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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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BACK 2 BLOGGING CHALLENGE ~ MY FIRST POST

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I'm excited to be participating in the Back 2 Blogging Challenge from the amazing group of women at SITS (an online sisterhood of 7,000 women bloggers).  If you're a blogger and are interested in participating in this fun, 5-day blog-building powerboost (and a chance to win the sassy washer/dryer set pictured above, compliments of  Standards of Excellence ,   Westar Kitchen and Bath , and   Florida Builder Appliances ) , visit HERE . The Day 1 Challenge is:  THE FIRST POST YOU EVER WROTE I started Rook No. 17 back in March of 2009 as a way to share my culinary and craft creations as well as the resources used in the inspiration process with a broader audience.  I didn't know much about blogging at all, and my first post reflects that.  It's purely a list of links.  IF I COULD GO BACK AND DO IT ALL AGAIN, there would have been a greeting, an introduction, and some photos to break up the text.  The content, however, remains as relevant today as it was back
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Arrivederci Lasagna! Open your heart, mind, and mouth to Greek Pastitsio

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This is a painting of the village of Vlahokerasia by the artist Peter Contis ,  who was a friend of my husband's great-grandparents.   The dots do not appear on the original painting. Anastassios Demitrios Kolovos My husband's maternal lineage can be traced back to a small village in Greece, Vlahokerasia, on the Greek Peloponnesus between Tripoli and Sparta.  His great-grandfather, Anastassios Demitrios Kolovos was just 16 years old when he immigrated to the U.S. after half of his family perished during a plague of smallpox that struck the village during the olive harvest. Anastassios settled in Pittsburgh, PA where his uncle had already established himself with a succesful restaurant.   Anastassios went on to be a successful businessman himself and raised a family that included my husband's grandfather, Anastasios Robertos (later changed to Ernest, and known by his friends as "Bob").  Bob, himself, had a fascinating career which included work i
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AN ECLAIR TO REMEMBER...

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On the few occasions I was treated to a chocolate eclair as a child, I remember getting that oh-so-special feeling, imagining what it must feel like to be a queen, nibbling daintily on a fancy treat flown down by twittering bluebirds of happiness from the enchanted kitchens of the court fairies.  Yes, the eclair had the power to transport this awkward 70s kid in a velour shirt and tan cords to a kingdom in the clouds with a single bite! Perhaps this is why I've spent so much of my life elbow deep in flour, concocting fanciful treats for anyone who will have them. I'm pleased to share one of my most favorite recipes, not fairy made, but nonetheless magical with every bite... MINI ECLAIRS WITH VANILLA BEAN CREAM (Makes approximately two dozen mini eclairs) The Pate a Choux recipe is fabulous for cream puffs and ice-cream filled profiteroles as well, but here it is used for the classic French eclair. Step 1: Prepare the Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream Prepare an i
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DOLLAR STORE HALLOWEEN CRAFT ~ SKELETON CREW REDUX

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COST: Under $2/piece TIME: 15 minutes/piece IN A FEW EASY STEPS...   I featured this easy little craft last October, after scooping up the last five glitter skulls at my local Dollar Tree.  This week, I was thrilled to find that the skulls are back.  Get 'em while they last, and have fun assembling your own "skeleton crew". Can you roll paper into a cone? Can you fold an old fashioned newspaper hat? Well, grab your hot glue gun and lets get going... Here's what you need: Glitter skulls (found mine at the Dollar Tree) Can't find glitter skulls? Buy a cheap plastic skull, cover with craft glue, then glitter liberally. Vintage sheet music and/or book pages (I pick up old dictionaries that are falling apart and would otherwise be thrown in the garbage at the end of a garage sale) Craft glue Ultrafine glitter, silver Glue gun Paper cupcake liners Tissue Paper Fringe ~ it's called Festoonery , but you knew that already
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M IS FOR: MAGNIFICENT MACARONI & CHEESE

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Perhaps I'm showing my age when I say ~ IF THIS POST WAS FEATURED ON SESAME STREET,  IT WOULD BE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTER: Macaroni & Cheese A comfort food that I absolutely adore!  How about you? Maggie My great-grandmother's recipe, of Pennsylvania Dutch origin, is what I was raised on. My Kids They won't eat it unless MY dad Mike makes it. Muses Culinary muses, whose recipes and ideas make our mouths water, are all around us.  My Muse for this post was Morgan at Becoming Home Grown . I recently enjoyed her post "Mac and Cheese of Doom" , and it got me thinking, no, make that daydreaming about MY FAVORITE MACARONI AND CHEESE. My husband and I were looking for a Macaroni & Cheese recipe that could be put together easily and relatively quickly, would have some depth and character, without compromising the classic taste that transports us to the land of Cozychildhoodville, and would please a crowd of d
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A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

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I managed to wrangle my ragtag circus into three rings today (work, home/family, and cyber stuff), and thus afforded myself the rare opportunity to visit some of my favorite blogs and to find some new ones.  A music link-up at 5 Minutes Just for Me inspired me to share a few of the songs and artists I've discovered lately that make me smile, bring me peace, or stir some joy in my oft weary soul.   What songs or artists have you made a connection with lately?
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MY FAVORITE FREE CLIPART & GRAPHICS SITES

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(find this fabulous clipart page at  http://www.aisling.net/freebies/clipart1-2.htm ) The Graphics Fairy The Vintage Moth Vintage Feed Sacks Free Pretty Things for You Free Vintage Images Antique Clipart.com Who is your favorite image source?
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