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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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FALL IN LOVE WITH -- SALTED & CHOCOLATE DIPPED TAMARIND CARAMELS

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It was on an impromptu jaunt to Mexico a few years ago where I had my first taste of Tamarind.  My husband, his cousins and I were in the car, air conditioning blasting, as we sat for hours in traffic that had come to a standstill just a few miles from the border.  We were thankful to the vendors, wandering the sea of stranded motorists, who, over the course of several hours kept our spirits high with a steady stream of treats including churros, flavored ices, and pan dulce.  The confection that stands out most in memory, however, is the tangy, sweet and salty tamarind lollipop that kept me occupied and rather intrigued for the duration of our captivity. If you're not familiar with tamarind , it is a legume that grows on trees in Asia, Africa and in the tropics.  The fruit inside the pod is a fleshy, tangy pulp that becomes sweeter as the pod matures.  It is used in cuisines throughout Africa, Asia, South & Central America, India and Mexico. In Mexico, it is candied, d
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HAPPY VETERANS DAY

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On behalf of my family, I'd like to thank all the men and women who have served our country, and all the families  currently making sacrifices on our behalf. Thank You!
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IT'S HIP TO BE SQUARE -- Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fennel Pollen

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Do you love chocolate?  Do you enjoy creamy, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffles, but get sticker shock when you see them in the illuminated "jewelry" cases in boutique candy shops?  The ingredients for a perfect chocolate truffle couldn't be simpler, and they're easy to make at home -- no special equipment or culinary training required. Once you learn the basics, you can experiment with shapes, techniques, and flavors. FENNEL POLLEN Truffles have gotten wildly gourmet in recent years with everything from spicy chiles to lavender, exotic salts, and even bacon!  I recently had the opportunity to work with a new ingredient, Fennel Pollen , which was provided to me by Marx Foods .   Fennel pollen ?  It's exactly what you probably guessed:  pollen harvested from the flowers of fennel plants.  Unlike fennel seeds, the texture of fennel pollen is delicate.  It has an exquisite anise-like aroma and smooth flavor that is the perfect compliment to dark ch
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WHAT'S ON YOUR CHEESE PLATE? DRESS IT UP WITH THESE EASY LAYERED BRIE RECIPES

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Will you be attending any holiday parties or potlucks in the coming weeks?  Or, are you hosting a little shindig of your own?  If you like to "make an impression" without having to spend a semester in culinary school, or all day in the kitchen, consider adding one of these festive and easy-to-make bries to your menu. You can find my recipes and a full tutorial being  hosted by Jamee of " A NEW KIND OF NORMAL ". Just click HERE !
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EASY ELEGANT APPETIZER RECIPE -- PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED ASPARAGUS SPEARS IN PUFF PASTRY

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I submit to you, an elegant and easy appetizer that will have your guests declaring that YOU are the next Iron Chef.  The delicate smokiness of the prosciutto plays beautifully with the mild sweetness of the asparagus and the buttery crunch of the parmesan toasted puff pastry. This delicious holiday appetizer recipe was shared with me by my sister-in-law, Natalie. I'm fortunate to have a sister-in-law, who in addition to being a nice person and a lot of fun, is also a very talented professional chef. When we visit my brother (an amazing cook in his own right), his wife and my sweet nephew, it is a certainty that we'll be dining on some of the finest cuisine around  -- which means an extra lot considering that their two most recent cities of residence have been Las Vegas and NYC! Whether it's her paper-thin steak tartare, or a down home classic like her free-form meatloaf, my family and I are always in awe of her culinary magic!   NYC is very far from the quiet
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CREATIVE CAPTIONS CONTEST WINNERS

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I want to extend a very gracious thank-you to everyone who contributed their wit, creativity, and support to my 2nd Annual Creative Captions Contest:   Of Woods & Words , 504 Main , The Feline & the Rat , Life, Interrupted... , Made By Bedtime Tales ,   Organized Chaos!! , and Mummy Crafts .  What a talented bunch! It was difficult picking my favorites, but since it's requisite to the whole "contest-thing", I made my choices: WINNER #1:  Ada from Of Woods & Words This one appealed to my intellectual side: "Q is for Quandary: when you're headed one way and what you seek is headed the other." WINNER #2:  Holly of 504 Main This one honed in and struck the heart of my morbid side: "Darn, those CSI guys beat me to it again." If you missed the contest, but would still like to get some good comic relief, or download the free vintage alphabet block clipart, visit HERE .
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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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