (4 to 5 pound) pumpkin • 1/4 cup melted butter • Salt and pepper • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 small onion, finely chopped • 2 shallots, c
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GETTING MY LUCKY DUCKS IN A ROW...

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Many thanks to everyone that participated in October's contests and giveaways with your wonderful comments, subscriptions, and support!  It was especially fun (and hilarious) reading through all the captions for the ABC Nursery Blocks Caption contest.  Without further ado, here are the lucky duckies: Babygags Baby Apparel Giveaway:  MS. BIBI (please email me with your mailing address and choice of t-shirt or onesie) Set of Cupcake Cuties:  ROYAL FAMILY (please email me your mailing address) ABC Nursery Block Captions:  HONEY MOMMY (please email me the address where you would like your 1-year subscription to Bon Appetit sent) "Does this make my butt look big?"  ~ Honey Mommy
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