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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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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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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
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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
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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!
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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
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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
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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
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