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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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THE LUNCH LAUNCH: School Lunch Ideas and a Back-to-School Party

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School lunches have notoriously been a challenge in my household. We have one very picky eater, and neither girl likes the same things. Many of my friends have echoed a similar lament, so this year I decided to do something about it before the new school-year begins. On the fly, I came up with an easy back-to-school party idea that combines an end-of-summer celebration with an opportunity for kids to try new lunchbox foods. Presenting:  THE LUNCH LAUNCH If you've ever taken part in a "cookie exchange", this concept will be a familiar one. The idea is simple: Invite a few families with school-aged kids to your home or a park. Each family brings a food item, cut in to sample sizes, that would be good to pack in a child's school lunch. Copies of the recipe are available right by the plate. The kids are encouraged to try new things by earning a ticket for each sample that they try. At the end of the party, the kids cash in their tickets for fun school suppl
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Back 2 School Projects, Parties & Preparedness - A Little Birdie Told Me... No. 32

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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  join the party after the features below. ------------------------------------------------ I hope you've enjoyed some of the Back-to-School features at Rook No. 17 over the past week! In the spirit of Back-to-School, this week's party is spotlighting some Projects, a Party, and Preparedness strategies for  starting the school year out with a  running start! ------------------------------------------------ *Projects* Tea Towel Pencil Case Tutorial from Keeps Me Out of Mischief Homemade Lunchables from Domesticated Nomad Blackboard Cupcakes from Mrs. Fox's Sweets ------------------------------------------------ *Party* Book Swap Party from Crossing the Bugger-Dixon Line -----------------------------------------------
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BACK TO SCHOOL WEEK II - After School Power Snack

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Welcome to another week of BACK-TO-SCHOOL features at Rook No. 17 Did you see the adorable " S harpened With Love: Pencil Cookies " guest-posted by Lisa of Moore Minutes last week?  Today, Lisa is back to share a healthy, delicious and fun idea for an AFTER-SCHOOL-SNACK. ____________________ What's round, juicy, crisp, and sweet, smoothed with creamy peanut butter on top?  An  Apple Disc Power Snack.   Apples are classic for the school room. They are the ultimate  PowerSnack . Whether you send a shiny red along with your little ones in their lunchbox or slice a bowl for them to have after school, they are sure to please those hungry tiny tummies. I want to share a creative way to serve APPLES for an after school treat today!    Typically, whenever I have a little surprise to share with the boys, I start off by giving them a clue in their mailbox.  We have a "family mailbox" area by our back door.  (More on that in a future blog post.
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BACK TO SCHOOL WEEK - "Good Luck Smartie Pants" Printable & Lunchbox Treat

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Welcome to Day 7 of BACK-TO-SCHOOL WEEK at Rook No. 17 Technically, this should be the last day of Back-to-School "Week", but I still have a few more treats in store for you next week.  Stay tuned... Today's post is short and sweet.  Or should I say SMART and SWEET ? Beth Proudfoot of It Is What It Is  has generously agreed to share her "Good luck, SMARTIE PANTS" printable with Rook No. 17 readers. The plucky little tag and Smarties candies would make a fun lunchbox surprise on the first day of school!   You can download the PDF  HERE .
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BACK TO SCHOOL WEEK - Pencil Exchange Party

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Welcome to Day 6 of BACK-TO-SCHOOL WEEK at Rook No. 17 Happy weekend everyone!   I hope you've enjoyed some of this week's back-to-school features. Today Brittany of One Charming Party has kindly offered to share her ideas for a back-to-school pencil exchange and cute customized erasers.   -------------------------- Photos by  Nicole Hill Gerulat . ©One Charming Party. Kids going back to school? A pencil exchange would be so fun to do at a back to school party. Your kids can invite neighbors or school friends and if guests all bring a pack of pencils to share everyone will get some fresh, fun, new pencils to start out the year. I had these custom pencils made at Explicitly Yours Pencils . What’s a pencil without an eraser? These are just simple erasers from the store covered with bits of cute scrapbooking paper. (Wouldn’t they be cute as a teacher gift?) Photos by  Nicole Hill Gerulat . ©One Charming Party. --------------------------
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BACK TO SCHOOL WEEK - Capri Sun Pencil Case Tutorial

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Welcome to Day 5 of BACK-TO-SCHOOL WEEK at Rook No. 17 Today's guest post combines two of my favorite things -- childhood nostalgia and upcycling!  I have vivid memories of the first year that Capri Sun juice pouches hit the lunchroom.  Suddenly my little can of TreeSweet juice (that tasted more of tin than anything else) seemed so old fashioned next to those "space age" looking silver pouches with their special little straws.  I sometimes think that the only thing that got me through having to sit through my brother's endless baseball practices was the promise of a Capri Sun at the end of the dusty day. Does anyone remember this stuff? The juice pouch has, through nearly three decades, stayed at the top of the lunchbox beverage game.  While the juice hasn't changed much, I'm happy that we're living in a "greener", more earth-friendly age.  So, when I saw the tutorial for making a pencil pouch out of upcycled jui
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