Posts

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

WHEN GOOD BANANAS GO BAD... THE ADVENT OF BANANA BREAD BISCOTTI

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What do you do when a good banana goes bad?  In my house, the solution typically comes in the form of banana bread.   But due to the fact that my family suffers under the delusion that eating any of the final three bananas in any given bunch is punishable by death, we have grown rather bored by the ever-present banana bread.   I had saved a recipe a while back for banana biscotti, thinking that it would be another good way to reform bananas gone bad, but alas when I pulled it up I found that it called for banana bread mix .  Heavens!  So, my little chef protege and I  donned our aprons and inventing caps and came up with a marvelous recipe of our own that is simple and yields professional looking results.   It keeps for several weeks if stored in an airtight container.  Enjoy! Rook No. 17's Banana Bread Biscotti makes approx. 3 dozen 5 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 Tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 3 overr

HOE! HOE! HOE! HOW TO CELEBRATE PRESIDENTS' DAY

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One of the things that brings me the greatest joy is being able to use my creativity to create special and magical little moments for the people I care about ~ transforming the ordinary and sometimes mundane moments of life into something that shimmers!  Many of us long for "a life less ordinary", but find that commercialism has narrowed our focus to a few favored holidays.  In reality, almost every day is a day being celebrated somewhere in the world.  What better opportunity to learn about the people with whom we share our globe, than by acquainting ourselves with the unique ways that they express joy and celebrate life? I started this blog, partly out of a desire to share my new traditions and revamped customs with a greater audience.  While continuing to offer original recipes, crafts and tutorials, I hope to provide a more cohesive direction for Rook No. 17 in the months to come ~ with an emphasis on simple, yet profound ways to create everyday magic. Chance

FRIDAY FOLLOW ~ WELCOME!

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If you're stopping by from Friday Follow, Welcome! And if not, well, you're very WELCOME too!  I hope you enjoy your visit. If you like to get creative in the kitchen, stop by the "RECIPES" "CULINARY RESOURCES" and "CULINARY TIPS" section of the "Bill of Fare" on the right side-bar (The nav bar on top isn't quite finished yet). If crafting is more your style, check out "CLIPART AND GRAPHICS", "CREATIVE THINGS TO DO", "TUTORIALS", AND "CREATIVE RESOURCES". Interested in learning some Chocolatiering?  Visit the "WONKATEERS" link! If eclectic, edgy, and cosmopolitan music (the likes of Carla Bruni, The Hush Sound, Edith Piaff, and the Shins) is to your liking, click the playlist on the right. I look forward to returning the visit!  Have a wonderful weekend!

LOVE IS IN THE AIR ~ FREE VINTAGE VALENTINES PROJECTS, CARDS AND GRAPHICS

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" Love grows by   giving .  The love we give away is the only love we keep.  The only way to retain love is to give it away. ” ~ Elbert Hubbard, American writer How will you be showing your love this Valentines Day? Like a box of Valentines Chocolates,  today's post is a mixed collection of sweet treats for you: Three Vintage Valentine Card print-cut-and fold PDFs  A Treat Box Template Valentine Cupcake Topper PDF From my personal archives, I've pulled some charming Valentine postcards for you to use in collage, decoupage, scrapbooking, card-making, etc. To make this 3D Valentine Card, download it HERE and print on cardstock. To download and print these cute retro Valentines, click HERE . To make these Valentine Treat Boxes, download this template .  Print it out "as-is" for a pink box, or print, cut and use as a pattern on your own special paper.  You can trace four boxes on a single sheet of scrapbook sto

DOES YOUR BUSINESS MOO?

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Looking for a unique gift for the artist, crafter, or organized person in your life?   How about some chic little personalized Valentines? This past summer, my friend Larise and I went to the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco ~ an astounding collective of some of the most creative and talented craftspeople from around the country!  One of the things that stood out to me were the chic little business cards that many of the vendors were using ~ smaller, thinner, and more avant garde than your typical business card.  Some of the cards featured mod geometrics.  Others had modern floral prints, or quirky characters, or vintage inspired images.  To my artistic eye, these little personal expressions were a feast of visual candy!   Moo cards as Hanging Tags for your Etsy Store I was thrilled to discover that MOO , a forward-thinking printing company in the US and the UK has made the process of creating your own "Mini-Cards", not only easy, but extremely fun!   M

Il Timpano ~ For your Big Night, or any night...

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There are films that make you laugh;  films that make you cry; films that cause you to take pause, reflect and meditate on your own life; and then there are some films that inspire you to express your love and passion through cooking ~ Babette's Feast , Like Water for Chocolate , Eat Drink Man Woman , and Chocolat to name a few. After I first saw Big Night back in 1998, there was one thing I knew I must do:  make a Timpano!  As a busy, working mother of two my recipe has slowly evolved through the years to be a bit easier, quicker, and appealing to the kids, without sacrificing flavor and depth.  What  I like most about this recipe is that it is versatile (you can add any ingredients that your family enjoys), fun for the kids to help make, and is always delicious.  The presentation never fails to garner "oohs" and "ahhs". Rook No. 17 Big Night Timpano serves 6 1 pound dry spaghetti 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce

Waiter! There's a BABY in my cake! -- or -- IT MUST BE THREE KINGS DAY

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Today we are celebrating the 12th Day of Christmas.  I'm nursing a tremendous migraine, so fortunately, this does not mean that our true love will be bestowing the gift of "twelve drummers drumming".   What it does mean is that today my family and I will celebrate Three Kings Day ; also know as Epiphany or Twelfth Night . This Christian holiday celebrates the day that the three wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus. The legendary visit later gave rise to the custom of gift giving at Christmas on the Feast of the Epiphany, today traditionally observed on January 6. In Germany, where my father's family originated, children go from house to house on Epiphany eve, singing carols and chalking the year and initials KMB (those of the kings, Kaspar, Melchior and Balthasar), near the entrance of each home. The festive Dreikonigskuchen or Three Kings Cake is also served that night to celebrate the occasion. Since childhood I have relished all the magic and