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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

Fondant Tutorial: Woodland Toadstools

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Last weekend I had the opportunity to make the birthday cake for my niece's 1st birthday. For her woodland themed party, I created a whimsical little enchanted toadstool cake. Today, I'm sharing a tutorial for how to make your own sweet little toadstools out of rolled fondant.   To decorate a cake you'll want to make many toadstools in lots of different shapes and sizes, so perfection isn't important. Because they're mounted on toothpicks, the edible candy toadstools make excellent cupcake toppers too! FAIRY FACT: Fondant mushrooms are very popular with gnomes. The fondant mushroom toadstools are quick and easy to make and don't require any special equipment. You don't need to be a cake decorating professional to get great results from this beginner level project. FONDANT TOADSTOOLS Materials White Fondant Red Fondant (I tinted mine with a touch of brown for a more organic color) A thin paint brush cocoa powd

Perfect Pumpkin Hand Pies ~ The Homesick Texan's Pumpkin Empanadas

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While the first official day of fall isn't until September 23, it sure feels like autumn has arrived here.  The air is crisp; skies are grey, and I can't seem to shake off the urge to sit in front of the fire with a good book and a mug of warm cider. So with the season of pumpkins and spice just around the corner, it is no surprise that I was drawn to the recipe for Pumpkin Empanadas during this, Week 3, of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Challenge & Cook-off.   These addictive little pumpkin hand pies start with a perfect cream cheese pie dough that rolls like a dream. The tender and flaky crust is filled with mixture of pumpkin and pecans that conjures memories of the best pumpkin pies. Imagine packing these tidy little treats for your fall picnic or tailgate. They'd tuck nicely in to a school lunch, although if your family is anything like mine, they won't last that long. Pumpkin Hand Pies adapted from the Pumpkin Empanada re

Sophisticated Vintage Style in the 21st Century -- A Shabby Apple Giveaway!

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THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED. VIEW THE RESULTS HERE THANK YOU FOR ENTERING! When you think of classic, sophisticated style icons, who do you think of?   Audrey Hepburn? Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis? Coco Chanel?   While some might argue that style of their caliber is but a thing of the past, I can disprove that contention with two words:   Shabby Apple .   I am delighted to introduce Shabby Apple as the latest member of the Rook No. 17 sponsor line-up, after joining their affiliate program this month.  As Rook No. 17 continues to bring you original recipes, crafts and ideas for inspired living, I am happy to also have the opportunity to share a few select companies that I think are exceptional .  These are places I personally adore, patronize, and come back to time and time again. Shabby Apple is a company that was started by two friends on a mission to create dresses "that make dressing simple...a return to what dresses were always meant to be..."  T

BABBLE'S Top 25 Readers' Choice Craft Mom Blogs

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I'm silly....I know it.  I was so grateful and flattered to be nominated to Babble's Readers' Choice list of Top Craft Mom Blogs several months ago by my friend Holly of 504 Main .  I've been over the moon to have remained in the top 25, but fell a few spots in the past few weeks.    click on the icon to visit the voting page If you're a fan of the original recipes, crafts and ideas for creative living that I share here at Rook No. 17, I would be beyond thrilled to earn your "click" over at Babble.  It's a two-second commitment, but would mean a lot to this silly old bird! While you're there, you may want to take a gander at some of the other incredible people on the list.  I've found several new favorite blogs that way, and have met a lot of inspiring creative people! THANK YOU!!

New Twists on Breakfast Classics ~ A Little Birdie Told Me... No. 37

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Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. --Lewis Carroll 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. ------------------------------------------------ Breakfast has certainly come a long way since the first recorded use of the word in England back in 1463. When you think of breakfast, do you think of pancakes and waffles, eggs and bacon, or a "Venti" nonfat soy latte on the go? If you were a peasant back in the Middle Ages, your morning meal might have involved an oatcake or bowl of porridge, washed down by a tankard of ale.   I'm pleased to be sharing, by way of last week's party participants, three delicious and delightful breakfasts. Pull up a chair and your tankard of ale, but please check your bowl of porridge at the door. -----------------------

Sopapillas -- Mexican Cinnamon Sugar Donut Puffs -- Ole!

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I'll be honest, when it comes to fried dough, I usually outsource .  Unless we're talking Baked Donuts , I've found that it's a lot less work and a whole lot tastier to pick up a batch of ethereally light, hot out of the fryer, sugar glazed delights from my local donut shop than to make my own. BUT, these Sopapillas from The Homesick Texan Cookbook didn't take much time at all and were well worth the minimal effort.  I loved the way the triangles of dough magically puffed when they hit the hot oil. They were light, but the dough had a great chew that my family enjoyed. Tossed in cinnamon sugar and lightly drizzled with honey, the golden puffs were nearly gone in a sitting.  We saved a few for the morning, just to see how they fared.  We were happy to find that they were still delicious when served cold the next day. I'm happy to be sharing this recipe as part of "The Homesick Texan Cookbook Challenge & Cook-off" .  I hope you&#

America the Beautiful

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We have a rich songbook of patriotic music in America,  but today, as many reflect on the events of 9/11,  I can think of none that sums up the gratitude  and love I have for this country more than this one: America the Beautiful Words by Katharine Lee Bates, Melody by Samuel Ward O beautiful for spacious skies,  For amber waves of grain,  For purple mountain majesties  Above the fruited plain!  America! America!  God shed his grace on thee  And crown thy good with brotherhood  From sea to shining sea!  O beautiful for pilgrim feet  Whose stern impassioned stress A thoroughfare of freedom beat  Across the wilderness!  America! America!  God mend thine every flaw,  Confirm thy soul in self-control,  Thy liberty in law!  O beautiful for heroes proved  In liberating strife.  Who more than self their country loved And mercy more than life!  America! America!  May God thy gold refine  Till all success be nobleness  And