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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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Inspiring Projects with Flowers and Flours -- A Little Birdie Told Me #4

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For my little tomboy's birthday  I opted for Flour rather than Flowers with this Lego themed ice cream cake. I'll be posting a tutorial later in the week. What did you do this week? Welcome to "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Tuesday!  If you're here to share a craft, recipe or project post, you'll find the linky and the specifics on how to  strut your stuff  just after the features below: _________________________________ Last week, A Little Birdie Told Me... ...The guests brought Flowers and Flours --FLOWERS-- 1.   Eye Spy DIY took a pair of pair of ho-hum shoes from the clearance rack at Target and gave them a chic makeover complete with handmade rosettes.   2.   Protodoom completely won me over with a glittering stylized skull adorned with paper roses.  So original!  So creative!  I dig this gal's style! 3.   Musings From Kim K. appealed to my whimsical side w
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FREE SCRAP SHEET -- OLD FASHIONED LITTLE GIRLS

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   "Little Girls, little girls, everywhere I turn, I can see them..."   ~Miss Hannigan, 'Annie' the musical Today, my "little girls" and I put together some small collages using assorted scrap images, ephemera, copies of old family photos, and good ol' Mod Podge, to use as cards to thank our family and friends for birthday and Christmas gifts received in the past few weeks. Each mini collage features an old fashioned little girl and a strip taken from an old dictionary for the word "thankful".  Most of the little girls featured in the collages were scanned from family photos, and the rest were taken from vintage postcards and ephemera.   Feel free to download and save the collages for personal use for tags, cards, or other creative projects of your own.  I'm also including a free downloadable scrap sheet containing the images of the little girls and another with the "thankful" strips.  Enjoy! L
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Chocolate & Pretzel Dipped Peanut Butter Balls on a Stick -- Now THAT'S a mouthful!

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This most recent "ON-A-STICK" creation was directly inspired by the mouth-watering Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles from Lisa at The Pursuit of Happiness .  I made some the other day and was so enamored with the flavor combination of peanut butter, chocolate and salty pretzels, that I couldn't help but create my own version to serve  "ON-A-STICK" style.  I came up with an extremely creamy and smooth peanut butter center that puts Reese's to shame, and did a twist by putting the pretzels on the outside "STICK" around, after the recipe, for links to more  Delicious Stuff "ON-A-STICK" Tutorials! CHOCOLATE & PRETZEL DIPPED PEANUT BUTTER BALLS ON A STICK (makes 2 dozen) Ingredients 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup butter 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar (powdered), sifted parchment or baking mat lined baking sheet 10 oz. melted chocolate (candy melts, tempered chocolate, or bark) 1 cup crushed pretze
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Valentine Projects You'll Go Nuts For -- Part of "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Linky Party #3

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Welcome to "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Tuesday!  If you're here to share a craft, recipe or project post, you'll find the linky and the specifics on how to  strut your stuff  below. Image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy No need to be squirrelly...If you're here to read, browse, or are just curious, please stick around, scroll down, and see if there's a little somethin' that catches your fancy -- perhaps a new recipe, a craft idea, or new creative technique! _________________________________ Last week, A Little Birdie Told Me... ...Creative People were going NUTS for VALENTINES ' Day Last week's entries were choc full of nuts: 1.  PECANS:  Self professed "butter groupie" A Whisk and a Prayer shared her marvelous recipe for Butter Pecan Praline Bars . 2.  CHESTNUTS:  Camilla tempted my palette with a sophisticated Spiced Chestnut Biscotti at Culinary Adventures with Camilla .
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HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN CAN-O-LA GRANOLA

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Today, I'm pleased to introduce a fabulous recipe for homemade GRANOLA from my friend CK of  Made By Bedtime Tales .  I always feel inspired after visiting her creative and whimsical blog that she co-authors with her sister Becka.  A while ago, CK posted a recipe for Granola (one of my very favorite breakfast foods), and I asked if she'd be willing to share it with my readers in a guest post at Rook No. 17.  Yesterday, my girls and I made a big batch of CK's delicious (and easy to make) granola. Just for fun, I decided to do some creative packaging to share the granola with friends and family.   I used cans that had been opened with a "safety can opener".  I sterilized the cans and lids, then wrapped them in a strip of scrapbook paper.  I customized a cheeky little label:  "Can-O-La Granola" (because it's in a can, and is also made with canola oil -- tee hee!).  I also created an ingredients label to glue to the back.  
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OWL VALENTINE TREATS -- Whoooo do you love?

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- The idea for these sweet little owls came to me a few weeks ago. Remember a few weeks ago?  Candy canes, Chocolate Santas, and gingerbread in every size, shape and form, but not a single heart-shaped valentine "Peep" to be found. Fortunately, my friend Holly saved the day when she scored a few boxes at a local drugstore. My posts have been awfully long lately, so I'm keeping this intro short and sweet. Here are the instructions for making Chocolate Dipped Valentine Owls on a Stick made from heart-shaped marshmallow "Peeps": Marshmallow Valentine Owls --MATERIALS-- --Heart-shaped Peeps (Our local store only had the pink, sugar-free type.  The regular version is red and should be available in most stores with a large Valentine candy section). -- Valentine's Day M&Ms (or just the white M&Ms if you're able to find them) -- A Food Writer Pen in black (available in the cake decorating section of most major craft stores
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"A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME..." LINKY PARTY #2 And a Whimsical Creative Showcase

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Welcome to "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Tuesday!  If you're here to share a craft, recipe or project post, you'll find the linky and the specifics on how to strut your stuff below. If you're here to read, browse, or are just curious, you've landed at Rook No. 17 on a frabjous day (that's right, frabjous -- I'm channeling a little Lewis Caroll as it were) full of inspiration and creative ideas! Just take a look at what talented people all over the world are sharing in their links below.  You may just walk away with a new favorite recipe or a spark of inspiration! Red Herring - (n.) Something that draws attention away from the central issue. I was so happy with the success of the launch of " A Little Birdie Told Me..." last week.  I had a wonderful time visiting all of the participants and was simply awed by all the talent out there.  As promised, I've been looking forward to shining the spotlight on a few of the subm
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