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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

Poblano Macaroni & Cheese (The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-off Series)

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Imagine if you will... ...A cast iron skillet bubbling with white cheddar sauce, enveloping poblano peppers and macaroni in its creamy, garlic perfumed embrace.  This 'aint your mama's mac and cheese.  This is the Poblano Macaroni & Cheese from The Homesick Texan 's eponymous cookbook. This is the third recipe from the cookbook that I've had the pleasure to enjoy as part of "The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off", along with 18 other talented food bloggers, and hosted by Heather of  Girlichef .  Last week, we explored the " Dallas Gas Station Taco " phenomenon with some incredible marinated pork tacos.  Then we shifted gears and headed for Austin where we slow-cooked a pot of smoky, spicy and flavorful black beans that are a perfect side dish, but are good enough to stand alone as a vegetarian chili! This week, we indulged in The Homesick Texans kicked up version of macaroni and cheese, which she's p

Oyster & Pearl Madeleine Cakes ~ Sweet Shells by the Seashore

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This past weekend we celebrated my daughter's 10th birthday with a party at the beach; sand between our toes and a panoramic view of the bay.  What better way to add a "sweet" touch to a beach or ocean themed party than with some sweet little cakes that look like oysters? The cakes are so easy to make -- you don't even need to bake!  As you can see, the "oysters" are made from Madeleine cakes, which is especially meaningful for my family since Madeleine is my daughter's name.  The pearl is a white gumball, so the kids get an extra treat once they've finished their cake! Here's how to make a bed of beautiful "oysters" of your very own: Oyster & Pearl Madeleine Cakes Supplies/Ingredients Madeleine Cakes (store bought or homemade) You'll need two Madeleines for each "oyster" White gumballs (Bought mine in a multi-color pack at Target for $2.99.  There were about 25 whites) Pearl D

A Little Birdie Told Me...No. 36 - Featuring Sea Creature Cakes

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She is mine own, And I as rich in having such a jewel As twenty seas, if all their sand were pearl, The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold. ~William Shakespeare 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. ------------------------------------------------ 10 years ago I spent  Labor Day weekend  in LABOR.   This weekend, we celebrated the 10th  birthday of our sweet Madeleine, and created a special little cake confection in her honor: Oyster & Pearl Madeleines. I'll be sharing the sweet & easy tutorial on Wednesday,  but today I'm spotlighting the whimsical ocean inspired sweets that landed on the shores of "A Little Birdie Told Me..." last week : ------------------------------------------------ Octopus Brownie Bites from The Seven Year Cottage Turtle Chocolate Mint Chip C

Pork Tacos, Dallas Gas Station Style & Austin-style Black Beans (The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-off Series)

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Consider me "schooled" by The Homesick Texan .  I've spent the better part of the past 39 years convinced that the distinction of  "Best Mexican Food Outside of Mexico" belonged, indisputably, to my home state of California.  While I stand behind my amigos in the Golden State, my first week of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-off has opened my eyes and mind to the possibility, no, the certainty that when it comes to Mexican food, Texas is one firece contender. Lemme back this horse up a few steps...  A few weeks back, Heather of Girlichef lassoed up a team of talented food bloggers to take part in a cookbook review and cook-off sponsored by  Hyperion  in anticipation of the release of The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain.  Over the next four weeks, the twenty of us knife wielding, tortilla slingin' culinary vaqueros will be taking on a sampling of The Homesick Texan recipes and sharing the experience with our readers.

REVIEW AND RECIPE: Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt & Raspberry Lemon Breakfast Cake

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I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Clever Girls on behalf of Dannon. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program but my opinions are my own. For more information and recipe ideas, visit www.oikosyogurt.com or www.Facebook.com/oikos. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective , which endorses Blog With Integrity , as I do. Raspberry Lemon Breakfast Cake made with Dannon® Oikos® vanilla yogurt Greek Yogurt -- WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?  I grew up loving yogurt -- plain, fruit on the bottom, fruit mixed in, in smoothies, frozen, and as a breakfast parfait with fresh fruit and granola.When I started watching my weight in my early twenties I was disappointed to find that the lower-fat yogurts often lacked the creamy texture and richness that I had enjoyed as a child. I had all but given up on yogurt until just around a year ago when I was introduced to Greek Yogurt. Creamy? Yes! R

Food Poetry & Inspiration -- A Little Birdie Told Me...No. 35

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I rolled in the fainting couch, should the following render you light-headed. 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. ------------------------------------------------ Some people have a way with food and others with words. And then there are those that have both... ------------------------------------------------ A Nest for all Seasons "Sometimes waiting on THE DREAM is like waiting for asparagus... You put the roots in the ground and nothing happens. Nothing at all. Then one day, when you aren't looking, everything happens all at once and you are taken by surprise." ------------------------------------------------ Bijouxs "Life is just a bowl of cherries and a bowl of cherries is made even sweeter with a simple poach in red wine, a beautiful burgundy-hued bowl of lusci