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Showing posts with the label REVIEWS (BOOK)

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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Recipe: Zucchini Fritters with Garlicky Tzatziki Dip
from Debbie Matenopoulos' "It's All Greek to Me" {Book Review & Giveaway}

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It's the 4th of July. Happy birthday, America! Today, as we celebrate our freedom, we're also looking back and paying homage to our ancestor, Anastassios Kolovos, who at the age of 16, in 1908, immigrated to  the U.S.A. from Vlahokerasia, Greece. Anastassios represents the first chapter in our family's American story. Celebrating our cultural heritage has always been important to my family, and one way we stay connected with the traditions of generations past is through food.  I'm always eager to learn more about Greek cooking, so I was excited when I was invited to join the book tour for " It's All Greek to Me -- Transform Your Health the Mediterranean Way with my Family's Century-Old Recipes " from Debbie Matenopoulos.     In Debbie's warm and authentic style, she weaves incredible family recipes, anecdotal storytelling, and stunning photography that will transport the reader to the Greek family table, and de
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Book Review & Giveaway: Washi Wonderful ~ Creative Projects & Ideas for Paper Tape

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I asked and Rook No. 17 fans on Facebook responded:  When given a choice of three different new and fabulous craft books for me to give away and review, the hands-down favorite was Jenny Doh's Washi Wonderful .  So, here we go... The first part of the book is all about using washi tape to make fanciful custom cards.  My favorite is the "Welcome to the Neighborhood" card tutorial from designer Ishtar Olivera Belart on page 32. If you're not familiar with Washi Tape, it's a colorful patterned paper tape from Japan that has taken the craft world by storm.  This artful and versatile little tape is the subject Jenny Doh's latest book, Washi Wonderful:  Creative Projects & Ideas for Paper Tape (April 2014, Sterling Publishing, 144 pages, $19.95, ISBN 978-1454708117) .  It's one of the first books of its kind -- devoted entirely to showcasing the creative potential of this fun and affordable medium. The second part of the book is brimming w
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The Perfect Mother's Day Gift for Creative Cooks ~ Cooking With Flowers
{book review and giveaway}

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Roses are Red Violets are Blue They're a treat for the eye And you can cook with them too! If you love to cook and experiment with beautiful, fresh, and homegrown ingredients, chances are, you're going to want a copy of Cooking with Flowers: Sweet and Savory Recipes with Rose Petals, Lilacs, Lavender, and Other Edible Flowers for yourself.  But my purpose today is to rave about this incredible new cookbook from Miche Bacher of Mali B Sweets as the perfect Mother's Day Gift. Flowers are a popular token of love for Mother's Day.  If the special mother-figure in your life enjoys cooking, baking, or gardening, I have an idea for how you can make your gift of Mother's Day flowers all the more special and long-lasting. Pair Cooking with Flowers with a palette of pansies, a bouquet of roses, or a selection of tulip bulbs.  It's a gift that shows love and inspires creativity.  Cooking with Flowers contains more than 100 flower
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Stylish Weddings: 50 Simple Ideas to Make from Top Designers
by Jenny Doh {Book Review and Giveaway}

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  FACT: More couples get engaged during the winter than at any other time of year. Are you one of the newly betrothed?  Are you or someone you're close to planning a wedding? If you're looking for creative (and cost-effective) ideas for your big day, or like me, have already waltzed down the aisle, but still revel in the romance and pageantry of weddings where you find inspiration for other special events, be prepared to fall in love... ...with Jenny Doh 's Stylish Weddings:  50 Simple Ideas to Make from Top Designers     Stylish Weddings is brimming with quick, simple and inexpensive projects for personalizing your wedding using delightful handmade touches.  Jenny's talent as an artist and writer found the perfect match in the company of six noteable wedding designers, each of whom offer readers a signature themed wedding. Choosing a theme for your wedding can help to streamline decision-making, refine your focus, and
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Book Review: The Resurrectionist
A Novel and Art Book by E.B. Hudspeth

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Ad: I use Grammarly for  online proofreading  because dangling participles make me blush. "Philadelphia, the late 1870s. A city of gas lamps, cobblestone streets, and horse-drawn carriages—and home to the controversial surgeon Dr. Spencer Black. The son of a grave robber, young Dr. Black studies at Philadelphia’s esteemed Academy of Medicine, where he develops an unconventional hypothesis: What if the world’s most celebrated mythological beasts—mermaids, minotaurs, and satyrs—were in fact the evolutionary ancestors of humankind?" So begins this extraordinary book -- part  fictional biography, part illustrated scientific notebook.  E.B. Hudspeth's The Resurrectionist ( Quirk Books , 2013) tells the story of Dr. Spencer Black, a genius and a madman, a scientist and a showman -- P.T. Barnum meets Dr. Moreau.  It's a beautiful, macabre, and haunting book set in a time when the public fascination with medical curiosities was at a f
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Thanksgiving Craft: Felt Pumpkin Pie Place Cards
{" heart-FELT Holidays" Book Review & Giveaway}

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I love crafting with felt! It can evoke nostalgia, exude charm and be so forgiving. Today I'm sharing an easy and delightful project for your Thanksgiving table: Plush Pumpkin Pie Place Cards If you can sew a basic whip stitch, you have all the sewing skills necessary to bake make them. This project came directly from the pages of heart-FELT Holidays: 40 Festive Felt Projects to Celebrate all Seasons , from Lark Crafts (by Kathy Sheldon & Amanda Carestio).  I have several new Lark titles to share with you this month -- all of which make excellent holiday gifts.  But this one, well, you're going to want to get this one now...for yourself!  If you love to craft and make handmade gifts, heart-FELT Holidays is a must-have for your DIY library.  You don't have to be an experienced seamstress to complete these beautifully designed and straightforward projects (that use plain old manufactured felt from the craft store).  The book
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