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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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URBAN BABIES WEAR BLACK PART II ~ and a chance to win a Diaper Dude diaper bag for DAD!

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GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED I stand at the threshold to the upstairs bathroom, silently observing my daughter's morning ritual:  calm and composed, she stands atop the bathroom vanity , smooths her hair (left side, then right);  dons her black pinstripe fedora, gives herself a wink, a tip of the hat, and is ready for PRESCHOOL!  This little child has more cool in the tip of her pinky finger than I've amassed in all my thrity-eight years combined.  Some people, I believe, are simply born with it!  And for those rare little souls who come pre-loaded with a sense of identity, intrinsic chill, and an eye for style,  Winnie the Pooh "just 'aint gonna do!" I don't mean to poo-poo Pooh, but for for 'rents and their hanging-on-the-hip-sters whose style is more cool than cutesy, funky than foofy, Doc Marten than Disney, well....this one's for you! With Fathers' Day just around the corner, let's begin with something for Dad!  I discovered the
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Bake-ins: Baking Cupcakes in Origami Paper Tulip Cups DIY

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Can you bake cupcakes in origami paper? YES, YES YOU CAN!   A generous gift of several packs of origami paper from my friend Janis have kept my girls busy and creative for days, and were the inspiration for this bit of cupcake ingenuity. You can whip up a dozen of these beautiful and unique cupcake/muffin liners in a matter of minutes, once you have your technique down.  There is no need to grease or spray, provided that you don't overbake.  Try them with your favorite cake recipe or mix, or continue the theme with a batch of green tea cupcakes (click here for a wonderful collection of recipes)!
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SNICKERDOODLEDOO ICE CREAM ~ I don't mean to be cocky, but this recipe's worth crowin' about

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Apple Pie, Fourth of July, Mount Rushmore . . . Snickerdoodles?   Unlike Apple Pie, this American icon is one that we can truly claim as our own.  Around the turn of the century, the good folks of New England developed a peculiar penchant for giving whimsical and often silly names to their baked goods.  Snickerdoodles comes from a tradition of this ilk that includes Graham Jakes, Jolly Boys, Branble, Tangle Breeches, and Kinkawoodles.  Most would agree, it doesn't matter what you call 'em, these chewy little sugar cookies, rolled in cinnamon sugar -- by any other name they'd still be delicious!  Did you know, however, that Snickerdoodle was the name of a tiny folk-tale hero from American folklore?  I didn't, until I did some research and found a great article HERE .  Turns out that this pint-sized pee-wee was delighting children, teaching sound moral lessons, and making his way via oral tradition throughout the American South and on West in his tiny peanut car!
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RETRO LUNCH BAG PRINTABLES -- OR -- THESE GOOD LITTLE KITTENS DID NOT LOSE THEIR MITTENS, SO THEY SHALL GET SOME PIE

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My girls are off to day camp today, so I sent them off with these cute little lunch bags bearing a gentle reminder to mind their Ps and Qs. I created this easy printable for paper lunch bags with coordinating strawberry stickers, using the vintage school posters I posted yesterday.  To print your own, simply download the files, open, and set your printer's paper settings to a custom size of 5.15" x 10.8.  When loading the bag into your printer, make sure it is flat and smooth.  For the stickers, use full-sheet adhesive paper.  Remember Thank You Lunch Bag Take Turns Lunch Bag Strawberry Stickers
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SMITTEN WITH KITTENS ~ some charming clipart for the classroom, playroom, or nursery

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(SEE THE ORIGINAL BELOW) A dear friend retired from teaching this year, and as she was cleaning out her classroom she came across a set of "Good Manners Full Color Posters" from 1969. The colors are so bright and cheery, and the messages are simple and timeless! These charming vintage posters would be perfect for a playroom or nursery, and have excellent graphics for a myriad of craft projects. ~ I'm already envisioning a sweet little chore chart and some lunchbox-notes for back-to-school time. I wonder if a full wall mural of "PUT THINGS AWAY" would have any effect at my house? Probably not, even if I added a really scary-looking mama-cat holding up a trash bag in the background. ~ What sort of crafty vision do you have for these well mannered felines? Please share your inspirations, and feel free to download the images to use as you'd like (for non commercial projects).
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REBORN ~ the rise and fall of the Marzipan Baby ~ and a DIY for making your own SUGAR BABIES at home

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DO YOU REMEMBER THESE GUYS?  A few years ago, the " MARZIPAN BABIES " had their 15-minutes of fame on the email circuit when someone concocted a story that these incredibly real-looking miniature babies were sculpted out of marzipan.  I was forwarded this incredible story a few times, but never ceased to be amazed and dazzled by the realism and detail of these miniature miracles! The story was later revealed to be a hoax.  The truth of the matter is that the babies were made of polymer clay (no less impressive) by artist Camille Allen (who was NOT responsible for the erroneous claims).  I've always thought that the "marzipan babies", regardless of their original material, would be a fantastic challenge to try to recreate as baby shower cupcake toppers.  The problem rests in the fact that the level of detail required for these marvelous creations would simply take too much time to reproduce sufficient quantity for a special event.  I recently had the op
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SAVE THE WHALES ~ The care and naming of your bathtub whale ~ and an appeal to the President from "MY BOY THURSDAY"

