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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

Pecan Penuche with Chocolate & Sea Salt
A Retro Recipe Revamp

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  All week I've been buried under textbooks and term papers.  Today I decided that enough was enough.  Instead of textbooks, I headed to my cookbooks and picked up Meta Given's 1959 Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking . From the moment I saw those hat-box teal covers, I knew that this charming set had to be mine!  I picked them up for a song, and have time and again enjoyed flipping through the pages, taking in the culinary flavor of 1950s America, and the "modern" tips for homemaking and entertaining from one of the leading home economists of her time.   All week long I've had a wildly wicked sweet tooth, yet I've hardly set foot in my kitchen.  So, when I finally stepped into our tiny matchbox kitchen, I could hear the sweet whisper of Meta's cookbooks calling my name.  " Volume 1, page 407 ," they crooned.  " Candy !" I trilled.  Nougat, Orange-Coconut Creams, Pralines and Sea Foam beckoned.  But in the end, it was th

Personalized Fabric Mason Jar Label Tutorial

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Summer fruit and vegetables are at their peak!  Will you be making jam, jelly, preserves or pickles to put up for the winter or give as gifts?  If so, here's an easy tutorial for making personalized fabric labels for your mason jars. Of course, the technique of using your home printer and a roll of freezer paper to print on fabric is nothing new.   I didn't invent it.  This tutorial shows how to use the popular technique to make custom labels that will give your canned goods an extra touch of charm. Fabric Mason Jar Labels -with printable fabric DIY- (makes 4 labels) 1 12"x 18" sheet of Freezer Paper (Can be purchased in the food wrap section of grocery stores) 1 piece of fabric, slightly larger than the freezer paper sheet (I use inexpensive drop-cloth from the hardware store) Label template - Download HERE (the frame came courtesy of The Graphics Fairy) Ribbon or jute Step 1:  Iron fabric on dry setting to remove

Coconut-Curry Butternut Squash Soup

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Rich, silky, and lush with flavor, would you believe that this Thai inspired butternut squash soup is also low in fat?  Based on a Weight Watchers recipe, this so-good-you'll-want-to-lick-the-bowl soup gets its creamy texture from the roasted pureed butternut squash which is loaded with vitamins A and C, light coconut milk and just a touch of fat free evaporated milk.    If I were served this soup in a restaurant I would be back the next day, first thing in the morning, nose pressed against the glass door with a pathetic "must have soup" look in my eyes.  It's that seductive.     Coconut-Curry Butternut Squash Soup (adapted from Weight Watchers) 1 3-lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" cubes 1 Tablespoon canola oil 1 large sweet onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger root 1 Tablespoon curry powder 2 cups nonfat chicken stock or broth 14 ounces light coconut mil

"A Little Birdie Told Me..." bids adieu

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A good hostess knows when to pack it in.  -------------------------------------- Welcome to the final installment of "A Little Birdie Told Me..." -------------------------------------- It was then that she realized  she was in a bit over her head. Friends, I'll spare you the platitudes and get straight to the point -- Something's gotta give .  In May of this year I went back to school to pursue a graduate degree in teaching.  In donning the new cap of "student" I must take off another to ensure that I can continue to be a good mom, wife, friend and student.    As the school bus approached, Pinocchio began to question his decision to become a "real boy". I'm saying farewell to our little party so that I can focus on maintaining original, quality content here at Rook No. 17 and to have more of an opportunity to enjoy the creativity and friendship of those I've met t

Have Your Tea and Coffee Too ~
Hong Kong Yuanyang Iced Coffee Tea with Seattle's Best

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YuanYang: East Meets West Coffee Meets Tea Visit any restaurant or dai pai dang (open space food vendor) in Hong Kong and you're likely to find patrons sipping Yuanyang -- served hot or cold, this delicious drink is a harmonious marriage of coffee and traditional Hong Kong milk tea. Step into a bustling coffee shop in the U.S. and you'll likely find a menu filled with specialty coffee and tea drinks inspired by Western cultures.  But mark my words, it's only a matter of time before East meets West and we start seeing Yuanyang Coffee Tea on menus everywhere.  Why?  It's delicious, and in one brilliant fusion you can enjoy your coffee and your tea all in one. I'm pleased to be working with Collective Bias and Seattle's Best Coffee to promote the Red Cup Showdown (#RedCupShowdown).  Now through July 27, 2012, Seattle's Best Coffee, along with Food Network Star Jeff Mauro, are searching coast to coast for the best new coffee drin

Backyard Chili Cook-off Party and Ballot Board DIY

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A few years ago our small town cancelled its annual 4th of July parade and fireworks show.  So, we started a new tradition and made some culinary fireworks of our own with a 4th of July Backyard Chili Cook-off!   This year was our third and we decided to make the voting and tasting easier by making ballot/tasting boards for our guests.  It was inexpensive and easy and I'll show you how in the tutorial that follows. A cook-off or bake-off is a fabulously fun theme for a party.  I love the way that everyone gets excited and involved.  To host a cook-off or bake-off party of your own, simply ask guests to bring their entry all ready to serve (in a crock-pot for hot foods, or per-portioned for cold foods).  Assign each entry a number as it arrives.  Have ballots and pencils ready for when the tasting begins.   After about an hour of tasting/voting, we fire up the grill and make burgers and hot dogs, accompanied by mountains of tater tots, homemade corn

3 DIY Jewelry Tutorials ~
A Little Birdie Told Me...No. 78

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"Three Rules of Work:  Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies oportunity." ~ Albert Einstein -------------------------------------- Welcome to  "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Tuesday No. 78! If you're here to share a craft, recipe or project post, you'll find the linky and the specifics on how to  join the party after the features below. -------------------------------------- Before we move on to the features, may I interest you in... My Hodgson Mill Pasta Giveaway HERE My Mikarose $50 GC Giveaway HERE And, if you're looking for some quick karma points, I'd love your "LIKE" on my Muffuletta Pasta Salad recipe HERE   --------------------------------- This week the spotlight is on tutorials for making beautiful, elegant and fun jewelry at home.  There's a tutorial for every age and level.  Whic

Giveaway ~ Sophisticated Style with Mikarose

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I love sharing great finds with my friends!  And when it comes to finding a company with clothes that are fashionable, affordable, well-made and fit a wide range of body types, I like to shout it from the rooftops (or at least my front porch).   So, I'm very excited to share this review of the Cowl Neck Top and Butterfly Necklace from Mikarose (and a Giveaway too)! Mikarose is a clothing company that specializes in modest, elegant and fashionable clothes and accessories.  Their goal is to synthesize style and sophistication to create lines of modest clothing that you can wear to a broad range of functions.  You can see their full Summer collection HERE .   A simple t-shirt with a feminine cut is one of cornerstones of a classic wardrobe.  The Cowl Neck Top from Mikarose (shown here in white) is that perfect wardrobe building piece.  It's feminine and comfortable and is versatile enough to be worn casually with jeans, with a flirty skirt for evening, o