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Showing posts with the label HALLOWEEN

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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Halloween Open House ~ Tour, Tricks & Treats

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Welcome to the second annual Halloween Open House at Rook No. 17 where you'll get a little peek at how we've haunted the halls of our 1893 Victorian this year.  First, please enjoy some hospitality... (looks like we need to put some meat on those bones) TRICK:  Owls? TREAT:  Owl Deviled Eggs TRICK:  Green Goblins? TREAT:  Pistachio & Blue Cheese Grapes TRICK:  Terrariums? TREAT:  Chocolate Terrarium Cakes with Marshmallow Moss & Fondant Toadstools TRICK:  Skulls? TREAT:   Chocolate Dipped Oreos with Marshmallow Skulls And now, the tour... (slideshow runs just over 2 minutes) (Music:  Frost Waltz, courtesy of Incompotech.com ) Below you find links to tutorials for making some of the vintage inspired decorations seen in the slideshow.  Most were made on the cheap -- with supplies purchased from the dollar store. Click HERE for a tutorial for making this glittering Skeleton Crew from dollar store supp
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OWL-o-ween Deviled Eggs

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It's no secret:  I love to play with my food.  So when the California Olive Committee contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in creating a "spooktacular" Halloween recipe with their California Black Ripe Olives, I jumped at the opportunity! After all, wearing California Black Ripe Olives thimble-style atop each of my fingers is one of my fondest and earliest memories of playing with food. Okay, I confess, I still do it. Anyone with me? Deviled eggs always seem to be one of the quickest things to disappear from any party table.  Last year a friend made the Spider Deviled Eggs from Sunset Magazine. The combination of the eggs and black olives was delicious! Combining my family's love of California Ripe Black Olives, deviled eggs, and owls, I came up with this delicious and adorable Halloween appetizer. Whoooo wants some? Owl Deviled Eggs (makes 2 dozen) 1 dozen XL large eggs, hard boiled and cooled 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 teas
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Pumpkin Pie Fudge with Salted Dark Chocolate Ganache Recipe

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After the success of this latest confectionery experiment I am so excited to present to you my recipe for Pumpkin Pie Fudge with Salted Dark Chocolate Ganache ! This is the perfect Autumn candy!  The fudge is creamy and smooth with just the right amount of pumpkin and spice.  The silky ganache and flaky sea salt take the already excellent fudge to the realm of the sublime! If you love chocolate, pumpkin pie, and salty/sweet combinations...you'll love this fudge.  Even if you don't care for pumpkin pie because of the texture, you should give this recipe a try.  It captures the delicate taste of pumpkin combined with fall spices, but with the texture of fudge, rather than custard. Pumpkin Pie Fudge with Salted Dark Chocolate Ganache fudge portion of recipe adapted from Southern Living Makes 64 1" pieces For the fudge 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup packed light brown sugar 3/4 cup salted butter, cut in to pieces 1 cup canned pumpkin 2
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How to Host a Halloween Scavenger Hunt Party

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Here's a bit of Halloween tomfoolery that makes for a perfect party:   The Halloween Scavenger Hunt It's fun for all ages and couldn't be easier to put together! We've enjoyed rounding up our group of usual suspects year after year to traipse through the streets in a high-spirited hunt! Here's a list of tips and tricks for how to host a successful Halloween Scavenger Hunt party of your own: 1.  Set a date and send out invitations with all the particulars. Ask guests bring a digital camera and let them know they'll get bonus points for coming in costume.  3.  On the day of the scavenger hunt, give each family an identical bag of "tricks" which includes their scavenger list, pens & pencils, and some fun props, including a roll of toilet paper for "mummifying" one of the team members. 4.  Send all the teams out at the same time and print their "return time" on the scavenger hunt list (or b
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Recipe: Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Pumpkin Pasties

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My family and I have been catching up on the Harry Potter movies this week in anticipation of the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.  As we conclude our Harry Potter marathon this evening, I thought it would be fun to serve a little treat inspired by the magic of Hogwarts. Have you read the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling?  Did the descriptions of the enchanting and fantastical treats enjoyed by the students of Hogwarts make your mouth water as much as mine?  One of the foods mentioned in the book that captured my fancy was the Pumpkin Pasties sold on the Hogwarts Express.  So here, for your enjoyment (and mine...oh yes indeed) is my interpretation of Pumpkin Pasties -- a hand-pie with a brown sugar cookie crust and pumpkin filling.  The pies are "stamped" to give them a little extra MAGIC ! Hogwarts Pumpkin Pasties Makes 18-22 Cookie Crust 2 large eggs 1 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar, packed 6 Tablespoons mol
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Skeleos ~ Chocolate Dipped Skeleton Oreos (on a stick!)

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This past week was chock full o' Halloween festivities, and with so little time, and so many places relying on volunteers for TREATS, I needed to come up with a quick and easy crowd pleaser to help get me through it all. I found my muse in a Halloween recipe on the Martha Stewart website.  In the Martha recipe, she took a few calculated snips to a marshmallow to transform it into the shape of a skull.  She used chocolate sprinkles for the eyes and nose, and used the whole thing to adorn a chocolate dipped Madeleine.  I didn't have time to bake up a few dozen batches of buttery Madeleines, so my twist on Martha's clever marshmallow treat was to use the skulls to decorate chocolate dipped Oreo cookies on a stick.  The "Skeleos" as I dubbed them, were a huge hit and were gone quicker than you could say "Boo"! Here's how to make some SKELEOS of your own: Ingredients Marshmallows Candy Melts or Chocolate Callets  (My current fav are
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