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I am the proud mother of two delightful, exuberant , creative little girls. As the oldest child and only girl in a family of four, this was everything I ever wished for growing up. Now that our youngest is five ("graduating" preschool tomorrow as a matter of fact) m y husband and I are happy to have diapers, 3 a.m. feedings, and bulky baby accessories behind us. We've decided that "we're done." Every once in a while though, especially when I hold a baby, I get that little pang of doubt . And every so often I think about the fact that my husband's family name stops here, since we have no sons. Then a friend's toddler throws the tantrum of the century in a quiet store where we're browsing, and I thank heaven the terrible twos, threes and fours are in my past! Today my 8-year old daughter's friend offered to carry my groceries into the house. Yes, I'm enjoying this older kid thing! For the past several weeks, I've had the pleas
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CREAMED LIFE IN A BASKET CASE ~ OR, THE WOES OF THE MODERN MAMA

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(to view a full-screen version and take in all kitchy character of this period piece, click HERE) ARE YOU FEELING A DRASTIC TIP IN THE SCALES IN YOUR LIFE'S BALANCING ACT? IT SEEMS, THIS MONTH, THAT EVERYONE IS BUSIER AND MORE OVER COMMITTED THAN EVER. And yet, while dusting off some old cookbooks in my collection this week, I came across this section of "The Modern Hostess Cook Book for this Season" from 1939, and was startled with the realization that my plight is nothing new. Our grandmothers struggled with the same trials in having to finesse more than 24 hours of work into a 16 hour day, 7 days a week! The challenge of finding new ways to be more efficient with our time is not merely a symptom of our modern cyber age! In 1939, one way that modern women found a solution to their balancing act was to use prepared and prepackaged foods. A marvel! A boon! "Hallelujah, it's Creamed Beef in a Bread Case ! Now, we find ourselves swept up (t
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A SHOUT OUT TO MY "PEEPS" AND SOME SPECIAL CHICKS

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Yeah, I know "Jack".  Not "Jack be nimble", nor "Jack of all trades"; not the Jack who was so uncoordinated that he couldn't make it down the hill with pail of water without a serious head injury, nor "Jack Sprat", that lean-meat lovin', "Pimpin' it Plus Size" t-shirt wearin' guy either. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Now that's him!  Simply put, I've suddenly found myself with so many "Must-dos" and "To-dos" that there's simply no time for fun and leisure.  Baking, Caking, Crafting, Writing, and all have fallen behind the sofa, have shriveled and nestled into the warm embrace of the resident dust bunnies, and will perhaps someday be found when I have the time to clean back there.  I will probably find them along with a few of my husband's socks, a candy wrapper, a coin or two, and a mauled dog toy.  When I do, I'm sure they'll resemble a &#
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THE ROMANCE IS OVER ~ in which Duran Duran, St. Patrick, teen heartthrobs and the French Catacombs unite for a common cause ~ IRISH SODA BREAD

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Many moons ago, in a time best left buried admist the other scrap and rabble of my youth, I worked for a brief spell at an Irish pub. It was largely a lesson in humility, for reasons I won't delve into here (but I will tell you that the uniform involved a kelly green bow tie and hideously unflattering shorts of the same color). The one good memory of the place is that of their Irish Soda Bread. It was baked fresh every day in the restaurant's enormous basement kitchen. The sweet, toasty, nutty perfume that wafted from the kitchen and through the catacomb-like hallways was the only thing that kept me from succumbing to the heebie jeebies that the subterranean parts of this old building conjured. The bread was nothing much to look at. It was a humble, round loaf; light brown and a little powdery. But one bite, and everyone was hooked. This deceptively simple looking bread possessed an uncanny complexity -- a slight sweetness offset by the salty bite of the baking sod
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ST. PATRICK'S DAY CUPCAKE TOPPER DIY, and the curse of the nefarious leprechaun

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THE CURSE OF THE NEFARIOUS LEPRECHAUN He's back!  You probably already know him.  He's the one that sideswipes your car, knocking off your side mirror and keeps on driving. He's the guy who lets his dog do his business on your lawn and never picks it up, fills the public toilet with those paper seat covers, pours the last cup of coffee in the staff room, but lets the pot sit there empty to smolder and burn...sound familiar?  If you're a blogger, and have taken the advice of your well-meaning peers and removed "word-verification" from your blog, you've probably had a run in with this malicious little imp -- calls himself "Anonymous" and loves to wreak havoc with your work by placing all kinds of wacky ads and nonsense in the comment field throughout your blog.  Argh!   Recently, this slippery little dickens decided  to take advantage of my absence by bestowing me with not one or two, but dozens of his crafty little witticisms all over m
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